Monteagle’s Dakota Cantrell was in good shape to be the junior angler of the year as the final round of the National Bass Fishing Trail championship tournament began at first light this morning on Lake Chickamauga.
But the 14-year-old rising freshman at Grundy County High School was in a similar position last year on Wheeler Lake in Alabama.
Cantrell was No. 1 in points for 2008 going into the tournament last year — each summer’s national event decides the championship for the previous calendar year — and he led after two days, but Alabama resident Brad Vice passed him for the points championship the final day. Vice is the 2009 junior points leader but did not come to Chattanooga, so Cantrell is aiming for second-place Garrett Jones today.
Jones was in sixth place after Thursday’s weigh-in at Chester Frost Park with 18.22 pounds of bass. Cantrell, tied for fourth in the points standings, led with 26.99 after adding 12.11 on a five-bass limit. Alex Prince was second at 26.17 with Thursday’s 6.36-pound “big bass” and a 15.83 total but is too far back to be angler of year.
“I have to finish two spots ahead of Jones,” said Cantrell, who with his father Gene fished Chickamauga for only the third time in Sunday’s first practice round.
“It seems more like a joy riders’ lake,” the younger Cantrell said. “It holds big fish, but it’s hard to get them to bite for me.”
He had Wednesday’s big bass among the 19 junior participants, a 6.75-pounder, but lost two others his dad estimated at 4 and 5 pounds in his 14.88 total that was 2 pounds more than the next closest junior that day.
The top three juniors after two rounds — Cantrell, Prince and Dalton Summers (23.20) — all represent the Southeastern Tennessee/North Georgia NBT district directed by Grundy resident David Lowrie.
Brent Sain from Manchester still led the 39-entry adult division after Thursday’s round, although his margin shrank somewhat. He had 42.79 pounds, followed by Trevor Prince at 36.91 and Chris Hensley at 32.60. Jones’ father, Anthony, was fourth at 30.97 and had the adults’ big fish Thursday (7.45).
Corey Carlisle and the elder Cantrell were fifth and sixth at 28.60 and 27.86.