LAGRANGE, Ga. (Feb. 15, 2006) - Pro Tommy Williams of Shepherdsville, Ky., caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces to lead day one of the Stren Series Southeast Division bass fishing tournament on West Point Lake.
Cold weather has kept the bass bite sluggish, although there has been a general warming trend over the last few days, allowing the bite to pick up somewhat.
"Word has been that the bite was deep," Williams said. "But I haven't been able to get on a deep bite. If I can't see it, I don't like to fish it. So I've been catching all my fish up shallow, with crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
"I'm fishing four or five sweet spots within one large area," Williams continued. "I was done at 11 this morning. After that, I just went looking around for new places."
Rounding out the top five pros are Mike Mortensen of Westland, Mich. (five bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces); Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala. (three bass bass, 12 pounds, 7 ounces); Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa. (four bass, 11 pounds, 12 ounces); and Nick Gainey of Charleston, S.C. (two bass, 10 pounds, 12 ounces).
Gainey earned $750 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 7-pound, 13-ounce bass.
Rodger Ray of Social Circle, Ga., 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. Though Ray only caught two keeper bass Wednesday, one of those fish was an 8-pound, 6-ouncer, giving him a total of 11 pounds, 12 ounces as well as the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division worth $250.
Ray was also fishing shallow water with crankbaits, along with his pro partner, Charlie Williams of LaGrange.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Steve Morgan of Grand Bay, Ala. (two bass, 9 pounds, 14 ounces); Mark Denney of Somerset, Ky. (three bass, 9 pounds, 5 ounces); Bill Huston of Sunset, S.C. (two bass, 7 pounds, 9 ounces); and Don Melvin of Tar Heel, N.C. (one bass, 7 pounds, 6 ounces).
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.