Chris Dillow, a 58-year-old real-estate agent from Waynesboro, Va., caught a day-best 18-03 sack on Thursday had he seeks to win the James River Bassmaster Northern Open for the second year in a row and claim his second straight Bassmaster Classic berth.
While several competitors made the long run to the Chickahominy River, Dillow decided to fish his usual 10-mile stretch close to the takeoff site. When his boat batteries went dead at about 10 a.m., he was restricted to only a few areas for the rest of the day.
“I didn’t have any depthfinders or anything, so I was jump-starting my engine all day long,” he said.
He reported catching six keepers on five different baits.
"I knew it was going to be a grind-it-out thing, but who knows if I will even catch a fish tomorrow,” he said. “It's hard to tell.”
Former Elite Series angler Charlie Hartley was in the No. 2 position with a 16-15 haul.
"I caught some really good fish in practice, so I started there today and had my limit in the first hour,” Hartley said. “Then I culled twice and I thought I had a really good bag.”
He had been catching his fish on a low tide and thought his day was done when the tide changed, but he still caught one more quality fish on a high tide.
“I'm flipping a cricket (undisclosed soft-plastic) in little tight places ,which is one of my favorite things to do,” Hartley said.
Here's a look at the initial Top 12:
1. Chris Dillow: 18-03
2. Charlie Hartley: 16-15
3. (tie) Brian Kelly: 15-12
3. (tie) Alvin Shaw: 15-12
3. (tie) Vince Troiano: 15-12
6. JT Kenney: 15-08
7. (tie) Matthew Sphar: 15-04
7. (tie) Kendall Ulsh: 15-04
9. Jacob Wheeler: 15-00
10. (tie) Mike Caul: 14-11
10. (tie) Chad Pipkens: 14-11
12. Cody Pike: 14-08
