Guntersville cools off, Pugh heats up

Greg Pugh charges to front of EverStart Eastern Division with 24-pound, 5-ounce limit

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – The red-hot fishing on Guntersville Lake did cool off a bit today, but that did not stop Pedigree pro Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala., from sacking the biggest limit of the tournament: 24 pounds, 5 ounces.

Pugh now leads the EverStart Series Eastern Division event with a two-day total of 38 pounds, 8 ounces.

Deep cranking was the ticket for Pugh today.

“I caught most of them off one deep spot with a cranking plug that runs about 15 feet deep,” he said. “I fished the spot yesterday and never got a bite. I think it’s just a matter of timing. We pulled up at the right time today, right when they started feeding.”

Bennett in second

Micah Bennett of Summerville, S.C., is in second place with a two-day total of 38 pounds, 6 ounces.

Bennett fished waters to 10 feet deep to catch 19 pounds, 12 ounces today.

“I had to go to a spot that I was trying to save for the finals,” Bennett said. “I only caught three off it so I think there will be some there tomorrow.”

Deakins in third

Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., who finished third in the Guntersville EverStart last year, is currently in third again with 36 pounds.

Since the fish have not ganged up on Deakins’ best deep places, he is using a run-and-gun approach to cover a lot of different water.

“I’m hitting about 20 spots a day,” Deakins said. “Some are deep and some are shallow. I spend about 20 minutes on each spot.”

Deakins wants current the next two days.

“They were supposed to run current today, but I didn’t notice much of it,” he said. “I think if we could get some current, it would turn those deeper places on.”

Beaver in fourth

Rodger Beaver Leesburg, Ga., brought in one of the bigger stringers of the tournament today, weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces. He is now in fourth place with 35 pounds.

“I fished the same water today; the bigger ones just bit for me,” Beaver said.

“I’m fishing this lake just like I fish Seminole (Beaver’s home lake) this time of year,” he added. “I’m fishing deep grasslines that have little blowouts and points in them. But I only have two such spots, and I’m hoping they hold up.”

Gettys in fifth

Edward Gettys of Stevenson, Ala., is in fifth place with a two-day total of 34 pounds, 10 ounces.

Gettys has been fishing Guntersville for 20 years, and he knows many of the lake’s underwater features.

“Over the years, I`ve learned all of the twists and turns of these humps and ridges,” Gettys said. “I’m swimming an 11-inch worm in deep hydrilla and milfoil around those bottom changes”

Having won the Guntersville EverStart two years ago, Gettys is a serious threat to win again.

“I have two places I’ve been saving for the finals,” he added. “I haven’t even looked to see if anybody is on them, but hopefully they’ll pay off tomorrow.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 after day two are Bill Rucker of Cocoa, Fla., in sixth place with a two-day total of 34 pounds; Tim Peek of Sharpsburg, Ga., in seventh place with a two-day total of 33 pounds, 15 ounces; Michael Brown of Rocky Face, Ga., in eighth place with a two-day total of 33 pounds, 11 ounces; Pat Fisher of Dacula, Ga., in ninth place with a two-day total of 33 pounds 1 ounce; and Dwayne Horton of Knoxville, Tenn., in 10th place with a two-day total of 32 pounds, 12 ounces

Pro stats

On day two pros caught 74 limits, the top-20 cut ended up at 29 pounds, 6 ounces and the money cut (60th place) was 24 pounds, 15 ounces

Big bass

The $750 big-bass award went to BFGoodrich Tires pro Chad Grigsby of Colon, Mich., for a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass.

Heideger leads co-anglers

Daniel Heideger of Killen, Ala., is leading the Co-angler Division of the Guntersville EverStart with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 1 ounce.

Heideger fished a combination of top-water lures and plastic worms the last two days to amass his catch.

Yesterday’s leader Michi Oba of Tokyo, Japan, is in second place with a two-day total of 25 pounds, 9 ounces.

Oba caught his fish on a combination of top-water lures and spider jigs today.

Greg Coots of Fyffe, Ala., is in third place with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 8 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 in the Co-angler Division are Darin Mitchell of Rutledge, Ga., in fourth place with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 1 ounce; Kelly Alexander of Jacksonville, Fla., in fifth place with a two-day total of 23 pounds, 15 ounces; Blaine Shelton of Moulton, Ala., in sixth place with a two-day total of 23 pounds, 12 ounces; Tommy Carpenter of Senoia, Ga., in seventh place with a two-day total of 23 pounds, 2 ounces; Luis Paredes of Milford, Ct., in eighth place with a two-day total of 22 pounds, 13 ounces; Jeff Taylor of Vernon, Ala., in ninth place with a two-day total of 22 pounds, 9 ounces; and Tony Haymon of West Palm Beach, Fla., in 10th place with a two-day total of 22 pounds, 6 ounces.

Co-angler stats

On day two co-anglers weighed in 18 limits, the top-20 cut was 20 pounds and the money cut (60th place) was 14 pounds, 12 ounces.

Big bass

There was a tie for big bass in the Co-angler Division between Teddie Harrison of Clewiston, Fla., and Mike Freeman of Oxford, Ala. Both caught bass weighing 7 pounds.

Day-three action starts Friday at Lake Guntersville State Park at 6 a.m. Central time.