Arey on top in Co-angler Division

Twenty-four co-anglers survive brutal conditions to fish Friday in FLW Championship

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Pros call fishing on Lake Hamilton “tough,” but for the co-anglers fishing used water behind the pros, “brutal” might be a better word.

Thursday, 24 co-anglers made the cut to advance to Friday’s final round where the weights will be zeroed and the winning co-angler will pocket $25,000. The weight needed to make that top-24 cut was a scant 3 pounds, 5 ounces for two days of fishing.

After weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces yesterday, Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C., brought in four bass weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces today to take the Co-angler Division lead with a two-day total of 8 pounds, 11 ounces.

“You just have to be persistent,” said Arey, who fished with Toshinari Namiki today. “It’s hot, at times, down right miserable, but you have to be ready for that single bite at any time. You can’t slack off for a moment or you might miss the one keeper that could make the difference.

“Yesterday, I fished with Dean Rojas, and due to the way he was fishing, he was tight to the bank all day,” he continued. “I pitched a baby brush hog to a laydown 3 feet from the boat and a 3-pounder inhaled it – you just never know when it’s going to happen.”

Today, Arey fished a finesse worm behind Namiki to collect his four keepers.

“We were fishing deep brush piles, so it was a little easier,” he said. “But you still have to be on your toes at all times.”

Burroughs slips to second

After leading yesterday, Russell Burroughs of Jacksonville, Ala., brought in one fish today and is in second place with a two-day total of 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

That’s fine with Burroughs, though, as he is fishing for the big money tomorrow.

“You never know what you’re going to doing out here,” he said. “Yesterday it was deep brush; today it was schooling bass. You have to be ready for anything.”

Bain buckles down for third

Kim Bain of Australia is in third place with a two-day total of 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

Tough fishing is Bain’s forte.

“It seems like when we go to places where everyone is bringing in big sacks, I don’t do as well,” she said. “But when we go to places where it’s ultratough, that’s when I shine.”

Bain’s first American fishing experiences were on Western lakes where finesse fishing is king.

“When I came to the U.S. five years ago, I did my first bass fishing on the deep, clear impoundments in the West,” she said. “So I feel comfortable here finesse fishing in this hot weather with such a tough bite.”

Brunaugh fourth

David Brunaugh of Carbondale, Ill., is in fourth place with a two-day total of 7 pounds, 2 ounces.

Versatility has been the key to Brunaugh’s consistent catches.

“I’ve caught them on a Pop-R, a swimming jig and a spinnerbait the last two days,” he said. “I’m not really dialed in on one particular lure. I caught some finesse fish in practice, but my pro partners have been fishing every where, so I’m changing baits to fit the cover they are fishing.”

Meyer fifth

Hunting down his second co-angler win of the season is Frank Meyer of Marianna, Fla. He caught one bass today and is in fifth place with a two-day total of 6 pounds, 15 ounces.

“I figured I had enough to make the top-24 cut with yesterday’s weight, so I just kind of practiced today.”

How exactly does a co-angler practice during a tournament?

“I used the day to experiment with some other lures and techniques,” he said. “I tried topwater, spinnerbaits and flukes. I want to keep them honest and make sure there is not some other pattern developing under my nose.”

Parnell: zero to hero

Yesterday Rick Parnell of Castleberry, Fla., came to the scales empty-handed – as in no keepers. Zero … zilch … nada.

But Parnell, an FLW Tour veteran who is fishing his eighth championship, simply smiled and said, “I’ll get them tomorrow.”

And he was right.

Parnell brought in the biggest co-angler limit of the day – 6 pounds, 13 ounces – to move from nowhere to sixth place.

The difference?

“I listened to my wife,” he said of the advice he received from his favorite fishing partner, Mary Parnell, another well-known FLW Tour co-angler. “She told me what to throw yesterday, and I didn’t really do it. So today I threw it a lot more, and it worked, of course.”

Mary’s directive included fishing a Buzz Gator, a lure similar to a Horny Toad used to buzz the surface.

“I caught three on the Buzz Gator and two on a drop-shot,” he said.

So what’s he going to use tomorrow?

“Whatever Mary tells me to use,” he quipped.

Rest of the best

Bob Bjorklund of Aurora, Colo., is in seventh place with a two-day total of 6 pounds, 3 ounces.

Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., is in eighth place with a two-day total of 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

Robert Blosser of Poynette, Wis., is in ninth place with a two-day total of 5 pounds, 15 ounces.

Greg Lineberry of Galax, Va., is in 10th place with a two-day total of 5 pounds, 13 ounces.