Roommates Sit 1-2; Gross Leads With 25-08

By BassFan Staff

After back-to-back finishes in the 160s to kick off his rookie season on the FLW Tour, Buddy Gross said it was time to get back to basics. Trying to fish outside his comfort zone wasn’t working.

“I made myself a promise after Hartwell to go back to fishing my strengths instead of doing what I was doing,” he said. “I went back to what I do best – true power fishing. Hopefully, I’m back.”

If day 1 at Pickwick Lake is any indication, it appears Gross is indeed back. The Ringgold, Ga., native caught 25-08 and finds himself atop the leaderboard after a wild day that saw Pickwick turn nasty under windy conditions and nearly 30 anglers get hit with late penalties trying to lock back from Wilson Lake.

“It feels good,” Gross said, “because this is some stiff competition. I have to bear down and see what happens tomorrow. I don’t know what’s going to happen. These fish just showed up and I hope it reloads.”

Michael Neal, who’s traveling with Gross and rooming with him this season, is 2 1/2 pounds back in 2nd after sacking 23-00. Neal, who entered the event 15th in Angler of the Year points, caught more than 93 pounds during the 2014 Tour event at Pickwick only to finish 2nd to Greg Hackney.

“I am looking for a little revenge on this place,” Neal said.

Scott Canterbury, fresh off his first FLW Tour win at Beaver Lake, kept the momentum rolling with a 21-10 stringer that has him in 3rd. Scott Suggs caught 21-05, which was good for 4th,. He was followed by Travis Fox, whose 20-12 effort was the only other 20-pound bag of the day in 5th.

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

1. Buddy Gross: 25-08
2. Michael Neal: 23-00 (2-08)
3. Scott Canterbury: 21-10 (3-14)
4. Scott Suggs: 21-05 (4-03)
5. Travis Fox: 20-12 (4-12)
6. Rick Cotton: 18-14 (6-10)
7. Glenn Browne: 18-09 (6-15)
8. Jamie Horton: 18-03 (7-05)
9. Keith Amerson: 17-11 (7-13)
10. Bryan Schmitt: 17-07 (8-01)

John Cox, who held a 5-point lead over Jeff Sprague in the AOY points heading into this week, is 12th with 17-02, just 3 ounces behind Sprague, who's 11th.

Once the forecasted north-northwest winds kicked up around mid morning it made it virtually impossible to effectively fish offshore. Some anglers never tried to get to some of the water they’d intended to fish because of the conditions.

While high winds made for some soggy and bumpy boat rides on Pickwick – some called it the worst wave activity they’d ever seen on the lake – some of those who locked through to Wilson Lake in the morning weren’t able to make it back through the lock in a timely manner in the afternoon.

A barge blocked the lock and despite being guaranteed passage if they arrived at 1:30, a group of 28 anglers were stuck on Wilson for the balance of the afternoon. The lock did not open until 4 p.m.

Of those 28, four incurred penalties that impacted their day-1 weights, but didn’t wipe them out. The other two dozen, which included six anglers in the Top 35 in AOY points, were more than 15 minutes late and given automatic zeroes, per FLW Tour rules. George Kapiton, 30th in points prior to this tournament, had a 21-14 stringer wiped out by the late penalty. Tracy Adams had his 19-01 stringer negated as well.

Friday’s forecast is calling for more wind out of the same direction, but it appears the early morning should be conducive to moving around and should benefit those trying to capitalize on the shad spawn topwater bite that was key today. The continuing warmer weather should also draw more post-spawn fish out toward the ledges as they transition into their summer pattern.

The field will be reduced to the Top 20 following tomorrow’s weigh-in and the tTop 10 after Saturday will compete Sunday, with the winner being determined by highest cumulative weight.

Gross’ Area Got Muddy

> Day 1: 5, 25-08

Gross said being able to travel and stay with Neal, now in his fifth season at the Tour level, has been a big help during his rookie season.

“It’s been nice,” Gross said. “He keeps me in check. After Hartwell, my confidence level was way down. We’ve fished against each other for years and he just told me he knew I had the ability and he kept me in it. I’m very thankful to travel with someone who’s had some years of experience doing this.”

Gross said he pulled the chute on his primary area around 10:30 this morning because the wind had started to blow some dirty water into it. By then, he had virtually all of his weight for the day in the boat. He made a half-pound upgrade later on at a different spot.

“The conditions are changing pretty bad,” he said. “I’m not fishing deep, but there was mud rolling in on my stuff so I won’t know what it’ll look like until tomorrow. I tried to hit it a couple times later, but there was no way to fish it today.”

Coming out of practice he had four places he wanted to focus on in the tournament, but wasn’t able to fish two of them today due to the winds. He totaled six keepers.

“I’m not on a 20- or 100-fish school,” he added. “I’m on a place where they come to after spawning before they go deep. Every fish I caught was post-spawn. I missed a couple of fish. It was the same bite in the same place as the big ones, but after the wind got up, I couldn’t tell what was going on.”

2nd: Different Deal for Neal

> Day 1: 5, 23-00

Neal said he’s had to adjust his strategy from the one he used 2 years ago, but is happy with what he’s found this week.

“It’s a little different,” he said. “It’s fishing shallower and smaller. There are not as many out and they’re not in the same exact places. I took where I knew they were coming to and looked nearby those areas.”

Four different baits produced his five weigh-in fish, which he’s convinced were all post-spawners.

“I’d say they’re about 90 percent done,” he added.

His confidence is strong in the areas that produced for him today, but he’s not the only one fishing them.

“I don’t know how many more boats will be out there than today or how many areas were found in general,” he said. “I think I have one or two places all to myself. Other than that, I’m sharing everything.”

3rd: Early Flurry for Canterbury

> Day 1: 5, 21-10

On Monday, Canterbury did not catch a single keeper-sized bass and that had him concerned coming into the tournament. Those worries were allayed this morning as he caught the majority of his weight off one spot.

“I’m tickled to death,” he said. “I didn’t have a good practice at all so it’s sort of crazy the bag I caught today.”

He was lucky to get to his best spot early enough before the wind started churning up the water.

“It happened really fast,” he said. “Then the wind got so bad it was hard to fish anything.”

He continued to work offshore, thinking he’d have little chance of catching an upgrade along the bank. His hope is to be able to have another early flurry tomorrow.

“I have to wait and see what it’s like,” he added. “I have to catch everything I can. I just hope it lays down tonight so we can run tomorrow.

“I think I’m making really good decisions right now. As long as I can fish good and make good decisions, I just want to keep it going. If I can catch five decent fish each day here, I’ll feel really good.”

4th: Suggs Got ‘Em Early

> Day 1: 5, 21-05

Much like Canterbury, Suggs caught the lion’s share of his weight before 9 a.m. He headed back toward Florence around 10:45 when the lake started to get bumpy. He caught a 4 1/2-pounder not far from the ramp to account for a key upgrade later in the day.

“It was just one of those deals where everything went perfect,” he said. “There was a little wind where I started and I caught three between 4 and 5 (pounds) in succession. That gives you the momentum and ability to settle down.”

He picked off another good fish at each of his next two spots.

“I ran around to some other stuff that was wind-protected because I wanted to check them in case I needed it tomorrow,” he added.

The shad-spawn bite was crucial for him, but he fears it’s a diminishing pattern.

“I think they’re leaving me every day,” he said. “When we got here, it was stupid (good) and it’s gotten worse each day. I think they had done a lot of spawning before we got here and while we’ve been here and we’re seeing the tail end of it wrapping up.

“I’m going to find out. I have a long day tomorrow. I’m going to chunk and wind.”

5th: Pair of 6s for Fox

> Day 1: 5, 20-10

Fox arrived at Pickwick after squandering the day-2 lead at the Kentucky Lake Central FLW Series last weekend. After a practice that saw him catch one fish in the 3 1/2- to 4-pound range, he started strong today, but fears he may not be able to duplicate it tomorrow.

“It went a little better than I expected it to,” he said. “It was pretty rewarding to catch a couple big ones.”

His best two weighed 6-10 and 6-00, respectively, but they came off spots he’s not sure will hold similar quality Friday. He caught his weigh-in fish on two different baits, he said.

“Other guys are catching them out of schools,” he said. “I kind of had one fish here and one fish there. I’ve been on an 11- or 12-pound limit from practice and based on what guys were saying, I was going to scrape out 11 pounds a day and maybe get a check. Today was a surprise.”

100th: Dunkin Had High Hopes

> Day 1: 3, 7-04

Luke Dunkin has fished Pickwick for many years and today ranks among the worst he’s seen as far as getting around on the lake.

“It was one of those days I’ll never forget,” he said. “All day, I was thinking, ‘I should’ve gone to Wilson.’”

He’d planned to fish offshore, but Rick Cotten beat him to what he felt was his best spot and Cotten caught three fish there, including the day’s lunker that weighed 8-14.

“I made a cast to two of my six spots before 5-footers were stacking up,” he said. “If I can fish my stuff, I might be able to get back into it. The fish I was on were not the three for 7 pounds kind of fish.”

He resorted to some bed fishing later in the day as he tried to finish off his limit.

“I couldn’t catch them doing anything else,” he added. “It’s not the start I wanted. You see what Buddy and Michael did. I’m around the fish to have a 20-pound day. I just need to get the bites. I think we’re going to see a much better day 2.”

157th: Downer for Daniels

> Day 1: 0, 0-00

Mark Daniels, Jr. was one of 32 boats to go through the lock into Wilson Lake this morning. He also knew he needed to be back at the lock at 1:30 to be assured of getting back to check-in on time at Pickwick.

“We all showed up at 1:30 and the lock didn’t open,” said Daniels, who had two fish for roughly 6 pounds. “Apparently, there were complications with some barges coming untied.”

When the lock doors finally opened at 4 p.m., the only competitors who made it back without having their day’s catch erased were those in the 4:45 and 5 p.m. flights. Daniels was due to check in at 3:45.

“I was done before the lock even opened,” he said. “It’s the price you pay for gambling I guess. From the information we were given, we did what we were supposed to do. It was out of our control.”

He plans to return to Wilson tomorrow largely because he doesn’t want to be seen as a nuisance on Pickwick.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t want to go down on Pickwick and set up on ledges where some guys who are doing well are fishing. I don’t want to be in the way. Hopefully, I can pop a few fish.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 163 anglers, 76 limits, 12 fours, 19 threes, 21 twos, 8 ones, 27 zeroes.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., May 6 – Clear - 75°/52°
- Wind: From the NNW at 10 to 15 mph

> Sat., May 7 – Mostly Sunny - 85°/59°
- Wind: From the WSW at 10 to 15 mph

> Sun., May 8 – Partly Sunny - 87°/61°
- Wind: From the WSW at 10 to 15 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Buddy Gross -- Ringgold, Ga -- 25-8 (5)

2. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 23-0 (5)

3. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 21-10 (5)

4. Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ar -- 21-5 (5)

5. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 20-12 (5)

6. Rick Cotten -- Guntersville, Al -- 18-14 (4)

7. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 18-9 (5)

8. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Al -- 18-3 (5)

9. Keith Amerson -- Selmer, Tn -- 17-11 (5)

10. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 17-7 (5)

11. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 17-5 (5)

12. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 17-2 (5)

13. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 16-15 (5)

14. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 16-13 (5)

15. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 16-3 (5)

16. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 15-13 (5)

17. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 15-13 (5)

18. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 15-11 (5)

19. Jay Kendrick -- Grant, Al -- 15-11 (5)

20. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 15-1 (5)

21. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, Tx -- 15-1 (5)

22. Stephen Patek -- Dallas, Tx -- 15-1 (5)

23. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 15-0 (5)

24. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 14-7 (5)

25. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 14-5 (5)

26. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 14-4 (5)

27. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 14-3 (5)

28. Clark Reehm -- Huntington, Tx -- 13-13 (5)

29. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 13-13 (5)

30. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 13-11 (5)

31. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 13-11 (5)

32. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 13-3 (5)

33. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 13-3 (5)

34. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 13-2 (5)

35. Tony Davis -- Williston, Fl -- 13-0 (5)

36. Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wi -- 13-0 (5)

37. Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tn -- 12-15 (5)

38. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 12-13 (5)

39. Andrew Upshaw -- Sapulpa, Ok -- 12-9 (4)

40. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 12-9 (5)

41. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 12-8 (5)

42. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 12-8 (5)

43. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, On -- 12-5 (4)

44. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 12-4 (5)

45. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 12-4 (5)

46. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 12-3 (5)

47. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 12-2 (5)

48. Gene Eisenmann -- Frisco, Tx -- 12-0 (5)

49. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 11-15 (5)

50. Blake Nick -- Adger, Al -- 11-15 (5)

51. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 11-14 (5)

52. Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 11-12 (5)

53. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 11-10 (5)

54. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 11-10 (5)

55. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 11-9 (5)

56. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 11-8 (5)

57. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 11-8 (5)

58. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 11-8 (5)

59. Kevin Johnson -- Surprise, Az -- 11-5 (5)

60. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 11-5 (5)

61. Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 11-4 (5)

62. Bill Day -- Frankfort, Ky -- 11-4 (5)

63. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 11-1 (5)

64. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 10-15 (5)

65. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 10-14 (5)

66. Shane Lehew -- Mooresville, NC -- 10-14 (5)

67. Jason Lambert -- Pickwick Dam, Tn -- 10-12 (5)

68. Richie Eaves -- Nauvoo, Il -- 10-11 (5)

69. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, In -- 10-7 (2)

70. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 10-6 (4)

71. Tommy Dickerson -- Orange, Tx -- 10-5 (5)

72. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 10-5 (5)

73. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 10-3 (5)

74. Braxton Setzer -- Montgomery, Al -- 10-3 (5)

75. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 10-1 (5)

76. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 10-1 (5)

77. Jason Johnson -- Gainesville, Ga -- 10-0 (3)

78. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- London, Ky -- 9-15 (4)

79. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Tx -- 9-12 (5)

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

81. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 9-4 (5)

82. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 8-15 (4)

83. Mike Boyles -- Kimberling City, Mo -- 8-15 (5)

84. Andy Young -- Mound, Mn -- 8-12 (3)

85. Marc Evans -- Angola, In -- 8-5 (4)

86. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 8-3 (4)

87. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 8-2 (4)

88. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 8-1 (4)

89. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 8-0 (4)

90. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 7-15 (3)

91. Curtis Richardson -- Belleville, On -- 7-15 (4)

92. Kyle Mabrey -- McCalla, Al -- 7-14 (3)

93. JT Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 7-6 (3)

94. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 7-5 (3)

95. Luke Dunkin -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 7-4 (3)

96. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 7-4 (3)

97. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 7-3 (3)

98. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 7-3 (3)

99. Craig Livesay -- Johnson City, Tn -- 6-15 (3)

100. Chase Brooks -- Iraan, Tx -- 6-14 (3)

101. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, On -- 6-11 (2)

102. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 6-9 (3)

103. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 6-7 (3)

104. Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tn -- 6-5 (3)

105. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 6-5 (2)

106. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 6-4 (2)

107. Shane Melton -- Kokomo, In -- 6-3 (2)

108. Sven Hilland -- Sanford, Fl -- 6-2 (3)

109. Brian Latimer -- Belton, SC -- 5-5 (3)

110. Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga -- 5-0 (2)

111. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 4-15 (3)

112. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 4-15 (2)

113. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 4-13 (2)

114. Larry Schroeder -- Clayton, Oh -- 4-13 (2)

115. Shawn Gordon -- Russellville, Ar -- 4-11 (2)

116. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 4-10 (2)

117. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 4-7 (2)

118. Bill Terrell -- Memphis, Tn -- 4-5 (2)

119. Brandon Hunter -- Benton, Ky -- 4-5 (2)

120. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 4-4 (3)

121. Troy Gibson -- Mountain Home, Ar -- 4-1 (2)

122. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 3-15 (2)

123. David Smith -- Del City, Ok -- 3-15 (2)

124. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 3-8 (2)

125. James Stricklin Jr -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 3-7 (2)

126. Michael Hall -- Annandale, Va -- 3-0 (1)

127. Chris Whitson -- Louisville, Tn -- 2-11 (1)

128. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 2-11 (1)

129. Ryan Chandler -- Hebron, In -- 2-6 (1)

130. Jayme Rampey -- Liberty, SC -- 2-6 (5)

131. Rodney Thomason -- Maumelle, Ar -- 2-2 (1)

132. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 2-0 (2)

133. Jerry Lawler -- Athens, Al -- 2-0 (2)

134. Drew Montgomery -- Maiden, NC -- 1-14 (1)

135. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 1-13 (1)

136. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 0-3 (1)

137. William(Billy) Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va -- 0-0 (0)

138. Matt Wittekiend -- Angleton, Tx -- 0-0 (0)

139. Tim Malone -- Gatlinburg, Tn -- 0-0 (0)

140. Chris McCall -- Brookeland, Tx -- 0-0 (0)

141. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, NC -- 0-0 (0)

142. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, La -- 0-0 (0)

143. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 0-0 (0)

144. Dalton Cooksey -- New Concord, Ky -- 0-0 (0)

145. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 0-0 (0)

146. George Kapiton -- Inverness, Fl -- 0-0 (0)

147. Capt Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 0-0 (0)

148. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 0-0 (0)

149. Joe Holland -- Jefferson, Me -- 0-0 (0)

150. Charlie Ingram -- Centerville, Tn -- 0-0 (0)

151. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 0-0 (0)

152. Powell Kemp -- Scotland Neck, NC -- 0-0 (0)

153. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 0-0 (0)

154. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 0-0 (0)

155. Troy Broussard -- Beaumont, Tx -- 0-0 (0)

156. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 0-0 (0)

157. Mark Daniels Jr -- Tuskegee, Al -- 0-0 (0)

158. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 0-0 (0)

159. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 0-0 (0)

160. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 0-0 (0)

161. James Watson -- Nixa, Mo -- 0-0 (0)

162. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 0-0 (0)

163. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 0-0 (0)