The pressure that's inherent in the role of the hometown favorite certainly didn't phase Clark Wendlandt on day 1 of the Travis FLW Tour. The two-time Angler of the Year (AOY) from nearby Leander, Texas caught nearly 4 pounds more than anybody else as the 2007 season got under way.
His 17-03 bag gave him a 3-13 edge over West Virginia's Bill Chapman and Michigan's Kevin Vida, who were tied for 2nd with 13-06. Texan Jerry Green was 4th with 13-02 and Pennsylvania's Dave Lefebre rounded out the Top 5 with 12-13.
Here's the bottom half of the Top 10:
6. Craig Dowling: 12-01
7. Chip Harrison: 11-06
8. Gabe Bolivar: 11-04
9. Aaron Hastings: 11-01
10. (tie) Mark Davis: 10-15
10. (tie) Koby Kreiger: 10-15
Only 17 bags of 10 pounds or more were caught on a day that dawned bitterly cold (28 degrees) under the cover of clouds, then eventually turned sunny and breezy (the north wind reached 15 mph at times). However, 31 anglers caught at least 9 pounds, so tomorrow's Top 10 could look dramatically different than today's.
And tomorrow's is the one that counts, since the 200-angler field will be reduced to 10 after the weigh-in.
Among the notables who struggled were Texans Mike Hawkes (185th, 1-12); Chris McCall (176th, 2-07); and Gary Yamamoto (172nd, 2-09).
Tomorrow's forecast calls for sunny skies with a warm-up to 55 degrees (today's high never got out of the 40s). The wind will switch directions to the south and should again top out at about 15 mph.
Wendlandt Topped Expectations
As the only true local among the Tour pros, Wendlandt was supposed to have a significant advantage. But even he didn't anticipate having such a big cushion after the first day.
"I absolutely did not expect this," he said. "I'd have been pretty satisfied with 9 or 10 pounds. There are some big ones in there, but you usually don't catch that many. I'm pretty much floored."
He went through more than a dozen keepers to compile his limit. All five that he kept were in the 3- to 3 3/4-pound range.
"I was surprised when I caught the first one, and I was still surprised by the time I caught the fifth one."
He said he'll fish fairly hard tomorrow despite his big lead.
"Those kinds of days are kind of dangerous. If you know you don't need a lot, you tend to not catch a lot, and you can lose touch with the fish."
If what he did today isn't working, he has fall-back patterns.
"There's a lot of ways I might fish, and that's a little bit of a luxury. If one thing quits on me, then I'll go to something else."
2nd: Vida Gets Boost
Vida said he had a solid practice, but his day-1 bag was beyond his expectations. A 4-13 bruiser was a big part of that equation.
"I had an okay practice, but I'd never expect to get 13 pounds here," he said. "I was thinking that 8 to 12 would be realistic.
"That big one helped a lot. It was my second fish and I got it within a half-hour of when we started."
The northern smallmouth ace said the clear, rocky lake suits his style. "It's a great jig lake and I love casting jigs, so I'm comfortable here."
He had a limit by 9:30 and spent the latter part of the day searching for new water. He'll try to catch at least 7 pounds tomorrow.
"I've got a couple of plans ready to go if what I did today isn't happening. I might go to finesse worms or start fishing docks."
5th: Lefebre a Little Short
Lefebre was about the only angler near the top of the leaderboard who felt he actually underachieved on day 1.
"I didn't know what I could catch for sure, but I did have a good practice," he said. "I didn't do quite as well as I thought I would today, even though I had my opportunities.
"I had one that was about 6 pounds get off right at the boat, and I had a little one I needed to get rid of. That was a difference of about 5 pounds right there."
He said he didn't get a good hookset on the big one that got away. It bit a jig that he flipped to a dark spot just a few yards from the boat.
"I was using some lighter line to get bites, since this place is so highly pressured, and I didn't set the hook as hard as I usually would. Then it started swimming right at me at 100 mph, and I kind of knew it was going to come off.
"It was an uncomfortable deal from the start."
He ran around to about 50 spots and caught 10 keepers for the day.
"These fish are definitely patternable, and I'm fishing both shallow and deep. I'm moving real fast and covering a ton of water, and I've still got a ton of water left."
A 4-15 bruiser pushed Chip Harrison into 7th place.
7th: Quick Start for Harrison
Indiana's Chip Harrison didn't have too much trouble getting bites in practice, but quality fish were scarce. That changed today as he caught a 2 1/2-pounder on his initial cast and boated a 4-15 pig a short time later.
"I caught that big one at about 8:00 and it was a big surprise," he said. "I had a limit by about 8:30, and then I ran up the river and did some other things to see if I could put something together."
His 11-06 bag easily exceeded his goal of "9 or 10 pounds." He won't set a target weight for tomorrow.
"I'm just going to go fishing. I'm basically fishing a rock pattern, and the lake's so crowded that you just have to pick a spot and fish it when you can, knowing that you're going to be going in behind people."
He's targeting largemouths in 25 to 35 feet of water.
"As far as my pattern itself goes, I think there's plenty of fish, and there should be more moving up when the weather gets warmer. If it warms up tomorrow quicker than it did today, I think you'll see more fish caught.
"Then again, I might go out and catch 2 or 3 pounds. It's a crapshoot."
168th: Cochran's Shallow Bite Off
Veteran George Cochran ran up the Colorado River to try some shallow fish he'd caught one day in practice, but found little action. He figures the cold weather sent them back to deeper haunts.
"I hooked one real good one on a spinnerbait, but I lost it," he said. "That was the only bite I had in half a day up there."
He returned to the main lake and fished around boat docks with a finesse worm.
"I caught two little ones and lost two others," he said. "It just wasn't a good day."
Notable
> Day 1 stats – 200 anglers, 110 limits, 24 fours, 20 threes, 27 twos, 11 ones, 8 zeroes.
> Vida said his co-angler, Caleb Kuphall, was one of the toughest (or maybe craziest) men he's ever encountered. "It was 28 degrees when we started running down the lake, and after we'd gone about 10 miles, I looked over to see how he was doing. He had no hood and no hat, he had his sunglasses on, and he had his nose up in the air like he was enjoying the breeze. Then he fished the whole day without gloves, and it didn't get above 30 degrees until noon. I asked him if he was crazy and he said, 'This doesn't bother me, I'm from Wisconsin.' I said, 'Well, I'm from Michigan, and this would bother me even if I was from the Arctic Circle.'"
> Lefebre said there was some construction going on adjacent to his best spot, and debris frequently fell into the water. "I ended up snagging two or three of those tiles, or whatever they were. It didn't hurt the fishing though – they were still biting."
Weather Forecast
Here's the OutdoorsFanWeather.com forecast for the remaining tournament days.
> Fri, Feb. 16 – Sunny – 55°/35°
- Wind: From the south at 10 mph
> Sat, Feb. 17 – Sunny – 69°/35°
- Wind: From the north at 10 mph
> Sun, Feb. 18 – Partly Cloudy – 59°/39°
- Wind: From the southeast at 4 mph
Day 1 Standings
1. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 5, 17-03
2. Bill Chapman -- Salt Rock, Wv -- 5, 13-06
2. Kevin Vida -- Clare, Mi -- 5, 13-06
4. Jerry Green -- Del Rio, Tx -- 5, 13-02
5. Dave Lefebre -- Union City, Pa -- 5, 12-13
6. Craig Dowling -- Madison, Al -- 5, 12-01
7. Chip Harrison -- Bremen, In -- 5, 11-06
8. Gabe Bolivar -- Ramona, Ca -- 5, 11-04
9. Aaron Hastings -- Middletown, Md -- 5, 11-01
10. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ar -- 5, 10-15
10. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 5, 10-15
12. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 5, 10-09
13. Tim Carroll -- Owasso, Ok -- 5, 10-08
13. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 10-08
15. Bobby Curtis -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 5, 10-07
16. Terry Baksay -- Easton, Ct -- 5, 10-05
17. Michael Bennett -- Roseville, Ca -- 5, 10-00
18. Jason Abram -- Gray, Tn -- 5, 9-14
18. Dion Hibdon -- Stover, Mo -- 5, 9-14
20. Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 9-10
20. Ken Wick -- Star, Id -- 5, 9-10
22. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 5, 9-07
23. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, Nc -- 5, 9-06
23. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 5, 9-06
23. J T Kenney -- Daytona Beach, Fl -- 5, 9-06
26. Tony Defilippo -- Lake Ann, Mi -- 5, 9-05
26. Jason Knapp -- Uniontown, Pa -- 5, 9-05
28. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 5, 9-04
29. Art Berry -- Hemet, Ca -- 5, 9-02
29. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 5, 9-02
31. Jack Gadlage -- Benton, Ky -- 5, 9-01
32. Ott Defoe -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 8-15
32. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 5, 8-15
32. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 5, 8-15
35. Mark Rose -- Marion, Ar -- 5, 8-14
35. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 5, 8-14
37. Kim Stricker -- Howell, Mi -- 5, 8-13
38. Bud Pruitt -- Spring, Tx -- 5, 8-12
39. Alex Ormand -- Bessemer City, Nc -- 5, 8-11
40. Kevin Long -- Berkley, Mi -- 5, 8-10
41. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, Nc -- 5, 8-09
42. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 5, 8-08
43. Shinichi Fukae -- Mineola, Tx -- 5, 8-07
44. Derek Jones -- Chicago, Il -- 5, 8-06
44. Kevin Lasyone -- Dry Prong, La -- 5, 8-06
46. Andre Moore -- Alabaster, Al -- 5, 8-04
46. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 5, 8-04
48. Katsutoshi Furusawa -- Tokyo Japan 1920153, Jp -- 5, 8-02
48. Craig Powers -- Rockwood, Tn -- 4, 8-02
48. Sam Swett -- Covington, La -- 5, 8-02
51. Woo Daves -- Spring Grove, Va -- 5, 8-01
51. Keith Pace -- Monticello, Ar -- 5, 8-01
53. John Tanner -- Quitman, Tx -- 5, 8-00
54. Randy Sanford -- Carriere, Ms -- 4, 7-15
54. John Sappington -- Willard, Mo -- 5, 7-15
56. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 5, 7-14
56. David Fritts -- Lexington, Nc -- 5, 7-14
56. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 5, 7-14
59. Chris Elliott -- Beaufort, Nc -- 5, 7-12
59. Sean Hoernke -- Magnolia, Tx -- 5, 7-12
59. George Jeane Jr -- Evans, La -- 5, 7-12
62. Brent Crow -- Hartselle, Al -- 5, 7-11
62. Mike Hastings -- Buda, Tx -- 5, 7-11
62. Mark Mauldin -- Cleveland, Tn -- 5, 7-11
62. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, Al -- 5, 7-11
66. Fred Contaoi -- Lakeport, Ca -- 5, 7-10
66. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 5, 7-10
68. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 5, 7-09
68. Michael Murphy -- Gilbert, Sc -- 5, 7-09
68. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 5, 7-09
71. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, Sc -- 5, 7-07
72. Randy Blaukat -- Lamar, Mo -- 5, 7-05
72. Jimmy Millsaps -- Canton, Ga -- 5, 7-05
74. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 5, 7-03
74. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tn -- 5, 7-03
74. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Tx -- 5, 7-03
77. Lewis Denney -- Indian Mound, Tn -- 3, 7-02
77. Joel Richardson -- Kernersville, Nc -- 5, 7-02
77. Jacky Roberts -- Georgetown, Tx -- 5, 7-02
80. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 7-01
80. David Ryan -- Levasy, Mo -- 3, 7-01
82. Jeremiah Kindy -- Benton, Ar -- 5, 7-00
82. Marcel Veenstra -- Brighton, Mi -- 5, 7-00
84. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, Sc -- 5, 6-15
84. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 5, 6-15
84. Carl Svebek Iii -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 5, 6-15
87. Matt Arey -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 6-14
87. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 5, 6-14
87. Toby Hartsell -- Livingston, Tx -- 5, 6-14
87. Frank Meyer -- Marianna, Fl -- 5, 6-14
87. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 5, 6-14
92. James Davis Jr -- Ferriday, La -- 5, 6-13
92. Dwayne Horton -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 6-13
92. Keith Monson -- Burgin, Ky -- 5, 6-13
95. Ricky D. Scott -- Van Buren, Ar -- 4, 6-12
96. Art Ferguson Iii -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 5, 6-11
97. Jerry Goble -- Sherrills Ford, Nc -- 5, 6-10
98. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, Sc -- 5, 6-09
98. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 5, 6-09
98. Keith Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 4, 6-09
101. Chad Cook -- Summerville, Sc -- 4, 6-08
102. Harmon Davis -- Marlow, Ok -- 5, 6-07
102. Matt Herren -- Trussville, Al -- 5, 6-07
102. Nate Wellman -- Jenison, Mi -- 5, 6-07
105. Kim Bain -- Alabaster, Al -- 4, 6-06
105. Dale Evans -- Ridgeville, Sc -- 5, 6-06
107. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 4, 6-05
107. Randy Morris -- Garfield, Ar -- 5, 6-05
107. Ray Scheide -- Russellville, Ar -- 4, 6-05
110. Mark Pack -- Mineola, Tx -- 4, 6-04
110. Steve Redding -- Plano, Tx -- 5, 6-04
110. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 5, 6-04
113. Brennan Bosley -- Benton, Ar -- 4, 6-03
113. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 5, 6-03
113. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 5, 6-03
116. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 5, 6-02
116. Wes Thomas -- Hanover, In -- 5, 6-02
118. Eric Ambort -- Mabelvale, Ar -- 5, 5-11
118. David Lauer -- South Bend, In -- 4, 5-11
120. Thanh Le -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 5, 5-10
120. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 5, 5-10
122. James Quillman -- Mineola, Tx -- 3, 5-08
123. Frank Ippoliti -- Smithsburg, Md -- 4, 5-07
123. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 2, 5-07
123. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 4, 5-07
126. Pat Fisher -- Buckhead, Ga -- 4, 5-06
126. Pete Gluszek -- Franklinville, Nj -- 4, 5-06
128. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 4, 5-05
128. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 5, 5-05
128. Tim Johnson -- Dallas, Ga -- 4, 5-05
131. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 4, 5-04
132. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 4, 5-03
133. Hank Cherry -- Maiden, Nc -- 4, 5-00
133. Charlie Ingram -- Santa Fe, Tn -- 4, 5-00
133. Shannon Shuler -- Ypsilanti, Mi -- 3, 5-00
133. Terry Tucker -- Gadsden, Al -- 5, 5-00
137. David Cooke -- Mooresville, Nc -- 4, 4-13
138. Jason Reyes -- Humble, Tx -- 3, 4-12
139. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 3, 4-11
140. Chris Slopak -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 3, 4-09
141. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 4, 4-08
142. Tommy Brown -- Louisville, Tn -- 3, 4-04
143. Robert Walser -- Lexington, Nc -- 3, 4-03
144. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 3, 4-02
145. Jeffrey Thomas -- Broadway, Nc -- 4, 4-01
146. Clay Dyer -- Hamilton, Al -- 3, 4-00
147. Tim Mcdonald -- Hagerhill, Ky -- 3, 3-13
148. Pierre Fortin -- Lady Lake, Fl -- 1, 3-12
149. Danny Correia -- Marlborough, Ma -- 3, 3-11
149. Guido Hibdon -- Gravois Mills, Mo -- 3, 3-11
151. Chuck Medley -- Owens Cross Roads, Al -- 3, 3-10
152. Tom Burns -- Carbondale, Il -- 3, 3-09
153. Charles Cummings -- Leeds, Al -- 3, 3-08
154. Alfred Williams -- Jackson, Ms -- 3, 3-07
155. Sean Minderman -- Spokane, Wa -- 3, 3-06
156. Hub Bechtol -- Austin, Tx -- 2, 3-05
157. Tee Watkins -- East Point, Ky -- 2, 3-04
158. John Peters -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 2, 3-03
158. Alvin Shaw -- State Road, Nc -- 2, 3-03
160. O T Fears Iii -- Sallisaw, Ok -- 2, 3-02
161. Tom Mann Jr -- Buford, Ga -- 3, 3-01
162. Ralph Laster Jr -- Lees Summit, Mo -- 2, 3-00
163. Gary Riffle -- Paris, Tx -- 2, 2-14
164. Tony Couch -- Buckhead, Ga -- 2, 2-13
165. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 2, 2-12
165. Paul Farris -- Dallas, Tx -- 2, 2-12
165. Danny Pierce -- Greenbrier, Ar -- 2, 2-12
168. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 2, 2-11
168. Sam Newby -- Pocola, Ok -- 1, 2-11
168. Karen Savik -- St. Louis Park, Mn -- 2, 2-11
171. Harry Barton -- Sterrett, Al -- 1, 2-10
172. Patrick Anderson -- Buda, Tx -- 2, 2-09
172. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 2, 2-09
172. Gary Yamamoto -- Mineola, Tx -- 2, 2-09
175. Robert Sherry -- Saint Charles, Il -- 2, 2-08
176. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 2, 2-07
176. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fl -- 2, 2-07
176. Jeff Magee -- Mendenhall, Ms -- 2, 2-07
176. Chris Mccall -- Jasper, Tx -- 2, 2-07
176. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 2, 2-07
181. Scott Dameron -- Beckley, Wv -- 2, 2-04
182. Roger Crafton -- Boca Grande, Fl -- 2, 2-02
183. Bob Kujan Jr -- Belton, Tx -- 1, 2-01
184. Mark Goines -- Shady Point, Ok -- 2, 2-00
185. Mike Hawkes -- Sabinal, Tx -- 1, 1-12
186. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 2, 1-11
187. Norman Seat -- Branson West, Mo -- 1, 1-09
188. Joe Thomas -- Milford, Oh -- 1, 1-08
188. Brad Wall -- Clarksville, Oh -- 1, 1-08
190. Brian Penso -- Houston, Tx -- 1, 1-07
191. Sandy Melvin -- Boca Grande, Fl -- 1, 1-05
192. Mark Hardin -- Jasper, Ga -- 1, 1-04
Tony Dadante -- Derby, Ny -- 0, 0-00
James Dills -- Maynardville, Tn -- 0, 0-00
Tim Klinger -- Boulder City, Nv -- 0, 0-00
Monte Knight -- Quitman, Ms -- 0, 0-00
Rick Marsh -- High Point, Nc -- 0, 0-00
Vu (Ted) Nguyen -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 0, 0-00
Jim Short -- Ocean Pines, Md -- 0, 0-00
Mike Todd -- Norman, Ok -- 0, 0-00
Big Bass
Day 1: Jerry Green -- Del Rio, Tx -- 5-01 -- $750
