FLORENCE, Ala. – Wal-Mart FLW Tour anglers from 34 states and Japan searched every inch of Lake Wheeler’s 67,100 acres Wednesday for a solid five-bass limit to start the season’s second $550,000 tournament presented by Pepsi and Frito-Lay. At the end of the day, however, only 50 limits were caught despite remarkable fishing by 350 of the nation’s top anglers.
“It’s textbook cold-water fishing out there,” said Team Yamaha Pro Alton Jones, Waco, Texas, who leads 175 pros vying for a $110,000 first-place award. “A lot of people are fishing too fast. If you do that, it doesn’t matter if you have the right bait, you just aren’t going to get the bites.”
Jones, who is back on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour after a two-year absence, caught a 16-pound, 10-ounce limit. The catch gives him a 1-pound, 1-ounce lead over runner-up Jack Bell, Kane, Pa., who landed five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces.
“It always feels good to be in this position,” Jones said. “There are 174 other anglers who would love to be sitting where I am, so that is rather humbling.”
Marty Stone, Linden, N.C. (five bass, 13 pounds); Charlie Ingram, Santa Fe, Tenn. (five bass, 12 pounds, 11 ounces); and Aaron Martens, Castaic, Calif., (five bass, 12 pounds, 10 ounces) rounded out the top-five pro anglers.
Co-angler Kim Huey, Hutchinson, Kan., leads his division with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces followed by W.D. “Hoot” Gibson, Bryant, Ark., (four bass, 8 pounds, 10 ounces) in second and Jim Short, Ocean Pines, Md., (five bass, 7 pounds, 8 ounces) in third.
The Co-angler Division features 175 competitors fishing from the back of the pros’ boats for a top award of $15,000. Anglers in both divisions must place in the top 20 Thursday to qualify for the Friday’s semifinal round. Co-angler competition wraps up after the semifinals while the top 10 pros advance to Saturday’s finale.
Pro Robin Cummings, Cullman, Ala., earned bass honors and $750 with a 6-pound, 14-ounce bass. Gibson landed co-angler big bass honors and $500 with a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass. The angler catching the heaviest bass during the two-day opening round will receive the Snickers Big Bass award and $1,000. At the end of the seven-tournament season, Snickers will award another $5,000 to the angler who caught the heaviest opening-round bass at any Wal-Mart FLW Tour event. Currently that distinction belongs to pro Jim Carnell, Muskogee, Okla., who caught an 8-pound, 4-ounce largemouth at last month’s season opener on Lake Okeechobee.
Wheeler’s fluctuating water levels coupled with last week’s cold snap will put anglers to the test this week. Steadily improving conditions, however, could lead to an impressive display of the lake’s largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass during the final weigh-in, which will be broadcast live to more than 84 million households on PAX TV starting at 3 p.m. EST Saturday.
A total of 646 bass were caught Wednesday, and all of the bass were released. If the tour maintains a 98-percent live release rate throughout the season, Energizer will donate $25,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network.
Competition on Lake Wheeler continues at 7 a.m. Thursday at Joe Wheeler State Park located at 4401 McLean Drive in Rogersville. Thursday’s weigh-in at the park begins at 3 p.m. Friday’s semifinal round weigh-in starts at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 3100 Hough Road in Florence. Wal-Mart is also hosting Saturday’s final weigh-in at 2 p.m.
A Family Fun Zone in the Wal-Mart parking lot will feature free children’s games and product samples from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.