Hartwell Day 2 Coverage
Almost time to weigh-in and there are some bags!
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2:10 p.m.: Almost time to weigh-in and there are some bags!
We’ve got some big ones to report now! The afternoon bite has been kind to a few and both John Cox and Brandon McMillan have really taken advantage of it to pluck some big spawning bass. McMillan has boxed about 15 pounds and Cox says he has about 17 pounds is definitely the unofficial leader for the moment. Cox is looking for more beds to rob tomorrow, but there is plenty of time left for guys to catch them – even after weigh-in has started for later flights.
If all continues apace, we’ll have another really good weigh-in with a lot of bass and some tight weights. Only the top 20 fish tomorrow and all indications are that ounces will really be money this afternoon. With that in mind, be sure to watch FLW Live at 3:00 p.m. ET.
1:15 p.m.: Will the afternoon bite produce?
While day one was a chance for many pros to get to their marked bass quickly in the morning, the afternoon produced even better as more and more bass pulled up shallow as the water warmed. The same thing will likely happen today, and it might already be in progress. Wesley Strader (who has a limit for about 10 pounds) just found a 5-pounder on a bed and then watched it swim away. A while ago, Capt. Blake Smith caught his fifth after it nipped his bait on the bed a dozen times. Luckily, he stuck with it and the end result was a 3-pounder.
There’s also bound to be some movement in the standings today. Both Cory Johnston and Brandon McMillan have around 13 pounds in the ‘well and a big one or two could ensure they’re fishing tomorrow instead of heading home with a check.
Again, the sight-fishing bite isn’t the only deal going. Larry Nixon expects his bite to improve in the afternoon, and Curtis Richardson has caught all his fish today (about 10 pounds worth) doing something totally different than the rest of the field.
11:40 a.m.: The sun is shining bright
There’s a touch of a breeze starting to get up at Green Pond Landing now, but for the most part everything is still nice and calm and the sun is shining brighter than it has all day. In short, if there was ever a time for the bed bite to happen it’s now.
How much time to budget working certain bedding bass seems to be a big key to the day. Some guys, like Jamie Horton and Blake Smith have camped on a single bed for 30 minutes to an hour. Others, like Tom Redington, have given up on some in about 15 minutes. On the extreme end of the spectrum, John Cox has blazed along the banks and seemingly has a 6th sense for bass that will eat.
As usual, we’ve got a broad spectrum of action happening. Our reporters have left most of the leaders now and are roaming the lake looking for risers, and there are plenty of anglers catching fish even though day two seems to be slightly tougher.
Tom Monsoor, who has always succeeded on Hartwell in the past, has just four little ones in the box and Luke Dunkin has had a few close calls, but just one in the ‘well.
Wesley Strader, who isn’t wasting any fish, has four in the boat and is working on his fifth. Corey Johnston has one beauty (Canadian for hawg) and four others that might total 13 pounds.
If there’s any leader at the moment (the weights at the top seem to be very tight), it is Clark Wendlandt. The veteran Texan has a solid limit for 12 pounds and can probably spend the rest of the day looking for one or two bigs to really boost his total.
10:52 a.m.: Midmorning updates
The clouds seem to be parting a bit, and it is definitely starting to warm up close to the high of 77. We’ve also got a slew of updates to report from across the field.
Clark Wendlandt, who started the day in 9th, has a limit for about 9 pounds in the box and has already made a few small culls. He’s doing some bed-fishing, but is also just fishing. One of his areas overlaps at least a little with Thrift’s milk run as well.
Capt. Blake Smith seems to be struggling a little. He’s “just trying to get a limit,” and has four for between 6 and 8 pounds. He’s not strictly bed fishing, but he is certainly around spawning bass.
Up the Tugaloo, Tom Redington is fishing shallow banks and docks and just put his fourth in the boat, a 3-pounder to go along with three little ones.
The leader, Darrel Robertson, has also managed a limit, though it only contains one good one he caught early.
9:36 a.m.: Clouds are moving in
Though there isn’t any rain in the forecast until tomorrow, there is some light cloud moving in across Hartwell that might put a damper on the sight bite. The sight-fishing deal has been a little slow all morning, and there’s a good chance that most of the easy stuff got picked on day one. If Nixon’s early success is any indication, the pros targeting prespawn fish and “just fishing” might be primed to do well.
As for the catches around the field, there is still plenty happening. Chris Johnston has one to start, Robertson is up to three fish, though only one is good, and Capt. Blake Smith has a solid 2-pounder and another keeper to start off (not caught from beds). The only limit we know of so far is from Shane LeHew, who has about 7 pounds.
Day 1 GoPro highlights
9:20 a.m.: Nixon on a tear
Larry Nixon started his day with a jerkbait and boxed one, but right around 9 o’clock he put the jerkbait away in favor of a spinning rod and has since landed four solid keepers in a hurry. His fish probably only go about 10 or 11 pounds, but it certainly puts him in decent shape to make the top 20 cut this afternoon if he gets another fish in the box and makes a small upgrade.
The weather this morning is just a little more cloudy. Nothing that should hurt a sight-fishing bite, but it seems to have set some of the anglers focused solely on bedding bass back a bit. Chris Johnston only as one, and Jamie Horton has fished two beds since takeoff with no luck.
8:50 a.m.: Sight-fishing hasn’t panned out for some
Though Darrel Robertson has plucked two from beds so far, his competitors aren’t finding them so friendly. Jamie Horton spent the first hour working one bed and just pulled out with nothing to show and Clark Wendlandt has been looking all morning but hasn’t found the right one to settle down on.
8:10 a.m.: Robertson off to a good start
Day one leader Darrel Robertson started off right. He ran down the lake about 5 miles to one bed and caught a 3-pounder in about five minutes. That isn’t a game changer, but it might be an indicator of how good the sight-fishing bite could be today. We’ll have to see if he pursues that or goes in another direction as he said yesterday.
Bryan Thrift started his day chasing schoolers, and though he doesn’t have any, did apparently lose a good one. Also not sight-fishing is Larry Nixon, who grabbed a 2-pounder pretty quickly to get the day underway.
7:30 a.m.: We’re looking at another perfect day
The pros caught a slew of quality fish on day one of the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude and hosted by Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau, and with a little warmer start we might well see that again today. The weather is still prime, though about 8 degrees warmer to start then it was Thursday. Many pros, like Cory Johnston, hope that the warmer night will have kept a few of the bigger fish on beds and ready to eat today.
Despite the great sight-fishing conditions, a number of the leaders have bucked the trend and are working patterns that target staging fish instead. That bite seems to be picking up in the afternoon for some reason, so we may see a slow start from some of the top anglers if the conditions don’t line up to their liking.
The other thing to watch is the leader Darrel Robertson. Yesterday he exhausted his bed fish and is planning on making a big change today. We’ll have a reporter on him to start the day and it will for sure be interesting to see if he’s a one-day leader or if he can adjust and keep his pole position.
Conditions
Current temperature: 50 degrees
Forecast high: 74 degrees
Sky: sunny, with a few clouds
Precipitation: no rain forecast until Saturday
Wind: E less than 10 mph
Weigh-in Details
Watch the day two weigh-in live at FLWFishing.com starting at 3 p.m. ET.
Click here for complete tournament details.