David Reault of Livonia, Mich. battled the wind Thursday to catch a 25-09 sack and take the early lead at the Lake Erie Bassmaster Open out of Sandusky, Ohio.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Derek Remitz was second with 24-04, followed by New Jersey veteran Pete Gluszek with 23-01 and Charlie Hartley, another Elite competitor, with 22-04.
The Top 19 anglers caught at least 20 pounds and the next 10 boxed a minimum of 19 pounds.
Reault, a real estate broker, is a part-time tournament angler with expertise fishing for smallmouth on the Great Lakes. He's unsure whether he can duplicate his success on Friday to make the Top 12 for Saturday.
“I’m looking for places that won’t be so affected by the wind,” he said. “Too much of it makes it really difficult to be effective in one area.”
Here's a look at the numbers for the initial Top 12:
1. David Reault: 25-09
2. Derek Remitz: 24-04
3. Pete Gluszek: 23-01
4. Charlie Hartley: 22-04
5. Whitney Stephens: 21-14
6. Jamie Jacobus: 21-11
7. David Dudley: 21-06
8. Jason Root: 21-05
9. Brian Latimer: 21-04
10. Fletcher Shryock: 21-04
11. (tie) Jeff Lugar: 21-03
11. (tie) Zachary Maisch: 21-03
