LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2018) – Pro Jamie Horton of Centreville, Alabama, grabbed the early lead at the FLW Tournament at the Harris Chain of Lakes Thursday with five bass weighing 24 pounds, 13 ounces. Horton will bring a 1-ounce advantage over second-place pro Koby Kreiger of Bokeelia, Florida, into Day Two of the event that features 368 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.
“I didn’t really have much of a game plan coming into today – things just kind of worked out,” said Horton, a third-year FLW Tour pro who is seeking his first win on the circuit. “I made a lot of bad decisions out there, but I also made five good ones. I didn’t get complacent – I changed areas and kept moving.”
Horton said he fished two lakes today, and that he split his time between bass feeding on shad and bass that were spawning. He said he ended up weighing two from the shad pattern and three from the beds.
“I knew I could catch a limit because I knew where enough bucks were on beds,” said Horton. “I didn’t catch many, but I caught a big one late.”
The Alabama pro said he hopes he can piece together another solid day Friday and make the top 30 cut Saturday.
“Can I catch another bag like this one tomorrow? I’m pretty sure I won’t,” said Horton. “But if I can catch a big one and a limit, then maybe I can hang around.”
The top 10 pros after day one on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Jamie Horton, Centreville, Ala., five bass, 24-13
2nd: Koby Kreiger, Bokeelia, Fla., five bass, 24-12
3rd: John Devere, Berea, Ky., five bass, 24-4
4th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, five bass, 24-1
5th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., five bass, 22-8
5th: Harry Moore, Valley, Ala., five bass, 22-8
7th: Anthony Gagliard, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 22-7
8th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 21-13
9th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 21-3
10th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., five bass, 21-1
Devere earned the day's $500 Simms Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound, 9-ounce largemouth.
Kreiger received a 2-pound penalty on Day One after he was found to be in violation of FLW Tour Rule No. 9, which states that all persons must be seated and a driver must be behind the steering wheel in full control of the boat whenever it is on plane or the combustion engine is running and in gear.
Overall there were 902 bass weighing 2,245 pounds, 11 ounces, caught by 183 pros Thursday. The catch included 176 five-bass limits.
Ryan Eckman of Okeechobee, Florida, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 24 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by George Kapiton of Inverness, Florida, who weighed five bass totaling 21-7, good for second place.
The top 10 co-anglers after day one on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Ryan Eckman, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 24-1
2nd: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 21-9
3rd: Eddie Bussard, Sanford, Fla., five bass, 21-7
4th: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 20-4,
5th: Daniel Weaver, Macon, Ga., five bass, 19-15
6th: Fred Rigdon, Belleview, Fla., five bass, 19-10
7th: Timothy Sisk, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 18-5
8th: Kevin Medine, Port Allen, La., five bass, 17-10
9th: Johnny Douglas, Liberty, Ky., five bass, 16-12
10th: Joel Willert, Lakeville, Minn., five bass, 16-4
Kevin Gordon of Aiken, South Carolina, earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division with a 8-pound, 15-ounce largemouth. Overall there were 673 bass weighing 1,367 pounds, 1 ounce, caught by 175 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 91 five-bass limits.