Walker Whacks 26-11, Leads Fukae by 4 Pounds

Everybody expected Table Rock to kick out a few 20-pound sacks, but David Walker floored everybody, including himself, when he thumped nearly 27 pounds onto the scales. His 26-11 bag was anchored by a 7-07 lunker. That means his other four averaged 4 3/4 pounds each.

The weather was brutal with air temperatures that started in the 20s at takeoff and barely rose above freezing all day. Add in the wind and mixed rain and snow and it was an endurance trial just to make it through the day. Several pros in fact sprayed their rods with silicone this morning to prevent ice from building up in the guides.

While the wind-chill was hard on the anglers, the fish didn't seem to change much. Practice reports had been dismal for some anglers, but the bass factory

reputation of The Rock proved true as hundreds of 2- and 3-pound bass repeatedly pulled down the scales at the weigh-in.

Shin Fukae had some hot fishing out in the cold too, And brought in 22-05 to trail Walker by 4-06. Following in 3rd is Kentucky rookie Christian Romans with 21-04. Aaron McManaway of Illinois is 4th with 20-13. California pro Michael Bennett is 5th with 20-02.

The only other bag to top 20 pounds was 6th-place Luke Clausen, who weighed 20-01.

The rest of the Top 10, all of whom brought a 5-fish limit to the scales, are:

7. Randall Tharp: 18-10
8. Scott Canterbury: 18-06
9. Chris Elliott: 18-06
10. Jacob Powroznik: 18-05

It's a tight race on down the line, with just ounces separating many of the anglers, plus a number of ties, such as the 3-way tie for 12th.

The 50th place check spot is actually a tie for 49th between Kevin Vida and Keith Williams, both with 14-11.

The full field fishes tomorrow, then weights are zeroed and the Top 10 fish on Saturday and Sunday, for a 2-day combined total for the win.

Déjà vu for Walker

"I did this same thing at Guntersville (at the prior FLW Tour stop)," Walker said, referring to his huge day 1 weight at the season opener. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm excited.

"Practice was okay but I didn't see anything like 20 pounds on any one day. My biggest fish in practice was a 4-pound smallmouth. That 7-07 today really surprised me. In fact, all my fish were much bigger than I expected.

"I think the cold weather helped," he added. "In practice it was so warm some guys were even catching them on buzzbaits. But the fishing kept getting tougher as it went on, with other guys doing the same thing I was. So today I fished places I thought I could just go and get bit and the big ones showed up.

"I'm fishing a winter pattern," he noted. "I'm keying on stuff where you'd normally find them wintering on a deep, clear lake. I caught 12 keepers today, and six of them were over 4 pounds."

His big fish was his first good fish of the day, which he caught this morning. At first he thought it was a drum, he said.

Overall, it wasn't easy, he noted. "I had less bites than in practice, and it was kind of a grind today. Just as your confidence started to wane, another one would bite. It was like that all day long.

"I don't think I can catch anything like 26 pounds again tomorrow. In fact, I think that'll be the heaviest sack of the whole tournament. I think we'll see a few more 20-pound sacks, but not many. I think it'll get tougher. I'm just glad I showed out on the first day. Today was the day to catch them.

"I'd love to make another Top 10 and I feel pretty good about doing that," he added. "I'll catch them tomorrow."

2nd: Fukae Moving Around

Shin Fukae was also very surprised at his 22-05 2nd-place weight today. "I had a poor practice," he said. "It was too warm. I came here before the off-limits and the weather was more like now and the fish bit better then. But I still didn't expect to catch so much today."

He caught just eight keepers today and had two 6-pounders in his bag, all largemouths. His biggest one, a 6-06, bit in the morning and the other he caught in the afternoon. "The key for me was to keep casting and rotating between 16 spots," he noted. "I would stay only 15 or 20 minutes on each one, casting a crankbait."

He isn't sure at all whether he can repeat tomorrow, but is glad he'll have more fishing time. "Today I was in the first flight and had to come in early, but tomorrow I'll be in the last flight. I think I have a chance to catch another good limit."

3rd: Romans Rounded Up Numbers

Rookie Christian Romans said he caught 60 or 70 fish today, but 50 of them were under the 15-inch minimum length. His best 5 weighed 21-04, and put him in 3rd place. They were all largemouths.

"I didn't really think after the cold front that I'd catch that much," he said. "But it may have made them pull back to where I could catch them better. The water where I was fishing, 51 miles away from the launch, was stained and 56 to 57 degrees. I stopped once in the main lake on the way back and it was 45 degrees, so that's a huge difference.

"I'm just throwing a crankbait in 8 to 10 feet of water in transition areas," he added. "I never saw another boat, which surprised me. I'd say I caught probably 15 to 20 keepers and culled five or six times. You have to weed through the small ones, but it keeps you warm on a day like today. I had two fish for 10 pounds within the first 10 minutes – a 4 1/2 in five casts, then a 5-pounder a few casts later.

"I feel good about tomorrow but I don't know how this lake works," he noted. "But usually the river fish replenish pretty good. The bigger ones were real white like they were just moving in, but the smaller ones were darker, so I think the big females are just moving in. That's got me a little excited."

He also noted he's got a backup spot in the "other river that's real hard to get to," and he'll save that for the weekend if he can make the cut.

5th: Bennett Bags 5th

Michael Bennett landed in 5th place today with 20-02, and culled just once in the process. "I fished a long way from the ramp and caught just a few fish," he said. "I caught only six keepers, and lost one big one that would have helped me. I'm fishing several different baits. One's a Tru-Tungsten product and I'm also fishing some reaction baits.

"I'm keying on some specific things and working to get just the right bites," he added. "It'll be interesting to see about tomorrow. It wasn't easy today. I fished hard, and never laid off anything. Tomorrow I'll have to fish as hard as I can.

"I'm keyed in on a little something that is producing bigger bites, and I think if I get five I'll have good weight. It's a question of if they'll replenish and if I can find enough of the same kind of water. Conditions changed a lot from practice. The water temperature dropped only 3 or 4 degrees, so that wasn't bad, and the bite was similar, but I got more smaller bites then, and got better quality today."

He's doing something he figured out the last day of practice, he said. He figured he's have 16 or 17 pounds, so to have 20 was a pleasant surprise.

"I feel pretty good about tomorrow. I had my three key little areas to myself but there were about five other boats in the general area."

He caught all largemouths, but his co-angler had a couple keeper spots.

Clausen Claims 6th

Luke Clausen has won only two tour-level events: The Bassmaster Classic and the FLW Championship. Today he put himself in contention at Table Rock with a 6th-place showing of 20-01, just an ounce behind Bennett.

"I didn't think I'd catch that much," Clausen said. "In fact, I thought I had just 16 pounds when I came in. They weighed more than I thought they did. They bit pretty good in the nasty weather. I caught 13 keepers, and had a 4 1/2-pound big fish. I weighed four largemouths and one smallmouth. At one point this morning I had four smallmouths in the livewell. You can catch all three species in the same area. They're there for a reason.

"Today I covered water, fishing steep banks near flat areas," he added. "Fishing windy banks was a big key for me. I fished in the lower river. They bit today about the same as the nasty days of practice. When there's no wind and overcast it's tough. It sounds like tomorrow will be like that, so I'm not sure how much it will change."

Notable is that he feels morning "plays a major role." HE had his limit pretty early today, so he'll probably start in the same area tomorrow, again with a jerkbait, jig and crankbait.

"There are a few boats around me," he noted. "Everywhere there are fish there are boats, but timing's a big deal. There are so many fish suspended so much of the time, and you have to hit the likely spots in the right conditions when they move in."

Notable

> David Fritts went into the Table Rock event leading the FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) race after having won at Lake Guntersville. He's 148th in the tournament today after he weighed just one 3-pound keeper.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the remaining tournament days.

Fri., March 13 – Mostly Cloudy – 48°/32°
> Wind: From the ENE at 9 mph

Sat., March 14 – Showers – 49°/34°
> Wind: From the NE at 7 mph

Sun., March 15 – Partly Cloudy – 59°/38°
> Wind: From the SSE at 6 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tn -- 5, 26-11

2. Shinichi Fukae -- Mineola, Tx -- 5, 22-05

3. Christian Romans -- Carrollton, Ky -- 5, 21-04

4. Aaron Mcmanaway -- Altamont, Il -- 5, 20-13

5. Michael Bennett -- Lincoln, Ca -- 5, 20-02

6. Luke Clausen -- Mount Juliet, Tn -- 5, 20-01

7. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, Al -- 5, 18-10

8. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 5, 18-06

8. Chris Elliott -- Morehead City, Nc -- 5, 18-06

10. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 5, 18-05

11. Ricky D Scott -- Van Buren, Ar -- 5, 18-03

12. Fred Contaoi -- Maryville, Tn -- 5, 18-01

12. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 5, 18-01

12. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 5, 18-01

15. Mike Hawkes -- Sabinal, Tx -- 5, 18-00

16. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 17-14

17. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 5, 17-11

17. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 5, 17-11

19. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 5, 17-10

20. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, Nc -- 5, 17-05

21. Al Little -- Greensboro, Nc -- 5, 17-02

22. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 5, 17-00

23. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 5, 16-12

24. Marcie Baksay -- Easton, Ct -- 5, 16-11

25. Ray Scheide -- Dover, Ar -- 5, 16-09

26. Ott Defoe -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 16-05

27. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, Nc -- 5, 16-04

27. Tom Mann Jr -- Buford, Ga -- 5, 16-04

29. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 5, 16-02

30. Brennan Bosley -- Benton, Ar -- 5, 16-01

30. Kevin Snider -- Elizabethtown, Ky -- 5, 16-01

32. Mark Rose -- Marion, Ar -- 5, 15-14

33. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 5, 15-13

33. Mark Hardin -- Jasper, Ga -- 5, 15-13

35. Craig Powers -- Rockwood, Tn -- 5, 15-12

36. Dave Lefebre -- Union City, Pa -- 5, 15-09

37. Greg Bohannan -- Rogers, Ar -- 5, 15-08

38. James Christian -- Dickson, Tn -- 5, 15-07

39. Randy Blaukat -- Jasper, Mo -- 5, 15-06

39. Keith Combs -- Del Rio, Tx -- 5, 15-06

41. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, Sc -- 5, 15-04

41. Tim Johnson -- Dallas, Ga -- 5, 15-04

43. Pat Eichmann -- Nancy, Ky -- 5, 15-03

44. Art Ferguson Iii -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 5, 15-02

45. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 5, 15-00

46. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 14-13

47. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 5, 14-12

47. Jimmy Millsaps -- Canton, Ga -- 5, 14-12

49. Kevin Vida -- Clare, Mi -- 4, 14-11

49. Keith Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 5, 14-11

51. David Young -- Mayfield, Ky -- 5, 14-10

52. Guido Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 4, 14-08

52. Nate Wellman -- Jenison, Mi -- 5, 14-08

54. Alvin Shaw -- State Road, Nc -- 5, 14-07

55. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 5, 14-06

55. Tim Mcdonald -- Lexington, Ky -- 5, 14-06

57. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 5, 14-05

58. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 5, 14-03

58. Glenn Delong Ii -- Bellville, Oh -- 5, 14-03

58. Tim Klinger -- Boulder City, Nv -- 5, 14-03

61. Jeremiah Kindy -- Benton, Ar -- 5, 14-02

62. Danny Pierce -- Greenbrier, Ar -- 5, 14-00

63. Jake Deeds -- El Dorado, Ar -- 5, 13-13

63. Joe Thomas -- Milford, Oh -- 5, 13-13

65. Charles Ely -- Roosevelt, Tx -- 4, 13-11

65. Dion Hibdon -- Stover, Mo -- 5, 13-11

65. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 5, 13-11

68. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 5, 13-09

69. Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 13-08

70. Eric Ambort -- Mabelvale, Ar -- 5, 13-06

70. Ken Wick -- Star, Id -- 5, 13-06

72. Travis Fox -- Springdale, Ar -- 5, 13-05

72. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 5, 13-05

74. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 5, 13-04

75. Tony Couch -- Buckhead, Ga -- 5, 13-03

75. Craig Dowling -- Grant, Al -- 5, 13-03

75. David Kromm -- Kennewick, Wa -- 5, 13-03

78. Bobby Mcmullin -- Pevely, Mo -- 5, 13-00

79. Stuart Arthur -- Benton, Mo -- 5, 12-14

79. Chip Harrison -- Bremen, In -- 5, 12-14

81. Gary Riffle -- Bogata, Tx -- 4, 12-13

81. Charles Sim -- Ottawa, On -- 5, 12-13

83. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 5, 12-11

83. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 5, 12-11

83. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 3, 12-11

83. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 5, 12-11

87. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 4, 12-06

87. Carl Svebek Iii -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 5, 12-06

89. Thanh Le -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 5, 12-05

90. Kim Stricker -- Howell, Mi -- 3, 12-02

91. Sean Hoernke -- The Woodlands, Tx -- 5, 12-01

91. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 5, 12-01

91. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 4, 12-01

94. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 5, 12-00

95. Brent Crow -- Hartselle, Al -- 5, 11-13

96. Brian Travis -- Conover, Nc -- 4, 11-11

97. Bob Blosser -- Lodi, Wi -- 5, 11-09

97. Bobby Curtis -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 5, 11-09

99. John Billheimer Jr -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 5, 11-08

100. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 4, 11-07

101. Jt Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 3, 11-06

102. Jason Abrams -- Johnson City, Tn -- 5, 11-03

102. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 5, 11-03

104. Sam Newby -- Pocola, Ok -- 3, 10-15

105. Pete Gluszek -- Mt. Laurel, Nj -- 2, 10-14

106. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, Sc -- 4, 10-13

106. Andrew Veach -- Carol Stream, Il -- 4, 10-13

108. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 4, 10-12

109. Terry Bolton -- Jonesboro, Ar -- 4, 10-08

109. Jason Hickey -- Weiser, Id -- 5, 10-08

111. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 5, 10-06

112. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 4, 10-04

113. Jeff Magee -- Mendenhall, Ms -- 4, 10-02

114. Jamie Feick -- Blanchard, Ok -- 4, 10-01

115. Matt Arey -- Shelby, Nc -- 3, 9-13

116. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 4, 9-09

117. James Kemper -- Frankfort, Ky -- 3, 9-02

118. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 3, 8-15

119. Robert Sherry -- Saint Charles, Il -- 4, 8-06

120. Mark Pack -- Mineola, Tx -- 3, 8-05

121. Jeffrey Thomas -- Broadway, Nc -- 3, 8-04

122. Dale Evans -- Summerville, Sc -- 3, 7-13

122. Kyle Mabrey -- Mccalla, Al -- 2, 7-13

124. Will Jefferies -- Bountiful, Ut -- 2, 7-12

125. Mike Todd -- Norman, Ok -- 3, 7-11

126. Michael Murphy -- Gilbert, Sc -- 3, 7-10

127. Curt Lytle -- Zuni, Va -- 3, 7-09

127. Keith Monson -- Burgin, Ky -- 3, 7-09

127. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, Al -- 3, 7-09

130. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 2, 7-02

130. Jerry Green -- Cullman, Al -- 3, 7-02

132. Jim Dillard -- Bauxite, Ar -- 3, 6-12

133. George Jeane Jr -- Evans, La -- 3, 6-11

134. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 2, 6-08

135. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 2, 6-03

136. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 2, 5-12

137. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 2, 5-11

138. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- Hazard, Ky -- 2, 5-10

139. Jason Mckinnie -- Umatilla, Fl -- 2, 5-01

140. Neil Russell -- Nampa, Id -- 2, 5-00

141. Timothy Sisk -- Cherryville, Nc -- 2, 4-12

142. Clay Dyer -- Hamilton, Al -- 2, 4-08

143. John Tanner -- Quitman, Tx -- 2, 4-06

144. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 1, 3-07

144. Adam Postelle -- Rocky Face, Ga -- 1, 3-07

146. Michael Brown -- Rocky Face, Ga -- 1, 3-06

147. Clint Brownlee -- Tifton, Ga -- 1, 3-03

148. David Fritts -- Lexington, Nc -- 1, 3-00

149. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 1, 2-12

150. Gabe Bolivar -- Ramona, Ca -- 1, 2-11

151. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 1, 2-10

152. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 1, 2-09

152. Jesse West -- Strandquist, Mn -- 1, 2-09

Shawn Carnahan -- Chandler, Az -- 0, 0-00

Daniel Gray -- Butler, Pa -- 0, 0-00

Gary Yamamoto -- Mineola, Tx -- 0, 0-00

Big Bass

> Day 1 -- David Walker -- Sevierville, Tn -- 7-07 -- $750