Catching Ken
Ellis will be hard to catch on day four
MANNING, S.C. – Ken Ellis of Bowman, S.C., is a hard angler to beat on any given day on Santee Cooper lakes. Give him nearly a 9-pound lead going into the final day of a four day event at Santee and suddenly the up hill climb to catch Ken becomes a lot steeper.
Chances are Ellis would have even a wider lead by now if it were not for boat complications this week.
Due to a funny noise in his outboard the last day of practice, Ellis opted to borrow a boat for the first day of the event. But the battery in the borrowed boat was completely dead, which prohibited him from going to his best fish on Lake Moultrie in the Bonneau area on day one.
“The battery issue probably got in my head a little more than it should have,” Ellis said. “I only had 11 and a half pounds that first day and Joseph Kremer, who was just behind me in the points had 28 pounds, so I was a little shaken up.”
But those who know the steady, easy going Ken Ellis know he does not stay rattled for long.
“On day two, I got my head back on straight,” he said. “I had a 9-pound fish on bed that I was saving, but I decided to catch her to get me back on track.”
Catching that monster bass proved to be problematic.
“I ran right to her the second day,” Ellis recalled. “The very first cast, she bit and I lost her. The very next cast, I broke her off. And just when I started to wonder if I was ever going to get a break in this tournament, she bit again and I caught her.”
That bass took the day-two big bass award at 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
“Ever since then, I’ve gotten back on track,” he said. “The fish are moving into my areas and setting up on the stuff exactly the way I want them to. So today should be okay.”
Ellis has been fishing Santee Cooper for 32 years and this is certainly not his first rodeo here.
His Stren Series record on Santee Cooper is impressive. He has finished 8th, 7th, 6th, 4rth, 2nd twice and has one win.
Today, he is looking to make it two wins and to clench the Southeastern Division points title.
Other anglers have quite a ways to go to catch Ken.
Pedigree Pro Greg Pugh, who is some 13 pounds behind Ellis has a plan to reel him in, though.
“This is it right here boys,” said Pugh as he broke out a giant 7-inch Torra Tube on the take-off dock this morning.
Pugh’s fellow top 10 competitors only laughed at Pugh’s outlandish bait.
“Okay, go ahead laugh now,” said Pugh as he put his Torra Tube away, “All I can tell you is you won’t think it’s so funny this afternoon at weigh-in.”
Take-off conditions at the John C. Land III landing were cool and calm this morning, but forecasts are calling for fierce winds by this afternoon.
The final weigh-in of the top 10 pros and co-anglers will take place at the Manning Wal-Mart Supercenter at 4 p.m. The free Family Fun Zone opens at 2 p.m.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:57 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 53 degrees
Expected high temperature: 80 degrees
Water temperature: 58-62 degrees
Forecasted winds: SSE 15 to 25 mph
Day’s outlook: sunny and windy