Ferguson rallies in finals

Michigan pro takes strong lead in FLW Tour event on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Art Ferguson of St. Clair Shores, Mich., is starting to find out exactly how much of a honeyhole he stumbled upon late Friday afternoon on Fort Loudoun Lake.

Actually, it was Ferguson’s co-angler, Grant Holderman of Kansas, who helped him uncover what is turning into a mother lode of tournament-winning fish.

“I don’t think my co-angler understands what he did for me yesterday,” described an exasperated Ferguson after taking the Wal-Mart FLW Tour lead on day three with a whopping 19 pounds, 2 ounces. “He basically found these fish for me.”

Late Friday afternoon, Ferguson was struggling with just three keepers in his livewell and was about to pull up the stakes on an area he had been fishing when Holderman made the cast that has changed Ferguson’s week.

“I had fished the two key spots where I thought the fish were, several times over, without a bite,” Ferguson related. “I was literally about to pull up the trolling motor when my co-angler heaved a superlong cast way out the back of the boat in the complete opposite direction of where we had been fishing – and he hooked a 14-inch keeper.”

That 14-inch keeper was the key to the bassing castle that Ferguson has unlocked.

“While he was unhooking his fish, I made a long cast back out in the same direction where he caught his fish, and I just started catching big bass, one after another. You can’t believe how close I was to missing the whole deal – one long cast away.”

After sacking 18 pounds, 11 ounces yesterday, Ferguson returned to that spot this morning and stroked 19 pounds, 2 ounces off it.

“Whatever it is, it’s a small spot,” Ferguson said. “Sometimes it takes me 20 casts to pinpoint it, but there’s something just a little bit different about it. I don’t know – maybe it’s just a little bit of gravel or different type of rock or something. I really wish I could go down there and look at it, because I’d love to know what it is that’s holding so many fish.

“But the most amazing thing is that it almost never happened,” he added. “I can’t thank Grant enough. This has been the most bizarre tournament I’ve ever fished.”

Ferguson’s windfall now gives him nearly a 5-pound lead going into the final day.

To catch his fish off the newly acquired honeyhole, Ferguson is using a 5/8-ounce football-head jig (green-pumpkin) that he bought at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers, Ark.

Dudley second

Castrol pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., went to his best hot spot this morning to find it had fizzled just a bit. He failed to secure a limit on his primary ledge and had to run some other water to finish his limit weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces for second place.

“I knew in my first 10 casts that something wasn’t right,” Dudley said. “I had to really grind it out in there to catch a few, so something changed.”

Dudley is a closer – he’s FLW’s leading money man with just over $2 million – and he earned most of that by closing when it counted the most.

As for his chances tomorrow, Dudley commented with a laugh: “I don’t know. Ol’ Art had to go show off today. I believe in comebacks in bass fishing – I’ve seen it happen before – Art didn’t completely take the wind out of me, but he left me with quite a big hill to climb, and I’m ready for it.”

Martin third

National Guard pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., weighed in all brown fish today – some smallmouth, some meanmouth – for 13 pounds, 10 ounces to take third place.

Martin’s shallow bite died today, and he was forced to go deep. He is targeting shell mounds in about 14 feet of water to catch his fish.

“I fished shallow for a while this morning, but they dropped the water and I think that killed the shallow bite,” Martin said. “So I went deep, and there’s something about those shell mounds on these TVA systems that the smallmouth really love. I’ve caught a smallmouth or two off these shell mounds each day, but today I caught everything I weighed in off those shelly-type places.”

To catch his fish, Martin is relying on a two crankbaits on the shell mounds: a DD-22 and a Brian’s Bees B-18.

Powers fourth

Prilosec pro Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn., weighed in 11 pounds, 5 ounces for fourth place on day three.

One thing is for sure with Powers: He may not be leading the tournament, but he is sure having fun fishing the way he likes to fish.

“I kept that Pop-R in my hand all day and had a great time with it,” Powers said with a grin. “If I can catch just a few that way, that’s the way I’m going to fish.

“I really don’t like fishing out there off the bank – that’s no fun for me,” he added. “When I’m up there fishing the bank, even if I’m not catching any fish, at least I’m making some sweet looking casts.”

Coulter fifth

Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tenn., rounds out the top five with 8 pounds, 9 ounces with just four fish.

“I had the fifth one on three different times today; I just couldn’t put them in the boat,” said Coulter. “I got the bites; my execution was just off. So I’m going to run the same game plan tomorrow – hit about 50 different spots – and hopefully put them in the boat.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes after day three:

6th: Jerry Green of Del Rio, Texas, five bass, 8-7

7th: Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 8-4

8th: Hank Cherry of Maiden, N.C., five bass, 7-13

9th: Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 7-8

10th: Ramie Colson Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., two bass, 2-8

Day three of the FLW Tour event on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes will begin Sunday at 6:30 a.m. at the Tellico Recreational Area Ramp east of Lenoir City, Tenn., at the junction of highways 321 and 444.