Caleb Sumrall steers his boat on the takeoff on opening day of the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament at Lake Martin in Alabama. INSET: Sumrall gives a thumbs up as he roars by the photographer.

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. — New Iberian Caleb Sumrall’s debut on the  Bassmaster Elite Series circuit ended Friday, the second day of the opener of 2018.

Sumrall, 30, missed the cut in the 110-angler field for the semifinal round Saturday at nearby Lake Martin. He was less than 3 pounds short of advancing  with the Top 51.

He had a slow start on the first day of his Bassmaster Elite career but made up for it by putting four keeper-sized bass in the livewell. They weighed 10 pounds, 4 ounces, leaving him in 58th place Thursday.

The New Iberia bass angler’s second day started much better with two keepers early. He finished with four fish again, one short of the limit, that weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces, for a total of 17 pounds, 14 ounces.

The cut was at 20 pounds, 12 ounces. The 51st and final spot for the semifinal round was grabbed by another Louisiana angler, Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part.

It was a tough lake to crack for more than half the field. Some of the widely known bass anglers who missed the cut included Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Alabama; Edwin Evers of Talala, Oklahoma; Bobby Lane Jr. of Lakeland, Florida; Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Alabama; Kevin Van Dam of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Tim Horton of Mussel Shoals, Alabama; Gary Klein of Mingus, Texas; Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas; Ish Monroe of Hughson, California; Rick Clunn of Ava, Missouri, and Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Arkansas.

Takahiro Omori, a Japanese angler who now lives in Texas, stunned the field of pros with a bass catching blitz early Friday that vaulted him into the halfway lead with a two-day total of 32 pounds, 11 ounces. He was followed by rookie Roy Hawk of Arizona, who had 28 pounds, 12 ounces.

Omori’s five-bass limit Friday weighed 14 pounds, 9 ounces. He fished a red crank bait in stained, moving water at a magical spot.

“I don’t want to tell anybody about that spot because I’ve got to go back tomorrow (Saturday),” Omori told Bassmaster.com. “It’s a really good spot, but it’s all I have.”

Hawk’s catch Friday included four largemouth bass and one spotted bass. He said he was “moving around a lot” to find and catch bass.

Washington state angler Luke Clausen was in fifth going into the third of competition with 28 pounds even.

The field was cut Saturday to the Top 12 for today at Lake Martin. A live stream of the action can be seen at bassmaster.com.