Pugh Pounds 18-plus, Cut Pace At 15 1/2

Turns out the practice reports, for once, were right on. The fishing at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. is brutal – half the field caught one fish or blanked. But on the other hand, some guys figured it out, and they're led by Greg Pugh who slammed 18-11, much of which came during his final 15 minutes of fishing.

That was an anomaly, however, because overall the bite

seems to he happening in the morning when there's some low light. After that, the bite appears to dwindle until the afternoon turns gin-clear Table Rock into a dead sea.

Sure, some pros caught fish throughout the day, but it's apparent the morning bite is crucial right now.

Today offered post-frontal, sunny conditions with slick water in the morning then some ripple in the afternoon. Morning water temperatures were in the high-30s, but warmed a few degrees throughout the day. There's no end in sight to the sub-freezing overnight temperatures, so today offers a good indication of what the fishing should be like over the final 3 days.

Less than 2 pounds behind Pugh is 2nd-place Mike Wurm, who's back to the FLW Tour after leaving the Bassmaster Elite Series. Wurm whacked 16-14 and most of his weight came before 11:00.

It's no surprise to see Brent Ehrler hunting around in the Top 5 – he's the top-ranked FLW pro in the BassFan World Rankings (ranked 4th). Ehrler kicked off his year with a win at Shasta and pounded 16 1/2 pounds today to settle into 3rd.

Next in the standings comes Tour sophomore and 2008 TBF National Champion Brian Travis with 16-04, followed by veteran Joe Thomas with 15-07.

Interestingly, another recent grassroots champion sits with Travis in the Top 10 – 2009 BFL All-American champ Adam Wagner (10th with 12-10). And don't forget that Thomas is a former All-American winner (1990).

The full field fishes for 3 days, after which the Top 5 advance to fish day 4. The tournament is decided by 4-day cumulative weight. Here's a look at the current Top 10. Total weight is followed by distance from leader in red.

1. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 18-11
2. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 16-14 (1-13)
3. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, CA -- 5, 16-06 (2-05)
4. Brian Travis -- Conover, NC -- 4, 16-04 (2-07)
5. Joe Thomas -- Milford, OH -- 5, 15-07 (3-04)
6. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 5, 14-13 (3-14)
7. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 14-12 (3-15)
8. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, TN -- 4, 14-10 (4-01)
9. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 14-07 (4-04)
10. Adam Wagner -- Cookeville, TN -- 5, 12-10 (6-01)

There are plenty of pros with weights from 7 to 12 pounds, and weights scale downward in small increments. Under the new FLW Tour format, there's an extra day to move up into the cut.

It remains to be seen whether the fishing will improve, but it very well could as conditions stabilize. But a full moon is complicating the afternoon bite – fish seem to be feeding more at night and into the morning.

And there's no clarity as to whether the better fishing is out deep or up shallow. For example, George Cochran (who finished first out of the cut here last year) is 18th with almost 11 pounds. He's fishing shallow and thinks he's got a solid shot at the Top 5 cut if he get five bites again tomorrow. Then again, Pugh said he caught his fish on electronics, which would signal that he's deep.

Tomorrow should answer more questions as the weights settle out and BassFans see who can duplicate their day-1 totals.

Pugh's Flurry

Pugh, one of the better sight-fishermen on the tour, joked that he's doing a different type of sight-fishing. "I'm more looking at that big old Humminbird than anything else," he said. "I'm looking at some trees, and fish on those trees. If I can find them sitting there, it seems I've found a deal where I can catch them.

"But I'm not going to tell what I'm catching them on or how," he added. "It's such a tough deal right now and these guys are too good – all they need is just a little bit of info and they can get on them."

Pugh did note that he's running an hour to his water, but his weight didn't soar until the last 15 minutes in that area. He stopped on a spot and he and his co-angler caught a 7- and 6-pounder on their first casts. Pugh added a 4-pounder and lost several other big fish on that spot.

"I didn't expect to catch them this big. By the bites I was getting in practice, I was expecting to do 10 or 12 pounds. We caught those fish in that spot but I also lost five big ones today – all 6- or 7-pounders."

He also noted that he fished that last spot differently than he fished the rest of the day. He called it "a pattern that works at Smith Lake and other clear-water lakes in Alabama."

2nd: Wurm Done by 11:00

Wurm, from Hot Springs, Ark., loves fishing the Ozarks. He was cold today – his fingers about froze off on the morning run, he said – but it was one of those special days, he added.

"It was an awesome day. Everything fell into place just like I'd hoped. I got to my first place and there was nobody there – nobody even close. I caught several fish at that first spot – two good keepers and some shorts. I missed some and just kept fishing and by 11:00 I had a really nice limit."

His bag included one spotted bass and the rest were largemouths.

He thinks his fish will be there again tomorrow – he's fishing "pretty deep" and he doesn't see any reason they'd move.

"It's a pattern I'm running in different places. I have three or four different places and this morning I only had to hit each place once, so that was a good thing. Hopefully I can go through the same route tomorrow. And I just flat-out missed some. They're biting so easy that by the time you feel them, they release it. But I think there are more fish there. I think they're staging fish in some fashion – just early stagers.

"My only concern is they quit biting this afternoon. Hopefully that's just a high-pressure thing and they'll bite tomorrow afternoon."

About getting back on the FLW Tour, he said: "I'm comfortable out here. I ran into a lot of people I hadn't seen in years and everything's clicking along smooth. I miss the Elite guys – I've lived with them for many years – and I'm going to miss going to some of the neat places, but it was just a decision I had to make. It was economics and I had no other choice."

5th: Thomas Fishing Two Baits

Thomas has had his moments in the Ozarks, but when it comes to Table Rock, consistency has always eluded him and he's never been quite able to string together 2 or 3 days.

He got out of the gate quickly today with 15 1/2 pounds, but he's not getting a lot of bites, so he needs to make every one count.

He said he's fishing a couple of different baits and running a pattern, rather than just fishing one or two spots.

"I'm covering a lot of water. My best day of practice, I had five keepers. Another day I only had four keepers. The quality in the area I'm in is pretty good – if I can get three bites a day the next 2 days, I can make the Top 5. If I can get three bites, I'll be in good shape.

"The thing that's got me a little nervous is I did try and expand this afternoon and run a lot of places I hadn't fished before," he added. "I don't know if it was just that it was the afternoon, or if I didn't get around fish, but I didn't catch anything after 1:00. It's a full moon, but there could be a lot of reasons for that. It does seem like you get more bites early though. It's definitely a morning thing for me."

6th: Thrift Started Quickly

Bryan Thrift's trademark style is to put the trolling motor on high and fire down the bank. He's accomplished a lot doing that, and he tried it in practice, but it's not the way he's fishing this week.

"This morning was pretty fast," he said. "I only caught five keepers all day, but I had a limit before 10:30. And I caught four of them off one place in the first 15 minutes. I don't know if I caught them all, or they set down, but then they just quit."

He ran a few of his other places after that until he finally connected with a 3-pounder around 10:30 to finish his creel.

"I guess these fish at Table Rock like it when it's cloudy and nasty, and the first hour of morning is the only low light we've got," he said. "That's when they're biting. It was literally a bite every cast.

"They were all largemouths," he added. "I caught seven or eight spots today, but they were all short fish. I don't know how bad I beat them – if anything's left – but I sat there for an hour and caught them pretty hard."

He thinks it'll take at least 14 pounds a day to make the Top 5, so he's right on pace for now.

14th: Shaffer's 'Miracle'

Ohio Tour rookie Dick Shaffer's one of the famous Erie big sticks, right there with Joe Balog, Steve Clapper and the rest of the brown-fish crowd.

But this year he launched a national campaign and he's fishing the FLW Tour and Eastern FLW Series. Some would say it's an odd year for him to go national, given that the Tour for the first time in a while won't end with a northern stop. But his finances lined up for a shot on the Tour, so he took it.

Those finances came from a highly successful 2009 season in which he won the Mississippi River Central Stren (now AFS) and the Kentucky Lake BFL Regional.

"Financially I was able to give it a try," he said. "I kind of liked the schedule. I really thought I had the best chance to do real well at the Red River, but it ended up getting cancelled. It would be nice to be a national pro. We'll see how it works out."

His 11-15 bag today included four largemouths and one spot. He's fishing mid-range depths.

"It was a miracle," he said. "It far exceeded my expectations. I caught more fish today than all of practice combined. I changed baits a little bit – threw one I that didn't in practice – and ended up catching three fish on it. But I think a lot of it was just slowing down. I slowed way down today."

He added that he fished "extremely" slow in the few areas he fished and caught fish throughout the day. He caught his first keeper in the initial 15 minutes, and caught his last in the final 15 minutes.

About whether he thinks he can back it up tomorrow, he said: "I really have no idea. I'm pretty much in shock that I caught five today. Like I said, I struggled in practice and it was just a miracle day."

18th: Cochran in Confidence Areas

At 60 years old, George Cochran has fished his share of Table Rock tournaments. More recently, he was first out of the cut last year, and he finished 8th at a Bassmaster Tour stop in 2004.

He was one of BassFan's Top 10 to watch at this event, and he seems to have found his groove fishing shallow.

"I feel good," he said. "I caught a small limit today. I was disappointed in the size though. I'm not getting a lot of bites, but I thought I could catch anywhere from four to six fish a day – anywhere from 13 to 16 pounds. But today I only weighed 10-14.

"I'm optimistic, naturally," he added. "I'm fishing the way I like to fish – real slow – and I found a couple of bays that have fish. We'll see if it turns out for me."

He noted that from his prior visits, he's got several places that he has a lot of confidence in. "And being 60 years old now, I've learned how to slow down. I'm more methodical than I used to be. Once I find them I really feel more comfortable, but let me say this: I know what I have to do to make the Top 5, and if everything goes right the next 2 days, I think I'll make the Top 5."

What gives him that optimism is he had a 16-pound day in practice, and he lost one good fish today. "I really feel like I can catch a good string tomorrow and pull into the Top 5."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 149 anglers, 14 limits, 14 fours, 19 threes, 28 twos, 39 ones, 36 zeroes.

> Two-tour pro Ish Monroe is currently 24th with 9-09. Other two-tour pros include Steve Kennedy (41st, 7-06) and Edwin Evers (last, 0-00).

> Last year's Table Rock winner, Anthony Gagliardi, is currently 55th (two fish, 5-13).

> Some notable zeroes in addition to Evers include Michael Bennett, Guido Hibdon, Rob Kilby and Dan Morehead.

> FLW Outdoors reported that two pros were forced to withdraw from the tournament due to family emergencies. It's unclear who those two were, as there are actually four pros not at Table Rock who appeared on the initial 2010 FLW Tour field list. Those four pros are Stuart Arthur, Ed Melton, Jim Milson and Johnny Johnson.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the remaining tournament days. Note the overnight lows, as well as the warm front due Saturday.

> Thurs., March 4 - Sunny - 57°/33°
- Wind: From the SE at 8 mph

> Fri., March 5 - Sunny - 48°/24°
- Wind: From the N/NW at 10 mph

> Sat., March 6 - Partly Cloudy - 58°/39°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, Al -- 5, 18-11

2. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 5, 16-14

3. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 5, 16-06

4. Brian Travis -- Conover, Nc -- 4, 16-04

5. Joe Thomas -- Milford, Oh -- 5, 15-07

6. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 14-13

7. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tn -- 5, 14-12

8. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 4, 14-10

9. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 5, 14-07

10. Adam Wagner -- Cookeville, Tn -- 5, 12-10

11. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 4, 12-08

12. Mark Rose -- Marion, Ar -- 5, 12-03

13. Robert Harkness -- Elizabeth, Wv -- 5, 12-02

14. Dick Shaffer -- Rockford, Oh -- 5, 11-15

15. Mark Rouse -- League City, Tx -- 5, 11-07

15. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 4, 11-07

17. Tim Klinger -- Boulder City, Nv -- 4, 11-04

18. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 5, 10-14

19. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 5, 10-10

20. Mark Stewart -- Springville, Al -- 4, 10-06

21. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 3, 10-03

22. Art Ferguson Iii -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 2, 9-15

22. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 4, 9-15

24. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 3, 9-09

24. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 3, 9-09

26. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 3, 9-05

27. Justin Lucas -- Montevallo, Al -- 3, 9-03

28. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 4, 9-02

29. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 4, 9-01

30. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 2, 8-10

31. Gerald Brown -- Chickasha, Ok -- 3, 8-09

32. Mark Hardin -- Jasper, Ga -- 4, 8-08

33. Roy Hawk -- Salt Lake City, Ut -- 3, 8-07

34. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 3, 8-03

35. Dave Lefebre -- Union City, Pa -- 4, 8-02

35. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 2, 8-02

37. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 4, 8-01

38. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 3, 7-14

39. David Kromm -- Kennewick, Wa -- 4, 7-13

40. Tom Mann Jr -- Buford, Ga -- 3, 7-08

41. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 3, 7-06

41. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Al -- 3, 7-06

43. Ott Defoe -- Knoxville, Tn -- 2, 7-05

44. Travis Fox -- Springdale, Ar -- 3, 6-10

45. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, Sc -- 3, 6-09

46. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 3, 6-08

47. Jamie Feick -- Centerburg, Oh -- 2, 6-07

47. Mark Fisher -- Glenview, Il -- 2, 6-07

49. Terry Bolton -- Jonesboro, Ar -- 1, 6-05

49. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 3, 6-05

51. Craig Dowling -- Grant, Al -- 3, 6-04

52. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 3, 6-02

53. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 3, 6-01

54. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, Nc -- 2, 6-00

55. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, Sc -- 2, 5-13

55. Tim Mcdonald -- Lexington, Ky -- 2, 5-13

55. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 2, 5-13

58. Kyle Mabrey -- Mccalla, Al -- 2, 5-12

59. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 1, 5-10

59. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 1, 5-10

61. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 1, 5-08

62. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 2, 5-05

62. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 2, 5-05

62. Russell Parrish -- Riesel, Tx -- 2, 5-05

65. Matt Arey -- Shelby, Nc -- 2, 5-04

65. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, Al -- 2, 5-04

67. David Fritts -- Lexington, Nc -- 2, 5-00

67. Brad Knight -- Wartburg, Tn -- 2, 5-00

69. Ken Wick -- Star, Id -- 1, 4-15

70. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 1, 4-14

71. Tim Johnson -- Dallas, Ga -- 2, 4-13

72. Mike Hawkes -- Sabinal, Tx -- 2, 4-10

73. Chad Brauer -- Osage Beach, Mo -- 2, 4-08

73. Dion Hibdon -- Stover, Mo -- 2, 4-08

75. Justin Kerr -- Simi Valley, Ca -- 2, 4-06

76. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 2, 4-05

77. Brent Long -- Cornelius, Nc -- 2, 4-04

78. Pete Gluszek -- Mt Laurel, Nj -- 2, 4-00

79. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 1, 3-14

79. Ray Scheide -- Dover, Ar -- 2, 3-14

81. Christopher Ford -- Kennedale, Tx -- 1, 3-12

81. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 1, 3-12

81. Rusty Salewske -- Alpine, Ca -- 1, 3-12

84. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 2, 3-11

85. Rhett Fornof -- Park City, Ut -- 1, 3-09

86. Eric Ambort -- Mabelvale, Ar -- 1, 3-04

87. Luke Clausen -- Gainesville, Ga -- 1, 3-03

87. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 1, 3-03

89. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 1, 3-01

90. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 1, 3-00

91. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 1, 2-15

91. Bobby Mcmullin -- Pevely, Mo -- 1, 2-15

93. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 1, 2-13

94. Chris Martinkovic -- Liberty Township, Oh -- 1, 2-11

94. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- Hazard, Ky -- 1, 2-11

96. Mike Todd -- Norman, Ok -- 1, 2-10

97. Chris Neau -- Castro Valley, Ca -- 1, 2-08

98. Keith Monson -- Burgin, Ky -- 1, 2-07

99. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, Sc -- 1, 2-06

100. Nicholas Albus -- Trinity, Tx -- 1, 2-05

100. Jason Cordiale -- Orinda, Ca -- 1, 2-05

100. Christian Romans -- Carrollton, Ky -- 1, 2-05

103. James Christian -- Dickson, Tn -- 1, 2-02

103. Keith Combs -- Del Rio, Tx -- 1, 2-02

105. Sean Hoernke -- The Woodlands, Tx -- 1, 2-01

105. Michael Murphy -- Gilbert, Sc -- 1, 2-01

105. Robert Sherry -- Saint Charles, Il -- 1, 2-01

108. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 1, 2-00

108. Chip Harrison -- Bremen, In -- 1, 2-00

110. Jeremy York -- Loganville, Ga -- 1, 1-15

111. Greg Bohannan -- Rogers, Ar -- 1, 1-14

111. Jimmy Millsaps -- Canton, Ga -- 1, 1-14

111. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 1, 1-14

Terry Baksay -- Easton, Ct -- 0, 0-00

Michael Bennett -- Panama City, Fl -- 0, 0-00

Bob Bjorklund -- Centennial, Co -- 0, 0-00

Clint Brownlee -- Tifton, Ga -- 0, 0-00

Tony Chesshir -- Nashville, Ar -- 0, 0-00

Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 0, 0-00

Bobby Curtis -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 0, 0-00

Lewis Denney -- Indian Mound, Tn -- 0, 0-00

Kathryn Ealey -- Moody, Al -- 0, 0-00

Edwin Evers -- Talala, Ok -- 0, 0-00

James (Wil) Hardy -- Harlem, Ga -- 0, 0-00

Guido Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 0, 0-00

Will Jefferies -- Bountiful, Ut -- 0, 0-00

Johnny Johnson -- Destin, Fl -- 0, 0-00

Jt Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 0, 0-00

Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 0, 0-00

Thanh Le -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 0, 0-00

Fred Martin -- North Little Rock, Ar -- 0, 0-00

Ed Melton -- Houston, Tx -- 0, 0-00

Cody Meyer -- Grass Valley, Ca -- 0, 0-00

Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 0, 0-00

Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 0, 0-00

Eric Olliverson -- Nixa, Mo -- 0, 0-00

Jt Palmore -- Gasburg, Va -- 0, 0-00

Bud Pruitt -- Houston, Tx -- 0, 0-00

Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 0, 0-00

David Smith -- Del City, Ok -- 0, 0-00

James Stricklin Jr -- Texarkana, Ar -- 0, 0-00

John Tanner -- Quitman, Tx -- 0, 0-00

Zack Thompson -- Orinda, Ca -- 0, 0-00

Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 0, 0-00

John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 0, 0-00

Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tn -- 0, 0-00

James Watson -- Waynesville, Mo -- 0, 0-00

Nate Wellman -- Jenison, Mi -- 0, 0-00

Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 0, 0-00