First Timothy
Auburn, Ala., pro Timothy Williams takes slim 1-ounce lead at Stren Southeast event on Lake Eufaula
EUFAULA, Ala. – It was something of a flip-flop day on day two of the Stren Series Southeast Division event on Lake Eufaula. Yesterday was a tough one, as a cold front and lowering water levels made the bite a challenge for most pros. However, things were predicted to be better today, with air temperatures in the 70s yesterday warming the water temperature several degrees. But judging by the numbers, which are eerily similar to yesterday’s, things were just as tough today as they were on day one.
Yesterday, the pro field caught 476 fish and followed that up today with 463. But many of the anglers who had a good day yesterday struggled today, and quite a few anglers who had a tough go of it yesterday came back today with solid weights. Only four pros from yesterday’s top-10 field retained that status today.
On the co-angler side, however, more fish were caught today than yesterday, and it was a back-of-the-boat angler today who brought in the heaviest bass of the tournament by a mile. The 8-pound, 9-ouncer was caught by co-angler Donald Roberts, who moved from 96th to fifth on the strength of three big bass.
Back to the pros, it was one of yesterday’s top-10 anglers, Timothy Williams of Auburn, Ala., who moved into first place today with a limit weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces. He ended day one in second place with 17-14, and his day-two limit brought his two-day total to 32 pounds, which leads the No. 2 pro by only an ounce. Though he moved up the leaderboard and took the lead, Williams’ day-two catch was almost 4 pounds lighter than his day-one limit.
“The water was being pulled down, and I had to relocate my fish,” Williams said. “They had moved about a hundred yards. Once I found them, I used the same pattern I did yesterday.”
On day one, Williams reported using crankbaits and jigs in shallow water. He plans to continue that same pattern tomorrow, but assuming he makes Saturday’s final round, he plans to change some things and fall back on patterns he is familiar with thanks to his experience fishing Lake Eufaula.
“I’m giving the water upriver a chance to clear out,” he said. “(Saturday) I’ll get upriver and fish some holes that I predominantly fish this time of year.”
Ingram jumps from 20th to second
A scant ounce behind Williams is Ryan Ingram of Phenix City, Ala., whose day-one catch of 13 pounds, 14 ounces was improved today, as he brought in a limit weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce for a two-day total of 31 pounds, 15 ounces.
Ingram is perhaps the luckiest angler in the top 10, as he got only five bites today and brought them all in. If he manages to bring them in tomorrow, it’ll really be something to brag about.
“I’ve been running from the mud and going south, south, south, and the mud keeps going farther out,” Ingram said. “By the morning, the mud will be on the other end of the lake, and I’ll be out of places to fish. I got lucky today.”
He reported tough conditions out there today, and when asked to explain, he said simply, “The fish weren’t biting.”
In nine FLW Outdoors events, Ingram, who is a Lake Eufaula native, has finished in the top 10 here three times. He is the defending champion of this event.
Draime makes a leap to third
In third place with a two-day total of 30 pounds, 7 ounces is Jesse Draime of Long Beach, Miss. Draime ended day one in 26th place with 13 pounds, 4 ounces and improved his catch today, bringing in 17 pounds 3 ounces to land in third. For him the difference was in the number of bites.
“You’ve just got to get some bites,” Draime said. “I got four bites yesterday and six today, but I missed one.”
Draime said that the key for his bite was to present the bait to the fish very slowly.
“I’m fishing really slow, and the water is warming up,” he said. “They pull this water at night, and when they shut it off in the morning, all that muddy water goes back into the creek. It’s tough. I’m fishing slow, and I’m fishing the thickest stuff I can find.”
Worthington, Ormand round out top five
In fourth place with 29 pounds, 12 ounces over two days is Ryan Worthington of Middleburg, Fla. Worthington declined to be interviewed for this story.
Behind him in fifth is Alex Ormand of Bessemer City, N.C. He caught 11 pounds, 13 ounces of Eufaula bass on day one to end the day in 43rd and made a considerable leap today with a limit weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces. That brought his two-day total catch to 29 pounds, 5 ounces.
“The fish are doing what I think they should be doing – they’re moving up,” Ormand said. “Today I had to move out deeper because they’re pulling water so hard. I had half as many bites; they were just a whole lot bigger.”
Ormand also cited heavy traffic and crowding as another reason why the bite was tougher. He estimates his chances of catching good bass the next two days at 50/50.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day two on Lake Eufaula:
6th: Koby Kreiger, Okeechobee, Fla., 10 bass, 27-11
7th: Allan Glasgow, Ashville, Ala., 10 bass, 27-9
8th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., eight bass, 27-4
9th: Ken Ellis, Bowman, S.C., 10 bass, 26-14
10th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 26-13
Co-angler Hults leads his own brother by nearly 10 pounds
Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., slayed the co-angler competition today, following up his day-one catch of 13-9 with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 3 ounces that brought his two-day total to 29 pounds, 12 ounces, putting him in a 9-pound, 15-ounce lead over his nearest competition, which just happens to be his brother Chris.
Hults demonstrated his remarkable ability to adapt, bringing in bass that weighed as much as 6 pounds, 10 ounces by using completely different baits than he did yesterday, when he ended the day in second.
His 16-pound, 3-ounce catch was the heaviest co-angler stringer of the tournament thus far, and Hults modestly said he just got lucky.
“I caught them on crankbaits and spinnerbaits today and worms and jerkbaits yesterday,” he said. “I caught them all on different baits than I did yesterday. I just got lucky.”
Hults reported nearly identical conditions today, though he fished a totally different spot.
“I’ll try to make adjustments tomorrow like I did today,” he said. “The guy today fished all new water than I did yesterday.”
In fact, making adjustments is what Hults said is the key to success like his from the back of the boat.
“I just try to make adjustments,” he said. “My brother and I practice, and it makes a difference not having to rely on what they tell you from the front of the boat.”
The Hults fishing family includes another brother, Matt, who finished first in the 2006 Southeast Division co-angler points standings. Who was in second? His brother Alan, of course.
Chris Hults takes four fish to second place
Alan’s brother Chris Hults of Vancleave, Miss., caught 10-7 yesterday, but brought in only four today weighing 9-6 that brought his two-day total to 19 pounds, 13 ounces, still good for second. He ended day one in ninth place.
“It was good,” he said of his day-two experience. “I missed one big fish, and that hurt me. I caught four today, and I’m happy.”
Like his brother, Chris Hults fished different lures today than he did yesterday. He concedes that his brother is putting a hurting on not only him but the rest of the field.
“I’ve got a lot of ground to make up, but I feel blessed,” he said.
Zadlo jumps from 40th to third
Co-angler Butch Zadlo of Boone, N.C., caught only 4 pounds, 9 ounces yesterday, but brought in a sack today that tipped the scales to 13 pounds, 6 ounces to move from 40th to third with a two-day total catch of 17 pounds, 15 ounces. Interestingly enough, his stringer today contained only four bass, one shy of the tournament limit.
“I had a good day,” Zadlo said. “It was slow this morning, but about 12 o’clock, we hit a pocket of fish, and within half an hour, I had those four.”
Also making Zadlo’s success all the more remarkable is that he caught them relatively deep. The majority of the field is hunting shallow water for spawning bass.
“They looked like postspawners,” Zadlo said of his day-two catch. “Today we fished deeper – 7 to 10 feet. I caught them on a Carolina rig.”
Broughton, Roberts round out top five
In fourth place is yesterday’s No. 5 co-angler Ben Broughton of Day, Fla., with a two-day total catch of 17 pounds, 15 ounces. He caught 12 pounds, 8 ounces on day one, but had a tougher day today, bringing in only two that clocked in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces.
“It’s the same deal, just a different person,” Broughton said onstage. “You just have to put your head down and go fishing. That’s all you can do.”
Behind him in fifth is Donald Roberts of Riverside, Ala., and Roberts is also another one of the day-two success stories, following up his day-one catch of 1 pound, 15 ounces with three bass weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces. With that catch he moved from 96th to fifth, and the bag included the tournament’s heaviest bass so far, an enormous 8-pound, 9-ouncer.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers after day two on Lake Eufaula:
6th: Wayne Frierson, Manning, S.C., seven bass, 17-4
7th: Earl Ellerbee Jr., Lake Placid, Fla., six bass, 17-4
8th: Jason Ober, Johnstown, Pa., seven bass, 16-8
9th: Robert Mulleins, Cumberland, Va., seven bass, 16-6
10th: Rob Boyer, Lawrenceville, Ga., five bass, 16-3
The full field will compete again tomorrow, with competition beginning with a 6:30 a.m. takeoff from Lakepoint State Park on Highway 431 in Eufaula. Tomorrow’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. CST at the state park, following which the pro and co-angler fields will be cut to the top 10 based on cumulative three-day weights.