Horton's 24-13 Leads Kreiger By Single Ounce

By BassFan Staff

Jamie Horton, Koby Kreiger and John Devere all logged triple-digit finishes at Lake Okeechobee last month.

Today, the trio occupies the top three spots on the leaderboard after a stellar day 1 at the Harris Chain of Lakes. They're all seeking a little Florida redemption and got it in the form of 24-plus pound stringers on a sun-drenched day.

Horton, who was 107th at the Big O, bagged 24-13 and holds a slim advantage over Kreiger, who was credited with 24-12. It's the biggest stringer of Horton's Tour and Elite Series career.

Devere was 103rd at Okeechobee, but his Tour career-best 24-04 has him in position to make his first day-2 cut since Okeechobee in 2016.

Jordan Osborne also hit the 24-pound plateau with 24-01, which has the Texan in 4th.

Randy Haynes and Harry Moore both sacked 22-08 and are tied for 5th.

Can they all keep it up? Some were less sure than others, but with the stable and warm weather pushing the water temperatures into the mid 70s, the bass seem to be in their comfort zone. Some are spawning, as evidenced by the number of sight-fish caught today. Others are staging (and feeding) in the offshore grass in preparation for their inward push while still others are moving away from the bank.

The leaders relied on a mix of all of the above to compile their weights today.

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

1. Jamie Horton: 24-13
2. Koby Kreiger: 24-12 (0-01)
3. John Devere: 24-04 (0-09)
4. Jordan Osborne: 24-01 (0-12)
5 (tie). Randy Haynes: 22-08 (2-05)
5 (tie). Harry Moore: 22-08 (2-05)
7. Anthony Gagliardi: 22-07 (2-06)
8. Zack Birge: 21-13 (3-00)
9. Glenn Browne: 21-03 (3-10)
10. Kerry Milner: 21-01 (3-12)

There were 11 stringers that eclipsed the 20-pound mark and 176 of the 184 competitors recorded a limit. By comparison, there were six 20-pound bags on day 1 of last year's Tour event at the Harris Chain and 10 overall.

Lake Okeechobee winner Tim Frederick, who lives in Leesburg, host of this week's event, is off to a slow start with 11-04, which put him in 99th. Bradley Dortch, last year's Harris Chain champ, caught 9-06 today and is in 133rd.

Friday's forecast for Leesburg, according to Intellicast.com, calls for a mix of sun and clouds and a high of 84 with slight winds out of the east at 5 to 10 mph.

The field will be reduced to the top 30 after day 2 and then cut to the top 10 after Saturday.

Horton Hopes to Keep Looking

> Day 1: 5, 24-13

Horton and Haynes are staying together this week and Horton said he's sticking to his pre-tournament prediction that his roommate is the man to beat, but he said he feels good to be out in front of the pack, even for a day.

It's hard to lead one of these things, even if it's one day," Horton said. "I'm pretty excited, but I'm also pretty laid back."

One factor that benefited Horton today was the continued improvement of the water clarity where he was. He said the water was significantly cleaner Tuesday than it was Sunday for the start of practice and it was cleaner still today compared to Tuesday. That allowed him to seize on some sight-fishing opportunities.

"I went sight-fishing and was able to see better," he said. "I'm not sure if the males I found had females with them and I just didn't know it, but I'm definitely going to do a lot of looking tomorrow.

"Today was the best day for me to see. I learned where to look and not waste my time. I have to be more productive in the cleaner water."

It wasn't a big numbers day for Horton, who said he went two hours between his third and fourth fish and another 90 minutes before his fifth fish got in the boat, the latter two of which were caught looking at them.

2nd: Kreiger Bounced Back from Penalty

> Day 1: 5, 24-12

Kreiger started the day in a two-pound hole after he was informed by tournament director Bill Taylor that he'd been penalized for violating a safety rule during practice.

According to FLW's news release recapping day 1, "Kreiger received a 2-pound penalty on Day One after he was found to be in violation of FLW Tour Rule No. 9, which states that all persons must be seated and a driver must be behind the steering wheel in full control of the boat whenever it is on plane or the combustion engine is running and in gear."

Kreiger said it was an honest mistake and that he hadn't realized the rule had been changed during the time he was competing with the Elite Series from 2015-17.

"I made a mistake," he said.

Once he got on the water, though, he made few, if any, missteps. Known as a strong sight-fisherman, he caught four of his five keepers looking at them and anchored his limit with an 8-07 kicker casting around a grass flat.

He spent time in two lakes today and plans to hit the same lakes again Friday, but he thinks it'll be tougher overall.

"I had a good day," he said. "There are some sight-fish to be caught and I caught some that way. I knew I needed to catch a big bag today because of the situation I got myself into. I may have saved one or two fish for tomorrow."

3rd: Strong Start for Devere

> Day 1: 5, 24-04

Before today, Devere's biggest bag in a Tour event was a 22-07 stringer caught at Lake Eufaula in 2013. After sticking 24-plus today, he feels like the potential is there to do it again Friday.

"On day 1 of a Florida tournament, it seems like if you get a good start, you can settle down and fish better," he said. "The weather is a big factor because I believe these fish are moving in (to spawn). They're feeding now and then will move in to beds over the next week or two weeks."

He picked up where he left off Tuesday in practice when he discovered an area where he could catch some better fish out of deeper grass. He started today by boxing a small limit of males, then backed out and upgraded offshore. He split his time between two lakes today and expects to do the same tomorrow.

"Everything we found Tuesday, that's how we caught 'em today," he added. "I just have to keep doing the same things. It's not fast and furious, but I did catch about 20 fish today."

4th: Osborne Locked In

> Day 1: 5, 24-01

Of the leaders, Osborne sounded the most confident about his day-2 prospects. He had scouted the chain prior to it going off limits and had a hard time duplicating his success during the practice session earlier this week, but once he figured out he needed to slow down, the fish began to cooperate.

"I feel really, really good about it," he said. "It's going to take a bad day for me to not follow that up with something respectable. During practice this week I couldn't catch 'em the same way (from pre-practice). I knew they were there, but today I slowed way down and combed every bit of it."

He said the clean water and plentiful grass, combined with the Chamber of Commerce weather, have opened up a lot of possibilities.

"You could stop anywhere and fish and catch something," he said. "For me, it gives me the ability to do what I've been doing and do it with confidence. It's not like a cold front is coming tomorrow and I'm worried about fish moving. The stable weather keeps me stable."

He said activity was slow this morning when it was slick calm, but a more methodical approach netted him several quality bites. He sampled just about every lake in the chain except for Griffin.

"I'm quite certain I'm casting on fish just pulling up," he said. "I'm not looking at them. Just the way they're acting they're either moving on bed or already on bed. I think there are more coming. I have no doubt I could see a reduction in my weight tomorrow, but they're still there to be caught."

5th (tie): Haynes Not Getting Hopes Up

> Day 1: 5, 22-08

Randy Haynes was looking for a confidence boost after an 84th-place finish at Lake Okeechobee last month. He got exactly what he needed today.

"It was a great day, compared to practice," said Haynes. "I'm doing a little bit of everything, but nothing to do with sight-fishing."

He said practice was okay, but he wasn't able to develop many clues until the final day.

"I'd go through long lulls without a bite," he said. "I was really confused and didn't get the right bites to tell me what's going on. They'd fire in the early morning and in the evening and you'd get your hopes up, but the next day I couldn't catch them. I got a couple bites Tuesday and knew where to look and had some places I went back to."

He figures he spent 70 percent of his time today looking for more areas to dissect. He stayed in one lake and caught a dozen keepers overall. Still, his confidence could use another boost.

"This Florida fishing, I always have an uneasy feeling about it," he said. "You catch a decent bag and can't help but get your hopes up. It's a humbling sport and when you think you've got it figured out something happens."

5th (tie): Moore Rallied in Late Morning

> Day 1: 5, 22-08

Moore's practice wasn't amounting to much until Tuesday when he found an area where he could catch a good number of fish, but nothing over 3 pounds. He opted to go back there today and continued to catch smaller fish.

Once the sun started warming things up, he started catching bigger specimens.

"About 10 or 10:30, it had warmed up and that’s when I had my rally," he said. "What I think happened is those bigger males had moved in shallower due to bait fish being up there and the skinnier ones had moved out. It's a like a hospital - there are only so many beds to go around and when you leave one, someone's there to take it over."

He thinks the potential is there for the area to produce again for him Friday. Today, he had four quality keepers and a 2-pounder.

"It's a small pond and those fish live there," he said. "There's a canal that goes into this pond so those fish don't migrate out of there. I'm fishing for resident fish and those big females live there. Today's fish were moving up to spawn. Naturally, it's large enough for a big quantity of fish so I'm hoping it gets better."

113th: Frustrating Day for Cox

> Day 1: 5, 10-09

John Cox wasn't anticipating a bed-fishing bonanza coming out of practice, but he'd been able to stumble across enough decent fish that he felt it'd be a viable strategy over the first couple days. As it turned out, he was without a fish at 12:30 today and had to go flipping to catch 10 1/2 pounds.

"It was awful," he said. "I didn't see many on beds, but I was running into at least two big ones every day. I'd see them in different places, but they were never there the next day. I figured I'd move around a lot and run into big ones, but it didn't happen. I ended up on the other side of chain near Apopka and thought I was going to zero."

It was a puzzling first day for the man who led the first three days here last year.

"I don't understand what they're doing," he said. "I'd come across these beautiful beds and there'd be all these bluegills hanging around. I didn't see any that were close to being caught. To me they're acting weird, but I could also be in the wrong area."

This afternoon might have offered a clue for him to expand on Friday.

"Tomorrow, I might just fish around and then go looking," he said. "Where I caught them this afternoon, it opened my eyes to maybe they're spawning and I just can't see them. They have to still be spawning."

Notable

> Day 1 stats - 184 anglers, 176 limits, 3 fours, 2 threes, 2 twos, 1 zero.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Feb. 23 - Clear, Sunny - 83°/64°
- Wind: From the ESE at 10 to 15 mph

> Sat., Feb. 24 - Clear, Sunny - 85°/67°
- Wind: From the SE at 5 to 10 mph

> Sun., Feb. 25 - Clear, Sunny - 86°/65°
- Wind: From the S at 5 to 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Al -- 24-13 (5)

2. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, Fl -- 24-12 (5)

3. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 24-4 (5)

4. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 24-1 (5)

5. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 22-8 (5)

5. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 22-8 (5)

7. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 22-7 (5)

8. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 21-13 (5)

9. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 21-3 (5)

10. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 21-1 (5)

11. Braxton Setzer -- Montgomery, Al -- 20-5 (5)

12. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, On -- 19-13 (5)

13. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 19-11 (5)

13. Tony Dumitras -- Winston, Ga -- 19-11 (5)

15. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Tx -- 19-4 (5)

16. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 19-1 (5)

17. Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wi -- 19-0 (5)

18. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 18-15 (5)

19. Furman (Joe) Thompson -- Clayton, Ga -- 18-5 (5)

20. Matt Wittekiend -- Angleton, Tx -- 18-1 (5)

21. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 17-15 (5)

21. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 17-15 (5)

23. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 17-12 (5)

24. Josh Douglas -- Isle, Mn -- 17-9 (5)

25. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 17-6 (5)

26. Ronald Young -- Lake Wales, Fl -- 17-4 (5)

27. Jared McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 17-2 (5)

27. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 17-2 (5)

29. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 16-9 (5)

30. William (Billy) Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va -- 16-6 (5)

31. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 16-4 (5)

32. Curtis Richardson -- Belleville, On -- 16-3 (5)

33. Cody Hahner -- Wausau, Wi -- 16-0 (5)

33. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 16-0 (5)

35. JT Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 15-15 (5)

35. Kyle Cortiana -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 15-15 (5)

37. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 15-9 (5)

37. Jason Lambert -- Michie, Tn -- 15-9 (5)

39. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 15-8 (5)

40. Andy Wicker -- Pomaria, SC -- 15-6 (5)

41. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, Ga -- 15-1 (5)

42. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 14-15 (5)

42. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 14-15 (5)

44. Shane Lehew -- Catawba, NC -- 14-12 (5)

45. Greg Mansfield -- Burnsville, Mn -- 14-10 (5)

46. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 14-9 (5)

46. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 14-9 (5)

48. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 14-5 (5)

49. Steven Hatala -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 14-3 (5)

49. Chad Randles -- Elkhorn, Ne -- 14-3 (5)

51. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 14-2 (5)

51. Joey Cifuentes -- Clinton, Ar -- 14-2 (5)

53. Ryan Chandler -- Hebron, In -- 14-1 (5)

54. Johnny McCombs -- Morris, Al -- 14-0 (5)

55. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 13-14 (5)

56. Jay Kendrick -- Grant, Al -- 13-13 (5)

57. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 13-12 (5)

58. Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ar -- 13-11 (5)

59. Matt Becker -- Finleyville, Pa -- 13-10 (5)

60. Derrick Blake -- Rockwood, Tn -- 13-9 (5)

60. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 13-9 (5)

62. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 13-6 (5)

62. John Hunter -- Shelbyville, Ky -- 13-6 (5)

62. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 13-6 (5)

65. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 13-5 (5)

65. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 13-5 (5)

67. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 13-2 (5)

67. Justin Atkins -- Florence, Al -- 13-2 (5)

69. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, Ar -- 13-1 (5)

70. David Wootton -- Collierville, Tn -- 13-0 (5)

71. Capt Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 12-12 (5)

72. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 12-11 (5)

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

72. Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 12-11 (5)

75. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 12-10 (5)

76. Jason Johnson -- Gainesville, Ga -- 12-8 (5)

76. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 12-8 (5)

78. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- London, Ky -- 12-7 (5)

79. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, La -- 12-6 (5)

79. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 12-6 (5)

81. Keith Bryan -- Novato, Ca -- 12-5 (5)

81. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 12-5 (5)

83. Taylor Ashley -- Warrior, Al -- 12-4 (5)

83. Richie Eaves -- Nauvoo, Il -- 12-4 (5)

85. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 12-2 (5)

86. Matt Garner -- Seminole, Ok -- 12-1 (5)

86. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 12-1 (5)

88. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, On -- 12-0 (5)

89. Sheldon Collings -- Grove, Ok -- 11-15 (5)

90. James Watson -- Lampe, Mo -- 11-14 (5)

90. Carl Jocumsen -- Frisco, Tx -- 11-14 (5)

92. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 11-13 (5)

93. Clint Brown -- Bainbridge, Ga -- 11-11 (5)

94. Jeff Dobson -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 11-10 (5)

95. Jay Yelas -- Lincoln City, Or -- 11-7 (5)

95. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 11-7 (5)

97. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 11-5 (5)

98. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 11-4 (5)

98. Craig Rozema -- Simpsonville, SC -- 11-4 (5)

98. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Tx -- 11-4 (5)

98. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 11-4 (5)

102. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 11-3 (5)

103. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 11-2 (5)

104. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 11-1 (5)

104. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 11-1 (5)

104. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 11-1 (5)

107. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 11-0 (5)

108. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 10-14 (5)

108. Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tn -- 10-14 (5)

108. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Tx -- 10-14 (5)

111. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 10-12 (5)

111. Andrew Upshaw -- Tulsa, Ok -- 10-12 (5)

113. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 10-9 (5)

114. David Larson -- Mound, Mn -- 10-8 (5)

114. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 10-8 (5)

116. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, Al -- 10-7 (5)

116. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 10-7 (5)

118. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 10-6 (5)

119. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 10-5 (5)

120. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 10-4 (5)

121. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 10-3 (5)

122. Mark Fisher -- Wauconda, Il -- 10-1 (5)

123. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 10-0 (5)

124. Clark Reehm -- Huntington, Tx -- 9-15 (4)

125. Freddy Hurley -- Somerset, Ky -- 9-14 (5)

126. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 9-13 (5)

126. Britt Myers -- Clover, SC -- 9-13 (5)

128. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 9-11 (5)

129. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 9-10 (5)

129. Chris Gosselaar -- Fresno, Ca -- 9-10 (5)

131. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga -- 9-9 (5)

132. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 9-7 (5)

133. Dylan Hays -- Sheridan, Ar -- 9-6 (5)

133. Bradley Dortch -- Atmore, Al -- 9-6 (5)

135. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 9-5 (5)

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

137. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 9-4 (5)

138. Kyle Weisenburger -- Ottawa, Oh -- 9-2 (5)

138. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 9-2 (5)

140. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 8-14 (5)

140. Cameron Gautney -- Muscle Shoals, Al -- 8-14 (5)

140. Tyler Stewart -- West Monroe, La -- 8-14 (5)

143. Grae Buck -- Harleysville, Pa -- 8-12 (5)

144. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 8-11 (5)

144. Brett Preuett -- Colfax, La -- 8-11 (5)

146. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 8-10 (5)

147. William Campbell -- Middlesboro, Ky -- 8-8 (5)

148. Rob Jordan -- Flowery Branch, Ga -- 8-7 (5)

148. Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 8-7 (5)

148. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 8-7 (5)

151. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 8-6 (5)

152. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 8-5 (4)

153. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 8-4 (5)

153. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 8-4 (5)

155. Jim Moulton -- Merced, Ca -- 7-14 (5)

155. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 7-14 (5)

157. Wade Curtiss -- Meadow Vista, Ca -- 7-12 (5)

158. Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tn -- 7-10 (5)

158. Luke Dunkin -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 7-10 (5)

160. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, Tx -- 7-9 (5)

160. Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga -- 7-9 (5)

160. Tim Cales -- Sandstone, WV -- 7-9 (5)

163. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 7-7 (4)

164. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 7-6 (5)

165. David Nichol -- Gainesville, Ga -- 7-5 (3)

166. David Smith -- Del City, Ok -- 7-4 (5)

167. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 7-1 (5)

168. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 6-12 (5)

169. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 6-11 (5)

170. Brian Latimer -- Belton, SC -- 6-10 (5)

171. Wes Logan -- Springville, Al -- 6-9 (5)

171. Joseph Webster -- Fulton, Ms -- 6-9 (5)

173. Chase Brooks -- Iraan, Tx -- 6-8 (5)

174. Evan Barnes -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 6-7 (3)

175. Allen Boyd -- Salem, In -- 6-4 (5)

176. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 5-8 (5)

177. Chris McCall -- Palmer, Tx -- 5-5 (5)

177. Bill Hutchison -- Bessemer, Al -- 5-5 (5)

179. Casey Scanlon -- Lake Ozark, Mo -- 5-1 (5)

180. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 5-0 (5)

181. Dean Alexander -- Georgetown, Tx -- 4-9 (5)

182. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 3-13 (2)

183. Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 2-13 (2)

Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 0-0 (0)