One Ounce Separates Haynes, Morehead At Top

By BassFan Staff

Stop us if you've heard this one before: Randy Haynes is leading a bass fishing tournament on the Tennessee River.

It doesn't seem to matter what TVA lake it is, the man from Counce, Tenn., simply has a way when it comes to figuring out how to catch the biggest fish on the Tennessee River when everything's on the line. It might be time for tournament officials to restrict Haynes to a four-fish limit on TVA lakes just to level out the playing field.

While his 23-08 stringer to open the Lake Chickamauga FLW Tour today was impressive, it only gave him the slimmest of leads over another Tennessee River junkie, Dan Morehead, who boxed 23-07. Tour rookie Casey Martin, no stranger to success on TVA impoundments himself, is 3rd after catching 22-15.

Mark Rose, the owner of six FLW victories on the Tennessee River, including a victory at Chickamauga in 2010, is 4th with 22-12, less than a pound behind his close friend Haynes. It's no surprise that the quartet of pros atop the leaderboard are all well-versed ledge fishermen with strong pedigrees on the Tennessee River.

Kentucky native Bill Day, who prefers shallow-water fishing and says he can't tell a ledge from a hedge, caught 22-11, including an 8-13 brute, to open in 5th.

The top 7 pros are pretty well compacted with just 1-05 separating Haynes from Justin Lucas in 7th.

Here's a look at the Top 10 after day 1 (the red numbers in parentheses indicate each angler's deficit margin from Haynes):

1. Randy Haynes: 23-08
2. Dan Morehead: 23-07 (00-01)
3. Casey Martin: 22-15 (00-09)
4. Mark Rose: 22-12 (00-12)
5. Bill Day: 22-11 (00-13)
6. Steve Kennedy: 22-10 (00-14)
7. Justin Lucas: 22-03 (1-05)
8. Jason Christie: 20-08 (3-00)
9. Tom Redington: 20-06 (3-02)
10. Jim Moynagh: 20-02 (3-06)

The Angler of the Year (AOY) title won't be determined until tomorrow at the earliest, but Andy Morgan seems to have a firm grip on things right now. His lead entering today was 9 points over Bryan Thrift. It now stands at 24 over Stetson Blaylock after he caught a solid 18-01 today, which has him in 22nd, just 5 ounces out of the Top 20.

If Morgan qualifies for day 3, it's over and the AOY crown is his. His closest pursuers coming in – Thrift, Jacob Powroznik and Brent Ehrler – all failed to catch 15 pounds and will need mega-bags tomorrow along with a serious stumble by Morgan to recover.

Blaylock and Jason Christie, who came to Chick in 5th and 6th in points, respectively, are both in the Top 15 following strong day 1 efforts, but again they'll need Morgan to stub his toe badly if their flickering AOY hopes are to stay afloat.

As expected, the deep-water bite produced for those at the top of the standings, but several anglers noted being unsure of the quality of specimens in some areas because they were reluctant to stay too long or set the hook in such places during practice for fear of being eyeballed by competitors. The lake lived up to its big-fish billing and the quality of fish caught was impressive as it appears it'll take 30 pounds to earn a $10,000 check (Top 50).

An afternoon thunderstorm is expected to hit Dayton tomorrow, but skies will otherwise be partly sunny with a high near 89 and a light west wind topping out at 10 mph.

The field will be reduced to the Top 20 following tomorrow's weigh-in and the Top 10 after Saturday's round will advance to fish Sunday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

Grind for Haynes

> Day 1: 5, 23-08

Haynes doesn't think Chickamauga has the quantity of fish that the lower TVA lakes like Pickwick or Guntersville do, but he sure found the quality to his liking today.

"You can tell it's a different breed of fish," he said. "They're long while our fish are short, fat and stocky. These fish are long and hold a lot of weight."

According to BassFan research, it's the 15th stringer of 20-plus pounds that he's weighed in during FLW competition on a TVA lake since 2008. It wasn't easy, though.

"I caught a couple small ones early, then it was a couple here and there," he added. "It was a big grind."

He caught a dozen keepers and was able to cull out a 2 3/4-pound spotted bass.

"I'm surprised at what I caught," he said. "It's just so crowded out there. I was very fortunate to catch what I caught. I jumped around a good bit and was trying to find some different things.

"You'd catch a couple out of each place, but then you'd have to let it rest or let someone else fish it. They might've bunched up a little more this morning, but I didn't see it."

As for what to expect tomorrow with the reverse boat draw and expected increase in pleasure boat traffic, he's hoping to stay consistent.

"The way this lake is going, you don't know which spot is going to have them," he said. "I hit some that didn't have them that were supposed to and then caught some in places I hadn't fished. I hadn't caught a 6-pounder all week and I had two of them today. I hope that's a good sign."

2nd: Late Kicker for Morehead

> Day 1: 5, 23-07

Morehead's day went better than expected, especially when factoring in the bruiser he caught 10 minutes before he headed in.

"When you catch a 7-pounder, it's definitely better than expected," he said. "I had an area with quite a few fish on it and I didn't really know what lived there. Obviously, it turned out to be a really good day. I came into this thing wanting to make sure I made the (Forrest Wood) Cup."

He entered the event 28th in AOY points so even a miserable day tomorrow will likely secure him a berth in the Cup.

"Even if I catch 5 to 7 pounds, that should take care of that," he said.

He boated 10 keepers today and said he has a few patterns working so far as well as some areas he's pretty sure are still untouched. He caught most of his fish today dragging a 3/4-ounce Picasso football-head jig along bottom.

"I had 18 1/2 pretty early today and figured the best I could do if I ran that other stuff was catch a 3- or 3 1/2-pounder and those wouldn't have helped me," he said. "I stayed on my primary spot and milked it all day until the end."

That's when he started making plans to leave himself ample time to get back to check-in as the wind started to blow against the current. With about 10 minutes to go, he connected with his kicker.

"I never felt the bite," he said. "My line just swam off and I set the hook and could tell it was a giant. By the time my co-angler got the net, it had jumped about 3 feet out of the water and it about scared me to death."

3rd: Martin Feels Right at Home

> Day 1: 5, 22-15

Martin says he wasn't on anything great in practice, but was happy to catch what he did today.

"You just look around for schools and catch one or two, but you don't really know what's there or if you can get on them," he said. "I think the fishing was a little better today. Everywhere I went in practice that I caught a 4-pounder, I caught a 4 there today, and I wasn't even planning on those spots producing. They bit good today for whatever reason.

"I had 16 (pounds) pretty early on off a community hole and then picked one off here and there to upgrade. It was one of those days where I was culling 3s for 3 1/4s and 3 1/4s for 3 1/2s. I didn't think I had the weight I had."

He said he idled around for a while today, trying to add new waypoints to his game plan for tomorrow.

"I found one spot late in the day that might have some potential," he said. "I caught a couple there and got off it quick because I didn't want to be seen on it."

He caught between 10 and 15 keepers, but lacked the kicker that Morehead had. He had the most success dragging an Omega football-head jig around, similar to how he fishes back home in Alabama.

"It almost feels like I'm on Guntersville," he said. "It's pretty much the same because I know what to look for on those lakes, so I know what to look for here."

4th: Rose Had Company

> Day 1: 5, 22-12

Rose's track record in summertime tournaments on TVA lakes is second to none, but he went out today thinking 17 pounds would be a solid day. He more than exceeded that.

"It was a little better than I'd hoped," the ever-modest Rose said. "When you find a few places out there you never know what to expect. In practice, you can't really know for sure what's there. I don't know very much about this place. I don't have very much time or experience here so I didn't know what to expect."

He estimated that he caught 15 keepers and said his key area turned out to be a community hole after he let two other boats in on it this morning.

"I had a lot of help on that area," he said, "and the other guys worked well together and I have no doubt they'll treat me the same way tomorrow. I was the first one on it and let everyone on it. There was a tight school on this one precise area and the three of us were lined up pretty tight.

"Who knows? We may not get a bite on it tomorrow, but it seems like this schools comes up on it in the morning."

5th: Day Delighted With Giant

> Day 1: 5, 22-11

The 8-13 behemoth that Day caught today wasn't his biggest tournament fish ever, but it sure capped off a memorable day that saw him catch his heaviest stringer in 4 years of fishing the FLW Tour. His sack today alone eclipsed his day 1 and 2 catches combined from each of the first four events this season.

"I had this special little place that I had a good feeling about, but I started on other stuff early and the wind picked up and messed me up," he said. "I didn't have a keeper at 10:30 and at noon, I had a 4-pounder and three spots that weighed 3 pounds. I made a move to a spot that I felt we could catch some good ones."

It didn't pan out right away as his co-angler caught three shorts. Shortly thereafter, Day stuck a 6-pounder and then came the 8-13 that stood up as the biggest fish of day 1.

"I thought maybe I should I come here earlier tomorrow," he said with a chuckle after recounting the sequence that allowed him to cull out the spots.

The downside was he wasn't alone when he caught his two kickers.

"There were a couple of other guys there and one saw me catch the big one," he said. "That's alright. It was exciting. I've had a rough year and today was a blast. I've been reading about the big fish here all year and my biggest one in practice was 4 1/2. I just wanted to catch five."

92nd: Frustrating Start for Ish

> Day 1: 4, 10-13

Ish Monroe started the event in 24th place in AOY points, with a 39-point cushion over 39th, which was the unofficial cutoff for Cup qualification entering the event. He'll need to improve his results tomorrow if he's to use that cushion to his advantage.

"I'm disappointed that I didn't put them in the boat today," he said. "It cost me valuable points. I'm angry at myself because I lost three fish today that were worth 15 to 20 places. If I miss the Cup by anything less than that, I'm going to be angry and disappointed."

He said he started his day fishing deep water, but couldn't get the fish fired up, not to mention he had four other competitors within a cast of him. He then opted to pick up a frog and caught his weigh fish that way shallow.

"I could see them on my graph, but they wouldn't bite," he said. "I'm not that patient to sit there and wait for them to start biting because it could be noon or 1 or 2 o'clock and I had a 3 o'clock check-in. I have all day tomorrow so we'll see what happens."

He said he lost two fish that were more than 3 pounds apiece and had another thrash at his frog, but he never saw because it was too far under a tree. His plan for day 2 is to focus shallow and shoot for 13 or 14 pounds and hope to maintain his place inside the Cup cutoff.

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 143 anglers, 94 limits, 16 fours, 13 threes, 11 twos, 5 ones, 4 zeroes.

> Wesley Strader and Michael Neal, both considered locals this week, got off to strong starts. Strader caught 18-07 and is 19th while Neal bagged 17-06 and sits in 28th.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., June 28 – Variable clouds with thunderstorms likely - 89°/69°
- Wind: From the WSW at 5 to 11 mph

> Sat., June 29 – Partly Sunny - 88°/63°
- Wind: From the WNW at 4 to 6 mph

> Sun., June 30 – Partly Sunny - 87°/64°
- Wind: From the W at 3 to 6 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 23-08 (5)

2. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 23-07 (5)

3. Casey Martin -- New Hope, Al -- 22-15 (5)

4. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 22-12 (5)

5. Bill Day -- Frankfort, Ky -- 22-11 (5)

6. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Al -- 22-10 (5)

7. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, Al -- 22-03 (5)

8. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 20-08 (5)

9. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 20-06 (5)

10. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 20-02 (5)

11. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 19-14 (5)

12. Ken Golub -- Pittsford, NY -- 19-11 (5)

13. Philip Jarabeck -- Lynchburg, Va -- 19-05 (5)

14. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 19-03 (5)

15. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 19-02 (5)

16. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 19-00 (5)

16. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 19-00 (5)

18. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 18-11 (5)

19. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 18-07 (5)

20. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 18-06 (5)

21. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 18-05 (5)

22. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 18-01 (5)

23. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 18-00 (5)

24. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 17-13 (5)

25. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 17-11 (5)

26. Greg Bohannan -- Rogers, Ar -- 17-10 (5)

27. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 17-09 (5)

28. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 17-06 (5)

28. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 17-06 (5)

28. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 17-06 (5)

31. Dion Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 17-00 (5)

32. Pete Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 16-13 (5)

33. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 16-12 (5)

34. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 16-11 (5)

35. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 16-10 (5)

35. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 16-10 (5)

37. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 16-09 (5)

38. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 16-07 (5)

39. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 16-02 (5)

40. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 15-15 (5)

41. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 15-13 (5)

42. Charlie Ingram -- Santa Fe, Tn -- 15-12 (5)

43. Brent Long -- Iron Station, NC -- 15-11 (5)

43. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 15-11 (4)

45. Matthew Stefan -- Park Ridge, Il -- 15-10 (5)

46. Ray Meredith -- Smiths Grove, Ky -- 15-09 (5)

47. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 15-08 (5)

48. Blake Nick -- Adger, Al -- 15-07 (5)

49. Allan Glasgow -- Ashville, Al -- 15-05 (5)

49. Wayne Hauser -- Mooresville, NC -- 15-05 (5)

49. Payden Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 15-05 (5)

52. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 15-04 (5)

53. JT Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 15-00 (5)

54. Brad Knight -- Wartburg, Tn -- 14-11 (5)

55. James Watson -- Waynesville, Mo -- 14-09 (5)

56. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 14-08 (5)

56. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 14-08 (5)

58. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 14-07 (5)

59. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 14-06 (5)

60. Robert Collins -- Morrow, Oh -- 14-04 (5)

60. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 14-04 (5)

60. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 14-04 (5)

63. Randall Tharp -- Port Saint Joe, Fl -- 14-00 (5)

64. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 13-15 (5)

65. Ray Scheide -- Dover, Ar -- 13-14 (5)

66. Rick Cotten -- Guntersville, Al -- 13-12 (5)

66. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 13-12 (5)

68. Tim Malone -- Gatlinburg, Tn -- 13-09 (5)

69. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, NC -- 13-07 (5)

69. Wade Leblanc -- Gonzales, La -- 13-07 (5)

71. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, Ok -- 13-05 (5)

71. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 13-05 (5)

73. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 13-04 (5)

74. Spencer Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 13-02 (5)

75. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 13-01 (5)

76. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 13-00 (5)

77. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 12-15 (4)

78. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 12-10 (5)

79. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 12-09 (5)

80. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 12-08 (5)

81. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Ok -- 12-06 (5)

81. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 12-06 (5)

83. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, Al -- 12-03 (5)

84. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 12-02 (5)

85. Guido Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 11-15 (5)

86. Charlie Evans -- Gilbertsville, Ky -- 11-12 (5)

87. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 11-09 (4)

88. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 11-08 (5)

89. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 11-02 (5)

90. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 11-01 (5)

91. Matt Pennington -- Springdale, Ar -- 10-15 (5)

92. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 10-13 (4)

93. Alton Wilhoit -- Harrah, Ok -- 10-12 (4)

94. Rich Dalbey -- Greenville, Tx -- 10-07 (5)

95. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 10-06 (5)

95. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 10-06 (5)

97. Gerald Brown -- Chickasha, Ok -- 10-02 (4)

98. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 9-14 (5)

99. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 9-09 (4)

100. Wade Hendricks -- Thompsons Station, Tn -- 9-08 (4)

101. Andrew Upshaw -- Hemphill, Tx -- 9-05 (4)

102. James Biggs -- Richland Hills, Tx -- 8-14 (5)

103. Drew Benton -- Panama City, Fl -- 8-13 (4)

104. Kyle White -- Tightwad, Mo -- 8-08 (5)

105. Kevin Spooner -- Vero Beach, Fl -- 8-07 (3)

106. Christopher Brasher -- Hallsville, Tx -- 8-06 (3)

106. Shirley Crain -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 8-06 (3)

108. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 8-04 (4)

109. Zach Caudle -- Shreveport, La -- 8-02 (2)

109. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 8-02 (4)

111. Lamonte Loyd -- Gilmer, Tx -- 8-01 (3)

112. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 7-09 (3)

113. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 7-08 (3)

114. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 7-03 (3)

115. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 6-11 (4)

116. Robert Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 6-10 (4)

116. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- Hazard, Ky -- 6-10 (3)

118. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 6-06 (4)

119. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 6-05 (3)

120. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 6-04 (2)

120. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, In -- 6-04 (3)

122. Tony Dumitras -- Wnston, Ga -- 6-01 (3)

122. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 6-01 (4)

124. Travis Loyd -- Kinmundy, Il -- 5-11 (2)

125. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 5-10 (2)

126. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 5-09 (2)

127. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 5-08 (3)

128. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 4-15 (3)

129. Tommy Robinson -- Westland, Mi -- 4-09 (2)

129. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 4-09 (1)

131. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 4-07 (2)

132. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 4-06 (2)

133. Ryan Chandler -- Valparaiso, In -- 4-04 (2)

134. Rodney Thomason -- Maumelle, Ar -- 3-11 (1)

135. Derek Yasinski -- Senoia, Ga -- 3-09 (1)

136. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, Ok -- 3-03 (1)

137. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 2-08 (2)

138. Jerry Gore -- St Cloud, Fl -- 2-07 (2)

139. Rodney Jones -- Athens, Ga -- 1-14 (1)

Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 0-00 (0)

Stephen McKinnie -- Umatila, Fl -- 0-00 (0)

Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 0-00 (0)

Joe Don Setina -- Pittsburg, Tx -- 0-00 (0)