Canterbury crushes 19-11 megasack

Straight Talk pro rallies from 13th to take day-three lead

ROGERS, Ark. – History says weights are supposed to fall during multi-day bass tournaments, especially on impoundments like Beaver Lake. History also says that fishing up the river can work for a day or so, but ultimately never holds up. Scott Canterbury is defying history at the third Walmart FLW Tour Major of the season thanks in part to the hottest innovation in bass fishing – the umbrella rig.

Canterbury caught an unthinkable 19-pound, 11-ounce stringer Saturday to rise to the top of the leaderboard.

“Man, it was an absolutely awesome day,” said the Straight Talk pro. “I was just blessed. Every time I moved, I caught them. Every time I changed baits, I caught them. When I switched to bigger lures, I caught bigger fish. It was one of those days where everything that I did just worked out for me.”

Canterbury said that he covered a lot of water and plans on doing the same tomorrow. He didn’t catch all his fish on an umbrella rig, but several key ones.

“I started today in Prairie Creek and caught a good one right off the bat. Then I went way up the river and had some good bites up there as well. I’m really just looking for the transition banks and fishing the shallow cover. I threw the Alabama rig. I was throwing a big jig with a Sasuteki craw and I fished some topwaters. I’m just covering as much water as I can and trying different lures.”

Canterbury said he caught nine keepers and 20 bass total. The key to getting bit is finding the bait.

“You have to keep going until you run into the shad. Once you get around it, you feel like you’re going to catch them. The shad is why the bass are there, but I can’t really predict where the shad are going to be.”

The Springville, Ala., pro has accumulated a three-day total of 42 pounds, 5 ounces and a 12-ounce lead.

“I’ve got a good chance to catch some big fish tomorrow, but you never really know. I feel good about my chances, but this is still Beaver Lake. I only weighed in 8 pounds on the second day, and I’ve zeroed here before. In fact, I’ve never even made the top 50 here before. Every year I catch them here in practice and then I try following it up the next day and it doesn’t work. So now I’m practicing during the tournament, expanding and doing something a little different every day.”

Clausen slips to second

Under most circumstances, the 14 pounds, 5 ounces Luke Clausen caught would be a considered a banner third day on Beaver Lake. But after Canterbury did the unimaginable, Clausen lost ground and fell to second with a total weight of 41 pounds, 9 ounces.

“I can’t believe these weights; I’m really shocked,” said the former Forrest Wood Cup and Bassmaster Classic champion. “If you would have told me that I would have 42 pounds and not be leading this thing I would have said you’re crazy.”

Like Canterbury, Clausen is using an umbrella rig. But he’s using it exclusively.

“In the morning I throw it on rocks around the shad spawn and during the afternoon I throw it around flat stuff – areas where they’re pulling out of the bushes. But I didn’t upgrade much today in the afternoon so I might have to change my game plan a little.”

Clausen said he has a few areas he’s purposely been saving for tomorrow. He spends about an hour in each of his good stretches and is always looking for new water.

“If I see a place where there’s a shad spawn, I’ll come back and hit it again later.”

While Canterbury is fishing mostly upriver, Clausen is staying relatively close to Prairie Creek.

Browne third

In typical Glenn Browne fashion, he’s ignoring the Alabama rig and doing what he loves to do – flipping dirty water up the river. Today he caught 12 pounds, 15 ounces with the big stick, bringing his total weight to 39 pounds even.

“I only got five bites, but I made it work,” said the Dr. Pepper TEN pro. “It’s not easy; it’s a grind. I probably caught 25 or 30 fish but only those five kept. I caught them all flipping and it seemed like they were really relating to the wood.”

The first two days Browne said the fish were positioned more on flatter stuff. Today 45-degree angle banks were better because the water is continuing to fall.

“To win this one, I’ll really need some key bites. I think 16 pounds is about my max potential. But I’ve got my flipping sticks rigged up and I’m ready to go.”

Browne reiterated that it goes without saying that his flipping bait of chose is the Gambler tube.

Dudley fourth

Like Canterbury and Clausen, David Dudley is chunking and winding an umbrella rig. Today it worked to the tune of 13 pounds, 13 ounces, Dudley’s largest weight of the week. His total weight sits at 37 pounds, 14 ounces.

“That Alabama rig is a fish-catching machine,” said the reigning Angler of the Year. “I caught a lot of fish again today; the clouds helped.”

Dudley is staying close like Clausen and fishing approximately from Prairie Creek to the Highway 12 Bridge.

“I’ve got seven or eight key points. I’m throwing it basically everywhere but especially on steep rocky banks.”

Dudley said he has a few spotted bass schools located that he hasn’t touched. But he feels the largemouth fishing is better than ever and therefore has to focus solely on them.

“I’ve been here like 15 times and this is the first time I’ve never had to weigh in a spotted bass.”

Morgan up to fifth

Andy Morgan has been steady all week, catching limits worth 11-3, 13-9 and 11-11. With a three-day total weight of 36 pounds, 7 ounces, the Evinrude pro sits in fifth place.

“I caught a lot of fish today, but no real big kickers,” said the Dayton, Tenn., pro. “I really think Beaver is on its way back with all the largemouths.”

Morgan won the Beaver Lake event in 2007 fishing with a shaky head and a spinning rod. This week, he’s thankful he can get back to his power-fishing roots.

This also marks Morgan’s 50th top-10 finish, the most in FLW history.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros who made the cutoff after day three:

6th: Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., 36-5

7th: Kelley Jaye of Dadeville, Ala., 35-8

8th: Charlie Evans of Gilbertsville, Ky., 35-7

9th: Brad Rightnour of Mingoville, Pa., 34-8

10th: Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va., 34-6

Day four of the FLW Tour event on Beaver Lake will begin Sunday at 6:30 a.m. from Prairie Creek Park. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the John Q. Hammons Center located at 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy. in Rogers beginning at 4 p.m.