SOMERSET, KY. (May 4, 2006) Mike Hawkes of Sabinal, Texas, caught a five-bass limit Thursday weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces to give him a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 10 ounces to lead day two of the FLW Series bass fishing tournament on Lake Cumberland near Somerset, Ky. Pros are competing for a first-place award of $100,000.
The bite has been tough on Lake Cumberland this week, and many anglers feel blessed to land three solid keepers each day. The minimum length limit for bass at this event is 18 inches for smallmouth bass, 15 inches for largemouth bass and 12 inches for spotted bass. Despite the trophy length limit placed on smallmouths, they have contributed to a vast majority of quality keepers. Smallies in the 4-pound range have been common this week.
I decided yesterday to fish for smallmouths and go for the win, Hawkes said. I went out and practiced for three hours this morning before I went to my best spot. I caught one keeper smallmouth and one keeper spot and found a couple more places to go. At 10:30 a.m. I had a limit and picked a new creek and went practicing some more. There are very isolated spots about the size of a pontoon boat in about 8 to 12 feet of water that are holding fish. But those spots are rare. I fish these spots slowly for about 20 minutes working my way all around them. Then I let them rest for an hour and come back to them. The fish are there, and you just have to beat those spots to death to get the bites.
Hawkes is using finesse baits on 6-pound-test line. It takes him several minutes to land each keeper smallmouth.
Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, maintained his second-place position with a five-bass limit weighing 10-12 His two-day total weighs 27-10. Wendlandt is sight-fishing and fishing cracks in bluff lines.
Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, jumped up six places to third with a limit weighing 14 pounds, including his biggest smallmouth ever weighed in a tournament 5 pounds, 2 ounces. His two-day total of 10 bass weighs 25-9.
Im using 6-pound-test Berkley Vanish, and its taking me forever to land these big smallmouths. It took seven to 10 minutes to land the largest. It was like fighting a giant salmon.
I caught bedding fish yesterday but just went fishing today for smallmouths. I caught all three of my big smallies on one point. Im totally out of bedding fish, but that point is loaded with fish. I think theyre postspawn fish, because theyre not very active. Theyre just sitting on the bottom 19 to 23 feet deep recovering from the spawn. It was an early bite. Were going to need some clouds tomorrow to catch them later in the day.
Rounding out the top five pros are Sean Hoernke of Magnolia, Texas (eight bass, 25 pounds, 6 ounces) and Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif. (nine bass, 24 pounds, 13 ounces).
Kevin Koone of Greenbrier, Ark., the $20,000-winner of the seasons first FLW Series event on Lake Lanier, leads the Co-angler Division for the second day in a row with four bass weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce. Koone, a college senior who won a boat fishing a tournament when he was 16 years old, leads by 18 ounces.
I was doing the same thing I did yesterday and the same thing I did at Lanier 1/8-ounce Shaky Head on a watermelon-candy worm. You have to pick up something you are confident in and stick with it.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are John Wilson of Hazelwood, N.C. (six bass, 12 pounds, 15 ounces); David Hudson of Jasper, Ala. (five bass, 11 pounds, 5 ounces); J.B. King of Byrdstown, Tenn. (five bass, 11 pounds, 3 ounces); and Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C. (four bass, 10 pounds, 8 ounces).