Events 1 & 2 - Pools 4 and 5 of the Mighty Mississippi

Alma, WI - The first two events of the year proved to be some of the most difficult conditions that Madtown anglers could see all season. The week before the tournament provided stable temperatures and most fish were up on beds and active. The day before the events on May 15th and 16th, temperatures severely dropped into the 30's for the weekend and caught the bass in the middle of the spawn. The fish pushed back and shut down, which was reflected in the weights.

Much of the field struggled to find bites; with one exception: TJ Maglio. TJ fished a pattern that no other angler in the field attempted and it produced a very impressive bag on the first event of the season. TJ put together a bag of largemouth that came across the scales at 17.18 pounds. Other notable finishes were Ron "Rocket" Richard with 8.4 pounds and Brian Saari with 8.31 pounds.

The second day of the tournament (Event 2) proved to be a similar struggle as the weather did not improve. The club voted to launch out of Pool 4 instead of Pool 5 like the previous day. The big bag on Day 2 was taken home by Keith Matush. Keith weighed in 13.65 pounds of largemouth by slowing down and targeting specific areas with finesse presentations. Behind Keith was TJ again with a bag weighing 8.36 pounds.

As of the first two events, TJ Maglio leads the Angler of the Year standings by 11.89 pounds.