Mosley's Long Journey Pays Off On Day 1

By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff

A last-minute decision to run two hours to the Houston area rewarded Brock Mosley with a five-fish limit of 15-10, which led day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite Series event at the Sabine River in Texas.

Familiar with the potential of the tournament’s western boundary, Mosley, who hails from Collinsville, Miss., ran the Intracoastal Waterway, crossed Galveston Bay and settled into a narrow waterway on Houston’s east side. While he was pleased with his decision, he admitted he made the commitment shortly before takeoff.

“I was one of the last boats to check out (No. 97), so I knew all the spots around Orange would be covered up,” Mosley said. “I spent three days of practice trying to talk myself out of making that run, but this morning, I decided to go.

“Also, I knew the wind wasn’t going to blow today, but it’s supposed to blow tomorrow and I know I can’t go back tomorrow. It’s going to be 20- to 30-mph winds and there’s no way.”

Refueling near his starting spot allowed Mosley to fish uninterrupted until making the 100-plus-mile ride back to weigh-in. Targeting a mix of docks, seawalls, cypress trees, shade and current breaks, Mosley said he saw evidence of recent spawning.

“I saw a lot of fry (recently hatched bass); I don’t know if those fish were guarding fry or what they were doing, but they were biting,” he said. “I don’t know if they even get fished very often.”

Mosley caught his fish on a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer.

“There are other ways to catch them, but that’s the way I like to catch them because I can fish so fast,” Mosley said. “I know guys like to slow down and flip, but in tough tournaments, I like to cover as much water as I can.”

Mosley said his day exceeded his expectations, both in terms of quality and quantity.

“I had no idea I was going to catch that kind of weight today,” he said. “I went over there hoping to catch 9 or 10 pounds and I got a 5 1/2-pound kicker. It took me 20 minutes to catch a limit when I got there.

“It’s a long ride and it’s hard on you; it’s a lot of wear and tear. It just paid off today.”

Fishing pressure in the Sabine River and its local tributaries was Mosley’s main motivator to even consider the Houston trip. Having competed in a previous Elite event on the Sabine in 2018, he recognized that he’d be facing a more limited scenario this year.

“After being here in ’18, there’s not as many places to get multiple bites,” he said. “Where there are, there’s a lot of boats. That was the key.

“I tried to catch all I could catch today, and then if I can catch 7 or 8 pounds tomorrow around Orange, I’ll still be in the game.”

Jason Christie is in 2nd place with 15-01. Focusing on a shallow backwater area, Christie said he fished a variety of shallow cover and used a wide selection of reaction and flipping baits.

Noting that he had a busy day with several keepers, Christie said he was pleasantly surprised with the caliber of fish he caught.

“I was fortunate enough the last day of practice to find two areas that had some fish in them,” Christie said. “I really didn’t think they were that big. What I thought were keepers turned into good ones.

“I had two areas; I used one of those today, went to another area, caught one and started heading back. It was really fast and furious.”

Caleb Kuphall is in 3rd place with 13 pounds. While he expected to be picking through high numbers of bass in hopes of finding a quality bite, Kuphall said he was thankful to find two “luck bites.”

“Out here, anything over 3 pounds, I’d consider it a luck bite,” Kuphall said. “My practice didn’t go that well; on my best day, I probably had 8 pounds. Today, I got lucky and caught two giants (approximately 4-02 and 3-11).”

Kuphall said he caught four of his keepers on an unspecified jigging presentation. He also caught one on a topwater bait.

“My two kickers were in two completely different areas,” Kuphall said. “Where I caught the first one, I had high hopes for that one. I culled out everything I caught early this morning in that area. I didn’t hit it too hard today, so I think there’s more there.”

Marc Frazier took big-bass honors for the day with a 6-06 specimen.

Day 1 Standings

1. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 15-10 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 15-10

2. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 15-01 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 15-01

3. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 5, 13-00 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 13-00

4. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 5, 12-08 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 12-08

5. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 12-02 -- 96 -- $1,000.00
Day 1: 5, 12-02

6. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 5, 11-14 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 11-14

7. KJ Queen -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 11-05 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 11-05

8. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 5, 10-11 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 10-11

9. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 10-09 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 10-09

9. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 5, 10-09 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 10-09

11. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 10-03 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 10-03

12. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, AL -- 5, 10-02 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 10-02

13. Bob Downey -- Hudson, WI -- 5, 10-01 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 10-01

14. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 5, 10-00 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 10-00

15. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 5, 09-15 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 09-15

16. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 5, 09-13 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 09-13

17. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 5, 09-11 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 09-11

17. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 5, 09-11 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 09-11

19. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 5, 09-04 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 09-04

19. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 5, 09-04 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 09-04

21. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 09-03 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 09-03

22. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 09-02 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 09-02

22. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, GA -- 5, 09-02 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 09-02

22. Taku Ito -- Chiba, JAPAN -- 5, 09-02 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 09-02

25. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 5, 09-01 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 09-01

26. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 08-12 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 08-12

27. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 5, 08-10 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 08-10

27. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 08-10 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 08-10

29. Patrick Walters -- Summerville, SC -- 5, 08-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 08-09

29. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 08-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 08-09

31. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 5, 08-07 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 08-07

32. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 08-03 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 08-03

32. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, TX -- 5, 08-03 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 08-03

34. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 5, 08-01 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 08-01

35. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, ON -- 5, 07-15 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 07-15

36. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 5, 07-14 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 07-14

37. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 5, 07-13 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 07-13

38. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 5, 07-12 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 07-12

39. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 5, 07-11 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 07-11

40. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 5, 07-10 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 07-10

41. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 5, 07-09 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 07-09

42. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 07-09 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 07-09

43. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 5, 07-08 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 07-08

44. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 07-07 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 07-07

45. Harvey Horne -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 07-05 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 07-05

46. Drew Benton -- Blakely, GA -- 5, 07-04 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 07-04

46. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 07-04 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 07-04

48. Joshua Stracner -- Vandiver, AL -- 5, 07-03 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 07-03

49. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 07-02 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 07-02

50. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, FL -- 5, 07-01 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 07-01

51. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 5, 06-14 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 06-14

52. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 06-13 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 06-13

52. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 5, 06-13 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 06-13

54. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 06-11 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 06-11

55. Quentin Cappo -- Prairieville, LA -- 5, 06-10 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 06-10

56. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 5, 06-09 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 06-09

57. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 06-08 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 06-08

58. Darold Gleason -- Many, LA -- 4, 06-07 -- 43
Day 1: 4, 06-07

59. Bill Weidler -- Helena, AL -- 5, 06-06 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 06-06

60. Randy Pierson -- Oakdale, CA -- 5, 06-05 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 06-05

61. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 5, 06-04 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 06-04

62. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS -- 3, 06-04 -- 39
Day 1: 3, 06-04

63. Destin DeMarion -- Grove City, PA -- 5, 06-02 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 06-02

63. Mike Huff -- Corbin, KY -- 5, 06-02 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 06-02

65. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 06-00 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 06-00

66. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 5, 05-14 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 05-14

67. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 05-12 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 05-12

68. Chris Groh -- Spring Grove, IL -- 4, 05-11 -- 33
Day 1: 4, 05-11

69. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 2, 05-10 -- 32
Day 1: 2, 05-10

70. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 05-09 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 05-09

71. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 05-06 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 05-06

72. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 3, 05-04 -- 29
Day 1: 3, 05-04

73. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 05-01 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 05-01

74. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 5, 05-00 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 05-00

75. Derek Hudnall -- Denham Springs, LA -- 4, 05-00 -- 26
Day 1: 4, 05-00

76. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 3, 04-11 -- 25
Day 1: 3, 04-11

77. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 04-10 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 04-10

78. Bryan New -- Belmont, NC -- 4, 04-10 -- 23
Day 1: 4, 04-10

79. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, ON-- 3, 04-10 -- 22
Day 1: 3, 04-10

80. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 4, 04-05 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 04-05

81. Gary Clouse -- Winchester, TN -- 3, 04-04 -- 20
Day 1: 3, 04-04

82. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 04-02 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 04-02

83. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 3, 03-09 -- 18
Day 1: 3, 03-09

84. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 3, 03-08 -- 17
Day 1: 3, 03-08

85. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 3, 03-04 -- 16
Day 1: 3, 03-04

86. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 3, 03-03 -- 15
Day 1: 3, 03-03

87. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 3, 03-00 -- 14
Day 1: 3, 03-00

88. Rob Digh -- Denver, NC -- 2, 02-15 -- 13
Day 1: 2, 02-15

89. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 1, 02-10 -- 12
Day 1: 1, 02-10

90. Garrett Paquette -- Canton, MI -- 2, 02-07 -- 11
Day 1: 2, 02-07

91. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 1, 01-11 -- 10
Day 1: 1, 01-11

92. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 1, 01-09 -- 9
Day 1: 1, 01-09

93. Cody Hollen -- Beaverton, OR -- 1, 01-05 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 01-05

93. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 1, 01-05 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 01-05

95. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 1, 01-02 -- 6
Day 1: 1, 01-02

95. Jay Yelas -- Lincoln City, OR -- 1, 01-02 -- 6
Day 1: 1, 01-02

97. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 1, 01-01 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 01-01

98. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka. JAPAN -- 1, 01-00 -- 3
Day 1: 1, 01-00

99. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, OK -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00