DeFoe Fires Early Salvo With Lone 20-Pound Bag

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Winning the Bassmaster Classic is hard.

Winning one in your home area code seemed next to impossible at one time. In recent years, though, it’s almost become expected.

Nobody knows how the next two days will unfold, but Ott DeFoe today took a step toward being the latest home-state angler to hoist a Classic trophy.

DeFoe, one of two anglers in this week’s field who calls east Tennessee home (he relocated from host city Knoxville to nearby Blaine a couple years ago), set the early pace at the Tennessee River (Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes) with the lone 20-pound stringer of the day. His 20-00 effort, which included three smallmouth and a 6-00 kicker largemouth, gave him a 2-pound, 5-ounce edge over Roy Hawk (17-11).

“It felt really, really good,” DeFoe said when asked the impact of leading while carrying the burden of being a pre-tournament favorite as a result of his history on the fishery. “It looked really good on paper, but it wasn’t necessarily that easy. The last fish I culled and the biggest fish I culled was less than two pounds. I was very blessed to get five good bites and I landed all of them and one of them was a giant for this system. If I had to weigh in one fish different it would’ve made a couple pounds difference for me.”

And now he’s off and running in his bid to become the fourth angler to win a Classic in his home state in the last six years.

Clifford Pirch (16-11) and Justin Lucas (16-07), last year’s Elite Series Angler of the Year, were the only other anglers to eclipse the 16-pound mark. Jacob Wheeler holds down the fifth spot with 14-11.

For the most part, the weights through the field failed to live up to expectations and with boat traffic on the lakes expected to increase on the weekend, fishing conditions may not exceed what was presented to the 52-man field today. It looks like 18 pounds may be enough to qualify for Sunday’s final round (top 25). Thirty anglers registered limits, but just 21 hauled in more than 10 pounds.

“I do think the weather will affect the bite the next few days,” DeFoe added. “Today was the day to have a good day and I thought it would’ve been better than it was. I couldn’t have asked for more weight, but I thought it would’ve been easier to catch a decent bag than what it was. I don’t think it’ll be that way the next two days. This isn’t a lake that takes pressure very well. You go through an area and beat it up a little one day, it’s typically not as good the next.”

Nineteen of the top 21 after day 1, including DeFoe, are anglers who left the Elite Series following the 2018 season and now compete on Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour. Pirch had the best day of the 12 current Elite Series pros in the field.

With water temperatures rising – the sun broke through around 10 a.m. this morning – and other factors beginning to stabilize after a soggy last two months, the prevailing opinion was that the fishing would improve. Instead, it seemed to get tougher for a majority of the field. An overnight storm system combined with a southwest wind that built through the day seemed to raise the water level and dirty up areas that had been clear or clearing earlier in the week.

Before competition began, DeFoe predicted a 16-pound daily average would be enough to claim victory and he thinks those who failed to crack 12 pounds today may have submarined their chances to contend.

“If you didn’t have 12 today, I think it would be hard for you to make it up,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but if you had at least 12 today, two more big days could certainly do it. Forty-eight was my number to win and you could get real close to that with two really big days. I don’t see that being a lot different with the weather we’ve got coming.”

As he sat in the media room and watched as others weighed in, Hawk said the significance of where he sits after day 1 of his first Classic was starting to sink in.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s a real blessing for sure and I’m thankful my family is all here.”

He said his day pretty well matched up with how he felt it could go.

“I had a pretty good practice overall and saw some things that told me I could have a day like this,” he said. “The other times I’ve fished here, it’s been all Tellico. This time, it’s all Loudoun.”

He said he’s opted to fished the stained water because he feels as if he can more quickly narrow down where the fish may be.

“I felt like I could visualize how they were setting up easier in the dirty water,” he said. “I wanted to squish it down. Because I had fished Tellico before, I didn’t want to deal with that and go to 12 feet. I don’t know if that’s smart or not, but I have to pick something and run with it.”

And for that reason, don’t expect him to go searching for new areas Saturday, unless something goes haywire.

“I probably won’t go to new water,” he said. “I’m fishing a pretty long stretch of terrain and I practiced up and down the whole place, but I have it narrowed down to where the stronger stretches are.”

Pirch, who competed in two FLW Tour events at Lou-Tel, said the water clarity in the area he started in had deteriorated, but the fish were still cooperative.

“I was headed to some gin clear water and when I got there it was chocolate brown,” said Pirch, who was the lone top-5 performer will all largemouth in his sack. “The results were better than what I was expecting.”

He keyed mainly on areas with hard bottom in shallow water, but never felt like he was dialed in.

“I was afraid I wasn’t doing enough,” he said. “They were biting good, but I tried to learn what I needed to be doing and felt like somebody else may have been doing what I should’ve been doing.”

Knowing how challenging Lou-Tel can be to play catch up on, he’s beyond pleased with his day-1 output.

“I’m thrilled,” he said. “It’s a huge relief to not have to fight back out of a hole. This place is known for not being real stable and the fact that I survived the first round, I feel good about that.”

Lucas didn’t have a confidence-inducing practice session, so his expectationswere a little muted today. He’s thrilled with what he caught, but knows he has more hunting to do.

“I knew I had to stay positive and fish the conditions and if I was able to do that, I’d have a decent day,” he said. “Tomorrow will be the same. I have a couple spots to revisit, then it’ll be all new water.”

He focused mostly on rocky points, typical pre-spawn areas and mixed in some docks. He’ll do the same on day 2, but also do a soft reset on his pattern.

“You just have to fish new water and not rely on anything you had the day before,” he said. “I’ve fished here before and it is hard to be consistent. It’s one of the hardest lakes we’ve ever been to for consistency and Tellico is more inconsistent than Loudoun.”

Two-time defending Classic champ Jordan Lee had a so-so first day, but he has an uphill climb ahead just to make the top-25 cut. He caught a limit for 8-06, which has him in 33rd.

His last keeper was an adventure that he hopes is a good omen for the weekend. While fishing a jig by a laydown, he got a bite, but the fish immediately tied him up in the submerged log. As he worked to dislodge the bait, it came loose, and the fish was still hooked. He landed it and the 1-pounder wound up finishing his limit.

“It’s been a grind,” he said. “I’m not dialed into anything. On Wednesday, I went to Tellico and caught a couple 3-pounders and the water looked good, so I ran way up there again and caught a few, but no size. I don’t think it’s the right bite to make the cut.”

Wesley Strader, the other east Tennessee resident in the field, caught 10-14 and is tied for 17th.

“I thought maybe 14 to 16 (pounds) was possible and I would’ve been on pace for that,” he said. “I lost one that would’ve put me near 12. I only caught nine keepers all day.”

He expected to build some early momentum, but when he came up empty at his first spot, his mindset shifted.

“The spot I started on, I was expected three or four keepers,” he said. “When I didn’t get a bite in the first 15 minutes, I said, ‘Something ain’t right.’ I knew just from that place – I always catch something there – that it would be a grinder.”

Notable

> Despite cracking the 20-pound mark, DeFoe’s day-1 total is the lowest leading weight after the initial day of the Classic since 2012.

> Lucas’ strong day is the best day 1 in a Classic by the reigning Angler of the Year since 2011, when 2010 AOY Kevin VanDam was 3rd after day 1 at the Louisiana Delta, where he went on to claim victory.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., March 16 – Cloudy – 51°/31°
- Wind: From the NNW at 5 to 10 mph

> Sun., March 17 – Mostly Sunny – 54°/34°
- Wind: From the N at 4 to 7 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Ott DeFoe -- Blaine, TN -- 5, 20-00 -- 0, $2,500.00
Day 1: 5, 20-00

2. Roy Hawk -- Lk Havasu Cty, AZ -- 5, 17-11 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 17-11

3. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 16-11 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 16-11

4. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-07 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 16-07

5. Jacob Wheeler -- Harrison, TN -- 5, 14-11 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 14-11

6. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 14-08 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 14-08

6. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL -- 5, 14-08 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 14-08

8. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 13-09 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 13-09

9. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL -- 5, 13-04 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 13-04

9. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 5, 13-04 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 13-04

11. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 12-15 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 12-15

12. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 12-09 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 12-09

13. Kyle Dorsett -- Odenville, AL -- 4, 12-03 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 12-03

14. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 12-01 – 0
Day 1: 5, 12-01

15. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 11-15 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-15

16. Josh Bertrand -- San Tan Valley, AZ -- 5, 11-05 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-05

17. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 10-14 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-14

17. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 10-14 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-14

19. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 10-11 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-11

20. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 10-02 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-02

21. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 10-01 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-01

22. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 09-11 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-11

23. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 09-09 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-09

24. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 4, 09-05 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-05

25. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 09-04 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-04

26. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 09-02 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-02

26. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 09-02 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-02

28. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 4, 09-00 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-00

29. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 5, 08-15 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 08-15

30. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 08-12 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 08-12

30. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 08-12 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 08-12

32. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 4, 08-10 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 08-10

33. Jordan Lee -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 08-06 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 08-06

34. Garrett Paquette -- Canton, MI -- 4, 08-04 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 08-04

35. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, CA -- 3, 08-04 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 08-04

36. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 3, 08-03 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 08-03

37. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 3, 08-01 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 08-01

38. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 4, 07-14 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 07-14

39. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX -- 2, 07-07 -- 0
Day 1: 2 -- 07-07

40. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 07-06 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 07-06

41. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 4, 07-06 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 07-06

42. Derek Hudnall -- Baton Rouge, LA -- 4, 07-00 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 07-00

43. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 4, 06-15 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 06-15

44. Nick Ratliff -- Vine Grove, KY -- 4, 06-10 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 06-10

45. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 3, 06-06 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 06-06

46. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 4, 06-05 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 06-05

47. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 1, 04-01 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 04-01

48. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 2, 03-12 -- 0
Day 1: 2 -- 03-12

49. Matthew Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 2, 03-05 -- 0
Day 1: 2 -- 03-05

50. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 2, 03-03 -- 0
Day 1: 2 -- 03-03

51. Randy Pierson -- Oakdale, CA -- 2, 02-14 -- 0
Day 1: 2 -- 02-14

52. Jacopo Gallelli – Firenze, Italy -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00