Dustin Connell's 15-03 today was good enough for the lead after day 1 of the Logan Martin Bassmaster Central Open.
The Elite Series pro who hails from Clanton, Ala., did his best work dragging baits in 12 feet of water on the Coosa River reservoir.
“I had two key bites early this morning, and if I hadn’t gotten those two bites, I would have been struggling all day,” Connell said. “I think that’s the biggest thing about this time of year; you have to capitalize on that early bite.”
He had two 4-pounders, then struggled to get on one of his best offshore waypoints. With an early check in, he was limited in the time he had to fish during the afternoon's peak current flow.
“I’m fishing for spotted bass, and when they cut on the water, you can catch them; but I don’t have a lot of time to catch them,” he said. “Hopefully they run that water tomorrow and I can do it again.”
During the current flow, Connell switched to a reaction presentation and caught keepers on a couple different swimbaits.
Here's a look at the top 12 after day 1 of the fourth and final Central Open of the year:
1. Dustin Connell: 15-03
2. Frank Talley: 14-00
3. Bo Hunter: 13-11
4. Mark Rose: 13-10
5. Josh Butler: 13-00
5. Todd Murray: 13-00
7. Joey Nania: 12-14
8. Brock Mosley: 12-12
9. Erick Sommers: 12-11
10. Kyle Dorsett: 12-10
11. Jeremy Gurley: 12-08
12. Quentin Cappo: 12-07
