Moran moves atop leaderboard at Wal-Mart Open

Pro Russ Moran of Murfreesboro, Tenn., not only finished the day in first place with a 17-pound, 8-ounce catch, but also left the rest of the field in his wake. Photo by Jeff Schroeder. Angler: Russ Moran.

April 9, 2003 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Greer snags top spot in Co-angler Division

ROGERS, Ark. – Although unseasonably cool temperatures served to keep stringer sizes down and provide uncharacteristic problems for a host of veterans during the opening day of FLW competition on Beaver Lake, Russ Moran of Murfreesboro, Tenn., seemed oblivious to any and all obstacles. Fishing in only the fourth FLW tourney of his career, Moran not only finished the day in first place with a 17-pound, 8-ounce catch, but also left the rest of the field in his wake.

“I’m very pleased,” said Moran, who led his nearest competitor by nearly 3 pounds when all was said and done. “I only caught 10 fish today, but they were all keepers. And I didn’t lose a bite. Overall, I feel very fortunate.”

However, Moran admitted that “good fortune” hasn’t been part of his lexicon since he decided to start fishing the FLW Tour this January.

“I’ve had plenty of luck on the tour, but until today it’s mostly been bad,” joked Moran. “Basically, I’ve just had a terrible year so far. But if I was going to pick one tournament to shine in, it would be this one.”

With prize money for first place doubled at the Wal-Mart Open, Moran said he’d love to continue his hot fishing streak. But lest anyone think that it was only good fortune or rookie magic that got him here, Moran’s performance in today’s competition demonstrated a versatility that is usually reserved for the veteran elite of the sport.

“I made some good decisions on the water today and it really paid off,” said Moran. “I wound up going to a few areas that I didn’t fish in practice because they just looked right. And I caught some good fish there. I also decided to change up my line size and that helped as well. Basically, I just let the weather and the conditions determine where I went today.”

For Moran, conditions dictated that he fish “deep” points, targeting bass in about 8 feet of water with a combination of Strike King crankbaits.

“I would go to an area and fish it with a crankbait in one color, then I’d turn right around and come back over that same area with another color,” he said. “I wound up using three different colored baits today.”

According to Moran, he will employ the same strategy tomorrow – unless the weather changes.

“I think the fish are replenishing themselves at my spots pretty good, so I’m going to try to do the same thing tomorrow,” he said. “But I’m also going to play the weather game if I need to. If it’s sunny out tomorrow, I’m going to have to shift gears again.”

Baker hopes for another banner day at Beaver

Normally, finishing in second place after a hard day of FLW competition is something worth celebrating. However, for Joel Baker of Talala, Okla., it only means that another sleepless night is in the offing.

“I call myself the `one-day wonder’ because I’ve had a hard time stringing together two good days in a row,” said Baker, who turned in a very respectable 14-pound, 7-ounce sack. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m very excited. But the celebration can wait until I do well over the whole tournament. It’s definitely an honor to be here and do this well. But I’ve got to stay calm. I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep tonight.”

Baker, who employed a Carolina rig and a crankbait to land the majority of today’s catch, said that having multiple patterns is crucial in a tournament like this.

“You really have to have at least two patterns completely figured out to do well,” said Baker. “Right now, I’m throwing a crankbait early in the morning, and then I’m going with a Carolina rig later in the day. Hopefully, if all goes well, I can put another good limit together tomorrow.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top five pros in today’s competition were Scott Martin (third) of Clewiston, Fla., with a catch of 13 pounds, 12 ounces; Jim Tutt (fourth) of Longview, Texas, with a catch of 13 pounds, 8 ounces; and Eric Holt (fifth) of Galena, Mo., with a catch of 13 pounds, 4 ounces.

Peter Wenners of Galena, Mo., won the day’s Snicker’s Big-Bass Award after netting a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass. Wenners, who won $1,250 for his catch, finished the day in 63rd place.

Greer uses `local knowledge’ to net co-angler lead

Despite losing a 4-pound bass in today’s competition, Kelly Greer of Green Forest, Ark., managed to remain focused long enough to land an 11-pound, 9-ounce stringer – a reward good enough for a first-place finish in the Co-angler Division.

“Even though I broke off that fish, I had a great day and a lot of fun,” said Greer. “I’m excited, but I sure don’t want to mess up this opportunity tomorrow. I’ll probably need two or three more fish to make sure that I make the cut.”

Greer said that he and his pro partner targeted steep banks with pea gravel to land the majority of their catch.

“I picked up a jerkbait that was a little different than my pro, and I wound up throwing that bait all day,” said Greer. “But the key for us was fishing very slowly. The longer you could let your bait sit there, the better.”

Greer said his familiarity with Beaver Lake also aided his cause.

“I fish this lake a lot, so I’m pretty familiar with it,” he said. “And I think that really helped me out today.”

Greer also captured the day’s big-bass award in the Co-angler Division after netting a 4-pound, 4-ounce bass. Greer won a $750 check for his efforts.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Greg Gulledge (second) of Monticello, Ark., with a catch of 10 pounds, 3 ounces; Lonnie Fuller Jr. (third) of Hemphill, Texas, with a catch of 9 pounds, 12 ounces; Jim Blake (fourth) of Lincoln, Neb., with a catch of 9 pounds, 11 ounces; and Brian Kingsley (fifth) of Lawrence, Kan., with a catch of 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 6:30 a.m. at the Prairie Creek Marina, located at 1 Prairie Creek Marina Drive in Rogers, Ark.

Click the link for a preview of day two.