Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

We watch professional fishing events for two main reasons: to glean tackle and tactical tips from seasoned competitors holding up those big catches, and for the drama. With a day remaining in the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart and hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country, we have to wait a bit on the former, but thanks to day-three leader Brent Ehrler and his nine competitors, we're literally awash with the latter.

Right off the bat, let's note that the top-10 field includes three past Cup winners - Ehrler (2006), eighth-place pro Scott Martin (2011) and ninth-place pro Jacob Wheeler (2012). FLW has yet to see a two-time champion, so three solid contenders in this year's final round have the statisticians abuzz.

Ehrler, the 2006 Cup champion from Redlands, Calif., continued his path of improvement, which has taken him from sixth place on day one to second yesterday and ultimately to the top of the field. His daily weights of 13-5, 12-7 and 13-5 tallied 39-1 - just 3 ounces ahead of Chevy pro Bryan Thrift.