By BassFan Staff

Get while the gettin’s good was the prevailing theme on day 1 at the Lewis Smith Lake FLW Tour.

With a stout cold front set to move across the area near Jasper, Ala., Thursday night, there’s no predicting the immediate impact it will have on the spotted and largemouth bass that are in the midst of swarming the bank to begin their spawning ritual. That’s why many felt today was the ideal day to get some early traction and build some momentum in the event their areas or patterns don’t produce on Friday when the temperature is expected to be in the low 40s at takeoff and top out in the upper 50s.

On the heels of an 80-degree off day that brought water temperatures up several degrees, many competitors tried to capitalize on the shallow swimmers that have taken up residence in the bushes and brush and willows that are now in the water.

Floridian Drew Benton gained the most traction, as he was the lone competitor to log a 20-pound stringer with a 20-12 limit of largemouths and spotted bass, plucked off bedding areas. He finds himself a little more than a pound ahead of second-year pro Clayton Batts, who caught 19-09. Zack Birge, a rookie this year, caught 18-15 worth of largemouth and sits in 3rd.

Veteran pros Tracy Adams (18-09) and Scott Martin (18-06) round out the Top 5 on day 1.

Here's a look at the Top 10 after day 1 at Smith Lake, with deficit margin from Benton indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Drew Benton: 20-12
2. Clayton Batts: 19-09 (1-03)
3. Zack Birge: 18-15 (1-13)
4. Tracy Adams: 18-09 (2-03)
5. Scott Martin: 18-06 (2-06)
6. Ish Monroe: 17-14 (2-14)
7. John Cox: 16-07 (4-05)
8 (tie). Andy Morgan: 16-03 (4-09)
8 (tie). Clark Wendlandt: 16-03 (4-09)
10. Jim Tutt: 15-11 (5-01)

Reigning Angler of the Year Andy Morgan, coming off a 52nd at Lake Toho, is tied for 8th with 16-03. Meanwhile, Toho champion JT Kenney is 128th with 7-08.

If today was any indication, it appears this event will be a run-and-gun affair and the consensus among the leaders is that the biggest bags of the event have already been caught. From here, it could turn into a grind depending on how much of an impact the cold front has. Catching a limit was not an issue by any stretch as 138 of the 154 pros brought five fish back to the dock.

Tomorrow is expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 59 and winds out of the northwest at 10 to 15 mph, so any sort of sight fishing could be a challenge.

The field will be cut to the Top 20 after Friday and then reduced to the Top 10 following Saturday’s competition. The winner will be determined Sunday based on highest cumulative weight.

Bedders For Benton

> Day 1: 5, 20-12

Benton is a Florida native whose favorite way to catch bass is sight-fishing for them. He has a Tour win at Lake Okeechobee to his credit, but he also held the day-1 lead at Beaver Lake two years ago, so he’s had some success at deep, clear reservoirs.

Today, he combined the two and came out on top of the leaderboard, catching bedding fish on a day where conditions were ripe for it. He said there’s just something about Smith that gives him confidence.

“I really don’t know why I like it,” he said. “I just feel like I know how the fish set up here. It’s kind of weird. Every time I put the boat in the water at Smith, I feel like I’m going to catch them.”

He said he spent most of his practice running around trying to identify certain areas that had multiple fish on beds.

“Basically, I’d just cruise the bank and see fish cruising around the buck brush,” he said. “I didn’t catch a lot of fish in practice.”

In addition to the fish he had eyes on today, he caught a few on a topwater bait. He wound up weighing three largemouths and two spots, both of which were 4 pounds or bigger. His three largemouths were all 4-pounders.

“It was just one of those days,” he said. “Looking at the weather, I tried to catch as much as I could catch today. I don’t know what weather will do to the shallow fish. I do have a backup plan, but not it’s near the quality of those shallow fish.”

He hopes to be able to at least catch a couple more bedders before having to activate any sort of backup plan.

“I left fish on beds that I think I can catch if it doesn’t get too cold tonight,” he said. “I think I should be able to catch 12 to 15 pounds off beds. I know what a Florida bass will do when it drops to 30 degrees. I don’t know what these fish will do.”



FLW
Photo: FLW

Clayton Batts says the presence of blueback herring is key to his area.

2nd: Batts Keying on Bait

> Day 1: 5, 19-09

Today’s conditions were perfect for Batts’ strategy and he doesn’t feel like the looming cold front will knock him off his game plan too much. He caught most of his fish up in the river where the water temperature had come up 6 degrees since Tuesday.

“I thought today went very well,” he said. “I hope to be able to duplicate it tomorrow. I needed overcast conditions to catch a giant bag. I don’t think the cold front will hurt me at all. The only thing that will hurt me is if it gets bright and sunny.”

In practice, Batts was catching more spots in his area, but the rise in water temperatures brought more largemouths into it. His bag today consisted of three largemouths and two spots.

“I found the area back on Sunday and got on a deal and it was rainy and overcast then and I had 40 to 50 bites,” he said. “I have two main areas and one of them I didn’t completely fish through today. The other area, I stopped on one spot and caught three and culled one out there.”

The key element to the areas he’s in is the presence of bait fish. He’s not focused on bedding fish at all.

“I’m around a bunch of herring and I’m throwing a particular bait that I don’t think a lot of guys are throwing,” he said. “It’s probably a little early for it, but they want it.”

3rd: No Spots for Birge

> Day 1: 5, 18-15

Birge came into the week thinking he was going to fish for spotted bass. He struggled in practice and opted to target largemouth today.

“I had high expectations for catching big spots and it’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “I practiced for three days and couldn’t get anything going so I changed up and went after largemouths. I caught a big one on my first spot. I went to another spot and caught another big one.”

He wound up not even catching a spotted bass today. He says the warm off day and looming cold front meant he had to capitalize on his opportunities to do well.

“The lake warmed up a lot overnight and we really had to make the most of it with this front coming because I’m not sure how it’ll change it,” he said. “I wanted to go out and do the best I could. I pounded on them good, but I them left biting. Hopefully, they’re still there for me tomorrow. I still have areas I haven’t been to.”

He’s confident that if his largemouth plan fizzles, he can fall back on spots as a Plan B.

“If it comes down to 4 o’clock tomorrow and I don’t have a fish, I’ll come back with five spots,” he said.

He figured he caught 15 keepers today and spent the majority of his time up shallow.

“It’s just typical largemouth stuff,” he added. “It’s time for them to eat and it’s time for them to be there.”

FLW
Photo: FLW

Tracy Adams played the run-and-gun game today and came back with 18 1/2 pounds.

4th: Adams Pleasantly Surprised

> Day 1: 5, 18-09

Adams caught a limit of bedding fish early today, then upgraded several times the rest of the way.

“It was a good day, better than expected,” he said. “I got to moving around and keyed in on a couple of things. Things started happening and hopefully, it’ll keep happening.”

He wound up with four spots and one largemouth. He had a pair of 4 1/4-pound spots come off in similar areas.

“I felt like it would be a run-and-gun deal,” he added. “That’s pretty much how I fish. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

He’s been impressive with the quality of fishing so far this week.

“I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I’ve never seen it this good. It’s just a timing thing. We’re fishing at the right time. It’s the perfect time of year.”

He wound up with about 15 keepers today, but he noted the bites tailed off after 2 p.m. when it got cloudy.

“I would say we’ve seen the big bags of the week,” he added. “We could see a few more but for the most part, I think today was it. Tomorrow, we’ll just have to go with the flow and let weather decide what we’re going to do.”

5th: All Largemouths For Martin

> Day 1: 5, 18-06

Martin said he could feel the air temperature dropping rapidly Thursday night and he said there’s no way to know how it will impact the fishing on day 2. He feels he has enough options to turn to if the shallow bite goes cold on Friday.

“Things are going to change a lot,” he said. “I will have to make some adjustments. I caught a few sight-fishing today and caught a few deep. I’m not too worried about it. We’ll just have to figure out the mood they’re in. I know I’m going to have to fish deep to make the finals and that’s fine.”

He did a fair amount of moving around today, but wound up weighing all largemouths.

“I fished each spot for a few minutes and then rolled out,” he said. “I’m trying to manage it. At the end of the day, it’s still Smith Lake. It’s a lot like Beaver. You don’t want to burn up your stuff.

“I do have some groups that are deep and if I’m fortunate enough to make the cut, I’m going to be hammering down on two or three spots where there are groups of them.”

FLW
Photo: FLW

Ish Monroe is fishing with confidence this week, he says.

6th: Monroe Caught ‘Em Behind Others

> Day 1: 5, 17-14

Monroe was the second boat to pull away from the dock this morning so he virtually had his pick of where to start on the lake. When he finally settled on an area, he didn’t stay long.

He moved around a lot throughout the day and made the most of the chances he had up until he lost a 4-pounder near the end of the day.

“Smith is a big lake, but it still fishes small,” he said. “It’s funny because places I wanted to fish today, people were already there. At the same time, I went behind guys and caught fish, too.”

He attributed that to fishing a different bait and possibly a different style.

“People know how I fish – with a big rod and big line,” he said. “That was definitely key today.”

His main objective was to catch as much as possible and worry about tomorrow when it comes.

“I room with Robbie Dodson and James Watson and we talked about that,” he said. “Today was all about catching the biggest bag you can catch because tomorrow, whatever you can catch is going to be good.”

His bag was anchored by a 5-pounder and four others between 3 and 4 pounds.

“It was a lot of run and gun,” he added. “You can fish a lot of dead water here and I saw a lot of that happening today.”

136th: Frustrating Start for Lambert

> Day 1: 5, 6-09

Jason Lambert felt like he had a good enough practice and knows enough about Smith Lake that a 10- or 12-pound day wasn’t going to be a big challenge today. He had no trouble catching fish, but the size never showed up and he finds himself needing a big day tomorrow to have a shot at cashing a check.

“I know enough about this pond and the people that fish it that I felt like I could have a good tournament,” he said. “Nothing went wrong today, I just didn’t get the bites.”

He spent his day out deep with a jerkbait and finesse baits. He had a 4-pounder come unbuttoned that cost him a 3 1/2-pound upgrade.

“I thought 10 to 12 pounds would be easy today,” he added. “I caught 30 fish and weighed 6-09. It’s not like I went out and didn’t get bites. It’s frustrating. If I catch 12 or 13 tomorrow, I can get a check.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 154 anglers, 138 limits, 6 fours, 5 threes, 4 twos, 1 ones.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., March 27 – Mostly Sunny - 59°/34°
- Wind: From the NW at 10 to 15 mph

> Sat., March 28 – Partly Cloudy - 51°/32°
- Wind: From the NE at 5 to 8 mph

> Sun., March 29 – Mostly Sunny - 65°/49°
- Wind: From the S at 6 to 8 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Drew Benton -- Panama City, Fl -- 20-12 (5)

2. Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga -- 19-9 (5)

3. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 18-15 (5)

4. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, NC -- 18-9 (5)

5. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 18-6 (5)

6. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 17-14 (5)

7. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 16-7 (5)

8. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 16-3 (5)

8. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 16-3 (5)

10. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 15-11 (5)

10. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 15-11 (5)

12. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 15-8 (5)

12. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 15-8 (5)

14. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 15-6 (5)

15. Clark Reehm -- Huntington, Tx -- 15-5 (5)

16. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 15-4 (5)

17. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 15-3 (5)

18. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 15-2 (5)

19. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 14-14 (5)

19. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 14-14 (5)

21. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 14-9 (5)

21. Powell Kemp -- Scotland Neck, NC -- 14-9 (5)

23. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 14-8 (5)

23. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 14-8 (5)

25. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 14-7 (5)

25. Jason Johnson -- Gainesville, Ga -- 14-7 (5)

27. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 14-4 (5)

28. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 14-3 (5)

29. Mark Daniels Jr -- Tuskegee, Al -- 14-1 (5)

30. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 14-0 (5)

30. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 14-0 (5)

32. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 13-14 (5)

33. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 13-12 (5)

33. Alvin Shaw -- Roaring Gap, NC -- 13-12 (5)

35. Tony Davis -- Williston, Fl -- 13-11 (5)

36. Spencer Shuffield -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 13-9 (5)

37. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 13-8 (5)

37. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 13-8 (5)

39. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 13-6 (5)

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

41. Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ar -- 13-4 (5)

42. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 13-2 (5)

43. Jayme Rampey -- Liberty, SC -- 13-1 (5)

44. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 12-15 (5)

45. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 12-13 (5)

45. Dion Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 12-13 (5)

47. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 12-12 (5)

48. Nick Hensley -- Cumming, Ga -- 12-11 (5)

49. Andrew Young -- Mound, Mn -- 12-10 (5)

50. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 12-9 (5)

50. Troy Hollowell -- Paducah, Ky -- 12-9 (5)

50. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 12-9 (5)

53. Lionel Botha -- Fort Pierce, Fl -- 12-7 (5)

54. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 12-6 (5)

54. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 12-6 (5)

54. Mark Goines -- Shady Point, Ok -- 12-6 (5)

57. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 12-2 (5)

58. Andrew Upshaw -- Sapulpa, Ok -- 12-0 (5)

59. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 11-12 (5)

60. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 11-11 (5)

60. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 11-11 (5)

62. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 11-10 (5)

62. Michael Murphy -- Lexington, SC -- 11-10 (5)

64. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 11-8 (5)

64. Bill Terrell -- Memphis, Tn -- 11-8 (5)

66. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 11-6 (5)

67. Mike Boyles -- Kimberling City, Mo -- 11-2 (5)

68. Eric Olliverson -- Lampe, Mo -- 11-1 (5)

69. Rich Dalbey -- Greenville, Tx -- 10-14 (5)

69. Ryan Davidson -- Huntington, WV -- 10-14 (5)

69. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 10-14 (5)

72. Shane Lehew -- Mooresville, NC -- 10-13 (5)

73. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 10-12 (5)

73. Drew Montgomery -- Maiden, NC -- 10-12 (5)

73. James Watson -- Springfield, Mo -- 10-12 (5)

76. Tim Malone -- Gatlinburg, Tn -- 10-11 (4)

77. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, NC -- 10-8 (5)

77. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 10-8 (5)

79. Brent Long -- Iron Station, NC -- 10-6 (5)

79. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 10-6 (5)

81. Brandon Hunter -- Benton, Ky -- 10-4 (5)

82. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 10-3 (5)

82. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 10-3 (5)

84. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 10-2 (5)

85. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 10-1 (5)

86. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 10-0 (5)

87. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 9-15 (5)

87. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 9-15 (5)

89. Craig Livesay -- Johnson City, Tn -- 9-14 (5)

90. Troy Broussard -- Beaumont, Tx -- 9-13 (5)

91. James Biggs -- Euless, Tx -- 9-11 (5)

91. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 9-11 (5)

91. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 9-11 (5)

91. Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Il -- 9-11 (5)

95. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 9-10 (5)

95. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, In -- 9-10 (5)

97. Marshall Deakins -- Dunlap, Tn -- 9-9 (5)

97. Stephen Patek -- Dallas, Tx -- 9-9 (5)

99. Charlie Ingram -- Centerville, Tn -- 9-8 (5)

100. Capt Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 9-6 (5)

101. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, Ok -- 9-4 (5)

102. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 9-1 (5)

103. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 9-0 (5)

104. Jeff Barth -- Marshfield, Wi -- 8-15 (5)

105. Dustin Grice -- Robinson, Tx -- 8-14 (5)

105. Guido Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 8-14 (5)

107. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 8-13 (5)

107. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 8-13 (5)

109. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 8-10 (5)

109. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 8-10 (5)

111. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 8-8 (5)

112. Blake Nick -- Adger, Al -- 8-6 (5)

113. Clay Elliott -- Ozark, Al -- 8-4 (5)

114. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 8-3 (5)

114. Nick Prvonozac -- Warren, Oh -- 8-3 (5)

116. William (Billy Shelton Iii -- La Crosse, Va -- 8-2 (5)

116. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 8-2 (5)

116. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 8-2 (4)

119. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 7-13 (5)

119. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 7-13 (5)

119. Richard Peek -- Centre, Al -- 7-13 (5)

119. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 7-13 (5)

119. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 7-13 (5)

124. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 7-10 (5)

125. Michael Hall -- Annandale, Va -- 7-9 (5)

125. Payden Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 7-9 (5)

125. Derrick Snavely -- Rogersville, Tn -- 7-9 (5)

128. Jt Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 7-8 (5)

128. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 7-8 (5)

130. Keith Amerson -- Selmer, Tn -- 7-7 (5)

131. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 7-3 (4)

132. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 7-2 (5)

133. Kyle White -- Clinton, Mo -- 6-13 (3)

134. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 6-12 (5)

134. Van Soles -- Haines City, Fl -- 6-12 (5)

136. Jason Lambert -- Pickwick Dam, Tn -- 6-9 (5)

137. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 6-3 (5)

138. Dalton Cooksey -- New Concord, Ky -- 6-1 (4)

138. David Smith -- Del City, Ok -- 6-1 (5)

140. Marc Evans -- Angola, In -- 5-14 (5)

141. Rodney Thomason -- Maumelle, Ar -- 5-11 (4)

141. Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tn -- 5-11 (5)

143. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 5-9 (5)

144. Tony Dumitras -- Winston, Ga -- 5-7 (3)

144. Charlie Evans -- Gilbertsville, Ky -- 5-7 (3)

146. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 5-0 (5)

147. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 4-6 (4)

148. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 3-10 (1)

149. Shirley Crain -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 3-3 (3)

150. Bill Mcdonald -- Greenwood, In -- 3-1 (2)

151. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 3-0 (3)

152. Stephen Mckinnie -- Umatila, Fl -- 1-14 (2)

153. Casey Martin -- New Hope, Al -- 1-13 (2)

154. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 1-12 (2)