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Texan leads in his Open debut

Texan leads in his Open debut

Ernie Stumpf had a day of firsts Table Rock Lake Bassmaster Central Open on Thursday.

Fishing for the first time on Table Rock in his first-ever Open tournament, Stumpf caught a 17-pound bag to lead the field. The 3M regional salesman has traversed in a roundabout way to fish in his first B.A.S.S. event.

“I am originally from California, then lived in Las Vegas for 9 years and then moved out to Texas about 3 years ago,” he said. “We didn’t have any B.A.S.S. events at the time out there, and I didn’t make any trips out of the state then.”

The 44-year-old from Frisco, Texas signed up to fish the Central Opens last year but was too far down on the waiting list to get the call. This year he signed up early and made the roster.

Stumpf said he had mixed results while practicing for his first Open.

“I had some days when I was wondering what the heck to do out here, and then I had a couple of days when I caught some good ones (including a bass in the 7-pound range),” he said.

Fishing all the spots he had found in practice, Stumpf eventually caught his limit by about 3:50 p.m. on day 1. His final stop produced a 6-01 largemouth that was the biggest fish that came to the scale.

Kimberling City, Mo., resident Tom Statler relied on his extensive experience on his home waters to grab 2nd place with a 16-10 bag. The Championship Marine Repair shop owner also had inconsistent practice days.

“Monday was awful,” he said. “Tuesday was pretty good and Wednesday I just expanded on what I learned.

"The fish are starting to move up. It's just that transition where they're up today and down tomorrow. If you ask me how is it going to be tomorrow? You never know. It's Table Rock and it's in the spring. I may have to do something totally different. I think the guy who wins this is going to fish three different ways on 3 different days.”

Here's a look at the initial Top 12:

1. Ernie Stumpf: 17-00
2. Tom Statler: 16-10
3. Ryan Heavener: 16-04
4. Randy Sullivan: 15-05
5. Drew Sloan: 15-00
6. Seth Feider: 14-15
7. Eugene Eisenmann Jr.: 14-08
8. Stacey King: 14-03
9. Ted Vaughan: 14-02
10. Tyler Carriere: 14-00
11. Brian Clark: 13-15
12. Jerod Hawkes: 13-10

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