By BassFanStaff

Matt Stefan is fishing in his home state of Wisconsin this week, but he doesn't have a great deal of competitive experience on pools 7, 8 and 9 of the Mississippi River.

"I fish it probably five days a year," the Junction City resident said. "It's a fun place in the summer to flip and throw a frog.

"I've never been here before mid-June, though, so I don't feel like I have any big advantage for this tournament."

He may not have come into the fifth event of the FLW Tour season with any type advantage, but he has one now – he's seven ounces clear of the field after weighing an 18-00 stringer on day 1. He's nearly half a pound ahead of 2nd-place Matt Arey, who boxed 17-14.

Todd Auten and Andy Morgan each caught 16-11 to share 3rd place, while Matt Greenblatt completed the top 5 with 16-01.

Here's a look at the initial top 10 (deficit margins from the leader are indicated by red numbers in parentheses):

1. Matt Stefan: 18-00
2. Matt Arey: 17-14 (0-02)
3. (tie) Todd Auten: 16-11 (1-05)
3. (tie) Andy Morgan: 16-11 (1-05)
5. Matt Greenblatt: 16-01 (1-15)
6. Scott Martin: 15-14 (2-02)
7. (tie) David Dudley: 15-13 (2-03)
7. (tie) Jeff Sprague: 15-13 (2-03)
9. (tie) Joshua Weaver: 15-09 (2-07)
9. (tie) Cody Meyer: 15-09 (2-07)

The river and its backwaters are full of similarly sized fish, and that always produces tight margins throughout the standings sheet. Of the 160 anglers in the field, 128 caught limits and 90 of those stringers weighed at least 12 pounds.

Bryan Thrift, the runaway leader in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race, finally had a sub-standard day with a 12-09 haul that left him in 74th place. However, his nearest pursuers, Scott Canterbury and Casey Scanlon, weighed even lighter bags. Canterbury was 91st and Scanlon 131st.



FLW
Photo: FLW

Stefan employed both power and finesse tactics on day 1.

The WeatherChannel.com forecast for day 2 predicts rain showers with a high temperature of 55 degrees and wind out of the northeast to 12 mph. The field will be cut to the top 20 after the weigh-in and only the top 10 will advance to Sunday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

All Smallies for Stefan

> Day 1: 5, 18-00

Stefan spent most of the day in Pool 8 (site of the launch), but also locked down to Pool 9 for awhile and caught weigh-in fish from both. His bag consisted entirely of smallmouths, two of which were 3 3/4-pounders.

"It's a good start, but I don't know if it can be duplicated," he said. "If anything, I wish I'd spent more time looking for smallmouth in practice – I spent a day and a half looking for largemouth and never found anything. If I'd recognized that the smallmouth thing was better than I'd thought, I could've looked for more similar-type places.

"I wasn't expecting this big of a bag – I thought if I could get 15 pounds, that'd be pretty good. I culled up a couple of times late in the day and that really helped."

He caught fish employing both reaction and finesse tactics and thinks each bronzeback on his stringer was enticed by a different bait.

FLW
Photo: FLW

Matt Arey compiled all of his weight during the early part of the day.

"My goal for tomorrow is to catch a bag that's good enough to make the cut. If I can do that fairly early, I might stay in Pool 8 all day and save the stuff in 9. Otherwise, I'll have to run back down to 9 and burn up some more fish."

2nd: Arey Happy, but Cautious

> Day 1: 5, 17-14

Arey parlayed a solid practice into a strong opening round.

"I thought I had the fish for a good first day," he said. "I don't know about tomorrow, though, because I'm not sure what's left due to all the (fishing) pressure. That's totally up in the air and I'm just thankful for what I caught today.

He had four smallmouths and a largemouth in his bag, the biggest of which was a 4-03 brown fish.

"I caught my weight fairly early and I was able to look at some areas, trying to put together a game plan for tomorrow, but I didn't find much. The water came up a little bit and some places got muddy, and that makes it a bit confusing and frustrating. I'm hoping that'll change in the next day or two and it'll clear up some."

3rd: Auten on Spawners

> Day 1: 5, 16-11

Auten had a limit of smallmouths in his livewell after fishing for only an hour, but ended up culling all except one of them in favor of largemouths. The smallmouth that he retained weighed nearly 4 1/2 pounds.

"I had a good practice day the first day I was here – I probably caught 16 pounds," he said. "I just kind of fished all over but I didn't have but a couple of areas and that kind of scared me.

"I do think a lot of the fish I'm catching are spawning. I'm getting a lot of bites in the same places I did in practice, but they just seem like they're harder to catch now. Before they were acting like they'd never seen anything, but evidently they've seen a few baits this week."

FLW
Photo: FLW

Todd Auten had only one smallmouth in his sack, but it was a good one.

He shared his first area with another angler and both caught quick limits. He culled three times at his second stop and had no company there.

"I'm hoping some of the places will reload because I know it's going to be a lot tougher tomorrow."

3rd: Morgan Surprised

> Day 1: 5, 16-11

Morgan said his stout bag was the result of making good decisions.

"My weight was a little better than I expected and that was a nice surprise," he said. "I just got fortunate and caught a lot of nice quality fish. I just made the right stops – anywhere I went I caught a pretty nice fish."

He weighed three largemouths and two smallmouths, with his best specimen checking in at about 3 3/4 pounds.

"I rotated through three or four (techniques) in four or five areas. I got the right bites and I landed them for once – I haven't been doing a lot of that this year. I fished two pools and they both seemed to be just about the same.

"Tomorrow I'm going to play it by ear and see what the wind's doing and what's going to get muddy. I'll make the call in the morning and there's no telling what it'll be."

149th: Bryan Lost 4

> Day 1: 2, 6-01

Rookie Keith Bryan, the 4th-place finisher in the previous event at Beaver Lake, boxed only two keepers and was relegated to the near-bottom of the field.

"In the first hour and 40 minutes I lost four keepers," he said. "It's not like I didn't have opportunities for a good weight. It was a little tougher with the cold north wind and they didn't bite as good as they did in practice."

He'll fish many of the same areas tomorrow, but will alter his tactics in an effort to mount a big rally.

"I'm around fish, but instead of pitching plastics around I'll start with a topwater and commit to that for a little while and just kind of see what happens. I've got some other areas on the main river where I caught some good ones in practice, but didn't get to today."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 160 anglers, 128 limits, 15 fours, 7 threes, 6 twos, 3 ones, 1 zero.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., May 19 – Showers – 55°/45°
- Wind: From the NE at 12 mph

> Sat., May 20 – Thundershowers – 58°/48°
- Wind: From the E at 12 mph

> Sun., May 21 – Cloudy – 57°/50°
- Wind: From the W at 14 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 18-0 (5)

2. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 17-14 (5)

3. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 16-11 (5)

4. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 16-11 (5)

5. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 16-1 (5)

6. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 15-14 (5)

7. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 15-13 (5)

8. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 15-13 (5)

9. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 15-9 (5)

10. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 15-9 (5)

11. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 15-6 (5)

12. Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga -- 15-3 (5)

13. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 15-3 (5)

14. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 15-1 (5)

15. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 15-0 (5)

16. Drew Montgomery -- Maiden, NC -- 14-14 (5)

17. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 14-12 (5)

18. Clark Reehm -- Huntington, Tx -- 14-11 (5)

19. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 14-11 (5)

20. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 14-11 (5)

21. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 14-10 (5)

22. Kyle Weisenburger -- Ottawa, Oh -- 14-9 (5)

23. Johnny McCombs -- Morris, Al -- 14-8 (5)

24. Brian Latimer -- Belton, SC -- 14-8 (5)

25. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 14-8 (5)

26. Jim Moulton -- Merced, Ca -- 14-8 (5)

27. Justin Atkins -- Florence, Al -- 14-5 (5)

28. Kyle Cortiana -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 14-5 (5)

29. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 14-3 (5)

30. Andy Young -- Mound, Mn -- 14-2 (5)

31. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 14-1 (5)

32. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, On -- 14-0 (5)

33. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 14-0 (5)

34. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 13-15 (5)

35. Joey Cifuentes -- Clinton, Ar -- 13-14 (5)

36. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 13-13 (5)

37. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 13-12 (5)

38. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 13-11 (5)

39. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 13-10 (5)

40. Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wi -- 13-10 (5)

41. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 13-10 (5)

42. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 13-8 (5)

43. Brandon Medlock -- Lake Placid, Fl -- 13-7 (5)

44. Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 13-7 (5)

45. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 13-6 (5)

46. Chris McCall -- Palmer, Tx -- 13-5 (5)

47. JT Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 13-5 (5)

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

49. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 13-4 (5)

50. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 13-3 (5)

51. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 13-3 (5)

52. Jonathan Henry -- Grant, Al -- 13-3 (5)

53. Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 13-3 (5)

54. Matt Wittekiend -- Angleton, Tx -- 13-3 (5)

55. Grae Buck -- Harleysville, Pa -- 13-1 (5)

56. Derrick Blake -- Rockwood, Tn -- 13-1 (5)

57. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 12-15 (5)

58. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 12-15 (5)

59. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 12-15 (5)

60. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 12-15 (5)

61. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, NC -- 12-14 (5)

62. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 12-14 (5)

63. Dylan Hays -- Sheridan, Ar -- 12-13 (5)

64. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, Ar -- 12-13 (5)

65. Chad Warren -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 12-13 (5)

66. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 12-13 (5)

67. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, La -- 12-13 (5)

68. Powell Kemp -- Scotland Neck, NC -- 12-13 (5)

69. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 12-12 (5)

70. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 12-11 (5)

71. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 12-11 (5)

72. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 12-10 (5)

73. Mark Fisher -- Wauconda, Il -- 12-9 (5)

74. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 12-9 (5)

75. Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 12-9 (5)

76. Chad Randles -- Elkhorn, Ne -- 12-9 (5)

77. William (Billy) Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va -- 12-8 (5)

78. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 12-7 (5)

79. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 12-7 (5)

80. Chris Gosselaar -- Fresno, Ca -- 12-6 (5)

81. Joseph Webster -- Fulton, Ms -- 12-5 (5)

82. Wade Curtiss -- Meadow Vista, Ca -- 12-4 (5)

83. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 12-4 (5)

84. Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tn -- 12-4 (5)

85. Bradley Dortch -- Atmore, Al -- 12-4 (5)

86. Braxton Setzer -- Montgomery, Al -- 12-1 (5)

87. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 12-1 (5)

88. Josh Douglas -- Mound, Mn -- 12-0 (5)

89. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 12-0 (5)

90. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 12-0 (5)

91. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, Al -- 11-15 (5)

92. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, On -- 11-15 (5)

93. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 11-15 (5)

94. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 11-13 (5)

95. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 11-12 (5)

96. Carl Jocumsen -- Frisco, Tx -- 11-12 (5)

97. Jay Kendrick -- Grant, Al -- 11-10 (5)

98. Jay Yelas -- Lincoln City, Or -- 11-10 (5)

99. Michael Mccoy -- Mentor On The Lake, Oh -- 11-9 (5)

100. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 11-9 (5)

101. Luke Dunkin -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 11-8 (5)

102. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 11-8 (5)

103. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 11-7 (5)

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

105. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 11-6 (5)

106. Peter Cherkas -- Des Moines, Ia -- 11-5 (5)

107. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, Ga -- 11-5 (5)

108. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 11-5 (5)

109. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 11-4 (5)

110. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Al -- 11-4 (5)

111. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 11-4 (5)

112. Dean Alexander -- Georgetown, Tx -- 11-0 (5)

113. Alvin Shaw -- Roaring Gap, NC -- 10-15 (4)

114. Bill Hutchison -- Bessemer, Al -- 10-12 (5)

115. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 10-11 (5)

116. Shane Lehew -- Catawba, NC -- 10-11 (5)

117. James Watson -- Lampe, Mo -- 10-7 (5)

118. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 10-7 (5)

119. Andrew Upshaw -- Tulsa, Ok -- 10-7 (5)

120. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 10-5 (5)

121. Jeff Dobson -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 10-1 (5)

122. Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tn -- 9-15 (5)

123. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 9-15 (5)

124. Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ar -- 9-14 (4)

125. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 9-14 (5)

126. Evan Barnes -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 9-14 (5)

127. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 9-12 (5)

128. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 9-10 (5)

129. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 9-10 (5)

130. Jason Johnson -- Gainesville, Ga -- 9-9 (5)

131. Casey Scanlon -- Lenexa, Ks -- 9-3 (4)

132. Daniel Kweekul -- Bryant, Ar -- 9-3 (4)

133. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 9-0 (4)

134. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 8-15 (4)

135. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 8-11 (4)

136. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 8-8 (4)

137. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Tx -- 8-7 (4)

138. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Tx -- 8-2 (4)

139. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 7-11 (4)

140. Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 7-10 (4)

141. Jamey Caldwell -- Carthage, NC -- 7-7 (3)

142. Joe Holland -- Jefferson, Me -- 7-7 (4)

143. Jason Lambert -- Michie, Tn -- 7-2 (3)

144. Chris Whitson -- Louisville, Tn -- 6-14 (4)

145. Ron Farrow -- Rock Hill, SC -- 6-13 (3)

146. Blake Nick -- Trussville, Al -- 6-13 (4)

147. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 6-5 (3)

148. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 6-4 (3)

149. Keith Bryan -- Novato, Ca -- 6-1 (2)

150. David Smith -- Del City, Ok -- 5-3 (2)

151. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 5-2 (2)

152. Stephen Patek -- Garland, Tx -- 5-1 (2)

153. Tim McDonald -- Prestonsburg, Ky -- 4-15 (3)

154. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 4-13 (3)

155. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 3-15 (2)

156. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 3-7 (2)

157. Chase Brooks -- Iraan, Tx -- 2-1 (1)

158. Rodney Thomason -- Little Rock, Ar -- 1-13 (1)

159. Curtis Richardson -- Belleville, On -- 1-8 (1)

160. Jeff Cannon -- Douglasville, Ga -- 0-0 (0)

Big Bass

> Day 1: Joshua Weaver -- 4-15 -- $500