By MLF Communications Staff

NEENAH, Wis. – Kicking off the second event of the 2024 Team Series from the Fox Cities in Wisconsin meant it was impossible for the first group of anglers to guess where they'd fish during Match 1 of the Elimination Round at the Heritage Cup. Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, the Fox River and Lake Michigan were all on the table as options that might be the day’s competition fishery.

Anglers learned this morning at the boat ramp that they would compete on Lakes Poygan and Winneconne on the Fox River Chain. There, the Team WIX Filters duo of David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, and Erie, Pennsylvania’s Dave Lefebre led the way, catching 17 bass totaling 38 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the four-team match by a 10-7 margin. Also advancing is the Team Builders FirstSource father-son duo of Alton Jones Sr. and Alton Jones Jr., who caught 16 bass weighing 28-7.

The majority of the teams spent the day fishing boat docks, with the lead changing multiple times at different points of the day. Dudley and Lefebre got on the dock pattern in the beginning of the second period and never looked back. Lefebre fished from the front of the boat with a small jig, while Dudley cleaned up behind him with a Dudley’s Wacky rig.

“We started off on some deeper docks in the morning, then as the weather got hotter and the sun got higher, they started moving shallower and shallower and we started catching them in what we would call dirt – just inches of water up underneath those docks,” said Dudley, who caught nine scorables totaling 20-12. “That's why this wacky rig became dominant in the latter part of the day.

“The key today, for me, was definitely my setup. I caught them on a 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy Profishiency Krazy Spinning Combo, throwing a (Perfection Lures) Dudley Wacky Worm. I paired it up with 15-pound braided line attached to 8-pound fluorocarbon, and I used a 2/0 round-bend hook. That was the key for me today.”

As competition wrapped and Dudley and Lefebre began to prepare to return to the launch ramp, Dudley tried to goad Lefebre into a victory dance on the front deck of the boat. Lefebre, however, didn’t bite.

“David, my wife and kids watch these things,” Lefebre laughed. “However, I’ll make you a deal. If we win $20,000 this week, I will do something. I’ll get something happening and get jiggy with it.”

“Deal,” Dudley responded.

Team WIX Filters now moves on to Knockout Round competition on Wednesday.

It was a mad race to the second qualifying spot on Sunday. The Team B&W Trailer Hitches duo of Nick Hatfield and Justin Lucas held the No. 2 spot for most of the third period, but a key decision by the Joneses late in the day turned out to be the difference maker.

As the final minutes ticked down in the third period, the Joneses threw a Hail Mary, running three miles to fish a lone boat dock that they had boated a couple of scorable bass on earlier in the day. With just 2 minutes remaining in competition, behind by 9 ounces, the elder Alton Jones connected with a 1-2 bass to overtake the Hatfield/Lucas duo and seize the final qualifying spot from Match 1.

“Man, we had to make a decision right there in the last little bit, and we decided to fish this one dock,” Jones Sr. said. “And there was nothing else back here for us to fish. It was either going to work or it wasn't. And it paid off. I almost missed that fish. I saw him spit it, then right back in he ate it again. It was a pretty lucky catch.”

Like most of the field, the father-son duo caught all of its fish throwing soft plastics around grass and boat docks.

“We had to play from behind all day, so we just kept our head down and kept working,” said Alton Jones Jr. “We didn’t catch a lot of fish, but we ended up scrapping up enough.”

“I’m just glad we get to do this again for another day,” Jones Sr. went on to say. “I hope I performed well enough to make it where you might actually want to draw me again.”

“Maybe so,” Jones Jr. joked. “We’ll see how it goes in the Knockout Round on Thursday.”

Here are the final numbers for Match 1:

1st: Team WIX Filters, 17 bass, 38-14
David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., nine bass, 20-12
Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., eight bass, 18-2

2nd: Team Builders FirstSource, 16 bass, 28-7
Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, four bass, 5-15
Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, 12 bass, 22-8

Eliminated

3rd: Team B&W Trailer Hitches, 12 bass, 27-14
Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., four bass, 10-7
Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 17-7

4th: Team Kubota, 11 bass, 23-14
Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., five bass, 10-11
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., six bass, 13-3

Anglers depart the host hotel in Neenah each morning at 5:30 a.m. CT. They are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials and competition begins on the water at 8:45 a.m.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney break down the extended action live every day of competition from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! is live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

The Challenge Cup features 12 two-man teams, divided into three groups as they enter the one-day Elimination Round matches. Each of the three Elimination Round matches will feature four new teams, with the Top 2 teams from each match of the Elimination Round advancing to the Knockout Round on Days 4 and 5. In the Knockout Rounds, three teams compete each day, with the top two teams from each match moving on to the Championship Round on Day 6.

In Friday’s Championship Round, the final four teams will compete in a one-day shootout to determine the winners.