Lambert Cruising With Haynes Out Of Picture

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

What was shaping up to be a weekend-long duel between two Tennessee River ledge-fishing aces became a one-man show on day 3 of the Kentucky Lake FLW Tour. Jason Lambert caught a gargantuan bag to all but wrap up his second Tour win at the venue in the past 3 years while Randy Haynes, the leader after each of the first 2 days, trekked home to Mississippi after a dispute with Lambert in regard to a starting location.

In a move that's unprecedented by a tournament leader in tour-level annals, Haynes pulled out of the event after a short period of fishing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lambert on a ledge in the north end of the lake. Both anglers had legitimate claims to the locale – Lambert had started there on day 1 and quickly sacked up 24 pounds and Haynes had camped on it for most of day 1, arriving after Lambert had departed, and all of day 2.

Lambert won the boat race to it this morning and offered to share it with his longtime competitor, but Haynes opted to withdraw. FLW Live cameras captured the interaction.

"All I want to say about it is that the video is out there and everybody can watch it," Lambert said. "I've known Randy for probably 27 years and I've got nothing bad to say about him. We've had our little spats here and there over the years, just like anybody else, but he's a great ledge-fisherman – as good as anybody out there."

(For Haynes' perspective, click here.)

Lambert's 30-08 stringer, which broke his own 2-year-old FLW lake record by a pound and a half, gave him a 3-day total of 74-06. That final mark is already higher than what most predicted would be needed to win across all 4 days.

Scott Martin boxed 17-05 to move into 2nd place with 55-03. Mark Rose, one of the pre-tournament favorites, has rallied back from a sluggish day 1 and caught 21-14 on day 3 to climb to 3rd with 52-02.

A couple of far Northerners rounded out the top 5 – Minnesota's Josh Douglas weighed 14-02 for a 4th-place aggregate of 51-04, followed by Canadian Jeff Gustafson with 51-01 (19-08 on day 3).

Here are the totals for the top 10 with 1 day remaining, with the astronomical deficit margins indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Jason Lambert: 74-06
2. Scott Martin: 55-03 (19-03)
3. Mark Rose: 52-02 (22-04)
4. Josh Douglas: 51-04 (23-02)
5. Jeff Gustafson: 51-01 (23-05)
6. John Cox: 50-11 (23-11)
7. Michael Neal: 48-14 (25-08)
8. Cody Meyer: 47-09 (26-13)
9. Matt Arey: 47-01 (27-05)
10. Alex Davis: 47-00 (27-06)

Lambert's other-worldly stringer was overshadowed by the departure of Haynes, whose 2-day weight garnered him a 12th-place finish and a $12,000 paycheck (the winner will garner at least $100,000). Haynes would've faced a full-tournament disqualification (no money, no Angler of the Year points) and a possible ban by FLW had he remained among the top 10 and declined to fish day 4

He said via text message late in the day that he would've returned to Gilbertsville, Ky. and launched his boat on the final day had his total not been surpassed by more than 10 competitors.

The final-day weather forecast calls for morning thunderstorms, a high temperature of 88 degrees and light-to-moderate wind from the south/southwest.

Lambert will Sleep Well

> Day 3: 5, 30-08 (15, 74-06)

Barring an epic final-day disaster, Lambert will achieve victory at Kentucky Lake for the second time. He's endured a rough patch since his June 2016 win at the venue, logging just one top-50 finish through the first five events of this season and only one last year, when he landed in the 100s on five occasions.

Despite his tremendous weight advantage, won't play the just-catch-five game on day 4.

"I don't fish like that," he said. "I'll go at it just like I have the last 3 days."

He caught two fish and lost one while rubbing rails with Haynes in the early going, then finished off a 20-pound limit after the latter's departure. He ended up taking only two of those fish to the scale, however, as he caught two 5-pounders and a 9-02 monster, easily the biggest fish of the event, at his second stop.

He continued to throw Castaic Jerky J swimbaits on a Scrounger-style head and went through eight keepers on the day, farming just the one early bite. He said he'll have no trouble sleeping with his huge lead.

"I've been doing this long enough that I don't have any trouble sleeping anyway. It'll be just another day at the office."

He said he was unaware that Haynes had actually departed the lake until he'd returned to the launch at the end of the day.

"It's a strange situation, but it is what it is."

2nd: Martin Arrived too Late

> Day 3: 5, 17-05 (15, 55-03)

Martin's preferred starting spot was a shallow drain in the south end of the lake, about a 70-mile run from the launch. When he arrived, he found that a guy competing in a local derby had already pulled a 30-pound stringer off of it.

"He was a real nice gentleman, but I thought he might've been full of it when he told me that," he said. "But when I was pulling up, he was throwing back a 4-pounder. Then he had a dead battery and one of the chase boats went over to help him jumpstart it, and when he opened his livewell there were all 6-pounders in there."

He still managed a decent stringer from several places in the area. He caught a 5-pounder at the end of the day on a new Googan Baits creature bait (he's one of several owners of the company) on a Carolina rig. He also lost a 5 that after setting his hook into a dead baitfish in the gullet of the bass – only the smaller fish made it to his boat.

"I've been mixing it up a little bit – fishing the same places, but changing tactics," he said.

His goal will be to hold onto the No. 2 position on the final day.

"Lambert has such a big league that it's almost like we're fishing another tournament from 2nd place on down."

3rd: Pressure's Off Rose

> Day 3: 5, 21-14 (15, 52-02)

Rose was agitated after catching only 12-05 on day 1, which left him in 64th place, but the Angler of the Year leader has battled back and will post another strong finish to pad his advantage in the points race.

"I no longer wish I was somewhere else like I was saying earlier in the week," he said. "I've gotten into a groove, I guess you could say, and I'm fishing the way I've had success here in the past.

"I fished shallower than I should have on day 1. Now I'm out deeper and doing what I like to do – using my Garmin electronics and focusing on schools instead of singles. My passion is finding schools and trying to catch the biggest fish out of them."

He's been showing the fish a variety of ledge-fishing staples – a swimbait, a big worm, a jig and a crankbait – and had some day-3 success on an additional offering.

"Getting to 2nd place tomorrow is not a goal. I just want to go out there and try to keep up with the fish. They're moving and I want to stay with them."

4th: New Experience for Douglas

> Day 3: 5, 14-02 (15, 51-04)

Douglas, a second-year pro, will compete on a Sunday for the first time after back-to-back finishes in the 100s at Lake Cumberland and Smith Lake. His previous best showing was a 27th at Lake Travis last year.

Like Martin, he had a long run to his starting spot (a series of ledges near Paris Landing) and found local competitors on it when he arrived. They politely ceded it to him, but it took a while for him to put anything in his livewell.

"It took an hour and a half to get the first one," he said. "They were acting like they'd been fished – just nipping at the bait and not eating it."

He caught only five keepers and none were heavier than 3 1/2 pounds.

"I've just got the couple areas around Paris and then I run some shallower ledges looking for a big bite. I didn't get any of those today."

21st: Felix Finally Falters

> Day 3: 2, 5-13 (11, 43-02)

Austin Felix was among the top 4 after each of the first 2 days despite having a terrible practice and claiming that he really didn't know what he was doing out there. His good fortune ran out on day 3 and he fell 17 places in the standings.

"I think it was a combination of the pressure and not having a ton of stuff to run," he said. "There were a lot of weekend club tournaments going on and I couldn't get on a lot of stuff.

"I only had the two bites – it was a pretty long day. I'm not disappointed at all, though. I knew my pattern was volatile and I was fortunate that I had lightning strike in my favor."

He focused on shell bars that featured inconsistencies – a couple of stumps, an old building foundation, etc. He fished at an extremely slow pace with a big worm, a Carolina rig or a football jig.

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 30 anglers, 20 limits, 2 fours, 1 three, 3 twos, 3 ones, 1 zero.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., May 20 – A.M. Thunderstorms - 88°/68°
- Wind: From the SSW at 6 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Jason Lambert -- Michie, Tn -- 24-6 (5) -- 19-8 (5) -- 43-14 (10) -- 30-8 (5) -- 74-6 (15)

2. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 17-14 (5) -- 20-0 (5) -- 37-14 (10) -- 17-5 (5) -- 55-3 (15)

3. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 12-5 (4) -- 17-15 (5) -- 30-4 (9) -- 21-14 (5) -- 52-2 (14)

4. Josh Douglas -- Isle, Mn -- 19-10 (5) -- 17-8 (5) -- 37-2 (10) -- 14-2 (5) -- 51-4 (15)

5. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 13-2 (5) -- 18-7 (5) -- 31-9 (10) -- 19-8 (5) -- 51-1 (15)

6. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 16-6 (5) -- 15-6 (5) -- 31-12 (10) -- 18-15 (5) -- 50-11 (15)

7. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 10-0 (4) -- 19-4 (5) -- 29-4 (9) -- 19-10 (5) -- 48-14 (14)

8. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 12-8 (5) -- 16-13 (5) -- 29-5 (10) -- 18-4 (5) -- 47-9 (15)

9. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 17-3 (5) -- 13-7 (5) -- 30-10 (10) -- 16-7 (5) -- 47-1 (15)

10. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 8-11 (3) -- 22-0 (5) -- 30-11 (8) -- 16-5 (5) -- 47-0 (13)

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.

11. John Hunter -- Shelbyville, Ky -- 17-1 (5) -- 15-0 (5) -- 32-1 (10) -- 14-8 (5) -- 46-9 (15) -- $12,000

12. Randy Haynes -- Ripley, Ms -- 26-3 (5) -- 19-15 (5) -- 46-2 (10) -- 0-0 (0) -- 46-02 (10) -- $12,000

13. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 17-14 (5) -- 15-1 (5) -- 32-15 (10) -- 12-13 (5) -- 45-12 (15) -- $12,000

14. Dylan Hays -- Sheridan, Ar -- 15-7 (5) -- 15-7 (5) -- 30-14 (10) -- 14-13 (5) -- 45-11 (15) -- $12,000

15. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 17-6 (5) -- 13-15 (5) -- 31-5 (10) -- 14-3 (5) -- 45-8 (15) -- $12,000

16. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 10-5 (4) -- 17-12 (5) -- 28-1 (9) -- 17-5 (5) -- 45-6 (14) -- $12,000

17. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, Al -- 21-5 (5) -- 15-8 (5) -- 36-13 (10) -- 8-6 (4) -- 45-3 (14) -- $12,000

18. Tyler Stewart -- West Monroe, La -- 16-7 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 32-1 (10) -- 12-1 (4) -- 44-2 (14) -- $12,000

19. Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 12-4 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 30-2 (10) -- 13-11 (5) -- 43-13 (15) -- $12,000

20. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 16-9 (5) -- 13-0 (4) -- 29-9 (9) -- 14-1 (5) -- 43-10 (14) -- $12,000

21. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 19-13 (5) -- 17-8 (4) -- 37-5 (9) -- 5-13 (2) -- 43-2 (11) -- $10,000

22. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, Fl -- 12-12 (5) -- 15-8 (4) -- 28-4 (9) -- 14-9 (5) -- 42-13 (14) -- $10,000

23. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 12-15 (5) -- 15-3 (5) -- 28-2 (10) -- 14-2 (5) -- 42-4 (15) -- $10,000

24. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 14-7 (4) -- 16-9 (5) -- 31-0 (9) -- 10-15 (3) -- 41-15 (12) -- $10,000

25. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 13-4 (5) -- 15-1 (5) -- 28-5 (10) -- 13-3 (5) -- 41-8 (15) -- $10,000

26. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 15-13 (5) -- 12-12 (5) -- 28-9 (10) -- 11-10 (5) -- 40-3 (15) -- $10,000

27. Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 14-4 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 30-0 (10) -- 6-12 (2) -- 36-12 (12) -- $10,000

28. Joseph Webster -- Winfield, Al -- 17-7 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 31-15 (10) -- 3-11 (1) -- 35-10 (11) -- $10,000

29. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 18-5 (5) -- 13-2 (5) -- 31-7 (10) -- 3-8 (1) -- 34-15 (11) -- $10,000

30. Tim Cales -- Sandstone, WV -- 13-6 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 30-4 (10) -- 2-9 (1) -- 32-13 (11) -- $10,000