Nick Nails 21-04, Leads Bolton By 3 Ounces

By BassFan Staff

Blake Nick remembers what it felt like to be in 4th place following day 1 at the Hartwell FLW Tour Major earlier this month. He also recalls what it felt like after day 2 when he failed to crack 9 pounds, fell to 28th place and missed the cut.

The Alabama pro is hot on the heels of some sweet redemption after bringing 21-04 to the scales to seize the day-1 lead at the Table Rock FLW Tour Major. He’s a mere 3 ounces ahead of Terry Bolton, the only other angler to crack 21 pounds.

“It just feels so good to catch a big bag,” Nick said. “I had a great first day at Hartwell and blew up on the second day and ended up missing the cut. To come back out here today and get that behind me, I’m just looking forward to tomorrow to redeem myself. I am jacked up. This is a lot of fun.”

It’s a tightly-packed Top 10, with 2-01 separating Nick from 10th-place Stacey King. Clint Brownlee weighed 20-01 and sits in 3rd while Clent Davis stuck a 20-00 limit for 4th. Kyle Welcher is 5th with 19-12. Less than 5 pounds separates the Top 20.

Here's a look at the current Top 10, with deficit margin from the leader indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Blake Nick: 21-04
2. Terry Bolton: 21-01 (0-03)
3. Clint Brownlee: 20-01 (1-03)
4. Clent Davis: 20-00 (1-04)
5. Kyle Welcher: 19-12 (1-08)
6. Jason Christie: 19-08 (1-12)
7. Todd Hollowell: 19-06 (1-14)
8. David Wolak: 19-05 (1-15)
9. Brent Long: 19-04 (2-00)
10. Stacey King: 19-03 (2-01)

The weather gave those on a sight-fishing program a textbook day. The clouds stayed away and the wind was calm until the end of the afternoon. However, with the water level coming back down toward normal pool, the clarity is improving and it’s making the fish around the bank skittish, as countless pros remarked on stage.

The 25-plus pound bags seen in recent weeks in local tournaments may not be duplicated this week unless someone runs into a couple or three chunky females as there are countless numbers of 2 1/2- to 3-pound fish being caught.

As expected, a good number of contestants flipped shoreline structure hoping to entice willing bed-fish or intercept those moving up. Many reported a generally tough bite, especially among the quality fish. As the temperatures continue to hold in the upper-70s and 80s, more fish are expected to push up shallow through the week.

The field will be trimmed to 20 following day 2 and only the Top 10 will advance to Sunday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

Nick Flying By Seat Of His Pants

> Day 1: 5, 21-04

Nick is running a junk pattern targeting pre-spawn fish in various spots in one area of the lake.

“I’m driving down the lake until I see something I like and I’ll just pull in and fish it,” he said. “I caught fish today in places I hadn’t even practiced.

“Am I surprised I caught that number? Not really,” he said. “I saw so many good fish. Was I blessed to catch those big fish? Absolutely. I knew that if I got a couple of big bites, I’d have a good day.”

He overcame a lost 8-pounder in the middle of the day to put together one of four 20-pound stringers. He sorted through about 20 keepers and weighed four largemouths and a 2-pound spot. His big fish was a 5-10.

“I really caught one here and one there,” he added. “The weird thing was I didn’t catch any 3-pounders. They were either 15 1/2 or 16 inches or big ones, kickers really. To think I lost an 8-pounder and had a 2-pound spot in the bag or we’re talking about a huge bag of fish. I’m not making an excuse, but that would’ve been awesome.”

2nd: Bolton Scrapped Deep Plan For Pockets

> Day 1: 5, 21-01

The last two times the FLW Tour fished Table Rock, Bolton finished 82nd and 91st, respectively. He’s well on his way to improving upon those results this week.

“I had a pretty decent B.A.S.S. Invitational here years ago, but the last few times I’ve been here, it’s kicked me in the rear,” he said. “It definitely owed me one good day so hopefully, I can go have another one tomorrow.”

He left the dock today not knowing exactly how he was going to fish. He surprised himself with what he brought to the scale.

“I was surprised because I probably had the worst practice I’ve had before a tournament in 5 years,” he said. “I went out this morning and had 15 rods rigged ready to do different things.”

He started fishing deep and had only a 15-inch spot to show for it. Around 9 a.m., he went to the bank and that’s where he did most of his damage. He sorted through about 10 keepers and weighed in a 6-pound brute.

“I started trying something that wasn’t working in practice and it started working,” he added. “I think with the day off and the warmer weather the fish got a little more aggressive and farther along. I sight-fished a few of them. They got more territorial. On the last day of practice, they’d see you throw at them and they ran like they owed you money.

“I’ve got a certain type of pocket I’m looking for and I’m running until I find it. Then I go through it and fish and run to the next one.”

4th: Davis ‘Has Good Thing Going’

> Day 1: 5, 20-00

Davis reported having had a solid practice and brought between 30 and 40 keepers into the boat today, many in the 3-pound range. A 5-05 brute anchored his sack.

A solid finish this week would take the sting out of an 88th at the Okeechobee FLW Tour Open and a 74th at Hartwell, where he missed a check by 1 ounce.

“I’m definitely fishing for pre-spawn fish and looking a little bit,” he said. “If it’s worth putting in the well, I’ll fish for it, but they’re real skittish on beds. To me, they were more skittish on beds today than they were in practice and I thought they would have been better.”

He’s fishing a number of areas and plans to hit the same spots again on day 2.

“I have a good thing going and it’s going to be hard to go away from it,” he added. “I was boat (number) 12 this morning and I was culling at 7:30. It was fast and furious and it was all day long. It was one of those days where I started looking around and said, ‘I need to start culling now.’”

5th: Welcher Off To Hot Start

> Day 1: 5, 19-12

At this time last year, Welcher was closing in on graduation at Beulah High School in Valley, Ala. A few more days on the water like today and he could be closing in on history as the youngest to win a Tour-level tournament

“I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied at all or surprised, but I know I have to go out there tomorrow and do the same thing,” he said.

His 7-06 brute was the big fish of the day and after he swung it into the boat, he focused only on getting similar big bites. He added a 6 1/2-pound later in the day. He revealed his fish aren’t on beds yet.

“A lot of the places I was going to go to had boats on them, but the places I caught my big fish I didn’t see anybody else around."

Fishing just his second professional event – he finished 153rd at Hartwell – he didn’t have a high opinion of Table Rock after a rough practice.

“My first impression was horrible in practice,” he said. “Now, it’s picked up a lot. I like it pretty good.”

6th: Christie Concerned Despite Solid Showing

> Day 1: 5, 19-08

While Jason Christie is sitting less than 2 pounds off the lead, he’s not feeling all that comfortable knowing a good majority of his weight today came on two bites.

“I caught twice as much as I thought I could catch,” he said. “I got lucky. I just caught two big ones. I caught everything I saw in practice so I’m hoping tomorrow the wind blows and it gets cloudy so I can just go fishing. I wasn’t on anything. I just got lucky.”

He had another big fish come unbuttoned that would have allowed him to cull a 15-incher and gain about 3 pounds. He sight-fished today, but he feels it won’t hold up for him for long enough.

“I love to do it, but these fish here are smarter than I am,” he added. “I’m not seeing that many females and the males that are there are hard to catch. I haven’t seen any males worth sitting on for very long. If I were to see a 3 1/2- to 4-pound male, I’d sit on them for a while. I’m not seeing the fish that everybody else is. I must be in the wrong area.

“I fished the same way today as I did in practice and in practice I didn’t catch them, so I don’t think I can get lucky 2 days in a row. I’d rather the weather change so I can just go fish for them and run the bank and try to get some of those fish cruising out in front of the beds. I’m smart enough to realize I have to do something different tomorrow. It’s not good to have 19 pounds and have two of them weigh two-thirds of that.”

126th: Thomas’ Fish Shut Down

> Day 1: 3, 7-02

On the final day of practice this week, Wes Thomas found a couple of coves that held a good number of bed-fish that were behaving like they would be active if a bait was put on their nose.

“Today, when I went into those areas, the fish were there, but they were pretty skittish and didn’t want to set up as good," he said. "I left a 6-pounder on the bed that I would have loved to have caught. She’d come up, but wouldn’t commit. A lot of the fish, you’d be moving down the bank toward them and you’d see them just sliding off the bank.”

He said he’s pitching a wacky-rigged Yum Dinger along the bank, a technique that scored in practice, but just not today. He has other stuff in stained water in another river that he'll check out tomorrow.

“I think the fish are there if I can just look at the right ones and get them to bite,” he added.

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 159 anglers, 97 limits, 20 fours, 19 threes, 7 twos, 7 ones, 9 zeroes.

> BassFan Big Sticks Jay Yelas and Luke Clausen find themselves in the top half of the field, but each has some work to do to make the Top 20 after day 2. To read about their day-1 experiences, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., March 30 – Partly Cloudy, Chance of Thunderstorms - 82°/52°
- Wind: From the S/SW at 5 mph

> Sat., March 31 – Partly Cloudy - 88°/59°
- Wind: From the SW at 5 mph

> Sun., April 1 – Partly Sunny - 90°/59°
- Wind: From the S/SW at 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Blake Nick -- Adger, Al -- 21--04 (5)

2. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 21--01 (5)

3. Clint Brownlee -- Tifton, Ga -- 20--01 (5)

4. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 20--00 (5)

5. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, Al -- 19--12 (5)

6. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 19--08 (5)

7. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 19--06 (5)

8. David Wolak -- Wake Forest, NC -- 19--05 (5)

9. Brent Long -- Cornelius, NC -- 19--04 (5)

10. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 19--03 (5)

11. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, In -- 18--15 (5)

12. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 18--14 (5)

12. Spencer Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 18--14 (5)

14. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 18--04 (5)

15. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 17--06 (5)

15. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 17--06 (5)

17. Jason Cordiale -- Orinda, Ca -- 17--01 (5)

17. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 17--01 (5)

19. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 16--14 (5)

20. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 16--13 (5)

20. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 16--13 (5)

22. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 16--12 (5)

23. Keith Monson -- Harrodsburg, Ky -- 16--11 (5)

24. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 16--09 (5)

25. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 16--05 (5)

26. Kyle Mabrey -- McCalla, Al -- 16--04 (4)

27. Christopher Brasher -- Spring, Tx -- 16--03 (5)

28. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 16--01 (5)

29. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 16--00 (5)

30. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15--14 (5)

30. Allen Boyd -- Salem, In -- 15--14 (5)

32. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 15--12 (5)

33. Craig Dowling -- Nashville, Tn -- 15--10 (5)

34. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 15--06 (5)

35. Randy McAbee Jr -- Bakersfield, Ca -- 15--05 (5)

36. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 15--04 (5)

37. Ramie Colson Jr. -- Cadiz, Ky -- 15--03 (5)

37. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 15--03 (5)

39. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 15--02 (5)

40. Charlie Evans -- Gilbertsville, Ky -- 15--01 (5)

40. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 15--01 (5)

40. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 15--01 (5)

43. Brad Knight -- Wartburg, Tn -- 14--15 (5)

44. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 14--13 (5)

44. Chris Wilkerson -- Conroe, Tx -- 14--13 (5)

46. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 14--12 (5)

46. J.T. Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 14--12 (5)

48. Dion Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 14--10 (5)

49. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 14--08 (5)

49. Matthew Stefan -- Park Ridge, Il -- 14--08 (5)

51. James Watson -- Waynesville, Mo -- 14--06 (5)

52. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 14--01 (5)

53. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 14--00 (5)

54. Tim McDonald -- Prestonsburg, Ky -- 13--14 (5)

54. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 13--14 (5)

56. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, NC -- 13--13 (5)

56. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 13--13 (5)

58. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, Al -- 13--12 (5)

59. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, Al -- 13--10 (5)

60. Thanh Le -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 13--08 (5)

61. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 13--07 (5)

62. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 13--06 (5)

63. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 13--05 (5)

64. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 13--04 (5)

65. Tim Johnson -- Dallas, Ga -- 13--00 (4)

65. Nick Larson -- Ball Ground, Ga -- 13--00 (5)

67. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 12--13 (5)

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

69. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 12--11 (5)

69. J.T. Palmore -- Blackstone, Va -- 12--11 (5)

71. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 12--07 (5)

71. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 12--07 (5)

73. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 12--06 (5)

73. Pete Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 12--06 (5)

75. Shane Long -- Springfield, Mo -- 12--03 (5)

76. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 12--01 (5)

77. Charles Bebber -- Willis, Tx -- 12--00 (5)

77. Jimmy Millsaps -- White, Ga -- 12--00 (5)

77. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 12--00 (5)

77. Mark Rouse -- League City, Tx -- 12--00 (5)

77. Andrew Upshaw -- Hemphill, Tx -- 12--00 (5)

82. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 11--15 (5)

83. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, Al -- 11--14 (5)

84. Lancen Halbert -- Enoree, SC -- 11--13 (4)

85. Andy Gaia -- Tomball, Tx -- 11--12 (5)

86. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 11--09 (5)

87. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 11--08 (5)

88. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, Ga -- 11--04 (3)

89. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 11--03 (5)

90. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 11--01 (4)

90. Kendale Roach -- Knoxville, Tn -- 11--01 (4)

92. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 10--14 (5)

93. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 10--12 (5)

94. Ryan Chandler -- Hobart, In -- 10--11 (5)

94. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 10--11 (5)

96. Guido Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 10--10 (5)

97. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 10--08 (5)

98. Jordan Card -- Cary, NC -- 10--07 (5)

99. Tony Chachere -- Opelousas, La -- 10--05 (3)

99. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 10--05 (5)

99. Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Il -- 10--05 (5)

99. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville, NC -- 10--05 (5)

103. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 9--12 (3)

103. Todd Schmitz -- Goshen, In -- 9--12 (5)

105. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 9--11 (5)

106. Rick Cotten -- Guntersville, Al -- 9--09 (4)

107. Bill Day -- Frankfort, Ky -- 9--04 (4)

108. Ken Golub -- Pittsford, NY -- 9--02 (4)

109. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 8--11 (4)

109. Roland Martin -- Naples, Fl -- 8--11 (4)

111. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 8--10 (4)

111. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, Al -- 8--10 (4)

113. Dakota Lucy -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 8--09 (4)

114. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- Hazard, Ky -- 8--08 (3)

115. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 8--07 (4)

116. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 8--03 (3)

117. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 8--00 (4)

118. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 7--13 (4)

119. Ray Scheide -- Dover, Ar -- 7--12 (3)

120. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 7--11 (4)

120. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 7--11 (3)

122. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 7--08 (4)

122. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 7--08 (3)

122. Kevin Snider -- Elizabethtown, Ky -- 7--08 (4)

125. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 7--03 (3)

126. Wes Thomas -- Hanover, In -- 7--02 (3)

127. Tom Mann Jr -- Buford, Ga -- 7--00 (3)

128. Tim Wilson -- Gas City, In -- 6--12 (3)

129. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Ca -- 6--11 (3)

130. Brad Rightnour -- Mingoville, Pa -- 6--09 (3)

131. Greg Bohannan -- Rogers, Ar -- 6--08 (2)

132. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 6--06 (3)

133. Terry Baksay -- Easton, Ct -- 6--03 (3)

134. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 6--00 (3)

135. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 5--12 (3)

136. Dearal Rodgers -- Camden, SC -- 5--10 (3)

137. Wil Hardy -- Harlem, Ga -- 5--07 (1)

138. David Kromm -- Kennewick, Wa -- 5--06 (2)

139. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 5--00 (2)

140. Derrick Snavely -- Rogersville, Tn -- 4--14 (4)

141. Brandon Rummel -- Knoxville, Tn -- 4--07 (2)

142. Zach Caudle -- Shreveport, La -- 4--05 (2)

142. Van Roy Foster Jr -- Dalton, Ga -- 4--05 (2)

144. Wade Hendricks -- Thompsons Station, Tn -- 4--03 (2)

145. Payden Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 3--09 (1)

146. Jim Milson -- Odessa, Tx -- 3--03 (1)

147. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 2--09 (1)

148. Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tn -- 2--02 (1)

149. Mike Neilson -- Markham, On -- 2--00 (1)

150. Brien Vaughn -- Kinmundy, Il -- 1--12 (1)

Jeff Cloud -- Lubbock, Tx -- 0--00 (0)

Tim Gaskill -- Edwardsville, Il -- 0--00 (0)

Tim Griggs -- Paducah, Ky -- 0--00 (0)

Travis Loyd -- Kinmundy, Il -- 0--00 (0)

John Mcginnis -- Clarkson, Ky -- 0--00 (0)

Joe Nech -- Alba, Tx -- 0--00 (0)

Christian Romans -- Carrollton, Ky -- 0--00 (0)

Shad Schenck --Waynetown, In -- 0--00 (0)

Jerry Willis -- Atlanta, Ga -- 0--00 (0)