Moody obliterates pro field to capture lead on Pickwick
Hamilton snares first place in Co-angler Division
FLORENCE, Ala. – With a strict 15-inch catch requirement in place, anglers knew they were going to have a difficult time coming up with quality keeper bites on the opening day of the $250,000 EverStart Central Division event at Pickwick Lake. However, chances are they didn’t think it’d be this tough. By the time Wednesday’s weigh-in had finally concluded, a mere seven anglers out of 396 competitors managed to bring a five-fish limit to the scales.
However, while many anglers struggled mightily to bring in fish, any fish at all, over 15 inches, Sam Moody of Athens, Ala., made today’s contest look like a casual walk in McFarland Park. In fact, Moody’s eye-popping catch of 24 pounds, 5 ounces trounced the rest of the field – coming in nearly 10 pounds higher than the second-best stringer recorded over the entire tournament to date. In short, Moody’s fishing display – which had many of his fellow competitors shaking their heads in disbelief – turned out to be nothing short of total domination.
“It feels great. The good Lord really smiled on me today,” said Moody. “You never expect to have this kind of day. You go out there and hope to catch 16, 17 pounds if you’re lucky and try to make the cut. But honestly, I didn’t expect this.”
To make matters more depressing for the competition was the fact that Moody had a full limit in the boat before most anglers had even made a cast.
“At about 7:30 I caught my first fish,” said Moody, who tallied a mixed bag of four smallmouth bass and one largemouth during today’s competition. “In short succession, I had a limit over the next 35 minutes. The spot where I caught all my fish is a place known for a good early morning bite. And once we got there, we knew we’re going to have a good day.”
Not surprisingly, Moody cut his day short.
“I came in early because I wanted to make sure I got to the weigh-in on time,” he said. “I’ve had enough blown engines in the past to know that the smartest thing to do was to come in as early as I could.”
Although Moody had less than 10 hours of practice coming into the tournament on Pickwick Lake, he said that is about to change.
“Right now, I think I pretty much have enough fish to make the cut,” said Moody, who would only reveal that he fished entirely on Pickwick Lake with only one bait. “So I plan on practicing all day tomorrow and start looking for new spots for Friday and Saturday. If I catch a couple of fish in the process, that’s great. But if I don’t, I think I’ll be okay.”
Then, after thinking it over, Moody quickly amended his answer.
“Maybe I’ll try to catch one more,” he conceded. “Just to be sure.”
Best of the rest
Joe Bennett of Independence, Mo., used a solid 14-pound, 8-ounce catch to grab second place overall in the Pro Division. Meanwhile, Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, recorded a 14-pound, 6-ounce catch to snag third place. Shaffer also won the day’s big-bass award in the Pro Division after netting a 7-pound, 8-ounce largemouth good enough for $750.
Rounding out the top five pro competitors are Leon Tidwell (fourth) of Muscle Shoals, Ala., with a catch of 13 pounds, 7 ounces and William Davis (fifth) of Russellville, Ala., with a catch of 13 pounds, 6 ounces.
Hamilton takes over top spot in Co-angler Division
Co-angler Ernie Hamilton made sure that he saved the best for last. As one of the final co-anglers to weigh in, Hamilton didn’t disappoint, bringing an 11-pound, 10-ounce stringer to the scales to secure first place overall. However, the resident of Prairieville, La., acknowledged that his day on the water wasn’t easy.
“It was really tough getting big bites today,” said Hamilton. “But I have to give a lot of credit to my pro partner. We hit about six to eight spots and, at each location, we probably caught one or two fish. We fished as hard as we could all day. And even then I could only come up with a four-fish limit.”
Despite the difficult fishing conditions, Hamilton said that his main goal is to keep having fun.
“I had a great time today and my goal is to just relax and keep having fun for the rest of the tournament,” he said. “I was very fortunate today. But when your partner is that confident that what he has is working, it makes it a lot easier on the co-angler.”
Hamilton said that he fished crankbaits all day, targeting the deep water of Pickwick Lake. He also argued that many anglers may have been hurt by trying to run all the way to Wilson Lake.
“I fished Pickwick Lake, and it sound like (Moody) fished Pickwick as well,” he said. “That probably helped us. Because when the bite is this tough, you really have to spend a lot more time on the water. I think the guys that ran all the way to Wilson just didn’t have as much time to fish and maybe that hurt them some.”
Best of the rest
Emmet Barnett of Waldron, Ark., finished the day in second place in the Co-angler Division after landing a total catch of 11 pounds, 10 ounces.
“I’ve always had a tough time here on Pickwick, but my partner said he was on fish and he was right,” said Barnett. “I had a great time out there. I just hope I can keep it up tomorrow.”
Chris Perkins of Florence, Ala., used a catch of 10 pounds, 4 ounces to finish in third place.
Nathan Tully of Peggs, Okla., finished the first day of competition in fourth place after landing a total catch of 9 pounds, 6 ounces. Tully also netted the day’s big-bass award in the Co-angler Division after recording a whopping 5-pound, 12-ounce largemouth. His fish was good enough for a check for $250.
Brad Wiegmann of Springdale, Ark., finished the day in fifth place after recording a total catch of 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
Pros and co-anglers will be able to add Wednesday’s catch to tomorrow’s stringer to come up with the best two-day limit possible. However, only the top 20 anglers from each division with the best combined stringers will be invited to fish in Friday’s seimfinals.
EverStart action continues at tomorrow’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 6 a..m. Central time at McFarland Park located on James M. Spain Drive in Florence, Ala.