Lambert, of Michie, TN, will bring a commanding 19-pound, 3-ounce lead into championship Sunday.
Lambert trailed day two leader Randy Haynes by more than two pounds going into Saturday, but gained his massive lead after Haynes, in an unprecedented move, decided to withdraw himself from the competition.
Shortly after takeoff, Lambert and Haynes both arrived on the same area – a well-known community hole at the north end of the lake, and a spot that both anglers fished on days one and two. Lambert arrived first, and the two anglers fished side-by-side for several minutes. Lambert caught several keepers quickly. Frustrated by the situation, Haynes chose to leave the area, return to the ramp and withdraw from the event. Haynes finished the tournament in 12th place and received $12,000.
Lambert ended up catching a limit from the area, but landed an additional three largemouth – including a 9-pounder – at his next stop that upgraded him past the 30-pound mark.
“I actually found those fish [at the second location] yesterday afternoon. It’s a place that I’ve fished in the past, but I hadn’t seen them there [this week] until I pulled up on them and they were eating some gizzard shad,” said Lambert, who was also crowned champion when the FLW Tour last visited Kentucky Lake in 2016. “I hadn’t caught anything there, but when I saw that happen I knew there were some fish down there.”
Lambert was previously crowned champion when the FLW Tour last visited Kentucky Lake in 2016.
Overall there were 123 bass weighing 401 pounds, 7 ounces, caught by 29 pros Saturday. The catch included 21 five-bass limits.
The top 10 pros advancing to Sunday's final day of competition on Kentucky Lake are:
1st: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 15 bass, 74-6
2nd : Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 55-3
3rd : General Tire pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 14 bass, 52-2
4th : Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn., 15 bass, 51-4
5th : Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 51-1
6th : John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 50-11
7th : Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 48-14
8th : Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 47-9
9th : Pennzoil Marine pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 47-1
10th : Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 13 bass, 47-0
Weigh-ins are open to the public at 4 pm at the old beach area of Kentucky Dam Village State Park.
