‘Focused’ Kenney Comes Out Swinging With 29-14

By BassFan Staff

JT Kenney is all about yellow this week, and maybe a little red.

The Floridian, who in recent years has developed an affinity for offshore ledge fishing, proved today he’s not to be overlooked in the skinny water of his home state. After meticulous pre-practice and official practice sessions on the Kissimmee Chain resulted in him color-coding waypoints to distinguish between key areas – yellow meant big fish spots, red meant "maybe" big fish spots – he executed to near perfection on day 1 and caught 29-14 to secure the lead at the Lake Toho FLW Tour season opener.

While he said he expected to do well to start, day 1 is ancient history in Kenney’s mind. By 6:30 Thursday evening, he was already locked in on his game plan for Friday – more yellow dots.

“Today’s over. That’s old (news),” he said. “I’m not sitting here wondering where I’m going tomorrow. I know exactly where and exactly what I’m throwing and exactly what I’m throwing at.”

Kenney’s big day overshadowed the triumphant return of Stacey King, who sat out the last half of the 2014 season while battling skin cancer. Still not back to 100 percent physically, King hammered 28-01 and sat atop the leaderboard for the first half of the day-1 weigh-in.

“It means an awful lot to come back and do (well) on the first day back,” he said. “Close to a year ago, I didn’t know if I’d be able to compete again. It’s humbling and yet it’s exciting at the same time.”

Both Kenney and King did their work in Lake Kissimmee while Texan Jason Reyes, who's 3rd with 21-15, spent his day in Lake Toho where he stuck a 9-10 kicker. Veteran pro Charlie Ingram caught 21-07 and sits in 4th while Lionel Botha, another Florida resident, has 20-10 in 5th place.

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

1. JT Kenney: 29-14
2. Stacey King: 28-01 (1-13)
3. Jason Reyes: 21-15 (7-15)
4. Charlie Ingram: 21-07 (8-07)
5. Lionel Botha: 20-10 (9-04)
6. Alex Davis: 20-09 (9-05)
7. Luke Clausen: 20-00 (9-14)
8. Shane Lehew: 19-15 (9-15)
9. Scott Canterbury: 19-01 (10-13)
10 (tie). James Biggs: 19-00 (10-14)
10 (tie). Brad Knight: 19-00(10-14)

Reigning Angler of the Year Andy Morgan caught 13-12 today and is 39th while Forrest Wood Cup champion Anthony Gagliardi, who was disqualified from last year’s season opener at Lake Okeechobee, is 26th with 15-09.

Many anglers took advantage of the warming trend that’s settled in over central Florida this week and targeted fish that are heading into their spawning areas or have already set up shop there. A slower-than-slow approach and presentations seem to be more effective than moving baits, at least so far.

Fish are definitely in the spawning mode, but this won’t be remembered as an all-out Florida sight-fishing slugfest. The conditions just aren’t ideal for such a scenario, as the water has receded a fair amount this week and the wind today made it difficult to visually to get a read on whether beds were occupied or not, especially in unprotected areas.

For those who need to play catch-up on day 2 in order to have a shot at the top-20 cut, they’ll have to do it under a new set of conditions. The wind, which has blown out of the south for the last few days, will turn around to the north and gust from 10 to 20 mph. Temperatures are supposed to remain mild, but drop into the 70s with some cloud cover moving in.

After tomorrow’s weigh-in, the field will be cut to the Top 20 for Saturday’s round. The Top 10 after Saturday will advance to Sunday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

Kenney Is Locked In

> Day 1: 5, 29-14

When Kenney realized the season opener was going to fall in line with a full moon, he started licking his chops and prepared accordingly.

“I knew the big ones would be spawning,” he said. “Now that we’ve had the warm front, the last two (full) moons, we’ve had horrible weather so they had to go on this moon. What were they going to do, spawn in April or May? No. They had to go now.”

From the time he spent exploring the Kissimmee Chain in pre-practice, Kenney knew the fish would be in spawning mode come early March.

“It just comes from years of experience living here and knowing what the fish spawn around,” he said. “I’m catching spawning fish, but I can’t see them. I’m throwing at a spot repeatedly because I know where they are.

“In pre-practice, I rode around the lake and found certain casts that would be part of the puzzle. I knew the morning of the first day of official practice they were there. I was making specific casts to specific spots without a hook and was getting bit. I then color-coded those waypoints based on what I thought was there. Luckily, today I went into an area where I had some big ones marked and caught them all.”

He’s not guaranteeing continued success the rest of the event, but he’s pretty confident he can stay in contention, simply because of the preparation he put in.

“I know this will sound cocky, but I expected to catch 30 today,” he said, “but I didn’t expect it to be within 150 yards of each other and I didn’t expect to happen like that. My first cast in Kissimmee in practice, I had a fish strip drag on me. I went back there today and made the same cast to the same 6-inch wide spot and caught an 8-15.

“I was well prepared for this week. It’s one of those deals where I’m so confident in knowing what was going on beforehand. I’ve put all of my eggs in this basket and it’s either going to work awesome or I’m not going to do very well, but I know I’m targeting areas with all the right things.”

2nd: King Elated With Start

> Day 1: 5, 28-01

King came prepared for the fishing to be slow and methodical. He installed the folding seat on the front deck of his Nitro this week so he could sit down when the action tailed off or he needed to just get off his feet.

He was pretty busy early this morning as he said the fish around his first area bit really well before the wind kicked up. He had two 7-plus pounders and a 6-13 in his livewell by the end of the day and his co-angler also caught an 8-00 so it’s obvious he’s around some serious quality. He boated 12 keepers, he said.

“I caught quite a few early, but then they quit,” he said. “It’s just a blessing and it’s so exciting (to be back). I fished pretty comfortably all day and never got too excited. I knew where there were some good fish and I just bowed up and fished. I’m fishing extremely slow, which suits my style, especially when I’m not up to 100 percent.”

As for the change in wind direction tomorrow, he’s not sure if that’ll hinder his ability to fish the same area in Lake Kissimmee, but he’s going to check on it at least.

“I have to go back down and try again and see what happens,” he added. “If the wind kills me or they’re not biting, I might have to go fishing somewhere else.

“It was exactly what I thought it would be, though. These fish are moving in. It’s just a big spawning flat that’s typically good year after year. I feel like more fish are moving in, too.”

3rd: Two Big Bites Helped Reyes

> Day 1: 5, 21-15

At one point Thursday, Reyes was carrying around a limit of bass that weighed about 8 pounds. Two subsequent bites improved his situation dramatically.

He caught a 9-10 behemoth in the middle of the morning, then culled out a 2-pounder in favor of a 6 1/2-pounder later in the day to soar into the Top 5.

“Here in Florida, those kinds of fish are always a difference maker,” he said. “When I caught that big one, I was fishing up shallow and casting around with some soft-plastics. I picked up and there she was. She came in fairly easy. It was one of those ‘hit-it-on-the-head’ deals.”

After being slotted in a later flight, he opted to maximize his time and fish Lake Toho.

“I practiced Sunday in Toho and a caught a few,” he said. “I caught about the same in Kissimmee, but I felt like a lot of boats would be locking (to Kissimmee). I decided to stay in Toho and found more areas.”

He thinks he’s started to develop a pattern of what he needs to be targeting and fished about a 2-mile long stretch today.

“I’m fishing certain types of open areas behind the Kissimmee grass,” he said. “When it looks right and feels right, I’ll pull in and fish it. It’s a grind and I’ve struggled in Florida in the past because I think I fish too fast. I have learned to slow down and when you think you’re fishing slow, you should probably slow down more. I really think some of these fish are coming and some are fish are going.

“Visibility is not that great at all. I’m definitely not sight-fishing, but I definitely think some fish I’m catching are on beds. I’m just targeting where I think they’d be bedding and fishing really slow.”

The wind posed a bit of challenge today with his presentation (he’s fishing without a weight) and he thinks the north wind Friday might help him in that regard.

“How it’ll affect the fish, I don’t know,” he added.

4th: Ingram Headed Back To Kissimmee

> Day 1: 5, 21-07

Ingram chose to spend the majority of his time in Lake Kissimmee for one simple reason: “It was further south than the other lakes, so I figured they’d be further along,” he said with a chuckle.

He might be right as he made the most of the eight bites he got and posted one of seven 20-pound stringers. He did make one bad decision today that he regrets and likely won’t repeat tomorrow.

“I left them once they quit biting and left for 10 minutes before I came back,” he said. “I knew I messed up when I left. I know I’ll be in there all day tomorrow. I know they’re there. With the warm weather and full moon, I figured some bigger fish would move in there and I feel like I’ll catch some tomorrow. The fish bit early pretty good today and I’m in a later flight tomorrow so we’ll see what happens.”

His limit was anchored by a 7-03 and an 8-03, which were crucial to getting him off on the right foot. Should different conditions necessitate a change in tactics, though, he’s not as confident as he would be if things remained the same.

“It’s a good start and getting off to a good start makes you feel good,” he said, “but once I start my technique for the day or tournament, if I have to make a change it usually messes me up. I went into today knowing what bait, rod and reel that I’m fishing. I’m not good at adapting on the fly, but this feels like I’m picking up where I left off last year.”

5th: Botha Overcomes Break-Offs

> Day 1: 5, 20-10

Botha said he’d be sitting in a much better position after day 1 if he’d picked up earlier on a flaw in one of his slip sinkers. He said an imperfection in the weight caused his line to fray and he lost two good-sized fish before he detected the problem.

Still, he was able to catch 20-10 and put himself in position to make his first Top-20 cut as a Tour pro.

“Today could’ve been way better than it was,” he said. “It was frustrating, but they were simple mistakes.”

In addition to the two break-offs, he lost another good one in some lily pads. Aside from his miscues, he feels like he has a good read on what the fish are doing in the area he’s targeting.

“Everything went according to the way I practiced,” he said. “I’m catching them the same way I practiced so nothing’s changed. They’re still on the same type of stuff and it’s all about looking for identical stuff to what I practiced.”

He had a late boat number today and spent a little bit of time on Toho before locking through to lakes Hatchineha and Kissimmee. With an earlier flight on Friday, he’ll south immediately and try to duplicate his output.

“I didn’t hammer those areas where I lost those fish,” he noted. “If it gets windy, I’ll probably just go with a slightly heavier weight. Today, it blew about 15 and that hinders you a little because of the way you need to be fishing. You really have to get the flip perfect. You don’t get bit if it’s not perfect.”

9th: Going Slow Key For Canterbury

> Day 1: 5, 19-01

Scott Canterbury didn’t set the lake on fire in practice so he was pretty pleased with catching 19-01 to start the tournament. He started the day in Toho and finished it out on Kissimmee, where he says he’s more comfortable.

“I just like how Kissimmee fishes,” he said. “This is my third tournament down here and I just can’t figure them out in Toho. I never did any good there in practice and spent most of my practice on Kissimmee. I just like the way it lays out better for me.”

He’s using several presentations, but the theme so far has been going slow and being patient.

“I caught two punching today, but I’m mixing it up with several things,” he added. “They’re not hitting any fast-moving baits. I’m just covering ground real methodically.

“I was extremely happy with how the day went. I didn’t have a good practice. I didn’t tear ‘em up, but I caught several fish. Maybe the area I found is a better area than what I was fishing in practice. The place I fished today I went through it once in practice and didn’t think It was as good as it was. I’ll definitely have to spend more time in there tomorrow.”

101st: Rose In Disarray

> Day 1: 5, 9-08

Rose was admittedly puzzled by the way the lakes were fishing in practice and that carried over to today. He caught nine fish, mostly males, and is still trying to draw a bead on what’s going on.

“I went into today a little confused,” he said. “I caught a few fish doing a bunch of different things, not a lot of fish doing a few things. I think the combination of the water falling and the fish wanting to come on beds, it’s just an unstable body of water right now.”

He said he tried just about everything today to entice a bigger fish to bite, but couldn’t connect with one.

“Clarity is an issue,” he added. “You can see shallow, but where those better fish are bedding, in the 3- to 4-foot range, it’s tough to see them. I had 27 rods on my deck and used every one of them. I’m trying to put it together during the tournament. Sometimes, you have to do that especially with the changing conditions we have.

“Hopefully, tomorrow is the day I get it figured it out. All you need on these Florida lakes is a couple hours to do some damage and get dialed in, and right now I’m not dialed in.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 154 anglers, 126 limits, 8 fours, 11 threes, 4 twos, 2 ones, 3 zeroes.

> Cody Meyer, the runner-up in last year’s Angler of the Year chase, took a 4-pound penalty for being 4 minutes late checking in today. He’s 105th with 9-05 after the deduction.

> Ish Monroe caught 15-04 and is in 27th in his first competition since being arrested after an on-the-water altercation with Keith Poche at the Lake Toho Southern Open in January. As BassFan reported earlier this week, Monroe’s criminal case has been closed.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., March 6 – Mix of Sun & Clouds - 75°/59°
- Wind: From the NNE at 10 to 20 mph

> Sat., March 7 – Cloudy - 72°/60°
- Wind: From the NNE at 10 to 15 mph

> Sun., March 8 – Cloudy, then Afternoon Rain - 80°/63°
- Wind: From the ENE at 5 to 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. JT Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 29-14 (5)

2. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 28-1 (5)

3. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 21-15 (5)

4. Charlie Ingram -- Centerville, Tn -- 21-7 (5)

5. Lionel Botha -- Fort Pierce, Fl -- 20-10 (5)

6. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 20-9 (5)

7. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 20-0 (5)

8. Shane Lehew -- Mooresville, NC -- 19-15 (5)

9. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 19-1 (5)

10. James Biggs -- Euless, Tx -- 19-0 (5)

10. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 19-0 (5)

12. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 18-8 (5)

13. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 18-7 (5)

13. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 18-7 (5)

15. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 17-15 (5)

16. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 17-14 (5)

17. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 17-10 (5)

18. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 17-8 (5)

19. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 17-6 (5)

20. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 17-3 (5)

21. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 17-2 (5)

22. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 16-9 (5)

23. Tony Davis -- Williston, Fl -- 16-5 (5)

24. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 16-3 (5)

24. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 16-3 (5)

26. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 15-9 (5)

27. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 15-4 (5)

27. Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tn -- 15-4 (5)

29. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 15-1 (5)

30. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 15-0 (5)

31. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 14-9 (5)

31. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 14-9 (5)

33. Drew Benton -- Panama City, Fl -- 14-3 (5)

34. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 14-1 (5)

34. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 14-1 (5)

36. Clark Reehm -- Huntington, Tx -- 14-0 (5)

37. Mark Daniels Jr -- Tuskegee, Al -- 13-15 (5)

37. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 13-15 (5)

39. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 13-12 (5)

40. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 13-9 (5)

41. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 13-6 (5)

42. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 13-5 (5)

43. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, Ok -- 13-2 (5)

43. Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 13-2 (5)

45. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 13-1 (5)

46. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 12-13 (5)

47. Rich Dalbey -- Greenville, Tx -- 12-10 (5)

47. Dion Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 12-10 (5)

49. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 12-8 (5)

50. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 12-7 (5)

51. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 12-6 (5)

52. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 12-3 (5)

53. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 12-2 (5)

54. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 11-15 (5)

54. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 11-15 (5)

56. Spencer Shuffield -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 11-13 (5)

57. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 11-12 (5)

57. Nick Prvonozac -- Warren, Oh -- 11-12 (5)

59. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 11-11 (5)

59. Shirley Crain -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 11-11 (5)

59. Powell Kemp -- Scotland Neck, NC -- 11-11 (5)

59. Capt Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 11-11 (5)

59. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 11-11 (5)

64. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 11-10 (4)

65. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 11-9 (5)

65. Michael Murphy -- Lexington, SC -- 11-9 (5)

65. Blake Nick -- Adger, Al -- 11-9 (5)

68. Mike Boyles -- Kimberling City, Mo -- 11-8 (5)

68. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 11-8 (5)

70. Marshall Deakins -- Dunlap, Tn -- 11-6 (5)

70. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 11-6 (5)

72. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 11-5 (5)

72. Marc Evans -- Angola, In -- 11-5 (5)

74. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 11-4 (5)

75. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 11-3 (5)

76. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, NC -- 11-1 (5)

76. Troy Gibson -- Eufaula, Al -- 11-1 (5)

78. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 10-12 (5)

78. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 10-12 (5)

78. Andrew Upshaw -- Sapulpa, Ok -- 10-12 (5)

81. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 10-11 (5)

82. Jason Lambert -- Pickwick Dam, Tn -- 10-10 (5)

83. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 10-9 (5)

84. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 10-6 (3)

85. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, NC -- 10-5 (5)

86. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, In -- 10-4 (5)

87. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 10-3 (5)

88. Brandon Hunter -- Benton, Ky -- 10-2 (3)

88. Alvin Shaw -- Roaring Gap, NC -- 10-2 (5)

90. Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga -- 10-1 (5)

91. Dalton Cooksey -- New Concord, Ky -- 9-15 (5)

92. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 9-14 (5)

92. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 9-14 (5)

94. Charlie Evans -- Gilbertsville, Ky -- 9-13 (5)

94. Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ar -- 9-13 (5)

96. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 9-12 (5)

96. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 9-12 (5)

98. Jeff Barth -- Marshfield, Wi -- 9-10 (4)

98. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 9-10 (3)

100. Tim Malone -- Gatlinburg, Tn -- 9-9 (5)

101. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 9-8 (4)

101. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 9-8 (5)

103. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 9-7 (5)

103. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 9-7 (5)

105. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 9-5 (5)

105. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 9-5 (5)

107. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 9-3 (5)

108. Payden Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 9-1 (5)

109. Guido Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 9-0 (4)

109. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 9-0 (5)

111. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 8-12 (5)

112. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 8-10 (5)

112. Troy Hollowell -- Paducah, Ky -- 8-10 (5)

112. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 8-10 (5)

115. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 8-9 (5)

116. Brent Long -- Iron Station, NC -- 8-7 (3)

117. Keith Amerson -- Selmer, Tn -- 8-4 (5)

117. Troy Broussard -- Beaumont, Tx -- 8-4 (5)

119. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 8-2 (5)

120. Ryan Davidson -- Huntington, Wv -- 8-1 (5)

121. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 7-15 (5)

121. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 7-15 (5)

123. Clay Elliott -- Ozark, Al -- 7-14 (5)

124. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 7-13 (5)

125. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 7-12 (3)

125. James Watson -- Springfield, Mo -- 7-12 (4)

125. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 7-12 (5)

128. Jason Johnson -- Gainesville, Ga -- 7-7 (3)

128. Stephen McKinnie -- Umatila, Fl -- 7-7 (5)

130. Andrew Young -- Mound, Mn -- 7-6 (5)

131. Van Soles -- Haines City, Fl -- 7-3 (5)

132. Michael Hall -- Annandale, Va -- 7-2 (5)

132. Richard Peek -- Centre, Al -- 7-2 (5)

134. Jayme Rampey -- Liberty, SC -- 7-0 (5)

135. Rodney Thomason -- Maumelle, Ar -- 6-14 (5)

136. William Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va -- 6-12 (5)

137. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 6-9 (3)

138. Casey Martin -- New Hope, Al -- 6-8 (4)

139. Mark Goines -- Shady Point, Ok -- 6-0 (5)

140. Craig Livesay -- Johnson City, Tn -- 5-14 (3)

141. Stephen Patek -- Dallas, Tx -- 5-13 (4)

142. Bill Terrell -- Memphis, Tn -- 5-10 (4)

143. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 4-13 (2)

144. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 3-13 (3)

145. Nick Hensley -- Cumming, Ga -- 3-8 (2)

145. Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Il -- 3-8 (2)

147. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 3-2 (3)

148. Dustin Grice -- Robinson, Tx -- 3-1 (3)

149. Drew Montgomery -- Maiden, NC -- 2-14 (1)

150. Tony Dumitras -- Wnston, Ga -- 2-12 (2)

151. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 1-10 (1)

Derrick Snavely -- Rogersville, Tn -- 0-0 (0)

David Smith -- Del City, Ok -- 0-0 (0)

Kyle White -- Tightwad, Mo -- 0-0 (0)