OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Tennessee pro Michael Wooley has just a pound and 8 ounces more than Leo Reiter, but Wooley isn’t worried – they’re actually partners in the final round of Stren Central Division action on Lake of the Ozarks.
It’s not often that co-anglers enter the final round with weights rivaling the pros. However, Reiter’s 40 pounds and 13 ounces would rank third on the pro side going into day three. Despite carrying a 15-pound lead over his nearest competitor, the Goshen, Ind. co-angler said he wants to bolster his total and nail down the victory.
“I’m just going to stay relaxed, catch some fish and try to help my partner land the big ones,” Reiter said. “If I get one or two bites, I’ll be ecstatic – I’ll be jumping for joy.”
Reiter will start with a shaky head worm and if he can secure a limit, he’ll switch to a jig and look for bigger fish.
Wooley, on the other hand has his work cut out for him. The leader since day one, he has been barely holding off Joplin, Mo. pro Wes Endicott, who pulled within a pound and three ounces of the top spot on day three.
Throwing a white jig around docks has served Wooley well all week, but excessive company forced him out of his main area on day three and that resulted in his smallest bag of the event. Fortunately, he located additional spots that he said hold enough potential for him to seal the deal.
“I just have to get my big bites back today – that’s the main thing,” Wooley said. “They just weren’t there yesterday, but I’m fishing all new water today.”
Wooley said he’ll head north and fish near the Bagnell dam. Judging by what he’s seen this week, he expects his more productive period to come between noon and two.
Docks will be essential for the entire top-10 field, especially with the day’s sunny conditions. Bass seek shady shelter once the morning starts to warm up and covering 100 or more docks in a day has been the dominant pattern. Most will be fishing jigs.
Helpful on day three was a steady wind, which blew shad into easily discernable locations. Day four began with light breezes, but anglers hope the leaves will start rustling before long. Lacking this predictability, anglers will just have to spend more time searching their structures.
Endicott said an increase in lake current would also help perk up the bite. With minimal movement through area dams, there’s not much stimulus in the water. “There wasn’t much current yesterday, so I think the fish were relating to the bottom more.”
In third place, Chevy pro Dion Hibdon said that finding productive docks is only part of the game. He has determined a particular pattern in how the fish are relating to docks.
“I’ve caught them off docks that didn’t have 10 feet of water under them and I’ve caught them on docks with (several dozen) feet of water under them,” Hibdon said. “It’s more about how they position themselves in the wind and current.
“It’s for feeding purposes. Standing under a boat dock is like standing on a point. The fish will position themselves in order to feed.”
Certainly a trophy and a big check are prizes worth pursuing, but Hibdon is also fishing for a side bet with strong personal significance. Two spots back in fifth place, his father Guido Hibdon trails his son by a little over two pounds. In a longstanding family wager, whichever Hibdon finishes lowest has to wash the other’s boat.
“You betcha that’s on today,” Dion said. “That boat washing bet is a never-ending deal.”
Guido chuckled: “He gets a big kick out of watching me was that boat.”
Logistics
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 4252 Highway 54 in Osage Beach beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The Lake of the Ozarks Stren Series tournament is hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. Pros are fishing for a top prize of $65,000 and co-anglers are competing for a $35,000 award.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 7:16 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 60 degrees
Expected high temperature: 81 degrees
Water temperature: 67-68 degrees
Wind: from the SSE at 7-10 mph
Humidity: 50 percent
Day’s outlook: Sunny early, then partly cloudy