Flw Day 1 Results

[Quillback]

Don't know how these guys do it, but some pretty impressive bags. Stacey King is in the hunt.

BRANSON, Mo. – Professional bass anglers began their four-day bass fishing tournament for a top cash award of up to $125,000 on Thursday at Table Rock Lake. Just a few short weeks after an incredible event on Lake Hartwell, the pros were eyeing Table Rock and anticipating a sight-fishing event for bedding bass.

So the fact that Blake Nick of Adger, Ala., who weighed a five bass limit for 21 pounds, 4 ounces, led the tournament after the first day of competition may have raised some eyebrows. Nick now holds a slim 3-ounce lead over OFF! Pro Terry Bolton of Paducah, Ky., who caught five bass weighing 21-1.

“I’m horrible at sight fishing,” Nick said. “I saw them doing their thing during practice, and on the last day of practice I had just had enough of it and went and tried to find my own thing I could do. I’m not looking at them at all.

“I fished a lot of stuff today,” Nick added, who said he focused on isolated structure as part of his plan of attack. “I started out this morning with a 4-pounder on my first cast.”

Nick said he had a limit in the boat by 8:30 and covered a lot of water throughout the day to hit 15 to 20 places. He said his better fish came after noon when the wind picked up.

“There are so many chunky 15-inchers in this lake it’s all about getting the good bites,” Nick said. “And who knows when they’re going to come? I’m expecting to catch fish, but I know how it goes.

“My places are reloading every day,” Nick added. “These fish have not spawned yet. These are pre-spawn fish.”

Nick said he was surprised he was leading the tournament.

“I went and found some fish on beds,” Nick said. “If worse comes to worse, I’ll go do that. I really don’t want to because I’m awful at it. Somebody could come in tomorrow with 25 pounds by sight fishing. These guys are so good at it. We fish with the best sight fishermen in the world, and I’m sure one of them is going to load the boat tomorrow.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on Table Rock Lake are:

3rd: Clint Brownlee, Tifton, Ga., five bass, 20-1

4th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 20-0

5th: Kyle Welcher, Opelika, Ala., five bass, 19-12

6th: Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., five bass, 19-8

7th: Todd Hollowell, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 19-6

8th: David Wolak, Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 19-5

9th: Brent Long, Cornelius, N.C., five bass, 19-4

10th: Stacey King, Reeds Spring, Mo., five bass, 19-3

Welcher caught Thursday’s big bass weighing 7-6 on the pro side to win $500.

Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.

Brock Bertrand of Fayetteville, Ark., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 19-2 followed by Derek Yamamoto of Boulder City, Nev., in second place with four bass weighing 13-9.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:

3rd: Steve Redwine, Blue Ash, Ohio, five bass, 13-8

4th: Mike Helton, Jeffersonville, Ind., five bass, 13-7

5th: Chad Pipkens, Holt, Mich., five bass, 12-13

6th: Tom Spangler, Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 12-8

7th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 12-3

8th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., five bass, 11-13

8th: Jeff Sprague, Forney, Texas, five bass, 11-13

10th: Greg Knick, Ansonia, Ohio, three bass, 11-3

Earl Campbell of Springfield, Mo., caught Thursday’s big bass weighing 7-14 in the co-angler division to win $250.

Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.

Anglers will take off from Table Rock State Park Marina located at 380 State Park Marina Road in Branson at 7 a.m. each morning. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at Table Rock State Park Marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at the Walmart located at 1101 Branson Hills Pkwy. in Branson beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at the Walmart on Saturday and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

[Fishin Hodge]

My bet is on a lot of inconsistency in the bags over 15 lbs. I was a bit suprised at the number of 15+ bags that were brought in considering the conditions prior to the tournament, but it sounds like there is a defined moved toward the bank in the past 2 or 3 days albeit the fish sound real skiddish.

FLW is reporting 5 of the top 10 anglers are fishing the same area, some of the names mentioned were King, Welcher, and Nick the leader. That will be trouble for some of them if they don't have anything else to go to.

A lot of these guys are amazing at adapting on the fly; most of them undoubtably had terrible practices. Seem to have gotten onto a crankbait bite. How the heck they catch big bedfish that aren't locked on very well is beyond me.

[Smalliebigs]

Really hope they have no sucess on the bed fish....... seems stupid to take a fish from a bed and transport it to the weigh in and release it but, they all do it and it's part of the game......god luck to the spawning fish on my favorite lake in Missouri, I'll see you in three weeks....hopefully

[Champ188]

I don't like fish being taken from their nests either. Hate it. But the bottom line is that these guys are fishing for their mortgage payments, electric bill and grocery funds so you can't very well blame them for catching a fish any legal way they can. As long as state agencies and tournaments allow sight fishing, our fish are gonna get plucked off their nests.

[Tfsh4bass]

I don't like fish being taken from their nests either. Hate it. But the bottom line is that these guys are fishing for their mortgage payments, electric bill and grocery funds so you can't very well blame them for catching a fish any legal way they can. As long as state agencies and tournaments allow sight fishing, our fish are gonna get plucked off their nests.

I feel exactly the same way and it is just a strange deal that this is a sight fishing tournament anyway. Someday I would like to see a state wide catch-n-release from the 2nd week of April until the 2nd week of May but that probably won't happen.

Kyle Welcher who had 19lbs yesterday brought in a 24lb sack today

[skeeter]

+1 to the previous three posts. This "bed jerking" has got to end.

[steveearle]

Here's the deal. The fish in Table Rock spawn, say 3-20 feet deep, depending on the year. If you are ever fishing the Rock in water, 60-68 degrees, give or take, you are going to catch fish on beds, REGARDLESS of whether you can see them or not. We could always do like the libs in the north and northeast do, and close bass fishing til June 1st. Hows that sound? BTW, a nest can be ravaged even if you immediately release the fish you catch. Time and time again, studies have shown that spawn fishing doesnt not significantly affect year over year recruitment.

[Fishin Hodge]

Have to agree with steve on this one. If you are fishing table rock betwwen now and the middle of may you are bed fishing whether you are looking at them or not. While I do hate the thought of losing a bunch of fish for the future I don't see how much can be done about it or why looking at one is worse than flipping a bush or tossing a carolina rig toward the bank.

[Tfsh4bass]

Have to agree with steve on this one. If you are fishing table rock betwwen now and the middle of may you are bed fishing whether you are looking at them or not. While I do hate the thought of losing a bunch of fish for the future I don't see how much can be done about it or why looking at one is worse than flipping a bush or tossing a carolina rig toward the bank.

Which is why I said I would like to see a rule where you had to release everything from the 2nd week of April until the 2nd week of May...won't get all of the spawn but will get a few weeks. Also, there is a difference between catching some of the bed and putting them in the box to either go in the frying pan or go for a 40 mile boat ride.