Jigging keeps Stren pro Wooley on top at Lake of the Ozarks

Reiter builds mammoth lead in co-angler division

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Architects, construction companies, marina operators and homeowners – all probably have a different perspective, but for Stren Central Division anglers competing on Lake of the Ozarks, area docks have but one purpose – bass shelter.

With a cold spell passing through the area prior to the tournament, anglers launched into a chilly morning, but soon warmed up with gorgeous fall weather. Another day of cloudless skies, bright sunshine and light winds fell into the classic post-cold front patterns. Predictably, the bass are falling into regular patterns of chasing bait early and then reclining to the comfortable refuge of dock shade.

Topwaters, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits have been productive choices early, but when the sun gains in the sky, increasing light and heat drive bass to shelter. Once the fish move to docks and deeper brush piles, jigs, tubes and shaky head worms have been getting the job done.

Michael Wooley of Collierville, Tenn. remains atop the pro division with nearly a 3-pound lead. Fishing around docks and submerged rock piles about 20 miles from the launch site, Wooley has been throwing a white jig. The lighter color, he said mimics the lighter bellies of shad – the local forage schooling abundantly throughout the lake.

Adding 15 pounds, 8 ounces to the 17-2 he caught on day one, Wooley increased his total to 32-10. Most of his bites came later in the day.

“The best time is from about (noon) on,” he said. “I wasn’t catching anything for the first hour and a half, but once the sun got up, it was on from there.

Wooley said he’s confident that he has been around the kind of fish he needs to go the distance. The key, he said, will be eliminating mistakes and maximizing his opportunities.

“I still have a piece of bad luck with me, but if I can ever shake that, I’ll get some big bags,” he said. “I’ve lost some good fish. I broke one off today that was probably six pounds.”

Endicott stays at second

Wes Endicott of Joplin, Mo. bolstered his day one weight of 16 pounds, 6 ounces with a limit weighing 13-5 on day two and maintained his second place spot with a total of 29-11. Same as the first day, Endicott flipped a jig around docks on day two.

“I have one rod out and that’s all that I’m using,” he said.

Endicott said his day started off slowly, but even when the bite got going, it was lackluster. “I think it was 11 o’clock before I had my first five. I caught nine keepers but I was only able to cull once.

“They didn’t seem to bite quite as well today. Yesterday, you could just call your shots. Maybe it was just the (post-cold front) blues.)

Zack Bull of Lakeland, Tenn. remained in third place with 28-13, while Shady Point, Ok. Pro Mark Goines improved to fourth with 27-4. Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo. jumped 22 spots to fifth place with 26-8.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 pro leaders at the FLW Stren Series Lake of the Ozarks event:

6th: Harmon Davis of Marlow, Ok., 26-6

7th: Josh Wray of Harrison, Ark., 26-3

8th: Jeremy T. Lawler of Sarcoxie, Mo., 26-1

9th: Scott Nelson of Lake Ozark, Mo., 25-15

10th: Chris Jeffries of Lake Ozark, Mo., 25-13

Doyle Isom Jr. used a big swimbait to tempt a 5-pound, 12-ounce largemouth that won Big Bass honors.

Reiter expands lead in co-angler division

Goshen, Ind. co-angler Leo Reiter stunned the crowd when he took the day one lead with a 9-pound, 1-ounce margin. Expanding that lead by another 4 pounds and 14 ounces, Reiter has established what will probably become an insurmountable barrier for his competitors in the co-angler division.

To his day one weight of 19 pounds, 14 ounces, he added 10-7 on day two and grew his total to 30 pounds, 5 ounces. Extending his lead to 13 pounds, 15 ounces, Reiter has put himself in nearly untouchable position going into Friday’s third round.

Numerically speaking, Reiter could probably sit out the day three competition and still qualify for Saturday’s top-10 finale, but he’s not going to let up. Reiter said he’ll keep flipping his white jig far under docks in hopes of packing on the pounds.

“I need to get as much weight as I can – I want to close this one out,” he said.

Second place co-angler Max Wilson of Everton, Mo., found a pair of 5-pound bass on one dock. Those fish anchored the 14-6 catch that propelled him up 67 places with a two-day total of 16-6. Wilson caught the Big Bass for his division, a 5-pound, 11-ounce largemouth. All of his fish ate a black and blue jig.

Phil Shafer of Lake Ozark, Mo. finished third at 15-5, while Joe Waggoner of Carthage, Mo. took fourth with 13-8. Juan Steenkamp from the Republic of South Africa was fifth with 12-15.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 co-angler leaders at the FLW Stren Series Lake of the Ozarks event:

6th: Robert Prebeck of Norwood, Mo., 12-12

7th: Andre Pretorius of the Republic of South Africa, 12-9

8th: Bradley Rice of Pine Bluff, Ark., 11-9

9th: Patrick Krull of Ballwin, Mo., 11-5

10th: Johnny Manning of Arkadelphia, Ark., 10-7

Day three of Stren Series action on Lake of the Ozarks continues at Friday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:00 a.m. (CT) at Grand Glaize Recreation Area – Public Beach No. 2 located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach.