Walker edges Shaw for top spot in Qualifying Round

Jacob Walker hauled in 22 bass that weighed 70 pounds, 11 ounces and moved up two spots to claim the Qualifying Round win at the Lake Guntersville Bass Pro Tour on Friday.

Walker’s two-day total of 174-09 (48 fish) edged out BPT rookie Banks Shaw, who caught 85-03 (26 fish) today to finish with 173-12 (53 fish) across the first two days.

For his efforts, Walker will bypass the Elimination Round and advance to the Championship Round slated for Sunday. The rest of the top 25 finishers will have their weights zeroed and compete Saturday for the nine remaining spots in the final.

Veteran Mark Davis never turned his live sonar on and compiled the best weight of the day with 88-04 (27 fish) to jump up to 3rd place with 143-11 (45 fish). Four-time Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler sits in 4th with 142-01 (46 fish) while Brent Ehrler occupies 5th with 140-04 (48 fish).

Day-1 leader Jeff Sprague only caught 7 for 18-03 and slipped to 8th.

Here’s how the top 10 looks heading into the weekend:

1. Jacob Walker: 48, 174-09

2. Banks Shaw: 53, 173-12

3. Mark Davis: 45, 143-11

4. Jacob Wheeler: 46, 142-01

5. Brent Ehrler: 48, 140-04

6. Jacob Wall: 44, 133-13

7. Mark Daniels Jr.: 45, 127-07

8. Jeff Sprague: 38, 127-02

9. Keith Carson: 38, 123-01

10. Ott DeFoe: 43, 118-09

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