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Johnson catches 20 1/2 to lead at Red

Johnson catches 20 1/2 to lead at Red

Local stalwart Aaron Johnson bolted to a big early lead at the Red River Bassmaster Central Open on Thursday as he boxed a 20-08 sack that was topped by a 7-13 bruiser.

Johnson, who won an Open in 2008 at Kentucky Lake, had a 4-06 lead over fellow Shreveport, La. resident Colby Hand.

Johnson said the cloudy weather caused the fish to react differently than what he'd experienced in practice.

“I really wanted the sunshine, but it was just out a little bit,” he said. “The fish really weren’t setting up on the cover, but I was able to figure out how to get them to bite (under the clouds). Once I got that figured out, I popped them pretty good.”

A 45-mile one-way run and lock negotiation limited Johnson’s fishing time on day 1. He visited just one of his five best areas.

“I will probably bounce around a little bit more (on day 2) just because I have a later flight, so I should have a lot more time to cover more areas,” he said.

Here's how the initial Top 12 stacks up:

1. Aaron Johnson: 20-08
2. Colby Hand: 16-02
3. Tommy Murray: 15-06
4. Larry Puckett: 15-04
5. Stephen Browning: 14-15
6. Ray Hanselman Jr.: 14-13
7. (tie) John Frye: 14-03
7. (tie) Chad Wiley: 14-03
9. Marvin Ettredge: 14-00
10. Gerald Spohrer: 13-05
11. Jerry Hester: 13-03
12. Vu Au: 13-00

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