HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (May 28, 2010) Boater Troy Morrow of Toccoa, Ga., caught a five bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to capture the lead at the 2010 Bass Fishing League All-American on DeGray Lake. With a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 30-2, he holds a commanding 4-pound, 12-ounce lead over his closest competitor, Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., heading into the final day of competition.
"Things are going pretty good, but I am still losing some of those kicker fish and I just can't let that happen tomorrow," said Morrow, who is representing the Savannah River Division and fishing in his second BFL All-American. "I am covering a lot of water and let's just say I am not fishing the shore."
Not to jinx himself Morrow remained very close-mouthed about his style and baits used, however, he did indicate that he is doing a couple of different things that are giving him an edge and keeping him in the hunt. He is concerned that the expected higher-than-normal holiday boat traffic on the lake tomorrow may impact his fishing, but said he would just have to work through it.
Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky. caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 25-6 to jump from 13th place to advance to the final round as the No. 2 seed.
The remaining top-10 boaters who will fish the final day at DeGray Lake are:
3rd: Richie Eaves, Nauvoo, Ill., 10 bass, 22-1
4th: Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho, nine bass, 21-14
5th: Keith Green, Arkadelphia, Ark., nine bass, 21-14
6th: Ty Garrett, Pulaski, Tenn., nine bass, 21-4
7th: Chris Darby, Mount Ida, Ark., nine bass, 20-13
8th: Jason Grape, Southside, Ala., six bass, 19-4
9th: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., 10 bass, 19
10th: Jason Threadgill, Norwood, N.C., nine bass, 18-13
Overall there were 169 bass weighing 353 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 55 pros Friday. The catch included 16 five-bass limits.
Boaters in the All-American are competing for up to $130,000 plus a spot in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Brett Rudy of Burlington, Iowa, leads the Co-angler Division with four bass weighing 15-6 followed by Randy Pierson of Oakdale, Calif., in second place with six bass weighing 13-14.
"I caught three toads today and I thought my heart would stop after each one of them," said Rudy, who is making his first All-American appearance representing the Great Lakes Division. "I have got to thank my boaters, both of them put me on some fish and I can't believe that I am leading this thing, unbelievable!
"We fished the same area most of the day, some shallow (5-10 feet) and some deep, over 25 feet. It's unbelievable how clear this water is; this lake is packed with fish, you can see fish everywhere you go, it's just a matter of getting them to bite.
Rudy was fishing with a Carolina rig most of the day, but indicated that he caught one of his 5-pound hawgs with a Texas rig.
Rudy caught one bass weighing 3-6 on Thursday while fishing with boater Eric Guimond of Standish, Maine. Today he caught his three hawgs while fishing with Jay Keith of Camden, S.C.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Ben Due, Mauston, Wis., seven bass, 13-11
4th: Matt King, Olathe, Kan., seven bass, 12-4
5th: Ray Holloway, Snellville, Ga., six bass, 10-11
6th: David Hamilton, Rogers, Ark., four bass, 9-15
7th: Jeremy Rasnick Point Lookout, Mo., seven bass, 9-11
8th: Charlie Russler, Falling Waters, W.Va., six bass, 8-12
9th: Jerry Pyles, Middletown, Md., six bass 8-5
10th: Adam Williamson, Ridgeway, S.C., five bass, 7-7
Co-anglers are competing this week for up to $60,000 and for a spot in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Overall there were 76 bass weighing 143 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 55 co-anglers Friday. The catch included only three five-bass limits.
Anglers will take off from Spillway Ramp located at 284 Skyline Drive in Arkadelphia at 7 Saturday morning. Final weigh-in will be held at the Summit Arena beginning at 3 p.m. just prior to the final weigh-in for the FLW Tour tournament taking place on Lake Ouachita.