JASPER, Ala. (April 26, 2018) – Pro David Williams of Maiden, North Carolina, weighed an 18-pound, 11-ounce limit of largemouth bass to take the lead on Day One of the FLW Tournament at Lewis Smith Lake. Williams will bring a 2-pound, 9-ounce lead into Day Two of the four-day event that features the world’s premier 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.
Williams worked along two 4- to 5-mile stretches of creek to catch his largemouth Thursday. He said he fished flooded cover, and that he had 40 to 50 bites throughout his day.
“I went to the area where I’d caught two big ones in practice and caught my weight pretty quickly,” said Williams, who is seeking his first career win as a professional on the FLW Tour. “I culled a few times and was basically done fishing by 10:30 (a.m.).
“They’re on a mixture of stuff – it’s not just one thing,” continued Williams. “I didn’t see anybody else in the area and I didn’t fish anything twice. I just kind of blew through it one time and left.”
Williams said he plans on returning to his two stretches Friday.
“There’s plenty of fish in there to catch a fairly decent limit. It’s just a matter of getting those big 4- and 5-pound bites,” said Williams. “I don’t know if I can catch another 18 pounds, but I can catch some fish. I’m just going to keep working them and hopefully it lasts a few days.”
The top 10 pros after day one on Lewis Smith Lake are:
1st: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 18-11
2nd: Blake Smith, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 16-2
3rd: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 15-13
3th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 15-13
5th: Pennzoil Marine pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 15-9
6th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., five bass, 15-8
7th: James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, five bass, 15-6
8th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., five bass, 15-2
9th: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., five bass, 15-1
10th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, five bass, 15-0
Moynagh and Dobson each angler weighed a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass to tie for and split the day's $500 Simms Big Bass award. Overall there were 863 bass weighing 1,825 pounds, 15 ounces, caught by 178 pros Thursday. The catch included 161 five-bass limits.
Billy Messer of Spartanburg, South Carolina, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces, followed by Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minnesota, who weighed five bass totaling 12-10, good for second place.
The top 10 co-anglers after day one on Lewis Smith Lake are:
1st: Billy Messer, Spartanburg, S.C., five bass, 13-15
2nd: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., five bass, 12-10
3rd: Hiroyuki Watanabe, Shizuoka, Honshu, Japan, five bass, 12-7
4th: Joshua Perrymon, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-11
5th: Brian Norman, Hagersville, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 11-2
5th: Greg Pugh, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 11-2
7th: Marcus Corbett, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 11-1
8th: Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 10-14
9th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 10-12
10th: Wataru Iwahori, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 10-10
10th: Randy Hill, Athens, Ala., five bass, 10-10
10th: Robby Frashier, Carrollton, Ga., five bass, 10-10
Mark Guhne of Hixson, Texas, earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division with a 4-pound, 2-ounce bass.
Overall there were 644 bass weighing 1,074 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 169 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 81 five-bass limits.