Day 3 Bassmaster Elite at St Johns River: Lowen Holds Lead Despite Slower Day

Lowen battles cold water while John Garrett rockets up the leaderboard with a massive limit.

Bill Lowen maintains his lead at the Bassmaster Elite on the St. Johns River despite cooling waters, while John Garrett climbs from 38th to 2nd with a massive 31-6 bag. / B.A.S.S. | Dalton Tumblin

Bill Lowen Fights Off Cold Water to Hold Lead

Spring weather on a Florida bass fishery can keep even the world's best anglers guessing. Despite warming air temperatures, Bill Lowen had to battle through a slower Day 3 to hold onto his lead at the Bassmaster Elite on the St. Johns River.

After a solid 21-5 on Day 1 and an even bigger 24-4 limit on Day 2, the Indiana pro was only able to put together 18-1 on Semifinal Saturday. To be clear, 18 plus pounds is by no means a failure, it’s just off the pace he had established. His three-day total of 63-10 gives him a 5-4 lead heading into Championship Sunday.

Bill Lowen heads into the final round with a 5-plus pound lead. / B.A.S.S.

“That water where I’m fishing is about 4 degrees colder than it was yesterday,” Lowen said. “I had one little zone that was a couple degrees warmer, and that’s where I caught all my fish. My primary area where I caught ‘em the last two days, I never caught a fish there today.”

Lowen leaned on a swim jig for most of his weight, with a flipping jig producing a few small ones. A slow, winding presentation paid off.

For Championship Sunday, Lowen plans to start on his primary area. “Hopefully, it will work one more day.”

But he added that he may gamble on two untapped spots. “I’d hate to not go and say, ‘What if? I might check those two other areas tomorrow and get back to my primary area when the tide gets right.”

“God willing, it will happen. If not and I don’t catch a bass tomorrow, the last three days have been amazing.”

Even on his slowest day of this event, Lowen managed to bring over 18 pounds to the scales. / B.A.S.S. | Dalton Tumblin

“God willing, it will happen. If not and I don’t catch a bass tomorrow, the last three days have been amazing.”

- Bill Lowen

John Garrett’s Explosive Move from 38th to 2nd

John Garrett was unable to keep this giant bass a secret for long. / B.A.S.S. | Andy Crawford

While Lowen was moving slow and steady, John Garrett was running wide open, climbing from 38th to second with a massive 31-6 sack. Anchoring his bag with an 8-6, Garrett found magic on a 10-13 foot main-river shellbar.

“It was a total surprise,” Garrett said. “I just started running new water and ran across that spot. I caught six fish there and left them alone.”

Jay Przekurat Stays in the Hunt with Steady Performance

A calm approach and key bites have kept Przekurat in the hunt heading into SUnday. / B.A.S.S. | Andy Crawford

Jay Przekurat holds third with 54-5 after an up-and-down week. His 24-15 opening bag carried him into the weekend, and a late 5-pounder on Day 3 kept him in the hunt.

Przekurat spent most of his time in canals near the lower end of Lake George. Fishing around docks and kickouts, he caught his fish on a shallow-running jerkbait.

And the Big Bass is…

John Cox’s 8-13 from Day 1 continues to hold for big bass of the tournament.

Championship Sunday: What to Expect

With tomorrow’s weather forecast predicting a calm day and even warmer temperatures than today, a lot could change in a hurry. Sunday is likely to provide some pretty exciting competition.

Championship Sunday kicks off at 7 a.m. ET from the Palatka City Boat Ramp, with weigh-in at Palatka Riverfront Park at 3 p.m.

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