By Sean Ostruszka
Special to BassFan
It may not be on the level of a Lake St. Clair (not many lakes are), but Cherokee Lake sure is loaded with smallmouth. And today, it seemed like all of them were biting.
Case in point: Only 21 of the 164 pros (12 percent) didn’t bring in a limit on day 1 of the FLW Tour event on the east Tennessee reservoir. That’s not too far off last year’s Tour event on St. Clair, when only 8 percent failed catch five keepers on the first day.
While everyone was catching fish, getting the 3- and 4-pounders were what separated the top anglers from the rest on what is a remarkably tight leaderboard. And of those who did get those bigger bites, no one got more than Andrew Upshaw. The Tulsa, Okla., pro had “one of those days,” and the result was an 18-06 bag, which gives him a 9-ounce cushion over Dylan Hayes in 2nd.
“Everything that could’ve gone right today went right,” Upshaw said. “A perfect example was I jumped off a fish right at the side of the boat and it swam down into the net.”
After Upshaw and Hayes, the rest of the top 10 is bunched up within a few ounces of the 17-pound mark. Tim Frederick and Austin Felix both brought in 17-04, while Andy Young and Jason Reyes mirrored each other with 17-02 bags.
Johnny McCombs seems to be getting back on track, as he’s in 7th with 17-01, and Tom Monsoor found 17 pounds of bass that wanted his swimjig. Ron Nelson (16-12) and Lake Seminole winner Buddy Gross (16-09) round out the top 10.
The weights drop off pretty hard after that. As Reyes mentioned, while there are plenty of fish in Cherokee, there are not enough big ones to easily cull up once an angler hits the 12-pound mark. Hence, almost half the field is bunched up between 12 and 15 pounds.
That said, when you’re catching 45 bass a day as Reyes did – he figures he threw back a 14-pound limit – or you’re basically done fishing after your first two spots like Upshaw, it certainly gets easier.
A known sight-fishing stick, Upshaw had a milk run of bedding smallmouths to go through to first thing.
“I didn’t catch a single fish today that I only found today,” Upshaw said. “All of them were ones I’d found or shook off in practice. I’d just roll up on them, and I caught them immediately. After I caught two good ones back-to-back I told myself I should probably stop.”
It was so quick, in fact, Upshaw says he only hit 15 percent of his fish he’d found, and he spent the majority of his day going for a truly big bite. He nearly got it, too, when he had a 6-pound largemouth follow in a big glide bait but not bite it.
Reyes was also on the bedding-smallmouth bite, though he’s not necessarily looking at them.
“Basically just putting the trolling motor on 3 and throwing at anything that might be a high-percentage spot for a bed,” Reyes said. “The side of a rock. A crack. Anything that looks good.”
Of the dozens of fish he caught, Reyes never caught a largemouth. Upshaw was nearly in the same boat, though he actually caught a pair of surprise green fish right off the bat. The same could not be said for Hayes.
“I know most guys are catching smallmouth,” Hayes said. “That’s not me. I’m not that guy.”
Because he chose to target largemouth, he admittedly struggled through most of practice. Yet, in the final hour, Hayes says he found a small staging area that had some quality largemouths. Today, that little area produced a quick limit of green fish and it also coughed out a 4-11, a 4-06 and a solid 3-pounder.
Once he had his kickers, Hayes went looking for bedding smallmouths to try and cull out the smaller largemouths he had. In the process, he caught a bonus 3-pound largemouth before catching his lone keeper smallmouth off a bed.
“I know fish are swimming up on this area staging, because they’re all pre-spawn,” Hayes said. “I just hope some more swim up, because if I can get two big bites there each day like I did today, it’s huge.”
Big bites may not be the lone problem going forward. While Cherokee showed it has a healthy population of fish, it’s not a St. Clair, in that it seemingly has an endless supply of them. Instead, after such a banner day, Reyes and others are concerned the bite will dwindle or even get tough by the weekend.
“Today, everything set up right with the smallmouths on beds, and we destroyed them,” Reyes said. “I mean, we really jerked on them, but I don’t know if we’ll see a repeat. I still think it’s going to take 16-17 pounds a day to compete, but we’re going to find out how many are left on beds tomorrow.”
Notable
> Day 1 stats – 164 anglers, 143 limits, 9 fours, 9 threes, 1 two, 1 one, 1 zero.
Day 1 Standings
1. Andrew Upshaw -- Tulsa, Ok -- 18-6 (5)
2. Dylan Hays -- El Dorado, Ar -- 17-13 (5)
3. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 17-4 (5)
3. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 17-4 (5)
5. Andy Young -- Isle, Mn -- 17-2 (5)
5. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 17-2 (5)
7. Johnny McCombs -- Morris, Al -- 17-1 (5)
8. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 17-0 (5)
9. Ron Nelson -- Berrien Springs, Mi -- 16-12 (5)
10. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, Ga -- 16-9 (5)
11. Derrick Snavely -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 16-8 (5)
11. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 16-8 (5)
13. Grae Buck -- Harleysville, Pa -- 16-6 (5)
14. Matt Becker -- Finleyville, Pa -- 16-4 (5)
15. Corey Neece -- Bristol, Tn -- 15-14 (5)
15. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 15-14 (5)
17. Kyle Weisenburger -- Ottawa, Oh -- 15-13 (5)
17. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 15-13 (5)
17. Marty Lawrence -- Mesa, Az -- 15-13 (5)
20. Evan Barnes -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 15-12 (5)
21. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 15-11 (5)
22. Cody Murray -- Nampa, Id -- 15-9 (5)
22. Joey Cifuentes -- Clinton, Ar -- 15-9 (5)
24. Tim Cales -- Sandstone, Wv -- 15-8 (5)
25. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Tx -- 15-7 (5)
25. Miles Burghoff -- Hixson, Tn -- 15-7 (5)
27. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 15-6 (5)
27. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 15-6 (5)
29. Mark Fisher -- Wauconda, Il -- 15-5 (5)
30. Aj Slegona -- Pine Bush, Ny -- 15-3 (5)
30. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 15-3 (5)
32. Randy Despino -- Colfax, La -- 15-2 (5)
33. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 15-0 (5)
33. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 15-0 (5)
33. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 15-0 (5)
36. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 14-15 (5)
36. Bradford Beavers -- Summerville, SC -- 14-15 (5)
38. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Tx -- 14-14 (5)
38. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 14-14 (5)
40. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga -- 14-12 (5)
41. Jason Meninger -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 14-11 (5)
41. Tim Malone -- Kodak, Tn -- 14-11 (5)
43. Braxton Setzer -- Montgomery, Al -- 14-9 (5)
43. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 14-9 (5)
45. Josh Douglas -- Isle, Mn -- 14-8 (5)
45. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 14-8 (5)
45. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 14-8 (5)
48. Brian Latimer -- Belton, SC -- 14-7 (5)
48. Larry Nixon -- Quitman, Ar -- 14-7 (5)
48. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 14-7 (5)
48. Robert Case -- Point, Tx -- 14-7 (5)
52. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 14-6 (5)
52. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 14-6 (5)
54. Kevin Finley -- Phoenix, Az -- 14-4 (5)
55. John Hunter -- Shelbyville, Ky -- 14-3 (5)
55. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 14-3 (5)
57. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 14-1 (5)
57. Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 14-1 (5)
59. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 14-0 (5)
59. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 14-0 (5)
61. Sheldon Collings -- Grove, Ok -- 13-15 (5)
62. Austin Wilson -- Citrus Heights, Ca -- 13-14 (5)
63. Michael Matthee -- Centurion, Gp -- 13-13 (5)
63. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 13-13 (5)
65. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Tx -- 13-12 (5)
65. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Al -- 13-12 (5)
67. Cody Hahner -- Wausau, Wi -- 13-10 (5)
67. Kyle Cortiana -- Coweta, Ok -- 13-10 (5)
69. Jon Englund -- Farwell, Mn -- 13-9 (5)
69. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 13-9 (5)
69. Dakota Ebare -- Denham Springs, La -- 13-9 (5)
72. Terry Bolton -- Benton, Ky -- 13-7 (5)
72. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 13-7 (5)
72. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 13-7 (5)
75. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 13-6 (5)
75. Joel Willert -- Prior Lake, Mn -- 13-6 (5)
77. Chad Warren -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 13-4 (5)
77. Chris Whitson -- Louisville, Tn -- 13-4 (5)
77. Andy Wicker -- Pomaria, SC -- 13-4 (5)
80. Jeff Dobson -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 13-2 (5)
80. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 13-2 (5)
82. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 13-1 (5)
83. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 13-0 (5)
83. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 13-0 (5)
83. Jared McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 13-0 (5)
83. Chad Randles -- Elkhorn, Ne -- 13-0 (5)
83. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 13-0 (5)
88. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 12-15 (5)
89. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 12-14 (5)
89. Jacob Wall -- Jacksonville, Or -- 12-14 (5)
89. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 12-14 (5)
92. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 12-13 (5)
93. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, Ar -- 12-12 (5)
94. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 12-10 (5)
94. Wade Strelic -- Alpine, Ca -- 12-10 (5)
94. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 12-10 (5)
94. Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Il -- 12-10 (5)
98. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 12-9 (5)
99. Chris McCall -- Palmer, Tx -- 12-8 (5)
99. Capt Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 12-8 (5)
99. Tyler Woolcott -- Port Orange, Fl -- 12-8 (5)
102. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 12-5 (5)
103. Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 12-4 (5)
103. Luke Dunkin -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 12-4 (5)
103. Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 12-4 (5)
106. Jonathan Canada -- Helena, Al -- 12-3 (5)
106. Clayton Batts -- Butler, Ga -- 12-3 (5)
108. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 12-2 (5)
108. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 12-2 (5)
110. Tony Dumitras -- Winston, Ga -- 12-1 (5)
111. Brant Grimm -- Church Hill, Tn -- 12-0 (5)
112. Curtis Richardson -- Belleville, On -- 11-15 (5)
113. Jason Christy -- Dadeville, Al -- 11-14 (5)
114. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 11-13 (5)
114. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 11-13 (5)
116. Nick Lebrun -- Bossier City, La -- 11-10 (5)
116. Rex Jaeger -- Hamilton, Oh -- 11-10 (5)
118. Bailey Boutries -- Daphne, Al -- 11-9 (5)
118. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 11-9 (5)
120. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 11-7 (5)
120. Tyler Stewart -- West Monroe, La -- 11-7 (5)
120. David Wootton -- Collierville, Tn -- 11-7 (5)
120. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 11-7 (5)
124. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 11-6 (5)
124. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 11-6 (5)
126. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 11-5 (5)
127. Alton Wilhoit -- Noble, Ok -- 11-2 (5)
127. Bradley Dortch -- Atmore, Al -- 11-2 (5)
129. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 11-1 (5)
130. Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wi -- 10-12 (5)
131. Joseph Webster -- Winfield, Al -- 10-8 (5)
132. Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tn -- 10-7 (4)
133. Ryan Chandler -- Hebron, In -- 10-4 (5)
133. Hensley Powell -- Whitwell, Tn -- 10-4 (5)
135. Clark Reehm -- Elm Grove, La -- 10-2 (5)
135. Wes Logan -- Springville, Al -- 10-2 (5)
135. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 10-2 (5)
138. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 10-1 (5)
138. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 10-1 (5)
138. Casey Scanlon -- Lake Ozark, Mo -- 10-1 (5)
141. Matt Wittekiend -- Angleton, Tx -- 9-13 (5)
142. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 9-7 (4)
143. Charlie Ingram -- Centerville, Tn -- 8-14 (5)
144. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 8-7 (4)
145. Dicky Newberry -- Houston, Tx -- 8-5 (5)
146. Troy Roder -- Brookeland, Tx -- 8-3 (4)
147. Charles Sim -- Nepean, On -- 8-2 (4)
148. Hunter Freeman -- Monroe, La -- 8-0 (4)
149. Chuck Medley -- Owens Cross Roads, Al -- 7-11 (4)
150. Ryan Salzman -- Huntsville, Al -- 7-9 (4)
151. Chuck Stratton -- Chaffee, Mo -- 7-5 (3)
152. Chip Harrington -- Olathe, Ks -- 7-3 (3)
152. Ron Farrow -- Rock Hill, SC -- 7-3 (3)
152. Bill Hutchison -- Bessemer, Al -- 7-3 (3)
155. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 6-14 (3)
156. Tommy Dickerson -- Orange, Tx -- 6-11 (3)
156. Derek Fulps -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 6-11 (3)
158. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, Al -- 6-6 (4)
158. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 6-6 (3)
160. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 5-12 (3)
161. Randy Allen -- Gilliam, La -- 3-2 (2)
162. Craig Rozema -- Simpsonville, SC -- 2-10 (5)
163. Sam George -- Athens, Al -- 1-5 (1)
Drew Ratley -- Shreveport, La -- 0-0 (0)
