Kilby overwhelms pro field on Old Hickory

Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark., used a whopping 23-pound, 1-ounce catch to grab the overall lead in the Pro Division heading into tomorrow's competition. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Rob Kilby.

May 15, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Japanese native Furusawa nabs lead in Co-angler Division

GALLATIN, Tenn. – With the majority of the pro field struggling to turn in a five-fish stringer weighing over 15 pounds, Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark., made sure to leave his own mark on the first day of FLW competition on Old Hickory Lake. Actually, make that an exclamation point. Bolstered by a whopping 23-pound, 1-ounce catch, Kilby not only dwarfed the pro competition at today’s weigh-in, but he also earned some of the highest praise possible from legendary angler Clark Wendlandt in the process.

“What (Kilby) did today was just unbelievable,” said Wendlandt. “I can’t even imagine catching a 23-pound stringer on this lake.”

Despite the accolades, Kilby took his accomplishment in stride.

“Today’s performance will definitely be a big help in making the cut, but that’s not the end of it,” said Kilby, who already has four top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour to his credit. “It’s only day one, so I’m trying not to get too excited. If I’m still here on day four, then I’ll get excited.”

Although Kilby said that he didn’t really expect to haul in 23 pounds – in fact, 15 pounds was predicted to be close to the top daily weight at Old Hickory – he acknowledged that he had a good feeling about his chances of qualifying for the top 20.

“Coming into the tournament, I felt pretty good,” he said. “I caught a lot of good fish in practice, but I moved around a lot so I didn’t really know what was out there. I never realized how many fish were in my area.”

While not divulging specifics, Kilby said he was fishing shallow in anywhere from 1 to 8 feet of water and was alternating between “three or four different baits.”

With Kilby’s closest competitor already more than 4 pounds behind and the top-20 cut expected to come in right around 23 pounds, the Arkansas native said he will do more exploring than fishing during tomorrow’s competition.

“Tomorrow is mostly going to be a practice day for me,” said Kilby. “But I’m not going to play around either. I’ll be on a search and destroy mission. And hopefully, I can find a few more good spots that will help me later in the tournament.”

First time is a charm

When David Womack of Gallatin, Tenn., arrived at the FLW registration meeting on Tuesday evening, he had every intention of fishing as a co-angler. However, when a few spots opened up in the Pro Division, Womack jumped at the chance of fishing with the big boys. As it turned out, it was the correct decision. Not only did Womack prove he belonged, but he also managed to turned in the second-best performance of the afternoon.

“I didn’t know I was going to be fishing as a pro until 6:15 p.m. last evening,” said Womack, who recorded a very pro-like 18-pound, 15-ounce stringer to grab second place overall in the Pro Division. “I am totally pumped right now. This is the first pro tournament of my life and it feels great. I’m extremely happy.”

Womack said he knew almost immediately that this tournament was going to be special.

“Our flight took off at 7:20 a.m. and by 7:30 a.m. I already had a 6-pound, 15-ounce fish in the boat,” he said. “I would have been happy just to catch 8 or 9 pounds. This is just unbelievable.”

Like Kilby, Womack said he is going to fish conservatively during tomorrow’s competition.

“I’m going to pull back a little bit tomorrow because I don’t want to burn out my fish,” he said. “My goal is to catch two or three keepers and then go looking for a few more spots. I have two good spots right now, but I’m going to try to use tomorrow to find some more good water.”

Womack’s near-perfect day on the water was made even better when he learned that his 6-pound, 15-ounce largemouth bass was good enough to capture the day’s big bass award and a check for $750.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-five pro competitors were Rusty Rust (third place) of Hermitage, Tenn., with a catch of 15 pounds, 8 ounces; Frank Ippoliti (fourth) of Mount Airy, Md., with a catch of 15 pounds, 6 ounces; and Roger Crafton (fifth) of Boca Grande, Fla., with a catch of 15 pounds, 2 ounces.

Japanese angler outpaces rest of co-angler competition

Katsutoshi Furusawa of Tokyo, Japan, used a 12-pound, 14-ounce catch to grab hold of first place in the Co-angler Division and prove that Japanese anglers can be just as competitive on U.S. waters as their American counterparts.

“It feels very good. It’s a miracle,” said Furusawa of his performance. “This lake is very similar to many lakes in Japan. Yes, I am excited.”

Furusawa said that he targeted largemouth bass on flat gravel beds in between dense milfoil patches near creek channels. The Tokyo native also said that his bait of choice was a 1/2-ounce football jig tipped with a Yamamoto twin-tail grub.

Furusawa, who already has a fourth-place finish to his credit despite only fishing in four FLW Tour events in his career, also claimed the day’s big bass award in the Co-angler Division after netting a 6-pound, 11-ounce largemouth. Furusawa won $500 for his efforts.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-five co-anglers were Jason Abram (second place) of Bluff City, Tenn., with a catch of 12 pounds, 10 ounces; Mitch Pierson (third) of Newton, N.J., with a catch of 9 pounds, 10 ounces; Jim Blake (tied for fourth place) of Lincoln, Neb., with a catch of 9 pounds, 4 ounces; and Frank Meyer (tied for fourth) of Pembroke Pines, Fla., with an identical catch of 9 pounds, 4 ounces.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. at Bull Creek Boat Dock located at 200 Odoms Bend Road in Gallatin, Tenn.