Quick Bites: FLW Tour, Fort Loudoun-Tellico, Day 3

Wal-Mart FLW Tour

Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes, Knoxville, Tenn.

Final round, Saturday

Contrast of styles … “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” OK, that’s probably enough Shakespearean literature for a bass tournament, but the famous prologue to Romeo and Juliet actually bears a reasonable parallel to the dramatic showdown brewing on the Tennessee River. Two families – the Montagues (Romeo’s clan) and the Capulets (Juliet’s kinfolk) were both respectable groups who simply saw life differently. On Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes, two well-respected anglers – Art Ferguson and David Dudley – will definitely look at the TVA impoundments differently as they prepare to enter Sunday’s final round of FLW Tour action. Having located a sweetheart spot away from the crowds on day two, first-place pro Ferguson sacked 37 pounds, 13 ounces in two days. As he notes, “It’s hard to leave that.” On the other hand, Dudley – currently in second place – said he’ll actively search for schools of bass rather than putting all of his eggs in one basket. Dudley, who led day two, ribbed his rival: “Art’s showing off a little right now, and that’s OK, but his spot might not produce tomorrow and he might have to scramble. I’m going to go look for schools of fish, and if I can find the right school, I can come back (from second).”

Give the man his props … Rockwood, Tenn., pro Craig Powers got plenty of love from two rows of family and friends who screamed, clapped and waved handmade signs when the local angler took to the stage. Complementing this recognition, Powers received direct and indirect compliments from two of his fellow top-10 competitors. Dudley thanked Powers for the custom paint job he created for a crankbait that produced well on day three: “Craig is the best in the business. If you need custom-painted lures, he’s the man.” Earlier in the weigh-ins, seventh-place pro Andy Montgomery joked that he was considering hiring Powers’ fellow Prilosec team member Koby Kreiger for a contract hit on Powers’ topwater plugs. “I’m thinking about offering Koby 15 percent (of my winnings) if he’ll drill holes in C.P.’s Pop-Rs and fill them with lead.”

Blaylock stands out … Although he came up 6 ounces short of the win, Benton, Ark., co-angler Stetson Blaylock holds the distinction of catching the only limit in his division. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, considering the phenomenal season this young man is putting together. With an early win at the FLW Series East-West Fishoff on Lake Amistad in February, Blaylock topped the co-angler field at the previous Tour event on Beaver Lake in May. Reaching the top 10 at Knoxville put yet another achievement within reach, but Blaylock settled into second with grace and sportsmanship. “It would have been nice to win two back to back, but anytime you’re in position to win one of these tournaments, it’s just a real blessing.”

Quick numbers:

6: Number of family members joining co-angler champion Barry Isbell on stage after his victory.

3: Number of meanmouth bass (spotted bass and smallmouth cross) in Scott Martin’s day-three limit.

4-9: Ferguson’s lead, in pounds and ounces, in the Pro Division.

8: Number of pros catching a limit. (One for co-anglers.)

100: Perfect score, in percentage, for live release of all round-three fish in the Pro and Co-angler divisions.

Sound bites:

“I need to stop smiling so much – my cheeks are hurting.” – Local pro Powers, beaming from ear to ear when his boisterous fans jumped to their feet and blasted out cheers for their favorite fisherman.

“They’re about to grow bigger.” – Pro leader Ferguson, hinting that the trio of respectable keepers he had pulled out would be overshadowed. He wasn’t kidding.

“Keep it on the bottom, and keep it wet.” – Ninth-place co-angler Jim Campbell, advising other co-anglers to fish slowly with jigs.

“Soon.” – Second-place co-angler Blaylock, responding to a question of possible matrimonial plans with his fiancee.

“I’m getting a spa treatment up here.” – FLW Outdoors host Charlie Evans, referring to the dousing he received from several healthy fish splashing around in the weigh-in tank.

“That’ll make good TV.” – South Carolina pro Montgomery, chuckling (on video) after scrambling to scoop up a keeper bass that shook off right inside the boat.

“That was one of my biggest fish – I’m glad I caught him twice.” – Montgomery, recounting the dropped-fish episode while watching clips of his day-three action on the weigh-in stage monitor.

Day four of FLW Tour action on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes continues at Sunday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 6:30 a.m. EDT at Tellico Recreational Area Ramp east of Lenoir City, Tenn., at the junction of highways 321 and 444.