By BassFan Staff

What worked Tuesday didn’t necessarily work today for many in the field at the Lake Cumberland FLW Tour. And it’s likely what worked today for those near the top of the leaderboard will require some tweaking if they’re to maintain or improve their standing.

That’s the result of warmer weather and two days of continuous sunshine, which has many of the bass at the serpentine reservoir in the Kentucky wilderness contemplating their next move, which is likely to the bank to spawn. As that process plays off, more changes are anticipated across the board, regardless of the preferred species.

For now, Andy Morgan is at the top of the heap. The three-time Angler of the Year, who was buried in 109th in points after three events, broke out of his funk with a season-best 18-15 stringer of all largemouths to snag the day-1 lead.

“It felt freaking good,” Morgan said. “For Cumberland, that’s a big bag of fish, smallmouth or largemouth. It felt like usual. I’ve done well for a while, but I’m so far behind at this point, I’m going to let it all hang out. I have nothing to lose and all to gain.

“As bad as it’s been, it’s put me in a good position. I have no pressure on me so I’m going to do what I like to do and give her hell.

Jason Meninger, who also finds himself off the pace in the points race, had a solid start with 17-09 to occupy 2nd. Grae Buck caught 16-13, good for 3rd, one ounce ahead of current AOY points leader Jared McMillan, who bagged 16-12.

Allen Boyd, the two-time TBF Living the Dream winner, is 5th with 16-05.

Only 3-04 separates Morgan from Kyle Cortiana and Glenn Chappelear, who are tied for 10th with 15-11.

Here's a look at the top 10 entering the second day of competition, with deficit margin from Morgan indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Andy Morgan: 18-15
2. Jason Meninger: 17-09 (1-06)
3. Grae Buck: 16-13 (2-02)
4. Jared McMillan: 16-12 (2-03)
5. Allen Boyd: 16-05 (2-10)
6. Clent Davis: 16-02 (2-13)
7 (tie). Billy Hines: 15-15 (3-00)
7 (tie). Darrel Robertson: 15-15 (3-00)
9. Michael Neal: 15-13 (3-02)
10 (tie). Kyle Cortiana: 15-11 (3-04)
10 (tie). Glenn Chappelear: 15-11 (3-04)

Compared to day 1 of last year’s Tour event at Cumberland, the weights are a little down. On day 1 last year, there were five bags over 18 pounds. Today, there were just six over 16 pounds. Limit-wise, 79 percent of the field maxed out their stringer today (145 of 183) compared to 61 percent on day 1 last year (101 of 164).

Scott Martin, who won at Cumberland last April, is tied for 27th with 14-02. David Williams, who was 2nd in points entering this week, will be in salvage mode Friday after catching 6-08, which has him in 155th.

More sun and temperatures in the upper 70s are in store for Friday, when the field will be reduced to the top 30 after the day-2 weigh-in. Only the top 10 will advance to Sunday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

Morgan Maximized Opportunities

> Day 1: 5, 18-15

Morgan knows he’ll have to stay on his toes Friday to keep up the pace he set for himself.

“I think it’s changed a lot through practice, even to what happened to me today,” he said. “And more change is coming. It’s warming up fast. It says 78 on my (rearview) mirror.”

He’s not married to any particular pattern, other than being focused on target fishing.

“It’s totally open-minded fishing,” he added. “I will go out and let if fall where it may. I had no idea today and I kind of ran into what was going on. Everything is hidden. There’s a lot of stuff to throw at with the flooded trees. There are a lot of targets and it’s hard to pick through and find out what’s working and get a clue. When you do, you have to fine tune it.”

He was sure those targeting smallmouth would’ve been more successful today with the windy conditions, but he was more than pleased with his largemouth haul.

“I thought they’d maul the smallies,” he said. “Maybe it was too sunny. I cannot explain it. I’d be really surprised if the smallmouth didn’t show up tomorrow, though. I think I got pretty fortunate. I didn’t catch many, but the ones I caught were pretty good.”



FLW
Photo: FLW

Jason Meninger had a kicker smallmouth in his bag today.

2nd: Morning Was Best for Meninger

> Day 1: 5, 17-09

Meninger isn’t expecting much to stay the same on day 2, either on the water or on the leaderboard. Things are changing that much, that fast in his eyes.

“I expect a lot of things to flip-flop,” he said. “Today I made some good moves and got fortunate.”

He said the early part of the morning was his most productive time, but the bites tailed off quickly once 10:30 a.m. rolled around.

“I ran around looking to duplicate what I figured out and I really didn’t learn anything new,” he said. “I’ll probably have to run new water, but that’s how this lake is. You have to fish the conditions and based on how you get bites.”

He said most of his bites in practice came dragging baits. Today, reaction baits were more effective.

He had two largemouth and three smallmouth, including a 5-pounder, in his creel. He tangled with seven keepers all day.

“I got fortunate on two fish – one came off in the net and another wrapped me up in a tree, but I was able to get it out,” he said.

3rd: Buck Struggled In Afternoon

> Day 1: 5, 16-13

Buck did most of his damage toward the dam and happened upon a 4-pound largemouth while targeting smallmouth, which isn’t uncommon at Cumberland.

“Going back to practice, the first point I stopped on, I caught a largemouth,” he said. “They’re definitely mixed in.”

He wound up with four smallmouth and the kicker largemouth. He said the biggest challenge today was coaxing suspended fish into biting.

“I’m seeing way more fish than I’m catching,” he said. “It’s very tough to get them to bite. I spent two hours trying to figure out how to catch them out in deeper water.”

FLW
Photo: FLW

Grae Buck said the bite died down after a good morning flurry.

He had his weight in the boat before noon, but struggled in the afternoon. He’s hoping to rectify that Friday.

“It was rough in the afternoon so I’m hoping I can fish more windy points and hope more bait has blown up on them,” he said.

4th: McMillan Surprised Himself

> Day 1: 5, 16-12

McMillan wasn’t sure what to expect coming to Cumberland. He’d never seen the lake before practice and even after a strong showing today, he still isn’t certain what to make of everything.

“I definitely didn’t expect this,” he said. “I didn’t have a great practice and I certainly didn’t catch anything like that in practice. I’m not really sure what to expect tomorrow because I only had six or seven bites today.”

He started focusing on smallmouth this morning and picked off a 4-pounder along with a 4-pound largemouth before adding a 3 1/2-pound largemouth later in the day to anchor his bag.

“I caught a 4 today where I’d caught 10 1-pounders,” he said. “It’s getting right and it might even set up for a little bit of a spawn. I think it’ll get better.”

5th: Big Bites Eluded Boyd

> Day 1: 5, 16-05

Boyd knows he can’t rest on his day-1 success as he also senses he’ll have to make adjustments as the water at Cumberland slowly recedes.

“It feels good, but you always have to catch them the second day,” he said. “You have to catch them every day with these guys. I feel like the pattern I’m on is pretty strong.”

He thinks the falling water has halted the push to the bank by some of the fish, but is hoping the prolonged sun fixes that.

“In most of the Kentucky lakes I’ve fished, when water is dropping it makes the fishing good, but at this one that’s not the case,” he said.

FLW
Photo: FLW

Allen Boyd was focused on largemouth today, but wound up weighing in a smallmouth.

The big bites that highlighted his practice never materialized today, but he was able to wrangle four largemouth to go with a 3-pound smallmouth to fill out his limit.

“That surprised me because I thought the smallmouth would play today with the wind being what it was,” he said. “It’s a surprising deal. I didn’t expect that deal to be what it was.”

116th: Hunter Might Go After Largemouth

> Day 1: 5, 9-02

John Hunter, a Kentucky native, had a frustrating first day. Sure, he caught a limit, but it wasn’t full of the quality fish he was hoping for.

“Sitting in the 100s, I can’t go back to what I did today,” he said. “Things are changing really fast. I had a good couple days in practice, but I saw it starting to change Tuesday. They wouldn’t bite a moving bait.”

He targeted smallmouth most of the day, but will transition to largemouth areas Friday morning if he can’t generate any momentum early on.

“The smallmouth will bite, but I’m only catching little ones,” he said.

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 183 anglers, 145 limits, 12 fours, 11 threes, 6 twos, 6 ones, 3 zeroes.

> With his 15-09 limit today, reigning AOY Bryan Thrift recorded his 50th consecutive limit in FLW Tour competition, tying the record set by Cody Meyer in 2014. A limit on Friday will give Thrift the record outright.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., April 13 – Sunny - 78°/59°
- Wind: From the SSW at 10 to 20 mph

> Sat., April 14 – Chance of thunderstorms - 75°/60°
- Wind: From the S at 10 to 15 mph

> Sun., April 15 – Rain - 62°/37°
- Wind: From the SSW at 10 to 15 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 18-15 (5)

2. Jason Meninger -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 17-9 (5)

3. Grae Buck -- Harleysville, Pa -- 16-13 (5)

4. Jared McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 16-12 (5)

5. Allen Boyd -- Salem, In -- 16-5 (5)

6. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 16-2 (5)

7. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 15-15 (5)

7. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 15-15 (5)

9. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 15-13 (5)

10. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 15-11 (5)

10. Kyle Cortiana -- Coweta, Ok -- 15-11 (5)

12. Taylor Ashley -- Warrior, Al -- 15-10 (5)

13. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 15-9 (5)

14. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 15-2 (5)

15. Chris McCall -- Palmer, Tx -- 14-14 (5)

15. Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 14-14 (5)

17. Craig Rozema -- Simpsonville, SC -- 14-13 (5)

17. Carl Jocumsen -- Frisco, Tx -- 14-13 (5)

19. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 14-12 (5)

19. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 14-12 (5)

21. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 14-7 (5)

22. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 14-6 (5)

22. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 14-6 (5)

24. Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 14-5 (5)

25. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Tx -- 14-4 (5)

26. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 14-3 (5)

27. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 14-2 (5)

27. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 14-2 (5)

29. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 14-0 (5)

30. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 13-15 (5)

30. Greg Mansfield -- Olathe, Ks -- 13-15 (5)

32. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, La -- 13-11 (5)

33. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 13-10 (5)

33. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 13-10 (5)

35. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 13-9 (5)

35. Evan Barnes -- Hot Springs , Ar -- 13-9 (5)

37. Wes Logan -- Springville, Al -- 13-8 (5)

37. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 13-8 (5)

39. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 13-7 (5)

40. Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 13-5 (5)

40. Curtis Richardson -- Belleville, On -- 13-5 (5)

42. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 13-2 (5)

42. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 13-2 (5)

44. Joseph Webster -- Winfield, Al -- 13-1 (5)

45. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 12-15 (5)

45. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 12-15 (5)

47. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 12-14 (5)

48. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 12-13 (5)

49. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, Ar -- 12-10 (5)

49. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 12-10 (5)

49. Brian Latimer -- Belton, SC -- 12-10 (5)

49. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 12-10 (5)

53. Andrew Upshaw -- Tulsa, Ok -- 12-9 (5)

53. Jay Yelas -- Lincoln City, Or -- 12-9 (5)

55. Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga -- 12-7 (5)

55. James Watson -- Lampe, Mo -- 12-7 (5)

57. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 12-6 (5)

58. Chris Gosselaar -- Fresno, Ca -- 12-5 (5)

58. Luke Dunkin -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 12-5 (5)

58. Kyle Weisenburger -- Ottawa, Oh -- 12-5 (5)

61. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 12-4 (5)

61. Casey Scanlon -- Lake Ozark, Mo -- 12-4 (5)

61. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 12-4 (5)

64. Jason Lambert -- Michie, Tn -- 12-3 (5)

64. David Larson -- Mound, Mn -- 12-3 (5)

64. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 12-3 (5)

67. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 12-2 (5)

68. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, Fl -- 12-1 (5)

68. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 12-1 (4)

68. Derrick Blake -- Rockwood, Tn -- 12-1 (5)

71. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, On -- 11-15 (5)

72. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 11-14 (5)

73. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 11-13 (5)

73. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 11-13 (5)

73. Justin Atkins -- Florence, Al -- 11-13 (5)

76. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 11-12 (5)

77. William(Billy) Shelton Iii -- La Crosse, Va -- 11-11 (5)

78. Josh Douglas -- Isle, Mn -- 11-10 (5)

78. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 11-10 (5)

78. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 11-10 (5)

81. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 11-9 (5)

82. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 11-8 (5)

83. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, Al -- 11-7 (5)

84. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 11-6 (5)

85. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Tx -- 11-3 (5)

86. Tim Cales -- Sandstone, WV -- 11-1 (5)

86. Bradley Dortch -- Atmore, Al -- 11-1 (5)

86. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 11-1 (5)

89. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Al -- 11-0 (5)

90. William Campbell -- Middlesboro, Ky -- 10-15 (5)

91. Johnny McCombs -- Morris, Al -- 10-13 (5)

92. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 10-12 (5)

93. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 10-11 (5)

93. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 10-11 (5)

95. Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ar -- 10-9 (5)

95. Steven Hatala -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 10-9 (5)

97. Cody Hahner -- Wausau, Wi -- 10-5 (5)

98. Jason Johnson -- Dawsonville, Ga -- 10-4 (5)

98. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 10-4 (5)

98. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 10-4 (5)

101. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 10-2 (5)

102. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 10-1 (5)

103. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 10-0 (5)

104. Jim Moulton -- Merced, Ca -- 9-14 (5)

105. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 9-13 (5)

105. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 9-13 (5)

105. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, On -- 9-13 (5)

108. Tyler Stewart -- West Monroe, La -- 9-11 (5)

109. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 9-10 (5)

110. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 9-9 (5)

110. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga -- 9-9 (5)

112. Andy Wicker -- Pomaria, SC -- 9-7 (5)

113. Clint Brown -- Bainbridge, Ga -- 9-5 (5)

114. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 9-4 (5)

115. Capt Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 9-2 (5)

115. John Hunter -- Shelbyville, Ky -- 9-2 (5)

117. Shane Lehew -- Catawba, NC -- 9-1 (5)

118. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 9-0 (5)

119. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 8-15 (5)

120. Braxton Setzer -- Montgomery, Al -- 8-14 (5)

120. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 8-14 (4)

120. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 8-14 (5)

120. Tim McDonald -- Prestonsburg, Ky -- 8-14 (5)

120. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 8-14 (5)

125. Jay Kendrick -- Grant, Al -- 8-13 (4)

126. Mark Fisher -- Wauconda, Il -- 8-12 (5)

127. David Wootton -- Collierville, Tn -- 8-11 (5)

127. Furman (Joe) Thompson -- Clayton, Ga -- 8-11 (5)

129. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 8-6 (5)

130. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 8-4 (4)

130. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 8-4 (5)

132. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- London, Ky -- 8-2 (3)

132. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 8-2 (5)

134. Sheldon Collings -- Grove, Ok -- 7-15 (5)

134. Rob Jordan -- Flowery Branch, Ga -- 7-15 (5)

136. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 7-12 (4)

136. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 7-12 (5)

136. Matt Wittekiend -- Angleton, Tx -- 7-12 (3)

139. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 7-10 (5)

139. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 7-10 (5)

141. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, Tx -- 7-9 (5)

142. Richie Eaves -- Nauvoo, Il -- 7-8 (5)

142. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 7-8 (4)

144. Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wi -- 7-4 (5)

145. Randy Haynes -- Ripley, Ms -- 7-3 (3)

146. David Nichol -- Gainesville, Ga -- 7-1 (5)

147. Wade Curtiss -- Lincoln, Ca -- 7-0 (5)

147. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 7-0 (5)

149. Cameron Gautney -- Muscle Shoals, Al -- 6-14 (5)

149. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 6-14 (5)

149. Keith Bryan -- Novato, Ca -- 6-14 (5)

152. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 6-13 (5)

152. Jt Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 6-13 (3)

154. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 6-12 (5)

155. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 6-8 (4)

156. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 6-6 (2)

157. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 6-4 (5)

158. Dean Alexander -- Georgetown, Tx -- 6-3 (3)

159. Dylan Hays -- Sheridan, Ar -- 6-2 (3)

160. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, Ga -- 6-1 (4)

161. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Tx -- 5-15 (4)

162. Matt Becker -- Finleyville, Pa -- 5-13 (3)

163. Clark Reehm -- Elm Grove, La -- 5-8 (4)

164. Jeff Dobson -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 5-6 (3)

165. Matt Garner -- Seminole, Ok -- 5-5 (3)

166. Bill Hutchison -- Bessemer, Al -- 4-15 (4)

167. Chad Randles -- Elkhorn, Ne -- 4-13 (2)

168. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, La -- 4-2 (2)

169. Joey Cifuentes -- Clinton, Ar -- 4-0 (2)

170. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 3-13 (2)

170. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 3-13 (4)

172. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 3-11 (2)

173. Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tn -- 3-0 (3)

173. Chase Brooks -- Iraan, Tx -- 3-0 (3)

175. Ryan Chandler -- Hebron, In -- 2-13 (1)

176. Freddy Hurley -- Somerset, Ky -- 1-7 (1)

177. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 1-6 (1)

178. Michael Wooley -- Booneville, Ms -- 1-5 (1)

179. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 1-3 (1)

180. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 1-1 (1)

Ronald Young -- Lake Wales, Fl -- 0-0 (0)

Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 0-0 (0)

Tony Dumitras -- Winston, Ga -- 0-0 (0)