Morrow Retains Lead, But Thrift Is Lurking

By BassFan Staff

Troy Morrow said he came into this week’s FLW Tour event at Lake Eufaula with roughly 100 waypoints that he felt confident were places he could catch 2-pounders or better. Most were brush piles, some were stumps or rocks or one-fish type spots. He’s pretty much run through them all so far, hitting many of them more than once.

Bryan Thrift said he’s sampled all of the 150 spots he had picked out, some multiple times.

It appears as though this tournament is going to come down to who’s better at picking through the leftovers.

While Morrow’s stringers continue to get smaller as the tournament wears on, Thrift’s have gotten heavier and the two are now separated by 4 ounces with one day to go at the historic lake that straddles the Georgia-Alabama border.

Morrow managed to retain his lead with a 15-04 stringer today that gave him a 3-day total of 54-13 and put him in position to capture his first Tour victory. The former BFL All-American champion has not finished higher than 3rd in his 4-plus years fishing the Tour.

“It’s pretty cool,” Morrow said. “It still hasn’t sunk in. I haven’t had time for it to sink in. I’m so tired from getting stuff done, but I’m still pretty calm. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

Thrift, meanwhile, used a 19-14 bag to jump from 12th to 2nd with 54-09 as he stalks his fourth career FLW Tour win. He finished 2nd to Randy Haynes at Eufaula in 2013 and was 2nd in an Eastern FLW Series tournament there in 2010.

Lurking just 2-01 back of Morrow in 3rd is Clent Davis, whose bags are also trending downward. He managed 14-07 and has 52-12 in his quest for his first FLW Tour win. Jeff Gustafson worked the shallows again and held onto 4th with a 14-00 effort that gave him 49-11 and guaranteed him the first Top-10 finish of his Tour career.

The other major development today was Angler of the Year points leader Wesley Strader making an 11-spot jump, thanks to a day-best 21-01 that carried him into 5th with 49-08. His rally assured him his second Top-10 finish of the year and a little more breathing room in the chase for his first AOY title.

Here's a look at the Top 10 entering the final day of competition, with deficit margin from Morrow indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Troy Morrow: 54-13
2. Bryan Thrift: 54-09 (00-04)
3. Clent Davis: 52-12 (2-01)
4. Jeff Gustafson: 49-11 (5-02)
5. Wesley Strader: 49-08 (5-05)
6. Shinichi Fukae: 47-12 (7-01)
7. John Cox: 47-10 (7-03)
8. Adrian Avena: 45-14 (8-15)
9. Randy Haynes: 44-11 (10-02)
10. Zack Birge: 44-11 (10-02)

Shinichi Fukae moved up five places to 6th with 47-12 after catching 15-13. John Cox caught 16-04 to move from 12th to 7th and guaranteed him a third straight Top-10 cut and keeps him in the hunt for the AOY title. Half of the finalists this week will be in the Top 6 in points when the event is over.

Falling out of the Top 10 were Derrick Snavely (10th to 19th), who caught just two keepers today, along with Scott Martin (9th to 11th) and David Fritts (8th to 15th).

After 3 days of pretty heavy fishing pressure, the question remains: How many more productive brush piles are left on the lower end of Eufaula, where more than half of the finalists are cycling through some of the same waypoints at different times of the day. Some anglers today said they simply ran out of productive places to fish.

With current essentially a non-factor so far, one key this week has been arriving at the right spot when the fish are in a feeding mode. Some have mentioned fishing the same spot multiple times a day and marking fish, but only being able to trigger bites on one occasion.

Today was another scorcher and tomorrow figures to be out of the same mold with temperatures expected to hit 90 degrees with very light winds and partly cloudy skies.

Morrow Went After Big Bites

> Day 3: 5, 15-04 (15, 54-13)

Morrow said he focused most of today on trying to put himself in position to catch bigger fish, rather than sort through a bunch of keeper-sized bass.

“It was really tough today,” he said. “I probably caught the same number of better fish, but I never had a big bite and I didn’t fish for keepers at all today. I was just trying to get that big bite.”

He’s down to about five brush piles that he hasn’t fished, but he’s fairly certain other competitors have thrown baits at them at some point. He also knows some spots are tapped out.

“I don’t think I have a prime brush pile that someone else hasn’t fished,” he said. “It’s all about timing and how you put the bait in there and I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at putting it in there.”

He added a big worm to his bait arsenal Friday and it helped him again today, as did a dropshot. He said there was one sequence today where he fished a creek mouth with several brush piles in it and after throwing his worm to one of them, he went back over another pile and tossed a dropshot over it and caught a solid keeper.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” he said. “You just have to keep fishing.”

While winning the All-American in 2010 was a great thrill, he knows finishing this week with a victory would top it.

“The All-American go me started, but this would solidify me,” he said. “This will put me amongst the few who’ve won and show that I deserve to be here.”

2nd: Thrift Had Pair of 5s

> Day 3: 5, 19-14 (15, 54-09)

Thrift said knowing others have been fishing some of the same places as he is hasn’t bothered him because he always has somewhere else to go. He’s been hitting a high volume of spots each day and the better bites just keep coming.

“I’ve had people in my way but I’ve found so much stuff it doesn't affect me any if someone is already on a place,” he said. “I think I have a few places I haven’t hit yet. I don’t have many, but I had like 150 places and I’ve pretty much fished them all by now.”

He wound up catching eight keepers, two of which were 5-pounders and another close to 4. He said a swimbait has been a key producer for him so far and added that three of his keepers Friday came on a frog.

“Today, my first 5-pounder came off a place I fished Thursday and Friday and did not get a bite there,” he said. “It’s just so random and I think that’s why I like this place so much. The fish will get on stupid stuff here like they won’t at other lakes. It’s an offshore lake, but they’re not oriented to the stuff they would be if the current was always moving.”

He said where he starts tomorrow will depend heavily on which way the wind is blowing, but he thinks if he can match his weight from today, he can put away another win.

“I would like my chances with another bag like that,” he added. “I’d love to win one here. It’s my favorite lake and I feel like it owes me a win. I’ve been 2nd here the last two times I’ve fished it.”

3rd: Davis Still Likes His Chances

> Day 3: 5, 14-07 (15, 52-12)

While his bags have gotten progressively lighter, Davis still believes his chances to win tomorrow are pretty strong.

“If it’s meant to be tomorrow, then I’ll put them in the boat and it’s meant to be,” he said. “No doubt about it I think I can win. It’s just a matter of getting the right bites and putting them in the boat. I can see it happening.

“I don’t know what (winning) would feel like. It’d be pretty unbelievable after the practice and week I’ve had.”

He said today was tougher all around and he lost two good fish that probably would’ve put him ahead of Morrow.

“Those were the first two I lost all week and I could have really had a lead, but I didn’t put them in the boat,” he said. “Honestly, I was pretty happy with how the day went other than not getting those two in the boat.”

He continued to work over the brush piles that have consistently produced fish for himself and several other finalists, but he plans to check out an area tomorrow that he’s been staying off of.

“I do have a spot that I haven’t hit yet that I’m hoping nobody else has fished,” he said. “That’s one little deal I have left over. They may chew or I may not get a bite.”

He said the challenging part about cycling through the same spots as others is he’s never sure when a certain area has been hit by another competitor.

“It’s been all week long and the worst thing about it is you don’t know if Troy or Bryan just fished there,” he said, “or Shin or Birge or Avena. We’re all right there together.”

4th: Topwaters Producing for Gustafson

> Day 3: 5, 14-00 (15, 49-11)

Prior to this week, Gustafson’s best finish in a Tour event was a 17th last year at Pickwick Lake, where he was the day-1 leader. He said he’s going to enjoy tomorrow and joked that he might just speed around in the FLW-issued Ranger Boat as a change of pace from his multi-species Lund.

“I’m going to go have the time of my life,” he said.

While he has fished some brush piles this week, he continues to catch better quality fish on topwater baits in shallow water around the southern end of the lake.

“I’m hitting some brush piles and docks and laydowns and just plain-looking banks … with nothing on them,” he said. “They are places that probably no one else would fish, but on some of those places, I can pull up and get a bite.”

His best two baits so far have been the Jackall Binksy and a Rebel P70 Pop-R.

“I can fish the Rebel one faster just to cover ground,” he said. “The few places where I feel like there are bream beds around, I’ll use the Binksy. It’s just a unique bait with a prop and little blade and it makes a different noise.”

He said he lost one in the 6-pound range today that hit his bait as he was moving it, so he didn’t get a good hookset and it came off as it jumped near the boat.

“Today was a lot tougher,” he said. “I probably spent a little too much time fishing spots that I’ve caught a few at already. In the last hour I ran totally new water and caught a nice one and another fish I kept. I also wasted some time out deep trying to get a limit early, but caught all 13 3/4-inch fish. Tomorrow, with the pressure off, I’m going to throw those topwaters all day.”

5th: Elusive Spot Produced for Strader

> Day 3: 5, 21-01 (15, 49-08)

For the first 2 days, Strader said he’d been trying to get on a certain spot he wanted to fish, but never was able to. Today, with 129 fewer tournament boats to contend with, he finally got a shot at it and, boy, was it worth the wait.

“I had five or six bites there in practice and never set the hook on them,” he said. “When I got there today, they were just there and it happened pretty fast.”

In the midst of the flurry that helped him fill his livewell with 21 pounds, he tried to boat-flip a 5-pounder, but slammed it into the side of his boat. Rather than come unhooked and swim away, the fish stayed on and he was able to land it. He took it as a sign that things are just going his way.

“It’s beyond words,” he said, referring to the good fortune that’s helped carry him to the AOY points lead.

He plans to fish that same spot tomorrow, but he’s not sure when. His other key areas are all within a short boat ride of it.

“I don’t know if I’ll start on it,” he said. “It seems like it’s a later-in-the-day thing on the brush piles, but I may start on it and they may bite. If they don’t, I know where they go when they’re not in the brush piles.

“I can see everything I’m fishing from there,” he added. “They’re all less than a mile apart.”

Fishing brush piles was a departure from how he’d caught most of his fish over the first 2 days. On Thursday, he ran up and down the lake and caught his weight flipping mats and with a frog. On Friday, he fished hydrilla.

“It’s one of those deals that when I feel it, I just go do it,” he added.

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 20 anglers, 14 limits, 4 fours, 1 two.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., May 17 – Cloudy - 91°/68°
- Wind: From the SE at 5 to 10 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 21-8 (5) -- 18-1 (5) -- 39-9 (10) -- 15-04 (5) -- 54-13 (15)

2. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 15-15 (5) -- 18-12 (5) -- 34-11 (10) -- 19-14 (5) -- 54-09 (15)

3. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 22-9 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 38-5 (10) -- 14-07 (5) -- 52-12 (15)

4. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, Ont -- 18-12 (5) -- 16-15 (5) -- 35-11 (10) -- 14-00 (5) -- 49-11 (15)

5. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 13-5 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 28-7 (10) -- 21-01 (5) -- 49-08 (15)

6. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 13-13 (5) -- 18-2 (5) -- 31-15 (10) -- 15-13 (5) -- 47-12 (15)

7. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 15-10 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 31-6 (10) -- 16-04 (5) -- 47-10 (15)

8. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 20-10 (5) -- 14-3 (5) -- 34-13 (10) -- 11-01 (5) -- 45-14 (15)

9. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 18-13 (5) -- 17-10 (5) -- 36-7 (10) -- 8-04 (5) -- 44-11 (15)

10. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 19-13 (5) -- 15-9 (5) -- 35-6 (10) -- 9-05 (5) -- 44-11 (15)

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.

11. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 18-5 (5) -- 14-3 (5) -- 32-8 (10) -- 11-07 (5) -- 43-15 (15) -- $11,909

12. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 15-6 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 27-7 (10) -- 15-06 (5) -- 42-13 (15) -- $11,909

13. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 9-3 (5) -- 19-1 (5) -- 28-4 (10) -- 13-04 (5) -- 41-08 (15) -- $11,909

14. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 11-10 (5) -- 17-9 (5) -- 29-3 (10) -- 11-10 (5) -- 40-13 (15) -- $11,909

15. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 16-3 (5) -- 16-7 (5) -- 32-10 (10) -- 5-08 (4) -- 38-02 (14) -- $11,909

16. Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 11-15 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 27-13 (10) -- 8-05 (4) -- 38-02 (14) -- $11,909

17. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 14-9 (5) -- 14-11 (5) -- 29-4 (10) -- 6-12 (4) -- 36-00 (14) -- $11,909

18. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 20-10 (5) -- 8-9 (5) -- 29-3 (10) -- 6-06 (4) -- 35-09 (14) -- $11,909

19. Derrick Snavely -- Rogersville, Tn -- 19-2 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 32-1 (10) -- 3-05 (2) -- 35-06 (12) -- $11,909

20. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 14-12 (5) -- 12-12 (5) -- 27-8 (10) -- 7-14 (4) -- 35-06 (14) -- $11,909