Okeechobee Southern Tour
Scroggins Bags 24-05

Photo: Bassmaster.com Terry Scroggins caught two brutes on his way to the day 1 lead at the Okeechobee Bassmaster Southern Tour.

Alabama's Jimmy Mason is 2nd with 21-13 in the inaugural event on one of the two circuits (Southern and Northern) that have replaced the Bassmaster Opens this year. New York's Randy Yager (19-02), South Carolina's Marty Robinson (18-09) and Texas' James Niggemeyer (17-10) round out the Top 5.

Here's the remainder of the Top 10:

6. Derek Remitz: 15-09
7. Michael Goodman: 14-13
8. Bryan Hudgins: 14-06
9. Sam Greer: 14-04
10. (tie) Doug Garrett: 14-02
10. (tie) Bobby Scharber: 14-02

As was the case at the recent Stren Series and FLW Tour events here, most of the field is congregated in Moonshine Bay, which contains the majority of the clear water on the hurricane-ravaged lake. Most of the fish that weighed 5 pounds and over were caught on flipping gear, but spinnerbaits were productive as well. A blade produced an 8 1/2-pounder for Robinson.

The weather was sunny and breezy, with a high temperature of 70 and winds that reached 20 mph. For tomorrow, the Weather Channel predicts partly cloudy skies with a high of 72 and winds out of the east/northeast to 16 mph.

The field will be cut to the Top 50 after tomorrow's weigh-in, and weights will carry over all 3 days.

Scroggins Bitten Hard

Scroggins' huge bag was considerably larger than he'd anticipated. "With the Stren and the FLW having gone through here, I figured the place would be beaten up," he said. "I didn't expect it to be this good."

He flipped up fish after fish in Moonshine throughout the early and middle portions of the day, then pulled off his spot with about 3 hours remaining. He caught one of the big ones at about 10:30 and the other around noon.

"I'll start there again tomorrow, and I think I can get them again," he said. "As long as those fish bite, I'll stay there. I've got four or five other areas that I'm saving in case I need them, but they way they were biting today I'd just assume stay there and catch those."

There were a few anxious moments while he was hooked up with the 8-pounder. "It pretty much got tangled up in the junk and I had to go in and dig it out. It was nail-biting there for a minute."

He knows he's onto something good, so he'll set his sights high again tomorrow. "Oh, 20 pounds would be good," he said. "I'll just have to be fortunate enough to put the big bites in the boat again."

Mason Also Surprised

Mason was another angler who caught a bigger bag than he expected. A 7-11 hawg helped in that regard.

"I felt I could catch a limit of 3-pounders," he said. "But at the same time, I hadn't been setting the hook on a lot of them in practice, so I really didn't know how big they were."

He caught his second-biggest fish on a Booyah spinnerbait, but the other four took a 3-inch Yum Wooly Bug (black/blue shadow). "I can fall back on a weightless stickbait pattern if I have to, but I think I can catch another decent bag flipping tomorrow," he said. "I learned a little bit more about my area and figured a few things out."

A limit of 3-pounders will suit him just fine tomorrow. "I'll be disappointed with anything less than that," he said.

Robinson's Patience Pays Off

Robinson had a run-of-the-mill limit before he went to his big-fish area in mid-afternoon. The move paid off for both him and his co-angler. "I got my big one at about 2:00, and then he got a 7 1/2-pounder about 20 minutes later," he said.

The brute bit a spinnerbait about 10 feet into a 25-foot cast. "It ran up against the reeds and I had to dig it out," he said. "The whole thing probably took about 10 minutes."

He caught 12 fish on the day – split about evenly between flipping and spinnerbaits. "I lost a couple that could have helped me a little bit, but nothing real big," he said.

He said he should have plenty of fish left for the final 2 days of the tournament. "I'm sure there's still quite a few in there, and I think there's some big ones in there. Maybe they'll bite a little better tomorrow since it's not supposed to get as cold tonight."

Niggemeyer on Upward Swing

Niggemeyer is on his first visit to Okeechobee and he's enjoying it more as each day passes. "It seems like (the fishing) is getting a little bit better every day," he said. "I seem to have found an area that's got a little bit better quality than the places I've been the last few days."

However, his confidence for tomorrow is tempered a bit by what he's heard and read about the Big O. He knows everything can change rapidly.

"I do think there's a bunch of fish in there, but I know the reputation of the lake and I know you can catch a big stringer one day, and then nothing the next," he said. "I have another spot where some little ones were biting good, so if I struggle, I'll run over and try to catch them.

"I'd love to do what I did today again, but I don't know what the feasibility of that is," he added. "I'll need to get a couple of really big bites to get that weight again tomorrow."

Notable

> Day 1 stats: 129 anglers, 90 limits, 6 zeroes.

> Scroggins won the Toho Bassmaster Southern Open in November. His biggest bag in that event weighed 17-02.

> Takahiro Omori is a little more than a pound out of the Top 10 with 13-01. He's in 15th place.

Day 1 Standings

1. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 24-05 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 24-05

2. Jimmy Mason -- Rogersville, Ala. -- 5, 21-13 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 21-13

3. Randy Yager -- Syracuse, N.Y. -- 5, 19-02 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 19-02

4. Marty Robinson -- Greer, S.C. -- 5, 18-09 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 18-09

5. James Niggemeyer -- Lindale, Texas -- 5, 17-10 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 17-10

6. Derek Remitz -- North Branch, Minn. -- 5, 15-09 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 15-09

7. Michael Goodman -- Nebo, N.C. -- 5, 14-13 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 14-13

8. Bryan Hudgins -- Orange Park, Fla. -- 5, 14-06 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 14-06

9. Sam Greer -- London, Ky. -- 5, 14-04 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 14-04

10. Doug Garrett -- Cabot, Ark. -- 5, 14-02 -- 258
Day 1: 5, 14-02

10. Bobby Scharber -- Pulaski, Tenn. -- 5, 14-02 -- 258
Day 1: 5, 14-02

12. Clark Reehm -- Leesville, La. -- 4, 14-00 -- 254 -- $1,000.00
Day 1: 5, 14-00
13. James Kennedy -- Lacombe, La. -- 4, 13-10 -- 251
Day 1: 4, 13-10
14. Mark Rogers -- Naples, Fla. -- 5, 13-04 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 13-04
15. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 5, 13-01 -- 245
Day 1: 5, 13-01
16. Terry Bloom -- Groveland, Fla. -- 5, 12-15 -- 242
Day 1: 5, 12-15
16. Rodney Sorrell -- Stokesdale, N.C. -- 5, 12-15 -- 242
Day 1: 5, 12-15
18. Mark Rizk -- Arab, Ala. -- 5, 12-14 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 12-14
19. Brian Penso -- Houston, Texas -- 5, 12-09 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 12-09
20. Brad Outersky -- Lone Jack, Mo. -- 5, 12-08 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 12-08
21. John Gray -- Noblesville, Ind. -- 5, 12-07 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 12-07
22. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 5, 12-06 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 12-06
23. Bruce Brown -- Haughton, Ala. -- 5, 12-02 -- 228
Day 1: 5, 12-02
23. Mike Robinson -- Acworth, Ga. -- 5, 12-02 -- 228
Day 1: 5, 12-02
25. Frank Ippoliti -- Smithsburg, Md. -- 5, 11-15 -- 225
Day 1: 5, 11-15
26. Tony Hogan -- Pensacola, Fla. -- 5, 11-09 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 11-09
27. Thomas O'Bryant -- Cedar Grove, Tenn. -- 5, 11-00 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 11-00
28. Mark Lamb -- West Palm Beach, Fla. -- 5, 10-13 -- 219
Day 1: 5, 10-13
29. Michael Delvisco -- Greer, S.C. -- 5, 10-12 -- 217
Day 1: 5, 10-12
30. Joe Clements -- Kissimmee, Fla. -- 5, 10-10 -- 215
Day 1: 5, 10-10
31. Jim Murray -- Arabi, Ga. -- 5, 10-08 -- 212
Day 1: 5, 10-08
31. Corey Waldrop -- Fort Worth, Texas -- 5, 10-08 -- 212
Day 1: 5, 10-08
33. Flint Fivecoait -- Somerset, Ky. -- 5, 10-07 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 10-07
33. Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, Fla. -- 5, 10-07 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 10-07
33. Kevin Marrs -- Melbourne, Fla. -- 5, 10-07 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 10-07
36. Chris Daniels -- Panama City, Fla. -- 5, 10-05 -- 203
Day 1: 5, 10-05
37. Randy Alexander -- London, Ky. -- 5, 10-04 -- 201
Day 1: 5, 10-04
38. James Charlesworth -- Saint Cloud, Fla. -- 5, 9-09 -- 198
Day 1: 5, 9-09
38. Patrick Pierce -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 5, 9-09 -- 198
Day 1: 5, 9-09
40. Ben Lee -- Lexington, S.C. -- 5, 9-08 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 9-08
41. Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tenn. -- 5, 9-05 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 9-05
41. Todd Wagman -- Winter Garden, Fla. -- 5, 9-05 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 9-05
41. Joseph Wood -- Live Oak, Fla. -- 5, 9-05 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 9-05
44. Tim Dungan -- Cinncinati, Ohio -- 5, 9-04 -- 187
Day 1: 5, 9-04
45. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, S.C. -- 5, 9-03 -- 184
Day 1: 5, 9-03
45. Russ Osborne -- Orlando, Fla. -- 5, 9-03 -- 184
Day 1: 5, 9-03
47. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, Ala. -- 5, 8-13 -- 180
Day 1: 5, 8-13
47. Nicholas Turner -- Jones, Ala. -- 5, 8-13 -- 180
Day 1: 5, 8-13
49. Matt Amedeo -- Akron, Ohio -- 4, 8-12 -- 177
Day 1: 4, 8-12
50. Tom Hamlin -- Lizella, Ga. -- 5, 8-09 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 8-09
51. Robert Miley -- Miami, Fla. -- 5, 8-08 -- 173
Day 1: 5, 8-08
52. Mike Balon -- Clewiston, Fla. -- 5, 8-06 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 8-06
53. Brian Holder -- Gastonia, N.C. -- 5, 8-05 -- 169
Day 1: 5, 8-05
54. A.E. Red Moore -- Graham, N.C. -- 5, 8-04 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 8-04
55. Jeffrey Brooks -- Lake Worth, Fla. -- 5, 8-03 -- 165
Day 1: 5, 8-03
56. Craig Dowling -- Many, La. -- 3, 8-00 -- 163
Day 1: 3, 8-00
57. Fred Rigdon -- Belleview, Fla. -- 5, 7-14 -- 160
Day 1: 5, 7-14
57. Ed Whaley -- Montgomery, Texas -- 5, 7-14 -- 160
Day 1: 5, 7-14
59. Shane Voyles -- Blue Springs, Mo. -- 4, 7-13 -- 157
Day 1: 4, 7-13
60. Curtis Lewis -- West Palm Beach, Fla. -- 5, 7-12 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 7-12
61. James Conrad -- Alva, Fla. -- 5, 7-11 -- 152
Day 1: 5, 7-11
61. Scott Mcgehee -- Madison, Miss. -- 5, 7-11 -- 152
Day 1: 5, 7-11
63. Lee Hartley -- Buford, Ga. -- 4, 7-09 -- 149
Day 1: 4, 7-09
64. James Anderson -- Miami, Fla. -- 5, 7-08 -- 147
Day 1: 5, 7-08
65. Shawn Johnson -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 5, 7-07 -- 144
Day 1: 5, 7-07
65. Randy Weatherford -- Millbrook, Ala. -- 5, 7-07 -- 144
Day 1: 5, 7-07
67. Cecil Douberly -- Lakeland, Fla. -- 5, 7-06 -- 141
Day 1: 5, 7-06
68. Stanley Gunter -- Saluda, S.C. -- 5, 7-05 -- 137
Day 1: 5, 7-05
68. Brady Nelson -- Palmetto, Fla. -- 5, 7-05 -- 137
Day 1: 5, 7-05
68. Ronald Pierce -- Mountain Home, Ark. -- 4, 7-05 -- 137
Day 1: 4, 7-05
71. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, Mo. -- 5, 7-02 -- 132
Day 1: 5, 7-02
71. Lloyd Willmouth -- Saint Cloud, Fla. -- 5, 7-02 -- 132
Day 1: 5, 7-02
73. Howard Dotson -- Paintsville, Ky. -- 5, 7-01 -- 128
Day 1: 5, 7-01
73. Harry Moore -- Valley, Ala. -- 5, 7-01 -- 128
Day 1: 5, 7-01
75. Larry Jones -- Acworth, Ga. -- 5, 6-14 -- 125
Day 1: 5, 6-14
76. Darrell Newman -- Bruceville, Texas -- 5, 6-13 -- 122
Day 1: 5, 6-13
76. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fla. -- 5, 6-13 -- 122
Day 1: 5, 6-13
78. Harold Allen -- Shelbyville, Alaska -- 5, 6-11 -- 117
Day 1: 5, 6-11
78. Dow Cox -- Jonesborough, Tenn. -- 5, 6-11 -- 117
Day 1: 5, 6-11
78. Roger Camp -- St Cloud, Fla. -- 5, 6-11 -- 117
Day 1: 5, 6-11
81. T R Andreas -- Kerrville, Texas -- 5, 6-10 -- 112
Day 1: 5, 6-10
81. Tim Ezell -- Key West, Fla. -- 5, 6-10 -- 112
Day 1: 5, 6-10
83. Sean Dassau -- Helena, Ala. -- 5, 6-06 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 6-06
84. Mike Cox -- Huntsville, Ala. -- 5, 6-05 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 6-05
84. Matthew Jones -- Spokane, Mo. -- 5, 6-05 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 6-05
86. David Parsons -- Dothan, Ala. -- 5, 6-04 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 6-04
87. Teb Jones -- Hattiesburg, Miss. -- 5, 6-03 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 6-03
88. Danny Isenhart -- Fairview, Tenn. -- 5, 6-01 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 6-01
88. Keith Rhodes -- Royal Palm Beach, Fla. -- 5, 6-01 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 6-01
90. Micah Sepko -- Greer, S.C. -- 5, 6-00 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 6-00
90. Todd Leibfreid -- Dade City, Fla. -- 3, 6-00 -- 94
Day 1: 3, 6-00
92. Eric Nethery -- Acworth, Ga. -- 3, 5-15 -- 91
Day 1: 3, 5-15
93. Robert Morin -- Seymour, Tenn. -- 5, 5-12 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 5-12
94. Mike Pickett -- Brandenburg, Ky. -- 4, 5-10 -- 87
Day 1: 4, 5-10
95. Larry Gaines -- Valparaiso, Fla. -- 5, 5-09 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 5-09
95. Patrick Kelly -- Guntersville, Ala. -- 5, 5-09 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 5-09
97. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, S.C. -- 5, 5-07 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 5-07
98. Homer Humphreys, Jr -- Minden, La. -- 5, 5-06 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 5-06
98. Robert Byrd -- Dallas, Texas -- 4, 5-06 -- 77
Day 1: 4, 5-06
98. Jerry Gore -- Orlando, Fla. -- 4, 5-06 -- 77
Day 1: 4, 5-06
98. Chris Hadden -- Frostproof, Fla. -- 4, 5-06 -- 77
Day 1: 4, 5-06
102. Rich Patterson -- Windermere, Fla. -- 5, 5-04 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 5-04
102. Sammy Burks -- Joplin, Mo. -- 3, 5-04 -- 74
Day 1: 3, 5-04
104. James Opalecky -- Elk Grove, Calif. -- 2, 5-03 -- 72
Day 1: 2, 5-03
105. Raul Morineau -- Mexico City, Mex -- 5, 5-01 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 5-01
106. Chris Heath -- North Augusta, S.C. -- 4, 4-14 -- 70
Day 1: 4, 4-14
107. Justin Schwier -- Okeechobee, Fla. -- 4, 4-13 -- 69
Day 1: 4, 4-13
108. Marty Colley -- Ashville, Ala. -- 2, 4-02 -- 68
Day 1: 2, 4-02
109. Ben Carroll -- Kissimmee, Fla. -- 2, 4-01 -- 67
Day 1: 2, 4-01
110. Curtis A Reeves -- Riverdale, Ga. -- 3, 3-10 -- 66
Day 1: 3, 3-10
111. John Wells -- Nashville, Tenn. -- 2, 3-08 -- 65
Day 1: 2, 3-08
112. Donnie Hawks -- Galax, Va. -- 3, 3-07 -- 64
Day 1: 3, 3-07
113. Steve Sennikoff -- Forney, Texas -- 2, 3-04 -- 63
Day 1: 2, 3-04
114. Austin Banks -- Madison, Miss. -- 3, 3-01 -- 62
Day 1: 3, 3-01
115. Richard Leigeber -- Cullman, Ala. -- 2, 3-00 -- 61
Day 1: 2, 3-00
116. Dan Welch -- New Martinsville, W.Va -- 1, 2-14 -- 60
Day 1: 1, 2-14
117. Tony Sapp -- Dallas, Ga. -- 2, 2-12 -- 59
Day 1: 2, 2-12
118. Todd Kuhn -- North East, Md. -- 2, 2-11 -- 58
Day 1: 2, 2-11
119. Tim Sisk -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 2, 2-10 -- 56
Day 1: 2, 2-10
119. Marvin Ettredge -- Shreveport, La. -- 1, 2-10 -- 56
Day 1: 1, 2-10
121. Ed Dunnaway -- Flowood, Miss. -- 2, 2-07 -- 55
Day 1: 2, 2-07
122. Douglas Luper -- Alexandria, Va. -- 1, 1-06 -- 54
Day 1: 1, 1-06
123. Shawn Rook -- Russellville , Ark. -- 1, 0-15 -- 53
Day 1: 1, 0-15
124. Ray Brazier -- Lawrenceburg , Tenn. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 0-00
124. Darrell Collins -- Paintsville, Ky. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 0-00
124. Bobby Myers -- Brook Haven, Miss. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 0-00
124. Gary Pace -- Woodstock, Ga. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 0-00
124. Benjamin Petitpas -- Boynton Beach, Fla. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 0-00
124. John Wiggin -- Henderson, Nev. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 0-00

Big Bass

Day 1: Clark Reehm -- Leesville, La. -- 9-12 -- $1,000