EUFAULA, Ala. (March 11, 2010) - Lake Eufaula's bite was reportedly tougher for anglers Thursday, but don't tell the Hults family. A quick check of the field shows a total of four Hults names on the list. After the Day 2 weigh-in, two of those Hults were leading both the pro and co-angler divisions in the FLW Series Eastern Division bass fishing tournament. In fact, all four names made the top-10 lists after the second day of fishing. Pro Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces Thursday to capture the lead in his pro debut with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 43-15.
"I was fishing shallow, probably just like everybody else," said Hults, who has fished as a co-angler in different FLW Outdoors events since 2000. "It seemed like the water coming up hurt me. I thought it would help me, but it got a lot muddier and I didn't get as many hits. I felt real fortunate to get what I got."
Hults said he's concentrating on shallow grass in a number of spots. He said he caught 10 keepers on the second day of competition and plans to stick with his game plan for the third day. Whatever the outcome of the event, Hults said he's already satisfied with his first pro performance.
"My goal was to get my (entry fees) back," Hults said. "I like fishing up here. I've had pretty good luck up here. If I catch them tomorrow I do, and if I don't, I don't."
Hults now holds a slim 7-ounce lead over second place pro and Day 1 leader John Cox of Debary, Fla., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 43-8 during the first two days of competition.
"I ran to one of my old spots I caught them in first thing in the morning and the water was up about a foot," said Cox. "That had them scattered out bigtime so they weren't as easy to catch."
Cox said he was burning a spinnerbait and the majority of his fish were hitting his bait with their mouths closed, preventing him from a solid hookup.
"Hopefully tomorrow I can get five of those 20 that hit me," Cox said. "Five or six of them were 4 pounders. It's so tight where I'm fishing. If you could throw a topwater (bait) with a treble hook on it, you'd catch every one of them. But there's so much stuff.
"If I make the top five, I'm bed fishing," Cox added.
Rounding out the top-10 pros at Lake Eufaula are:
3rd: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-3
4th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 39-10
5th: Koby Kreiger, Okeechobee, Fla., nine bass, 39-6
6th: Derek Hicks, Rocky Face, Ga., 10 bass, 39-2
7th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 38-1
8th: Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 37-13
9th: Chuck Howard, Elloree, S.C., 10 bass, 37-13
10th: Rodger Beaver, Dawson, Ga., 10 bass, 36-15
Overall there were 500 bass weighing 1,410 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 139 pros Thursday. The catch included 58 five-bass limits.
In FLW Series competition, pros are competing for a top award of $50,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Alan Hults' younger brother, Matt Hults of Gautier, Miss., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 36-1 followed by William Ranquist Jr. of Park Ridge, Ill., in second place with seven bass weighing 26-3.
"This is unique," said Hults. "But, you know, we've still got one day to go, so you can't count your chickens, so to speak."
Hults caught five bass weighing 20-2 while fishing with pro Scott Montgomery of Eufaula Wednesday and four bass weighing 15-15 while fishing with pro David Fritts of Lexington, N.C., Thursday. Hults said he caught one keeper Thursday on a crankbait and the other three on a Carolina rig.
"I lost one other one that would have helped me out a good bit, but that's just the way the ball rolls," said Hults.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Chris Hults, Vancleave, Miss., eight bass, 25-9
4th: Kurtis Michaux, Clermont, Fla., seven bass, 25-6
5th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 25-3
6th: T.R. Fuller, Auburn, Ala., eight bass, 24-5
7th: Gene Bishop, Madison, Miss., eight bass, 23-7
8th: Wayne Hauser, Mooresville, N.C., seven bass, 23-1
9th: Dean Tucker, Hiawassee, Ga., eight bass, 23-1
10th: Paul Hults, Gautier, Miss., five bass, 21-4
Overall there were 242 bass weighing 619 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 116 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included six five-bass limits.
Co-anglers are competing this week for a Ranger 177TR with 90 horsepower engine as well as valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off from Lakepoint Resort State Park located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula at 7 each morning. Friday's weigh-in will be held at Lakepoint Resort State Park beginning at 3 p.m. The final weigh-in on Saturday will be held at Billy Lawrence Chevrolet located at 3220 S. Eufaula Ave. in Eufaula beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone at Billy Lawrence Chevrolet prior to Saturday's weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a $300 Cabela's gift card and drawings for rod and reel combos will be held every 30 minutes during the event. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
Coverage of the Lake Eufaula tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. "FLW Outdoors", will air May 16 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. "FLW Outdoors," hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.