Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia signals his fifth keeper on Thursday during the Bassmaster Elite Series in Oklahoma. Sumrall made the cut after two days.

GROVE, Okla. — Caleb Sumrall weighed a five-bass limit for the third consecutive day Saturday at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

That Sumrall, a 30-year-old up-and-coming bass pro from New Iberia, was fishing on Saturday meant that he had taken a giant step in a Bassmaster Elite career that began with the opener Feb. 1-3 on Lake Martin in Alabama. He made the cut for the first time on the Bassmaster Elite Series with his strong showing on the sprawling lake in Oklahoma.

“I made it to Saturday. That was my goal. I’m living my dream,” Sumrall said after weighing in five bass in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at Wolf Creek Park, site of the weigh-in. His five bass weighed 47 pounds, 13 ounces, worth $10,000.

However, Sumrall wasn’t able to continue fishing this weekend in the second Bassmaster Elite Series tournament of 2018. He missed Championship Sunday, the fourth and final round today, because only the Top 12 advance from Saturday.

Sumrall finished in 32nd place in the 108-angler field and missed the Top 12 cut by a little less than 6 pounds, or two bragging-size bass.

He had another good morning Saturday. First bass in the boat weighed an estimated 3 pounds, according to the marshal who recorded the catches for Basstrakk, and it went into the livewell at about 7:16 a.m.

His second keeper, one estimated at nearly 2 pounds, came at 7:46 a.m. Then there was a lull before he put his third keeper bass in the boat, one estimated at nearly 3 ½ pounds, at 10:45 a.m.

He added a 2-12 before noon and a 2-0 at 2:07 p.m.

His next stop will be in Paris, Tennessee, where he will compete in the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Kentucky Lake.

Leading the dozen anglers who take to the water today hopeful of reeling in the $100,000 first-place prize is legendary bass pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The seven-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces, to take the lead.

It was his third limit exceeding the magical 20-pound mark, a benchmark in pro bass fishing, and it gave him a three-day total of 64 pounds, 3 ounces.

“It’s going to take another bag of 20 pounds or better to win this thing,” VanDam told B.A.S.S. officials after the weigh-in. “I think where I’ve spent my time this week has the right fish, but as the standings will show, the other Top 12 anglers are also catching them. I’m not comfortable yet.

“Each of us are focusing on spawning bass,” VanDam said. “And with the weather and moon phase both factors, the spots are reloading by the hour. The bass are fat and very healthy looking — plus I feel like my pattern is only getting stronger.”

VanDam takes a nearly 4-pound lead over Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, into the fourth and final day of fishing. 

Hawk carried 24 pounds, 12 ounces, worth of bass to the scale Saturday to push his three-day total to 61 pounds, 9 ounces.

“My pattern hasn’t changed much this week,” Hawk said. “Each day I’ve narrowed down the most productive water, and the fish have been getting bigger. Of course, everything will have to go perfectly tomorrow if I’m going to win.”

After leading Friday’s second round of competition, Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., weighed 17-6 today and fell back to third place with a three-day total of 60-15.