Clayton Coppin, a Wagoner, Okla. resident who got into the Arkansas River Bassmaster Central Open off the waiting list and didn't practice for the event, caught a 16-08 stringer on Thursday to grab the early lead.
The 43-year-old co-owner of a lawn-care service got in when a friend helped him recruit a co-angler.
“I was really nervous," said Coppin, who said he pulled the majority of his day-1 weight off a single tree. "I was on the bubble and didn’t know if I was going to get in the tournament or not, so I took my chances and stayed home and mowed some yards (during practice).”
He has a 5-ounce lead over Jason Christie, the two-tour standout who sits atop the BassFan World Rankings.
“I'm just hopping around and fishing the conditions,” Christie said. “The way the weather is going to be tomorrow, I am probably going to fish different stuff. I learned on this river a long time ago that you just fish the conditions and what it gives you from day to day.”
Here's how the initial Top 12 stacks up:
1. Clayton Coppin: 16-08
2. Jason Christie: 16-03
3. Brian Potter: 16-02
4. Andy Young: 15-14
5. Tommy Biffle: 15-13
6. Mark Tyler: 15-09
7. Sammy Burks: 15-07
8. Kenta Kimura: 15-00
9. Justin Margraves: 14-05
10. Brent Bonadona: 13-15
11. Troy Broussard: 13-13
12. Teb Jones: 13-10
