Hopkins delivers again, retains pro lead at Lake Texoma

Middleton holds on to co-angler top spot in Stren Texas

DENISON, Texas – Most anglers would love to have a “bad” day like the one that allowed Mounds, Okla., pro Ronnie Hopkins Jr. to remain in the top spot at the Stren Series Texas Division event Thursday on Lake Texoma.

Following his 17-pound, 14-ounce performance on day one, Hopkins turned in 15-8 today. His expression of discontent prompted Tournament Director Ron Lappin to tease, “This is what he calls a `bad’ day!”

Actually, Hopkins wasn’t complaining – only lamenting lost opportunities to build an even bigger lead than his current 6-pound, 14-ounce margin over second-place Douglas Jones of Fort Gibson, Okla. “If I had caught all my bites, I could have had 20 pounds today.”

Telling a common tale of plans interrupted by high winds and extremely rough water, Hopkins said: “I had to change up today. My fish from yesterday weren’t there, so I had to move around and find some more. I had to get out of the wind – it was blowing so hard it muddied up all my banks.

“By 11 o’clock, I only had one fish, so I got on some (similar) banks that didn’t have as much wind on them, and I caught six keepers in about 10 minutes. My co-angler caught four, and then they shut off on us. I tried one more spot and caught another 4-pounder.”

Hopkins said he caught all of his fish on the same crankbait he threw on day one. By early afternoon, he’d had enough of the wind, so Hopkins headed back to port around 1 o’clock and fished out the rest of his day close to the ramp.

His day-three prediction: “I think I can catch a limit of 11 to 13 pounds. Like today, I’m going to have to get lucky and get a couple good bites to have any more than that.”

Jones leaves tie behind

Rising from a three-way tie for third on day one, Jones took second place by nearly mirroring his opening-round weight of 13-5 with today’s 13-3. For him, fishing in conditions as harsh as Thursday’s comes down to will power.

“Persistence is the key,” he said. “The fish are in there – they turn on and turn off. You just have to work hard and stay after them.”

Fishing within a protected creek, Jones targeted brush piles in 2 to 5 feet of water with jigs.

Big bass, big winds

Stiff winds persisted the entire day, and with white caps dotting the Hiport Marina basin, the FLW tournament crew had to remove the Yamaha tent that usually covers the weigh-in line to keep it from blowing into the water.

Robert McFarlane (seventh place) caught the biggest bass of day two, a 5-15, to win the $218 Snickers Big Bass prize. After spinning a hub on day one, more motor problems compelled him to cut his second day short to ensure an on-time arrival. While on the water, McFarlane struggled with the blustery conditions.

“That wind really gave me a hard time today,” he said. “Even though I was back in a cove, the wind was still a problem.”

Steve Roberts of Fort Smith, Ark., found fish by targeting the downwind side of points. Enduring a brutal ride and covering water was his unavoidable penance. “We ran about 30 miles, and it just beat us to death. We just kept going from point to point to point. I’ve never worked so hard for five fish before.”

Fortunately, winds are forecasted to decrease Friday. However, the water will remain shaken, stirred and twisted. Anglers will probably face more challenges as they seek areas into which bass have retreated.

Rest of the best

Craig Hatchel of Whitesboro, Texas, slipped a spot from day one and ended day two in third place with 25-9. Russel Cecil of Willis, Texas, improved from 10th to fourth with 25-7, while Denison’s Ryan Lovelace climbed 19 spots to fifth with 23-3.

Rounding out the top 10 pro leaders at the Stren Series Texas event on Lake Texoma:

6th: Bradley Hallman of Norman, Okla., 23-1

7th: Robert McFarlane of San Antonio, Texas, 22-14

8th: Lendell Martin, Jr. of Nacogdoches, Texas, 22-13

9th: Ron Hopkins, Sr. of Mounds, Okla., 22-7

10th: Robert Case of Point, Texas, 22-1

Middleton maintains co-angler lead despite lower catch

Yet another victim of the wind, Elgin, Okla., co-angler Bo Middleton followed his day-one weight of 13 pounds, 10 ounces with just 5-2 on day two. Nevertheless, his two-day total of 18-12 gives him more than a 3-pound lead going into day three.

Middleton said he’ll play conservative and avoid the temptation to swing for the fence. “I’m just going to focus on getting five fish. I’m not going to worry about a big fish – I just need to get five.

“I’m going to throw a lot of plastics. That’s what’s been working for me, so I’m sticking with that. Each day, I’ve narrowed it down on what the fish want.”

Rest of the best

In second place, Pittsburg, Texas, co-angler Gilbert Herald moved up 17 spots with 15-7; Ira Lynn of Adkins, Texas, finished third (13-9); Kenny Moser of Alba, Texas, placed fourth (12-3); and Jeff Lobaugh of Emory, Texas, was fifth with 12-5.

Rounding out the top 10 co-angler leaders at the Stren Series Texas event at Lake Texoma:

6th: Steven Faske of Bastrop, Texas, 12-2

7th: Ray Peace of Arlington, Texas, 11-14

8th: Danny Joiner of Irving, Texas, 11-8

9th: David Underwood of Waco, Texas, 11-6

10th: Edwin Loitz of Trinity, Texas, 11-5

Snickers Big Bass honors on the co-angler side went to Rusty Harvey of Nederland, Texas, for his 3-pound, 4-ounce fish worth $116.

Day three of Stren Series action on Lake Texoma continues at Friday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. CT at Hiport Marina, located at 120 Texoma Harbor Drive in Pottsboro, Texas.