DECATUR, Ala. (May 13, 2005) - Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces Friday to lead some of the hottest anglers on tour in the FLW Tour bass fishing tournament on Wheeler Lake. Of the 10 remaining pros, two have already earned FLW Tour victories in 2005 and five have earned previous top-10s this season. In fact, Alvin Shaw has made three consecutive top-10 cuts, and Japan's Toshinari Namiki is making his third top-10 appearance.
Jordon keyed on bream beds Wednesday using a Lake Fork Baby Creature to put a limit weighing 22 pounds, 15 ounces in the boat and finish the day in third place. He then added five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces to his total Thursday using a War Eagle spinnerbait, a Lake Fork Baby Craw and a Lake Fork Baby Creature to enter the final round as the No. 1 seed. On Friday Jordon keyed on bream beds again, catching two bass on the Baby Creature, two bass on the Baby Craw and one bass on a Senko.
"One of my bigger fish came out of 8-inches of water," said Jordon, who won the 2005 season opener and $100,000 on Lake Okeechobee in January. "I could see her chasing bream and had to make a really long cast. It was so shallow I never thought a fish would be there, but if you see bream, there are bass around."
FLW Tour rookie Michael Bennett, 21, of Roseville, Calif., caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces to secure the No. 2 spot heading into the final day of competition, while Chad Grigsby of Colon, Mich., caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces to grab the No. 3 spot. Shaw of State Road, N.C. (five bass, 13 pounds, 3 ounces) and Namiki of Hachioji City, Japan (three bass, 12 pounds, 14 ounces) rounded out the top five pros.
The Pro Division was not the only side of the tournament loaded with repeat top-10 performers. In the Co-angler Division, four anglers earned previous top-10 finishes in 2005, including Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, who has made three final round appearances. Derek Jones of Chicago and Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., finished ninth and 10th, respectively, at the Open last month on Beaver Lake. And Dwight Ameling of Fremont, Ind., won the Co-angler Division title on Lake Okeechobee in January.
Mark Hicks of Millfield, Ohio, took top honors and $20,000 in the Co-angler Division with four bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces. He caught the fish on 3/8-ounce tungsten jigs tipped with black and red flake and black and blue flake chunk trailers while fishing Browns Creek in Guntersville Lake with Namiki.
Hicks, a regular contributor to Field and Stream and FLW Outdoors Magazine, opened a commanding 5-pound, 10-ounce lead on opening day with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces while fishing with Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla. He then slipped to fifth place on day two after coming in empty handed. After starting from zero on day three, Hicks again took command of the field thanks in part to a 7- to 8-pound kicker fish.
"That big fish was the hardest fighting largemouth that I have ever hooked," said Hicks, who was competing in his first-ever FLW Tour event. "It really wasn't an easy day. I didn't have a fish at 11 a.m., then I changed to the jig and caught the big one right off."
Hicks said short casts to grass humps in 7 feet of water where key to his win. "I'd let the jig sink straight to the bottom then snap it through the weeds," he said. "If I made long casts, the jig wouldn't sink through the grass."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jones (three bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces, $10,000); Greg Fleming of Holly Lake Ranch, Texas (three bass, 9 pounds, 10 ounces, $9,000); Kelly Greer of Green Forest, Ark. (two bass, 7 pounds, 2 ounces, $8,000); and Mark Phillips of Fayetteville, Ark. (two bass, 4 pounds, 4 ounces, $7,000).
Anglers will take off from Riverwalk Marina at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2800 Spring Avenue SW in Decatur beginning at 3 p.m.