Michael Smith, a resident of Andalusia, Ala., caught a 25-07 bag to take the early lead at the Lake Eufaula Southeastern FLW Series in his home state. Smith, whose ledger contains a BFL victory at Eufaula, holds a lead of a little less than 2 pounds over Josh Stracner.
A move from shallow water to offshore haunts was a big key for Smith.
“You couldn’t catch anything over 2 pounds [up shallow],” he said. “I kind of figured that, but there were a couple places where I thought I could get lucky and maybe catch a big one, but I didn’t.
“I don’t think I’ll fish shallow any tomorrow, but I think it was worth giving it a shot.”
Here's a look at the initial top 10:
1. Michael Smith: 25-07
2. Josh Stracner: 23-09
3. Scott Montgomery: 23-05
4. Shane Powell: 23-00
5. Josh Bragg: 20-12
6. Laker Howell: 20-05
7. Bryan New: 19-11
8. Clabion Johns: 19-07
9. Ryan Ingram: 19-04
10. Chandler Ray: 19-01
