After Sluggish Day 1, Medlock Stayed The Course

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Brandon Medlock has had a few other tournaments to prepare for this spring at Lake Okeechobee. They’ve all been important, he said, and therefore so has his preparation. But off in the distance, he knew the FLW Series event was looming and he tried to keep that in mind even as he practiced for lower profile events.

“Basically, since January I’ve been looking toward this tournament,” he said. “Every time I’ve been on the water, I’ve been practicing for upcoming tournaments, but the overall goal was to be looking ahead to where they’d be by the Series event.”

All of his planning paid off as he was able to shrug off a 13-09 stringer on day 1 to rally over the final two days and claim victory at the Big O with a three-day total of 54-04. It’s Medlock’s first FLW win since 2012 and third career FLW Series victory, all coming at Okeechobee.

“It feels great,” Medlock said. “What shocked me is I didn’t have any more (weight) on day 1. I thought 25 (pounds) was doable, but when I saw 19 was leading, I was relieved because I knew I could make it up.”

Slow Start

Medlock’s hopes were high entering day 1, a product of some bigger bites he had in a few areas on the day immediately preceding the start of competition. His hopes were dampened when the quality of fish didn’t hold up on day 1.

“I went there with high expectations, but only caught small ones,” Medlock said. “That made me realize the fish weren’t as shallow as they had been.”

He only culled once and his one saving grace throughout the event was an offshore shoal where fish were keying on a shad spawn in the mornings. He’d box a limit there each of the three days before heading off in search of upgrades. Most of the fish he caught there were in the 3-pound range until day 3 when he stuck a 4 1/2-pounder there.

“It was something I ran across the day before the tournament,” he said. “Two weeks before, I caught some post-spawners there, but the next chance I had to get there the shad were in there and I was able to get a lot of bites.”

He stuck with the shad spawn until about 10 a.m. day 1, again thinking the bigger fish would show up at some point.

“I was trying to cull up,” he said. “I’d caught two 6s there two weeks ago, so I felt like if I stay long enough it would happen.”

He settled for 13-09, which put him in a tie for 43rd, a discouraging development until he realized he wasn’t out of contention.

“I was discouraged until I saw 19 was leading,” he added. “I was expecting to see a 30-pound bag and 25 to be in the top 5. On the way in, I was really discouraged, but hopeful. At the end of the day, I was ecstatic because I knew I just had to find them.

“On day 1, I bounced around a lot looking for big fish and it just didn’t happen. All that told me was I just have to look more places. They have to be somewhere. Okeechobee is big, but there are only so many places they’re going to be.”

Upward Mobility

On day 2, Medlock caught the biggest bag of the tournament (21-07) by staying with the shad spawn until 11 a.m. or so. He incorporated a white jig into his arsenal and caught a 3 1/2-pounder on it. He then cycled through other areas, continuing to flip a jig or swim one near clumps of reeds.

“This time of year, I don’t ever put the jig down,” Medlock said. “if I’m getting bites on a jig I don’t look for other stuff.”

The key to his day-2 stringer was landing on water that suddenly turned productive.

“I caught three big ones out of an area where I hadn’t caught a bass all year,” he noted. “They were spawning deeper for where they’re had been. That’s typical when we get some warmer weather. We’d had three days of 80 degree and calm weather, so that’s what put me in those areas.”

He said the depth variation was no more than a foot and the water clarity wasn’t as good, but he was able to generate bites by keeping his distance from spots where he suspected the fish to be.

On day 3, he rode the shad spawn area all day long as he relied almost exclusively on a white jig tipped with a pearl craw trailer. His 19-04 bag turned a five-ounce lead after day 2 into a nearly six-pound victory.

“I stayed there until I caught my fifth keeper and the last one was between 4 and 5 (pounds),” he said. “I stayed another 20 minutes after I caught that, then left.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Shallow jig gear: 7’11” heavy-action Ark Fishing Randall Tharp Honey Badger Series Guntersville Special casting rod, Quantum Smoke HD PT casting reel, 50-pound Vicious No-Fade braided line (moss green), 3/8-oz. Medlock Double Guard flipping jig (black/blue), Riot Baits Fuzzy Beaver (money).

> Heavy jig gear: 7’11” extra-heavy Ark Fishing Randall Tharp Honey Badger Series Okeechobee Special casting rod, same reel, same line (80-pound), 3/4-oz. Medlock Double Guard flipping jig (black/blue), Zoom Big Salty Chunk (black/blue).

> He also used a 1/2-oz. jig (white) tipped with a Zoom Super Speed Craw (pearl) when pitching to reeds.

Final Results

1. Brandon Medlock -- Lake Placid, Fl -- 13-9 (5) -- 21-7 (5) -- 35-0 (10) -- 19-4 (5) -- 54-4 (15) -- $37,548

2. Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 16-1 (5) -- 15-5 (5) -- 31-6 (10) -- 17-1 (5) -- 48-7 (15) -- $14,550

3. Ronnie Buck -- Miami, Fl -- 14-12 (5) -- 19-11 (5) -- 34-7 (10) -- 13-12 (5) -- 48-3 (15) -- $12,265

4. Gary Milicevic -- Labelle, Fl -- 17-12 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 33-6 (10) -- 12-2 (5) -- 45-8 (15) -- $9,387

5. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 19-2 (5) -- 15-9 (5) -- 34-11 (10) -- 9-13 (5) -- 44-8 (15) -- $8,448

6. Brett Cannon -- Parkland, Fl -- 17-12 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 32-14 (10) -- 10-9 (5) -- 43-7 (15) -- $7,645

7. Bradley Macqueen -- West Palm Beach, Fl -- 19-1 (5) -- 13-9 (5) -- 32-10 (10) -- 8-10 (4) -- 41-4 (14) -- $7,071

8. John Kremer -- Sanford, Fl -- 13-11 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 32-8 (10) -- 8-7 (3) -- 40-15 (13) -- $5,632

9. Robby Frashier -- Carrollton, Ga -- 15-4 (5) -- 16-6 (5) -- 31-10 (10) -- 7-10 (4) -- 39-4 (14) -- $4,829

10. Casey Warren -- Galivants Ferry, SC -- 14-2 (5) -- 17-6 (5) -- 31-8 (10) -- 7-5 (5) -- 38-13 (15) -- $3,755

The following anglers missed the cut and did not compete on day 3.

11. Ty Solis -- Albany, Ga -- 14-12 (5) -- 15-15 (5) -- 30-11 (10) -- $3,520

12. Dillon McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 15-7 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 30-5 (10) -- $3,285

13. Mark Blevins -- Palatka, Fl -- 9-4 (5) -- 20-10 (5) -- 29-14 (10) -- $2,816

14. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 19-9 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 29-14 (10) -- $2,816

15. Reid Heard -- Climax, Ga -- 14-8 (5) -- 15-6 (5) -- 29-14 (10) -- $2,816

16. Bryan Honnerlaw -- Moore Haven, Fl -- 19-14 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 29-9 (10) -- $2,816

17. Dakota Ebare -- Denham Springs, La -- 14-15 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 29-7 (10) -- $2,816

18. Jerry Stalvey, Jr -- Palatka, Fl -- 14-10 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 29-3 (10) -- $2,816

19. Matthew Wieteha -- Miami, Fl -- 8-14 (5) -- 20-3 (5) -- 29-1 (10) -- $2,816

20. Clint Brown -- Bainbridge, Ga -- 16-14 (5) -- 11-13 (5) -- 28-11 (10) -- $2,816

21. Troy Gibson -- Mountain Home, Ar -- 13-10 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 28-4 (10) -- $2,581

22. Jeffrey Mathews -- Maitland, Fl -- 17-6 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 28-2 (10) -- $2,831

23. Brent Bonadona -- Port Allen, La -- 15-7 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 27-12 (10) -- $2,581

24. John Dial -- Winter Haven, Fl -- 18-2 (5) -- 9-8 (5) -- 27-10 (10) -- $2,581

25. Ken Sharpless -- Lake Wales, Fl -- 12-5 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 27-2 (10) -- $2,581

26. Mark Mitchell -- Mesquite, Tx -- 11-3 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 27-1 (10) -- $2,347

27. Chris Heath -- North Augusta, SC -- 16-6 (5) -- 10-10 (5) -- 27-0 (10) -- $2,347

28. Terry Fisher -- Jacksonville, Fl -- 11-15 (5) -- 15-1 (5) -- 27-0 (10) -- $2,347

29. Trevor Fitzgerald -- Belleview, Fl -- 14-7 (5) -- 12-4 (5) -- 26-11 (10) -- $2,347

30. David Sheffield -- Davie, Fl -- 16-7 (5) -- 10-2 (5) -- 26-9 (10) -- $2,347

31. Tony Couch -- Buckhead, Ga -- 14-14 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 26-8 (10) -- $1,877

32. Morris Nix -- Marietta, Ga -- 12-14 (5) -- 13-10 (5) -- 26-8 (10) -- $1,877

33. Jessie Mizell -- Parrish, Fl -- 18-9 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 26-4 (10) -- $1,877

34. Phil Cury -- Jacksonville, Fl -- 12-14 (5) -- 13-3 (5) -- 26-1 (10) -- $1,877

35. Jacopo Gallelli -- Florence, Fi -- 15-4 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 26-0 (10) -- $1,877

36. Laramy Strickland -- Bushnell, Fl -- 12-14 (5) -- 13-1 (5) -- 25-15 (10) -- $1,877

37. Kyle Walters -- Grant Valkaria, Fl -- 13-15 (5) -- 11-12 (5) -- 25-11 (10)

38. Zach Maisch -- Lima, Oh -- 15-14 (5) -- 9-11 (4) -- 25-9 (9)

39. Dennis Cameron -- Travelers Rest, SC -- 13-12 (5) -- 11-11 (5) -- 25-7 (10)

40. Scott Kirsch -- Edgewater, Fl -- 9-7 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 25-3 (10)

41. R M Couch Jr -- Ocala, Fl -- 10-1 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 25-3 (10)

42. Hojin Chang -- Windermere, Fl -- 11-10 (5) -- 13-6 (5) -- 25-0 (10)

43. Kail Stevens -- Boynton Beach, Fl -- 14-8 (5) -- 10-7 (5) -- 24-15 (10)

44. Ricky Congero -- Windermere, Fl -- 14-8 (5) -- 10-6 (5) -- 24-14 (10)

45. Chris Hensley -- Marbury, Al -- 14-15 (5) -- 9-10 (5) -- 24-9 (10)

46. Robert Wroblewski -- Fort Myers, Fl -- 9-12 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 24-9 (10)

47. Thomas Oltorik -- Deland, Fl -- 15-10 (5) -- 8-14 (5) -- 24-8 (10)

48. Gerry Brousseau -- Naples, Fl -- 9-5 (5) -- 15-0 (5) -- 24-5 (10)

49. Mike Jackson -- San Mateo, Fl -- 8-10 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 24-4 (10)

50. Frank Kitchens Iii -- Oxford, Ga -- 14-9 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 24-4 (10)

51. Jae Evans -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 14-12 (5) -- 9-7 (5) -- 24-3 (10)

52. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 11-3 (5) -- 13-0 (5) -- 24-3 (10)

53. Robert Naramore -- Gay, Ga -- 12-15 (5) -- 11-4 (5) -- 24-3 (10)

54. Jason Lieblong -- Conway, Ar -- 10-12 (5) -- 13-6 (5) -- 24-2 (10)

55. Wendell Causey Jr -- Irmo, SC -- 10-15 (5) -- 13-3 (5) -- 24-2 (10)

56. John Bitter -- Maitland, Fl -- 13-15 (5) -- 10-1 (5) -- 24-0 (10)

57. Michael Conley -- Bainbridge, Ga -- 15-8 (5) -- 8-5 (5) -- 23-13 (10)

58. Roland Martin -- Naples, Fl -- 8-11 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 23-9 (10)

59. Rodney Marks -- Apopka, Fl -- 11-3 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 23-8 (10)

60. Dennis Redd -- Old Town, Fl -- 14-2 (5) -- 9-5 (5) -- 23-7 (10)

61. Jason Blair -- West Palm Beach Fl, Fl -- 8-12 (5) -- 14-7 (5) -- 23-3 (10)

62. Joey Thigpen -- St Johns, Fl -- 12-1 (5) -- 11-2 (5) -- 23-3 (10)

63. Richard Dunham -- Palm Harbor, Fl -- 12-7 (5) -- 10-11 (5) -- 23-2 (10)

64. Corey Smith -- Clermont, Fl -- 7-15 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 23-1 (10)

65. Robert Crosnoe -- Inverness, Fl -- 11-12 (5) -- 11-2 (5) -- 22-14 (10)

66. George Matthews (Billy) -- Valdosta, Ga -- 10-8 (5) -- 12-4 (5) -- 22-12 (10)

67. Bryan New -- Belmont, NC -- 10-9 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 22-10 (10)

68. Thadeus Ragan -- West Park, Fl -- 10-15 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 22-9 (10)

69. Yoan Alvarez -- Miami, Fl -- 13-1 (5) -- 9-5 (5) -- 22-6 (10)

70. Austin Bell -- Winter Haven, Fl -- 13-10 (5) -- 8-9 (5) -- 22-3 (10)

71. Terry Tucker -- Gadsden, Al -- 12-13 (5) -- 9-6 (5) -- 22-3 (10)

72. Jason Meninger -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 9-9 (5) -- 12-9 (5) -- 22-2 (10)

73. Justin Morgan -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 9-10 (4) -- 12-5 (5) -- 21-15 (9)

74. David Nichol -- Gainesville, Ga -- 8-12 (4) -- 13-2 (5) -- 21-14 (9)

75. Jared McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 12-4 (5) -- 9-10 (5) -- 21-14 (10)

76. Wayne Christopher -- Huntsville, Al -- 12-5 (5) -- 9-6 (5) -- 21-11 (10)

77. Jai Hunter Sr -- Deland, Fl -- 10-9 (5) -- 11-1 (5) -- 21-10 (10)

78. Nicholas Hoinig -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 10-11 (5) -- 10-15 (5) -- 21-10 (10)

79. David Bear -- Winter Haven, Fl -- 8-5 (5) -- 13-3 (5) -- 21-8 (10)

80. Kyle Stafford -- Lakeland, Fl -- 8-0 (5) -- 13-5 (5) -- 21-5 (10)

81. Santos Solis -- Vero Beach, Fl -- 11-7 (5) -- 9-14 (5) -- 21-5 (10)

82. Dean Boruff -- Valdosta, Ga -- 11-4 (5) -- 9-15 (5) -- 21-3 (10)

83. Raymond Guerra -- Port Saint Lucie, Fl -- 11-10 (4) -- 9-8 (5) -- 21-2 (9)

84. Scott Byrd -- Ocklawaha, Fl -- 10-1 (5) -- 11-1 (5) -- 21-2 (10)

85. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, Pa -- 6-9 (5) -- 14-3 (5) -- 20-12 (10)

86. Rick Taylor -- West Olive, Mi -- 10-0 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 20-12 (10)

87. Jeff Cannon -- Douglasville, Ga -- 8-10 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 20-11 (10)

88. Lonnie Oneal -- Valdosta, Ga -- 8-3 (5) -- 12-2 (5) -- 20-5 (10)

89. Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wi -- 11-1 (5) -- 9-3 (5) -- 20-4 (10)

90. Curtis Lewis -- West Palm Beach, Fl -- 7-10 (5) -- 12-8 (5) -- 20-2 (10)

91. Wayne Murray -- Baton Rouge, La -- 12-6 (5) -- 7-12 (5) -- 20-2 (10)

92. Nick Thliveros -- St. Augustine, Fl -- 10-12 (5) -- 9-6 (5) -- 20-2 (10)

93. Barry Bass -- Bradenton, Fl -- 13-9 (5) -- 6-6 (5) -- 19-15 (10)

94. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 12-4 (5) -- 7-9 (2) -- 19-13 (7)

95. Billy Hall -- Greenback, Tn -- 9-12 (5) -- 10-0 (5) -- 19-12 (10)

96. Tim Vanegmond -- Gay, Ga -- 5-5 (3) -- 14-2 (5) -- 19-7 (8)

97. Brad Robinson -- Hagerstown, In -- 11-13 (5) -- 7-6 (5) -- 19-3 (10)

98. Dererk Savage -- Port St. Lucie, Fl -- 10-14 (5) -- 8-5 (4) -- 19-3 (9)

99. Brianne McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 9-7 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 19-3 (10)

100. Frank Clark -- Port Saint Joe, Fl -- 11-7 (5) -- 7-9 (5) -- 19-0 (10)

101. Steve Crowley -- Inverness, Fl -- 11-14 (5) -- 6-15 (5) -- 18-13 (10)

102. John Tavano -- Sebring, Fl -- 8-6 (5) -- 10-7 (5) -- 18-13 (10)

103. Craig Cavanna -- Spring Hill, Fl -- 7-11 (5) -- 10-13 (5) -- 18-8 (10)

104. Danny White -- Milledgeville, Ga -- 7-3 (4) -- 11-3 (5) -- 18-6 (9)

105. Thomas McLinskey -- Altha, Fl -- 11-10 (5) -- 6-10 (5) -- 18-4 (10)

106. Jeff Ragsdale -- Gardendale, Al -- 10-3 (5) -- 8-1 (4) -- 18-4 (9)

107. Kenneth Harris -- Zolfo Springs, Fl -- 8-12 (5) -- 9-5 (5) -- 18-1 (10)

108. Christopher Keeble -- Lenoir City, Tn -- 11-7 (3) -- 6-9 (3) -- 18-0 (6)

109. Steven Hatala -- Harrison Township, Mi -- 14-7 (5) -- 3-4 (2) -- 17-11 (7)

110. Chris McBeath -- Bradenton, Fl -- 11-2 (5) -- 6-8 (4) -- 17-10 (9)

111. Donny Bass -- Naples, Fl -- 7-14 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 17-9 (10)

112. Zak Fadden -- Plymouth, Mi -- 8-11 (5) -- 8-12 (5) -- 17-7 (10)

113. Mikey Keyso Jr -- North Port, Fl -- 5-6 (4) -- 11-14 (5) -- 17-4 (9)

114. Jeff Fitts -- Keystone Heights, Fl -- 6-9 (4) -- 10-11 (5) -- 17-4 (9)

115. Kenneth Lesesne -- Blue Ridge, Ga -- 9-11 (5) -- 7-9 (5) -- 17-4 (10)

116. Greg Roth -- Orono, On -- 6-15 (4) -- 10-3 (5) -- 17-2 (9)

117. Trent Pardue -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 7-4 (4) -- 9-12 (4) -- 17-0 (8)

118. Mike Vititoe -- Lakeworth, Fl -- 8-10 (5) -- 8-4 (5) -- 16-14 (10)

119. Brad Stalnaker -- Eatonton, Ga -- 11-2 (5) -- 5-11 (2) -- 16-13 (7)

120. Eddie Carper -- Valliant, Ok -- 10-9 (5) -- 6-4 (5) -- 16-13 (10)

121. Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fl -- 8-10 (5) -- 7-14 (5) -- 16-8 (10)

122. Nathan Thomas -- Weirsdale, Fl -- 9-5 (5) -- 6-15 (4) -- 16-4 (9)

123. Anthony Ford -- New Smyrna, Fl -- 8-12 (5) -- 7-1 (3) -- 15-13 (8)

124. Scott King -- Crescent City, Fl -- 12-8 (5) -- 2-12 (2) -- 15-4 (7)

125. Keith Carson -- Debary, Fl -- 11-3 (4) -- 4-1 (1) -- 15-4 (5)

126. Matt Kinney -- Bunnell, Fl -- 14-15 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-15 (5)

127. Pat Fisher -- Colbert, Ga -- 8-6 (5) -- 6-9 (5) -- 14-15 (10)

128. Brandon Classon Sr -- Leesburg, Ga -- 8-0 (5) -- 6-10 (5) -- 14-10 (10)

129. Mitchell Liss -- Grand Island, Fl -- 9-6 (5) -- 4-15 (3) -- 14-5 (8)

130. Lance Pemble -- Leesburg, Fl -- 4-2 (4) -- 9-13 (5) -- 13-15 (9)

131. Clay Batson -- Bradenton, Fl -- 8-12 (4) -- 4-14 (3) -- 13-10 (7)

132. Rick Mitchell -- Naples, Fl -- 11-8 (5) -- 1-14 (1) -- 13-6 (6)

133. Mark Knight -- McDonough, Ga -- 4-0 (3) -- 7-1 (5) -- 11-1 (8)

134. Andrew Warbington -- Coker, Al -- 11-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-0 (5)

135. Steve Young -- Valdosta, Ga -- 4-5 (3) -- 6-11 (3) -- 11-0 (6)

136. Austin Schroeder -- Zephyrhills, Fl -- 10-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-14 (5)

137. Bobby Wilson -- Albany, Ga -- 5-9 (2) -- 5-3 (3) -- 10-12 (5)

138. Greg Bartz -- Lakeland, Fl -- 4-1 (2) -- 6-7 (2) -- 10-8 (4)

139. Matthew Elixson -- Lake Butler, Fl -- 8-10 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-10 (5)

140. Hermilo Salgado -- Artemus, Ky -- 8-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-0 (5)

141. Douglas Duff -- Lake Worth, Fl -- 7-10 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-10 (5)

142. Richard Newberry -- Saint Petersburg, Fl -- 6-4 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-4 (4)

143. Tim Zdrazil -- Crawfordville, Fl -- 2-1 (2) -- 4-2 (4) -- 6-3 (6)

. Fred Thompson -- Defuniak Springs, Fl -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)