Cox Crushes 30-Plus On Day 1 At Toho

By Sean Ostruszka
Special to BassFan

Looks can be deceiving, and the Kissimmee Chain certainly is that right now.

After an abnormal two-week stretch of cold weather, the conditions were finally setting up right for the “big wave” of spawners to come in on the first day of the FLW Tour event. And with Florida sight-fishing gurus such as John Cox (31-09) and Scott Martin (24-12) sitting in 1st and 3rd places, respectively, and weights up across the board after day 1 compared to the MLF Bass Pro Tour a week ago, you might think the predictions came true.

Problem is, you’d be wrong.

Cox described the sight-fishing game as “dead.” Martin said it was the strangest spawn he can remember, and in talking with other top pros, most only sampled the looking game a little, if at all.

“I tried to do the sight-fishing thing,” Cox said. “There just was no fish movement. There were still a few fish there, but most had left.”

Of course, Cox made sure to mop up the few he saw – he weighed in three from beds – but his bigger fish, which included a 10-pounder, both came on moving baits as he did a lot of hole-hopping throughout the chain.

Likewise, Martin caught a 9-pounder off a bed that he’d found in practice and said he still managed his fair share of sight-fish, but it certainly didn’t feel like it was the winning pattern right now.

“[The spawn] just doesn’t make sense,” Martin said. “I mean, 2 plus 2 equals 4, right? Well, warm weather plus the new moon should mean every fish should be spawning. They just aren't. Even that 9-pounder, I didn’t check her until about 9 a.m. because I didn’t think there was any way she’d still be there. Yet, she was there and ready. It’s really got me confused.”

In trying to explain the strangeness, Martin’s only reasonable explanation may be the fluctuating water levels. Toho’s level has dropped at least a foot in the last week, which is huge in Florida. Being that it’s the clearest body of water on the chain, it’s the prime sight-fishing lake, but with the dropping water he feels the fish may have just pulled out. Cox had similar sentiments, figuring the fish may still be coming up to spawn, but they’re just doing it very quickly to get in and out ahead of the falling water.

One angler who certainly wished the sight-fishing game treated him a little better on day one is Buddy Gross. He had a double-digit fish marked from practice and hooked her almost immediately first thing this morning, only for her to run into the reeds and come off.

“If I’d have had her I’d have been up there with [Cox],” said Gross, who after that lost big girl focused on a non-sight-fishing deal he found in practice that allowed him to catch 21-07 for 6th place. “I can’t complain. I’m just fishing the way I love to fish and it’s working.”

John Voyles seems to be doing the same as Gross. Sandwiched between Cox and Martin at the top of the leaderboard with 24-15, Voyles said he's kept a Potomac River mindset this event.

“I usually do well at the Potomac because I get in and area and grind,” said Voyles, who is exclusively throwing moving baits in Kissimmee. “I’ve got an area I actually thought would be good for numbers, but I caught a good one there in the morning. I then tried to force my big-fish area to go and it never did. So, I went back to my starting spot and caught an 8-5, a 7-plus and a 3-plus. I’ll be sticking there all day tomorrow.”

Voyles may have more company in Kissimmee. With Toho’s spawners unwilling to commit, more pros may lock down to the dirtier Kissimmee, with Martin possibly being among them.

“I had a late flight today, so my goal was to survive in Toho and then go to Kissimmee on day 2,” said Martin, who did a lot of flipping and pitching on day 1. “Obviously, I got a little luckier and did more than survive, but I still think I’m going to stick with my plan. There’s a lot of fish in Toho, but I just don’t think I can win there unless the sight-fishing game improves.”

As for the leader, Cox admits he’s flying by the seat of his pants. He couldn’t count how many spots he hit throughout today, but making matters quite confusing is that some of the areas he hit seemed to have no life in them … until he’d catch a giant out of them.

“I’ll probably do the same thing tomorrow; just bounce around spots and fish both in and out,” Cox said. “Really, I’m just going to fish what feels right. It worked out for me today, at least.”

Notable

Day 1 stats – 170 anglers, 154 limits, 5 fours, 5 threes, 4 twos, 2 ones.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Feb. 8 – Partly Cloudy - 82°/59°
- Wind: From the NNE at 7 mph

> Sat., Feb. 9 – P.M. Light Rain - 73°/65°
- Wind: From the NNE at 16 mph

> Sun., Feb. 10 – A.M. Showers - 77°/62°
- Wind: From the E at 13 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 31-9 (5)

2. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 24-15 (5)

3. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 24-12 (5)

4. Austin Wilson -- Citrus Heights, Ca -- 21-11 (5)

5. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 21-10 (5)

6. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, Ga -- 21-7 (5)

7. Ron Nelson -- Berrien Springs, Mi -- 21-6 (5)

8. Wade Strelic -- Alpine, Ca -- 21-4 (5)

9. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 21-2 (5)

10. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, Ar -- 19-10 (5)

10. Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wi -- 19-10 (5)

12. Josh Douglas -- Isle, Mn -- 19-9 (5)

13. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 19-8 (5)

14. Braxton Setzer -- Montgomery, Al -- 19-7 (5)

15. Bradford Beavers -- Summerville, SC -- 19-1 (5)

16. Bradley Dortch -- Atmore, Al -- 19-0 (5)

17. Jonathan Canada -- Helena, Al -- 18-12 (5)

18. Bailey Boutries -- Daphne, Al -- 18-9 (5)

19. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Tx -- 18-8 (5)

19. Tyler Woolcott -- Port Orange, Fl -- 18-8 (5)

21. Chad Warren -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 18-7 (5)

22. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 18-5 (5)

23. Brian Latimer -- Belton, SC -- 18-3 (5)

24. Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 17-12 (5)

25. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 17-4 (5)

26. Joel Willert -- Prior Lake, Mn -- 17-2 (5)

27. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 16-13 (5)

28. AJ Slegona -- Pine Bush, NY -- 16-12 (5)

29. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga -- 16-10 (5)

29. Joseph Webster -- Winfield, Al -- 16-10 (5)

31. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 16-7 (5)

32. Andrew Upshaw -- Tulsa, Ok -- 16-5 (5)

33. Charlie Ingram -- Centerville, Tn -- 16-3 (5)

34. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 16-2 (5)

35. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 15-14 (5)

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

36. Jared McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 15-11 (5)

38. David Wootton -- Collierville, Tn -- 15-8 (5)

38. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 15-8 (5)

40. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 15-6 (5)

41. Chris Whitson -- Louisville, Tn -- 15-3 (5)

42. Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 15-1 (5)

43. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 15-0 (5)

43. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 15-0 (5)

45. Terry Bolton -- Benton, Ky -- 14-12 (5)

46. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 14-9 (5)

47. Dakota Ebare -- Denham Springs, La -- 14-6 (5)

48. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 14-5 (5)

48. Jon Englund -- Farwell, Mn -- 14-5 (5)

48. Dicky Newberry -- Houston, Tx -- 14-5 (5)

51. Wes Logan -- Springville, Al -- 14-3 (5)

52. Jacob Wall -- Jacksonville, Or -- 14-1 (5)

53. Matt Becker -- Finleyville, Pa -- 14-0 (5)

54. Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Tx -- 13-15 (5)

55. Jay Kendrick -- Grant, Al -- 13-14 (5)

55. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 13-14 (5)

55. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 13-14 (5)

58. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 13-13 (5)

59. Charles Sim -- Nepean, On -- 13-7 (5)

59. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 13-7 (5)

61. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 13-5 (5)

61. Tommy Dickerson -- Orange, Tx -- 13-5 (5)

63. Tyler Stewart -- West Monroe, La -- 13-4 (5)

64. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 13-2 (5)

65. Evan Barnes -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 13-1 (5)

66. Sheldon Collings -- Grove, Ok -- 12-15 (5)

66. Grae Buck -- Harleysville, Pa -- 12-15 (5)

68. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 12-14 (5)

69. Jeff Dobson -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 12-13 (5)

70. Ryan Salzman -- Huntsville, Al -- 12-12 (4)

71. Casey Scanlon -- Lake Ozark, Mo -- 12-10 (5)

71. Kyle Cortiana -- Coweta, Ok -- 12-10 (5)

73. Curtis Richardson -- Belleville, On -- 12-8 (5)

73. Sam George -- Athens, Al -- 12-8 (5)

73. Brandon Mcmillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 12-8 (5)

76. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Tx -- 12-7 (5)

77. Andy Young -- Isle, Mn -- 12-3 (5)

78. Matt Wittekiend -- Angleton, Tx -- 12-1 (5)

79. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 12-0 (5)

80. Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 11-15 (5)

80. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 11-15 (5)

82. William Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va -- 11-14 (5)

83. Cody Hahner -- Wausau, Wi -- 11-12 (5)

83. Rob Jordan -- Flowery Branch, Ga -- 11-12 (5)

83. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, Al -- 11-12 (5)

86. Nick Lebrun -- Bossier City, La -- 11-7 (5)

87. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 11-5 (5)

87. Larry Nixon -- Quitman, Ar -- 11-5 (5)

89. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 11-4 (5)

90. Robert Case -- Point, Tx -- 11-3 (5)

91. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 11-2 (5)

92. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 10-14 (5)

93. Marty Lawrence -- Mesa, Az -- 10-13 (5)

93. Miles Burghoff -- Hixson, Tn -- 10-13 (5)

95. Michael Matthee -- Centurion, Gp -- 10-12 (5)

96. Kyle Weisenburger -- Ottawa, Oh -- 10-9 (5)

97. Corey Neece -- Bristol, Tn -- 10-8 (5)

98. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 10-7 (5)

98. Luke Dunkin -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 10-7 (5)

98. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 10-7 (5)

101. Troy Roder -- Brookeland, Tx -- 10-6 (5)

102. Chris McCall -- Palmer, Tx -- 10-2 (5)

102. Clayton Batts -- Butler, Ga -- 10-2 (5)

104. Hensley Powell -- Whitwell, Tn -- 10-1 (5)

104. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 10-1 (5)

106. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 10-0 (5)

107. Jay Brainard -- Enid, Ok -- 9-15 (5)

107. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 9-15 (5)

107. Bill Hutchison -- Bessemer, Al -- 9-15 (5)

110. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 9-14 (5)

110. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Al -- 9-14 (5)

112. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 9-10 (5)

112. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 9-10 (5)

114. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 9-8 (5)

115. John Hunter -- Shelbyville, Ky -- 9-7 (5)

115. Tim Malone -- Kodak, Tn -- 9-7 (5)

117. Randy Allen -- Gilliam, La -- 9-6 (5)

118. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 9-2 (5)

119. Johnny McCombs -- Morris, Al -- 9-1 (5)

119. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 9-1 (5)

121. Jason Meninger -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 8-15 (5)

121. Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 8-15 (5)

121. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 8-15 (5)

124. Ryan Chandler -- Hebron, In -- 8-13 (5)

125. Randy Despino -- Colfax, La -- 8-11 (5)

126. Clark Reehm -- Elm Grove, La -- 8-7 (5)

126. Mark Fisher -- Wauconda, Il -- 8-7 (5)

128. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 8-6 (5)

129. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 8-2 (5)

129. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 8-2 (3)

131. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Tx -- 8-0 (5)

131. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 8-0 (5)

131. Cody Murray -- Nampa, Id -- 8-0 (5)

134. Derrick Snavely -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 7-15 (5)

135. Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tn -- 7-13 (5)

135. Andy Wicker -- Pomaria, SC -- 7-13 (5)

137. Tim Cales -- Sandstone, WV -- 7-12 (5)

138. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 7-11 (5)

139. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 7-10 (5)

140. Craig Rozema -- Simpsonville, SC -- 7-8 (5)

140. Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 7-8 (5)

142. Hunter Freeman -- Monroe, La -- 7-7 (5)

143. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 7-5 (5)

144. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 7-2 (5)

144. Tony Dumitras -- Winston, Ga -- 7-2 (5)

144. Kevin Finley -- Phoenix, Az -- 7-2 (4)

147. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 7-1 (5)

148. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 7-0 (5)

149. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 6-14 (5)

149. Brant Grimm -- Church Hill, Tn -- 6-14 (5)

151. Derek Fulps -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 6-12 (5)

152. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 6-9 (5)

153. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 6-8 (5)

154. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 6-7 (4)

155. Joey Cifuentes -- Clinton, Ar -- 6-6 (4)

156. Dylan Hays -- El Dorado, Ar -- 6-5 (5)

157. Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Il -- 5-13 (5)

158. Chip Harrington -- Olathe, Ks -- 5-12 (2)

158. Alton Wilhoit -- Noble, Ok -- 5-12 (5)

160. Rex Jaeger -- Hamilton, Oh -- 5-11 (3)

161. Chuck Medley -- Owens Cross Roads, Al -- 5-3 (5)

162. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 4-8 (3)

163. Chad Randles -- Elkhorn, Ne -- 3-9 (3)

164. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 3-4 (2)

165. Ron Farrow -- Rock Hill, SC -- 3-3 (3)

166. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 2-12 (2)

167. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 2-1 (4)

168. Jason Christy -- Dadeville, Al -- 1-3 (1)

169. Chuck Stratton -- Chaffee, Mo -- 1-2 (1)

Drew Ratley -- Shreveport, La -- 0-0 (2)