Gulledge grabs pro lead on Red River

Wooley snares first place in Co-angler Division at Stren Series Texas Division event

NATCHITOCHES, La. – After a tough day of fishing where only 17 pros managed double-digit stringers, Danny Gulledge of Crossett, Ark., was one of a select few anglers Wednesday to piece together the Red River puzzle, storming into the overall lead with a catch of 14 pounds, 15 ounces.

Amazingly enough, Gulledge almost never made the trip in the first place.

“I registered for the tournament at the last minute,” said Gulledge. “When I heard the event was coming to town, I guess I just decided to roll the dice.”

However, despite his first-place finish, Gulledge said he had plenty of headaches during the first day of competition.

“It was a horrible day for me,” said Gulledge. “I put five keepers in the boat, but I probably lost four fish. That’s way too many fish to lose in a tournament like this. I really just didn’t execute very well today. So I’m not really happy about that.”

Gulledge also said that the Red River fishery was in a dramatic state of flux, which he believes was partially responsible for the difficult bite today.

“The fish still haven’t recovered from (Hurricane Ike),” said Gulledge. “The fish aren’t quite settled yet.”

As a result of the unsettled bite, Gulledge said he was forced to throw nearly his entire tackle box during today’s competition. Specifically, Gulledge used a “garden variety” of baits today including jigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwaters.

Gulledge also said that he mainly targeted bass on grass and wood, fishing in anywhere from 1 to 9 feet of water.

“I learned something today on one spot in particular,” said Gulledge. “And I’m going there first thing tomorrow morning to see if that pattern holds up. Overall, I’m happy to be in first place. But I’ve been in the lead before, and I know there is a lot of fishing still to take place.”

Reyes records second-best catch of day

Using a catch of 14 pounds, 13 ounces, Jason Reyes of Humble, Texas, managed to keep within 2 ounces of the overall leader. And he couldn’t have been happier with that result.

“I’m really excited,” said Reyes. “I had my limit fairly early and was able to use the rest of the day to go looking for other things. I actually found a few new spots and probably have about 10 to 12 locations overall. I found a good pattern in practice, and it really worked out well today. So I’m pretty happy.”

Like Gulledge, Reyes said he employed a variety of baits to land his five-fish stringer.

“I had my limit at 10 a.m., and I caught fish on everything from plastics to crankbaits to everything in between,” he said. “Mostly, I was catching fish shallow. But I needed the right type of cover to get my bites. I’d like to catch the same weight tomorrow, and I think it’s possible because I still have a lot of good areas that I left alone today. If I execute, make the right decision and don’t panic, I should be all right. But you can’t afford to lose any big fish here – that will definitely cost you.”

While fishing for a tournament title is usually enough motivation to do well, Reyes said he has a little extra incentive at the Red River event.

“I’m expecting my first child in October,” he said. “I told my wife that this is probably the last tournament I’m going to be fishing for a while, so I decided to come and try my luck one last time. I don’t know what it is about anglers expecting a child. But when that happens, they always seem to do well. Hopefully it will be the same for me.”

Curtis lands in third place

Veteran angler David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, parlayed a 14-pound, 9-ounce catch into a third-place finish after today’s competition.

“I really struggled all day long,” said Curtis. “But late in the afternoon, I caught a couple of nice fish and that really helped me out.”

Best of the rest

Ricky Scott of Van Buren, Ark., finished the day in fourth place with a total catch of 13 pounds, 11 ounces.

Meanwhile, veteran Walmart FLW Tour pro Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas, netted fifth place with a catch of 11 pounds, 15 ounces.

Greg Gleason of Houma, La., snagged the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division after landing a 5-pound, 2-ounce largemouth. Gleason won $165 as a result of his catch.

Wooley opens up sizeable lead in Co-angler Division

Despite not having practiced at all for the Red River event, Randy Wooley of Natchitoches, La., had little problem dominating today’s co-angler competition. Using a total catch of 12 pounds, 8 ounces, Wooley out-fished his nearest rival by nearly 2 full pounds.

“I really enjoyed the day,” said Wooley. “I had a good boater, and I didn’t miss any fish. So far I’m pretty happy. Hopefully I can keep it up.”

Wooley said that he targeted bass near the shoreline with a Texas-rigged worm to land the majority of his catch.

“I’m pretty hopeful that we’ll have another good day tomorrow,” he said.

Best of the rest

Nick Diberardino of Huffman, Texas, took second place overall with a 10-pound, 14-ounce catch.

Meanwhile, Roger Seal of Tioga, La., finished the day in third place with a catch of 10 pounds, 6 ounces.

“It was a good day of fishing for me,” said Seal. “I probably caught anywhere from 10 to 15 fish today. I really wanted to catch 10 pounds a day. And if I can do it again tomorrow, I should be in good shape.”

Rounding out the top-five co-angler leaders at the Stren Series Texas Division event:

4th: David Underwood of Waco, Texas., 10-4

5th: Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., 9-12

Larry Beauboeuf of Natchitoches, La., won the day’s Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division after landing a 6-pound, 5-ounce largemouth. Beauboeuf won nearly $100 for his efforts.

Day two of Stren Series Texas Division action continues during Thursday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 6:30 a.m. CDT at the Grand Encore Recreation Complex, located at 234 Rufus Morgan Road in Natchitoches, La.