From Hudson to Gaston: Gluszek still gunning

New Jersey pro rides wave of momentum into Stren Series lead on Lake Gaston

BRACEY, Va. – Just three weeks ago, Pete Gluszek of Franklinville, N.J., crushed the competition at the Stren Series event on the Hudson River, winning the tournament by 17 pounds, 13 ounces, the largest margin of victory every recorded by a Stren Series pro.

Since then Gluszek has been dying to fish another tournament, knowing that in the topsy-turvy world of tournament bass fishing, you have to strike while the iron is hot. And right now, Gluszek is hot.

Today he brought in 17 pounds, 6 ounces to take the day-one lead in the Stren Series Northern Division event on Lake Gaston.

“It’s just one of those things that’s hard to explain: I’m in the zone,” said an elated Gluszek at weigh-in. “I don’t understand it; I don’t even pretend to understand it, but I’m happy to be there, and I hope it keeps going.

“It’s so indescribable. I just have this feeling everywhere I go that I’m going to catch a big fish … and it happens. It’s like being in a dream, and you don’t want to wake up. It’s one of the great mysteries of fishing that keep us all in the game.”

Just like at the Hudson event, Gluszek could do no wrong today. Everywhere he went and everything he threw, the fish were just waiting to jump on his lure.

“Once I got to 15 pounds, I started to lay off my best water and do some others things to kind of practice for tomorrow, and I still kept catching and culling – it’s just amazing,” he added.

Gluszek estimates he caught two limits of fish today by fishing shallow docks, rocks and grass, and he seldom repeated on any water.

“It’s not like I’ve found one group of fish in a single area,” Gluszek said. “I may have gone back through one area today; but other than that, I’m rolling along, covering a lot of water and looking for new opportunities.”

Balog, Baumgardner tied for second

Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Ohio, and Snickers pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., are tied for second with 15 pounds, 12 ounces apiece. But what is interesting is that they are both working completely different patterns.

Balog, who has enjoyed a solid Stren Series season in the Northern Division, is fishing offshore structure.

“I had a fantastic day,” Balog said. “Everything went well. I probably caught seven keepers and lost one great big one, but I’m not going to dwell on it. I need the sunshine to put the fish where I want them. It was cloudy this morning, but when the skies broke this afternoon and the sun came out, things starting clicking.”

Balog is in high spirits because he enjoys fishing this part of the country at this time of year.

“This is my favorite way to fish,” he added. “This is absolutely my favorite part of the world this time of year – the mid-South in the fall – there is no other place I’d rather be.”

Meanwhile, Baumgardner, who has also been on a fish-catching roll in 2007, is up around the bank playing the part of a shallow-water hound.

“It was just one of those days where everything fell into place and my timing was right,” Baumgardner said. “Everywhere I went and everything I threw, I caught fish; I could do no wrong.”

Baumgardner banged four nice keepers on a buzzbait right off the bat this morning. Then he switched to a ChatterBait to finish his limit and cull up. Late this afternoon, he picked up a deep-diving crankbait and caught his best fish weighing 5 pounds.

“Like I said, as soon as I would switch areas or pick up a new bait, I’d catch another good fish,” he added. “It was the kind of day you live for out here.”

Defoe fourth

Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn., holds down the fourth-place position with 15 pounds, 7 ounces.

Defoe experienced a bassing windfall this morning when he pulled up to one of his better stretches and caught a limit in 20 minutes.

“I used just one bait in one area,” he said. “Once I got a limit, I put on the brakes a little because it’s one of the only really good areas I’ve got. I only practiced for one day, so I don’t have a whole lot of places saved.”

Defoe’s biggest fish, in the 5-pound category, came later in the day from a different area.

“I hope the clouds stay around,” he added. “I think that heavy overcast really helped me this morning.”

Wright fifth

Anyone who follows bass fishing closely does not need to ask what David Wright of Lexington, N.C., caught his fifth-place limit on today.

The crankbait fanatic wound in 15 pounds, 1 ounce on his favorite Zoom wooden “plug” from offshore structure, culling four times.

“I probably hit about 15 to 18 places today,” Wright said. “Most of those places are just one-fish, two-fish type places; it’s not like I sit there and wind them in one after another. I did catch three fish off one spot today, which is rare.”

Wright claims he has posted the biggest number he can come up with.

“I might be able to catch 10 or 11 pounds a day for the next three days, but if the leaders keep catching 15 pounds a day, I can’t match that – I just don’t have enough places to keep doing that for four days in a row.”

Big bass

Pepcid pro Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa., caught the Snickers Big Bass in the Pro Division, weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros in the Stren Series Northern Division event on Lake Gaston after day one:

6th: Stephen Strickland of Winterville, N.C., five bass, 14-6

7th: Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa., five bass, 13-13

8th: Dustin Wilks of Rocky Mount, N.C., five bass, 13-10

9th: Todd Sumner of Southern Pines, N.C., five bass, 12-15

10th: Thomas Wooten of Huddleston, Va., five bass, 12-14

Guilliams leads co-anglers

Gary Guilliams of Troutville, Va., sacked up four bass for 11 pounds, 11 ounces to take the co-angler lead on day one of the Stren Series event on Lake Gaston.

Guilliams fished with pro Wes Kemper of Ohio.

“My pro was on some quality fish, and I managed to get a few bites behind him,” Guilliams said. “I only had four, but they were all good, solid fish. We just had a great day of fishing.”

Rest of the best

Derek Moyer of Alexandria, Va., is in second place with a 10 pounds, 7 ounces.

Lynn Baciuska of Afton, N.Y., and Dave King of Clewiston, Fla., are tied for third with 10 pounds, 6 ounces each.

Edward Piwonski of Granby, Conn., rounds out the top five with 10 pounds, 4 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers in the Stren Series Northern Division event on Lake Gaston after day one:

6th: Paul Mueller of Southbury, Conn., five bass, 10-2

7th: Jason Sherwood of Damascus, Md., five bass, 9-9

8th: Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Va., five bass, 9-7

8th: Tim Staton of Appomattox, Va., five bass, 9-7

10th: Brad Pegram of Henderson, N.C., five bass, 9-5

Big bass

William Green of Auburn, N.Y., caught the Snickers Big Bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces.

Day two of the Stren Series event on Lake Gaston begins at Thursday morning at 7 at Americamps, located at 9 Lakeside Lane in Bracey, Va.