By BassFan Staff
The Toyota Texas Bass Classic is all about big bites, and Jason Christie got three of them on day 1 at Lake Fork.
The Oklahoman boated two fish in the 9-pound class and an 8-pounder en route to a 37-04 sack that put him atop the field in the 35-angler all-star derby that runs through Monday. He'll take a 4-pound lead into day 2.
John Crews made two upgrades in the final half-hour with 6-pound-plus fish to grab the No. 2 slot with 33-04. Andy Morgan was next with 31-00, and Chris Lane and Shad Schenck were tied for 4th with 30-04.
Here's a look at the initial Top 10, with deficit margins from the leader denoted by red numbers in parentheses:
1. Jason Christie: 37-04
2. John Crews: 33-04 (4-00)
3. Andy Morgan: 31-00 (6-04)
4. (tie) Chris Lane: 30-04 (7-00)
4. (tie) Shad Schenck: 30-04 (7-00)
6. Brent Ehrler: 29-00 (8-04)
7. (tie) Kelly Jordon: 28-04 (9-00)
7. (tie) Aaron Martens: 28-04 (9-00)
9. Kevin VanDam: 26-12 (10-08)
10. Casey Ashley: 26-08 (10-12)
Most of the biggest bags on a blustery day in east Texas came from offshore. Lane's was a notable exception, as he caught all of his fish from 5 feet or shallower.
Keith Combs, the two-time defending champion, spent most of the day toward the bottom of the live leaderboard, but a couple of big fish in the closing minutes bumped him up to 14th place with 23-08.
A massive thunderstorm rolled in after competition concluded for the day and heavy rain caused the evening country music concert to be delayed for more than an hour. More of the same is predicted for the remainder of the weekend and the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for the region that'll be in effect from 4 a.m. Sunday through 7 a.m. Monday.
The Sabine River system was already swollen from torrential precipitation of the past month, and the flood gates on Fork will certainly be open on Sunday. That'll cause current to flow through the impoundment – a phenomenon that usually has a negative effect on the offshore bite.
The field will be reduced to the Top 10 following the day-2 weigh-in, with the winner determined Sunday based on highest cumulative weight.
Great Day for Christie
> Day 1: 5, 37-04
Christie said he had a good practice, but his opening day exceeded even his loftiest ambitions.
"You never expect that kind of weight, but I was fortunate to get three big bites," he said. "I just got in a good rotation and made good decisions and I didn't lose any fish. It was just an outstanding day."
His trio of bruisers were spread throughout the day, with the first coming at 10 o'clock, then another at noon and the last one at 1. All came from offshore haunts.
He estimated that visited 25 different locales.
"I'll have the same game plan tomorrow," he said. "There's some places I didn't fish today, but I'm sure they got fished by other people.
"I'll just go fishing like I did today. The biggest thing is getting on a good rotation."
2nd: Late Culls lifted Crews
> Day 1: 5, 33-04
Crews bounced around between different depths – he caught one weigh-in fish from deep water, three from mid-range and the other from a much shallower spot.
"I knew there was potential there from practice, but the big ones seemed scattered," he said. "It turned out they were on one place a lot better than I thought they were."
His bag was topped by an 8-pounder and he added a 6 1/2 and a 6 in the final 30 minutes. He said he lost a fish that was between 6 and 7 pounds.
"I fished a lot of dead water today – a lot of the deeper stuff is timing. You can fish in three times in one day and not get a bite, then come back the next day and catch 30 pounds.
"It's a tough call whether to go back to some places again or not. I'm prepared to do a few other things, so we'll see what happens."
Andy Morgan was surprised to have a lot of his best stuff to himself.
3rd: Morgan Avoided Crowds
> Day 1: 5, 31-00
Morgan spent most of his day going wherever he pleased as he encountered few fellow competitors on his best stuff.
"I'm fishing offshore and I had a couple places to myself, and that was a big surprise," he said. "I never suspected that would happen at this place.
"I really didn't get that many bites in practice – just enough to keep me interested. I was surprised to catch as much as I did."
He hit about 10 different places and went through a dozen keepers. His stringer was topped by a 7-pounder.
"I'll try to go about it the same way tomorrow, but a lot will depend on how bad the weather actually gets."
4th: Lane Staying in Skinny Water
> Day 1: 5, 30-04
Lane had a hit-and-miss practice and was unable to establish anything offshore, so he opted to stay shallow on day 1 and fish for a single giant bite that could win him the Toyota Tundra that'll go to the angler who catches the biggest fish of the event.
"Now my whole mindset has changed," he said. "Now I have to try to win this thing.
"Today I saw what Lake Fork is all about and I had a fantastic day. The bites I was getting were good, but not huge – my biggest fish was 7 pounds. I think out of the 12 fish I caught, only three or four were under 5 pounds."
He had no company whatsoever and was free to roam the banks as he saw fit. He hopes that remains constant on day 2.
"The good thing about the way I'm fishing is it has the potential for a 10-plus pounder – one of those late spawners that nobody can see. I could make the right pitch to the right grass mat or tree and, lo and behold, I could have a honker on."
Shad Schenck broke the 30-pound mark for the first time in his career.
4th: Third Stop Charm for Schenck
> Day 1: 5, 30-04
Schenck found another competitor on the first place he wanted to fish, then caught nothing on his No. 2 spot. At his third stop, however, he got nine bites and amassed all of his weight.
"It was exciting," he said. "That's my biggest bag ever and it was fun to break the 30-pound mark."
His best fish was just 2 ounces shy of 9 pounds and he caught a 6-pounder and a 5 late in the day.
"I've got some shallower stuff I can go to as a backup if I needed it, but I don't feel like this will be won shallow. I do think there'll be some good bags caught shallow tomorrow, though – with the clouds and the rain, there should be a good topwater bite up there. But I won't go unless I absolutely have to."
6th: Ehrler's Options Limited
> Day 1: 5, 29-00
Ehrler only had a small number of deep-water locales to fish, but that wasn't a hindrance on day 1.
"You don't need that many spots here because there's so many big ones down there," he said. "The fishing's tougher than it was last year, but the fish are still big. If there's enough in the few areas I've found, then I'll do well. If not, I'll bomb from here on out. It's tough because the fish aren't everywhere.
"I'm guessing one of my areas isn't getting much pressure, but I'm guessing the other ones are."
He had an 8-pounder in his opening-day sack. He said he might explore some shallower locations on day 2.
"We're supposed to get a lot of weather tonight and some tomorrow, and I don't think the fish on the deeper stuff here like it when it rains. I might have to drop the trolling motor and just fish."
31st: Lucas Crowded Out
> Day 1: 3, 9-12
Justin Lucas managed just three keepers as he couldn't get onto any of his best locations.
"Everywhere I wanted to go had boats on it," he said. "I couldn't get on anything. I only had a few spots out deep, and it's my fault that I didn't find enough fish.
"I might just go shallow tomorrow and have a good time. I could throw some wakebaits and see if I can catch a 10-pounder."
Notable
> For complete day-1 standings, click here.
