There are plenty of heavy hitters anted up to cast for a share of the $900,000 purse in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour event slated for May 12-15 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes near Benton, Ky. But it’s Dan Morehead that has to rank as the most likely candidate to fill the clean-up slot.

Morehead has been fishing the popular impoundments for more than three decades, and he knows them as well as anyone. More importantly, he’s won there before – many times.

The Paducah, Ky., pro was somewhat reluctant to predict a single pattern that might lead to the winner’s circle, because there are several that pack plenty of potential. If this May is like most, he thinks the tournament will be won shallow – 3 feet deep or less – by the angler who stumbles across the mother lode buried up in Kentucky Lake’s labyrinth of shoreline cover.

“Personally, I’d prefer it if the fish were on the river ledges, where you could catch them casting a big crankbait or jig, but I’m betting that won’t be the case,” he said. “I’ll go ahead and go out on a limb and say the tournament will probably be won out of the bushes (willows and buck brush), and more than likely on a jig. If the water is up and stable and the fish are up shallow feeding where everybody can catch them, it could get really ugly really quick.”