SOMERSET, Ky. (April 12, 2018) – Pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, weighed an 18-pound, 5-ounce limit of largemouth bass to take the lead on Day One of the FLW Tour at Lake Cumberland. Morgan will bring a 1-pound, 6-ounce lead into Day Two of the four-day event that features a field of 183 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers competing for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division.
“It felt good today to get out and get some bites,” said Morgan, a three-time Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year who has logged two triple-digit Tour finishes this season for the first time since 2006. “I knew coming in here that I was going to fish my way. I didn’t care if the smallmouth were biting off the hook, I was going to fish exactly how I liked and I was going to do it all day.
“It wasn’t like I smashed them and caught a ton of fish today, but I had some quality,” Morgan continued. “The five fish that I weighed today were probably the prettiest limit of fish that I have ever caught. They were all female, full of eggs, and not a blemish on them. Just fat, chunky and gorgeous.”
Morgan said he spent the day covering water with a crankbait, spinnerbait, ChatterBait and flipping. He said he caught around 10 keepers, including two spotted bass and one little smallmouth.
“It’s really pretty random – you don’t know what the next one is going to be beside, or how deep he’s even going to be,” Morgan said. “I struggled for a pretty good portion of the day. I caught one every hour or so. Later in the day seemed to be a little better – I think we’ll see some bigger bags tomorrow.”
The top 10 pros after day one on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 18-15
2nd: Jason Meninger, Saint Augustine, Fla., five bass, 17-9
3rd: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 16-13
4th: Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 16-12
5th: Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., five bass, 16-5
6th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 16-2
7th: Billy Hines, Vacaville, Calif., five bass, 15-15
7th: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., five bass, 15-15
9th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 15-13
10th: Glenn Chappelear, Acworth, Ga., five bass, 15-11
10th: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., five bass, 15-11