Monsoor grabs day-one lead at Kentucky Lake

Tom Monsoor of Lacrosse, Wisc., shows off part of his 20-pound, 3-ounce stringer. Monsoor finished the day in first place in the Pro Division on Kentucky Lake. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Tom Monsoor.

May 14, 2003 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Goeke snares top spot in Co-angler Division

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Fishing in his very first season on the FLW Tour, pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., used the only 20-pound stringer of the day to grab control of the leaderboard heading into tomorrow’s competition. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. After recording subpar finishes in the previous two FLW events, the veteran angler of the EverStart Northern Division said today’s finish gave him a much-needed boost of confidence.

“It feels great, great, great,” said Monsoor, who ultimately recorded a 20-pound, 3-ounce catch. “I had two bad tournaments in a row, and I just couldn’t understand it. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. But today, it all worked out the way it’s supposed to. Finally, I feel like everything is back to normal.”

Although Monsoor lost two fish early on, he said he couldn’t be happier with today’s final outdome.

“After takeoff, I made about a half-hour run,” he said. “Thirty minutes later I had my limit. And if I didn’t lose those two fish, I could have done even better. But I’m happy. I still can’t believe I finished in first. This is the first time I’ve ever done that on this tour.”

Although Monsoor used a combination of baits including Rat-L-Traps, Carolina rigs and buzzbaits, he said that he landed the majority of his catch fishing a special homemade jig.

“I caught most of my fish swimming a jig in about 6 to 8 feet of water,” he said. “The fish were staying near the weeds and coontails. The fish really seemed to love those coontails.”

Monsoor said he doesn’t plan on making any major changes tomorrow in his quest to qualify for the semifinals.

“Assuming the wind doesn’t blow, I’m going to stick with the same game plan tomorrow,” said Monsoor, who believes that it will take 33 pounds to make the two-day cut. “I really want to make the top 10 because that means everything to me. After that, the pressure is off.”

Best of the rest

Terry Baksay of Monroe, Conn., finished the day in second place after recording a healthy 19-pound, 9-ounce stringer.

Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., wound up in third place after netting a total catch of 19 pounds, 8 ounces – one of his best day-one showings on the FLW Tour the entire year.

“I really like to fish fast, and when the lake is this high, you can get away fishing like that,” said VanDam.

Rounding out the top five pro finishers were Tracy Adams (fourth) of Wilkesboro, N.C., with a catch of 19 pounds, 1 ounce; and Cody Bird (fifth) of Granbury, Texas, with a catch of 18 pounds, 5 ounces.

Bird also won the Snicker’s Big Bass Award after netting a 6-pound, 10-ounce largemouth. Bird won $750 for his efforts.

Goeke finds new friend in form of Superglue

Bud Goeke of Pinckneyville, Ill., used a 16-pound, 7-ounce catch to land in first place in the Co-angler Division. However, had he not discovered the virtues of Super Glue, he said he might not have any shot at winning the tournament.

“I’m sponsored by Mismo lures, and before the tournament they gave me tube baits in four new colors to try out on this lake,” he said. “I put on a tube in a watermelon and black-purple flake color, and the fish really hit it. But when you set the hook, the tubes tear. I only had one package because they are a new color. And as the day went on, I started to run out.

“But luckily, I learned a trick that really helps,” Goeke continued. “If you take Superglue, you can put the ripped pieces of the tube back together. The tubes gets a little hard in the area where you glue it, but it works pretty well. I think I’m going to be using a lot of glue this tournament.”

Thanks to the glue and some skilled partners, Goeke believes he has a real shot at advancing.

“I feel pretty good about my chances,” said Goeke, who used a flipping technique around isolated bushes in about 6 to 8 feet of water to land most of his catch. “I’ve been in this position a number of times before, and it always feels good when you know your next day’s partner is on fish. Because of that, I think my chances of making the cut are really good. As long as I don’t screw up tomorrow, I think I’ll be okay.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Randall Green (second) of Braselton, Ga., with a catch of 16 pounds, 1 ounce; Elden Cox (third) of Lexington, Ky., with a catch of 15 pounds, 14 ounces; Steve Simer (fourth) of Pardeeville, Wis., with a catch of 14 pounds, 11 ounces; and Quint Bourgeois (fifth) of Knoxville, Tenn., with a catch of 14 pounds, 3 ounces.

Ryan Chandler won the day’s big-bass award in the Co-angler Division after recording a 6-pound, 4-ounce largemouth. Chandler, who finished the day in 11th place, won $500 for his catch.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 6:30 a.m. at Kentucky Dam Marina, located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville, Ky.

Click here for a preview of day two.