Rookie Drew Gill Grabs Early Lead at Major League Fishing Stage Three Presented by Mercury at Dale Hollow Lake

Illinois pro weighs in 77 pounds, 15 ounces to lead after Day 1 for Group A – Group B begins competition Wednesday

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 9, 2024) – In the months since Major League Fishing announced the Bass Pro Tour would bring its catch-weigh-immediate release model to Dale Hollow Lake for PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury, anglers have anticipated an epic shootout, with some even predicting record weights. However, a chilly three-day practice period brought a trickier bite than many expected, causing some of that excitement to be replaced with trepidation.

Through one day of competition, at least, the lake is living up to its pre-practice billing.

Pro Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois, stacked 26 scorable bass weighing 77 pounds, 15 ounces onto SCORETRACKER® Tuesday, giving him more than 16 pounds of cushion over pro Jeff Sprague of Wills Point, Texas at the top of Group A. In all, 10 anglers eclipsed 40 pounds on the day.

The six-day tournament, hosted by…