KELSEYVILLE, Calif. (Oct. 22, 2009) - Pro Randy McAbee, Jr., of Bakersfield, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 4 ounces Thursday to retain the lead in the FLW Series Western Division bass fishing tournament on Clear Lake with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 46-7.
"Fishing was a little tougher for me today," said McAbee, Jr., who caught a bounty of fish yesterday. "I had seven bites today and only managed to get five in the boat. The fish were very lethargic; I switched and used deep reaction baits and kept moving."
A calm wind rolled in around mid-day and many anglers seemed to struggle until then including McAbee, Jr. Three of McAbee Jr.'s fish were caught in the last hour, after the wind kicked in.
McAbee, Jr., now holds a 5-pound lead over second place pro Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 41-7 during the first two days of competition.
Lintner had a much slower day today than yesterday as well; he had 10 keepers today compared to his 20 yesterday.
"The fished moved out," said Lintner, who fished in less than a foot of water yesterday. "Today I fished in 5 - 9 feet deep grassy water; it was like finding a needle in a haystack."
Rounding out the top 10 pros are:
3rd: Michael Tuck, Antelope, Calif., 10 bass, 40-12
4th: Gary Howell, Stockton, Calif., 10 bass, 40-11
5th: Mike Folkestad, Orange, Calif., 10 bass, 39-14
6th: Team National Guard pro Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 39-12
7th: Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., 10 bass, 39-10
8th: Team Dunkin' Donuts Coffee pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 39
9th: Tommy Cardoza, Lakeport, Calif., 10 bass, 38-5
10th: Mike Reynolds, Modesto, Calif., 10 bass, 38
Folkestad earned the day's $290 Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound, 10-ounce bass.
"The great thing about Clear Lake," said Team Dunkin' Donuts Coffee pro Brett Hite, "is that it is not unheard of to bring in a 44 pound bag. So even if you think you are out of this tournament, two or three casts later you can be right back in it. I am catching a lot of 3 pound fish, I just can't seem to get that 5 - 6-pounder, but it can happen and I am just excited to be going back out there tomorrow!"
Overall there were 371 bass weighing 1256 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 88 pros Thursday. The catch included 60 five-bass limits.
Mark Smith of Dana Point, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing a whopping 47-8 followed by Rus Snyders of San Bruno, Calif., in second place with 10 bass weighing 35-14.
"The key to fishing in the back of the boat is to have pros that give you time and space," said Smith, who added another limit to his commanding lead. "I have been very fortunate this tournament to have drawn two great pros that have given me time and plenty of water to fish the way I like."
Smith caught 5 bass weighing 27-10 while fishing with pro Rick Correa of Sherwood, Ore., Wednesday and 5 bass weighing 19-14 while fishing with Team Chevy pro Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., Thursday.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Richard Taylor or Shingle Springs, Calif. (10 bass, 35-2); Toshitada Suzuki of La Jolla, Calif. (10 bass, 34-2); and Stacy Gee (10 bass, 33-6).
Tim Edington of Molalla, Ore., earned $193 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught on a beaver while fishing with pro Ken Mah of Elk Grove, Calif.
Overall there were 241 bass weighing 716 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 88 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included a mere 24 five-bass limits.