LAGRANGE, Ga. (Feb. 16, 2006) - Pro Tommy Williams of Somerset, Ky., caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 24 pounds, 11 ounces lead day two of the Stren Series Southeast Division bass fishing tournament on West Point Lake.
Anglers had sunny skies and temperatures around 70 degrees for the second day of the event, making the bass bite somewhat better than on day one.
"The warm weather treated guys a little better today," Williams said. "There were some big bags brought in and I was a little worried about it.
"I knew I was in the lead this morning, so I just went to my area to check my fish. I caught three bass first thing, two on back-to-back casts, and quit after that. I didn't want to beat up on them. But I'm going to have to really buckle down and fish hard tomorrow if I want to stay in this thing." Williams continued fishing a shallow-water crankbait pattern on day two.
Rounding out the top five pros are Mike Mortensen of Westland, Mich. (eight bass, 24 pounds, 11 ounces) Ott Defoe of Dandridge, Tenn. (six bass, 23 pounds, 6 ounces); Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala. (eight bass, 22 pounds, 12 ounces); and Patrick Hailstones of Cincinnati, Ohio (seven bass, 19 pounds, 15 ounces).
Jerry Kelley of Wewahitchka, Fla., earned $750 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to an 8-pound, 6-ounce bass.
Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught a five-bass limit while fishing with Patrick Hailstones for a two-day total of six bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces.
Hults was also fishing a shallow crankbait pattern. "I caught an early limit and quit by 10 a.m.," Hults said. "Patrick finished up by about 1 p.m., so we just came on back early."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are James Pendleton of Vale, N.C. (seven bass, 12 pounds, 8 ounces); Melvin Pigue of Aiken, S.C. (five bass, 12 pounds, 6 ounces); Thomas Shafer of Pine City, N.Y. (four bass, 12 pounds 5 ounces); and Steve Jones of Moss Point, Miss. (four bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce).
Richard Mitchell of Appling, Ga., earned $250 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to an 8-pound, 6-ounce bass.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.