Quick Bites: FLW Lake Okeechobee, Day 2
Wal-Mart FLW Tour
Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.
Opening round, Thursday
Curtis lands a monster … Team Castrol member Bobby Curtis of Siloam Springs, Ark., had a day of fishing he will surely remember for the rest of his life. Fishing in some reeds, Curtis threw his bait toward a small pocket when a giant largemouth made a run at his lure. Although the fish missed it at first, the monster charged at the lure a second time. Not wanting to miss an opportunity of a lifetime, Curtis set the hook. Immediately, he knew it was one for the record books. “It got pretty exciting,” said Curtis. “But I was pretty nervous. The fish got all wound up in the reeds. Luckily my co-angler had long arms and was able to scoop it up.” When all was said an done, Curtis’ fish weighed in at an impressive 11 pounds – the second largest catch recorded on the FLW Tour. For the record, the largest catch was netted by pro Jim Nolan of Bull Shoals, Ark., who landed an 11-pound, 14-ounce behemoth back in 1996.
The “Never-give-up” club … Because Lake Okeechobee has a bountiful supply of large bass, big comebacks are inevitable. However, nobody took advantage of the situation in today’s competition more than co-anglers Bob Bjorklund, Bill Rogers, William Bridges and Russ Osborne. Bjorklund, who was in 134th place after yesterday’s action, turned in a 20-pound, 7-ounce catch to grab first place heading into tomorrow’s finals. Rogers used an 18-pound, 1-ounce catch in today’s competition to vault from 106th place to third. Bridges caught only two fish in today’s contest, but they weighed 17 pounds, 4 ounces – catapulting him from 134th place to fourth. Meanwhile, Osborne, who didn’t weigh-in a fish at all in yesterday’s contest, qualified for the top-10 cut with an impressive 16-pound, 4-ounce catch in today’s action.
Big bass back at the “Big O” … After the first day of competition, anglers and pundits alike were left scratching their heads, wondering where all of the infamous giant bass had gone. Well, today everyone found out. By the time the final angler had crossed the stage in today’s competition, nearly 15 fish greater than 8 pounds had been weighed in. While no officially tally was kept, fans in the audience saw a weigh-in they probably won’t forget anytime soon.
Quick numbers
10,000 – Minimum amount in prize money awarded to every pro who finished in the top 50 at this week’s FLW Tour event on Lake Okeechobee.
17-8: Weight, in pounds and ounces, necessary to qualify for the top 50 in the Pro Division.
11-0: Weight, in pounds and ounces, of the largest bass caught on Lake Okeechobee over the first two days of competition.
1,347-7: Weight, in pounds and ounces, of all fish caught in the Pro Division during today’s competition.
133: Number of places co-angler Bob Bjorklund of Aurora, Colo., moved up in today’s competition after landing a 20-pound, 7-ounce stringer.
Sound bites
“Now you can go home and say, `You know that Jimmy Houston guy on TV? I gave him a good whoopin.'”
– FLW Outdoors host Charlie Evans complementing co-angler Rob McMurray, who out-fished his pro partner, veteran angler and television fishing legend Jimmy Houston.
“It’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught in my life,”
– FLW pro Bobby Curtis of Siloam Springs, Ark., after landing a mammoth 11-pound largemouth during Thursday’s action.
“You know they say white men can’t jump. Well, when they catch an 11-pounder they can.”
– FLW pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, Ga., joking about Bobby Curtis’ monster 11-pound catch in today’s competition.
“It’s like a present.”
– FLW rookie co-angler Joan Arnal of Barcelona, Spain, talking about fishing with idols Larry Nixon and Clark Wendlandt during the first two days of competition.
“I’d say it’s fairly out of reach.”
– FLW pro Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, talking about his fading chances of winning yet another FLW Tour Angler of the Year award after his disappointing 124th-place performance at Lake Okeechobee.
“You know how they’re catching them back home? With a drill.”
– FLW pro Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., finding the silver lining in his 137th-place finish while discussing ice-fishing, the only fishing that’s currently going on back in his home state.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever worked this hard in my life for a bunch of little squirts.”
– FLW pro and fishing legend Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo., simultaneously commenting on the tough fishing conditions as well as his 108th-place finish.
“The Lake Okeechobee of old – it’s not the same lake.”
– Bassmaster Classic Champion Mike Iconelli of Runnemede, N.J., lamenting his 190th-place finish on a lake that has undergone many changes since the hurricane season of 2004.