CLEWISTON, Fla. – Evinrude pro Scott Lunsford of Calhoun, Ga., landed five bass weighing 25 pounds, 15 ounces Wednesday to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee. He now holds a 2-pound lead in the tournament featuring 154 pros and 154 co-anglers representing 33 states.
“It was a great day on Okeechobee,” Lunsford said. “I caught at least three limits today but I am having a hard time getting them to the boat. I am using 60-pound braided line with different baits. I know that I am doing something that no other angler is doing. I think it is all to do with the bait I am using.”
Lunsford caught 12-13 keepers today and lost 10-12 fish. He is fishing within 15 miles of the marina.
“On my first few stops this morning I had 10 boats around me but the other boats weren’t getting any bites,” Lunsford said. “I am in some of the thickest stuff you could ever imagine. There is a reason why that I am fishing these certain areas but I am not casting to beds it is all random casting.”
Lunsford said that the fish he is catching are defiantly pre-spawn and resident fish. The pattern he is on is something that he has used in the past and is more of a reaction bite.
“The fish are there, I just hope that nothing changes with the weather,” Lunsford said. “I look forward to just going fishing and hopefully it works out.”
Fishing for Team Castrol, David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., trails Lunsford in the No. 2 spot with five bass weighing 25-15.
Rounding out the top five pros are Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa. (five bass, 22-00); Keith Combs of Del Rio, Texas (five bass, 21-08) and Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis. (five bass, 21-02).
Lunsford earned the day’s $500 Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 10-pound, 3-ounce bass.
Overall there were 590 bass weighing 1,595 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 142 pros Wednesday. The catch included 90 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing this week for a top award of $125,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.
Tom Bowker of Terre Haute, Ind., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 18-09.
“I had a great day,” Bowker said. “During practice I had no idea I would do this good. I am looking forward to the next few days. If it is anything like today, I will have the time of my life.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Wood of Jupiter, Fla. (five bass, 17-11); Charles Stevenson of Albany, Ga. (five bass, 15-14); Kevin Koone of Greenbrier, Ark. (five bass, 15-13) and Larry Mullikin of Lauderhill, Fla. (five bass, 15-10).
Al Odom of Chapin, S.C., earned $333 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 8-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Overall there were 328 bass weighing 765 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 117 co-anglers Wednesday. The catch included 31 five-bass limits.
Co-anglers are competing this week for a top award of $25,000 as well as a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from Roland & Mary Ann Martins Marina & Resort located at 920 E. Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 1005 W. Sugarland Highway in Clewiston beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The total purse for the Lake Okeechobee tournament is nearly $900,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.
Coverage of the Lake Okeechobee FLW Series tournament will be broadcast as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. Check local listings for broadcast times in your area.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.