Montelongo manhandles pro field on opening day of TTT Championship

Poston vaults atop co-angler leaderboard on Lake of the Pines

LONGVIEW, Texas – To be sure, expectations were high for the Lake of the Pines fishery heading into the 2004 Texas Tournament Trail Championship. With oodles of championship-caliber bass in the lake and many anglers boasting of a string of impressive pre-fishing performances, all indications pointed to a fishing bonanza for the opening round of competition. However, it was not to be.

When all was said and done, only 11 anglers managed a five-fish limit. And out of the full field of 50 pros and 50 co-anglers, only five were able to bag limits greater than 11 pounds. However, while the majority of the tournament competitors stumbled mightily, pro Paul Montelongo of San Angelo, Texas, managed to put on a veritable fishing clinic. One of the final anglers to weigh-in, Montelongo turned plenty of heads with his whopping 17-pound, 13-ounce catch, easily besting his nearest competitor by more than 2 full pounds.

“I’m really excited,” said Montelongo of his performance. “Everybody’s talking about how tough it was today. But I’m from west Texas and there, the fishing is always tough. So I’m used to this.”

Montelongo, who had been pre-fishing since Monday, said that his unfamiliarity with Lake of the Pines might have actually given him an advantage on the first day of competition.

“I’d never been here before so I came with an open mind,” Montelongo said. “I just went out, fished and tried to establish a pattern.”

And establish a pattern he did.

“I had one pattern going really strong and then when that shut down, I switched to another pattern and caught my 4-pounder,” said Montelongo. “And the best part of it was that I didn’t even have to move.”

Although Montelongo was coy about the exact nature of the pattern he was using, he did acknowledge that he has plenty of company.

“I think a lot of the fishermen are doing the same thing I am,” he said. “They’re just not in the right water.”

With only three other pros within 5 pounds of the lead, Montelongo is clearly in the driver’s seat heading into Sunday’s final day of competition.

“It’d be pretty awesome to win the tournament with the high quality of fishermen you have here,” he said. “I caught 14 keepers today and I think I can catch a five-fish limit tomorrow. If I were to win, it’d definitely be a dream come true.”

Best of the rest

Second place in the Pro Division belonged to David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, with a catch of 15 pounds, 12 ounces. Meanwhile, Andy Gaia of Tomball, Texas, grabbed third place overall with a catch of 15 pounds.

Trey Morgan of Goldonna, La., Texas, finished in fourth place with a catch of 14 pounds, 5 ounces. And Matt Cooper of Smithville, Texas, finished the day in fifth place with a catch weighing 10 pounds, 3 ounces.

Poston snares pole position in Co-angler Division

Despite only landing four keepers in today’s competition, Don Poston of Odessa, Texas, easily out-dueled the rest of the co-angler field. In fact, by the time the final co-angler had weighed in, Poston’s catch of 12 pounds, 7 ounces was more than 2 1/2 pounds greater than his closest rival. Although Poston was clearly pleased with his performance, he was still harboring some regrets over the two fish that got away.

“It feels wonderful. There’s no better feeling in the world right now,” said Poston. “I just wish I hadn’t lost those other two fish today. If I just had another 2-pounder, I’d be in great shape heading into tomorrow.”

Poston said he discovered his successful crankbait pattern on Thursday and kept with it throughout the entire first day of competition.

“I had one area and I stayed their all day,” he said. “I’m not sure where my pro is going to tomorrow, but I think my pattern should work in other places as well. I feel pretty confident going into tomorrow.”

And what would a tournament victory mean in Sunday’s finals?

“It’s a lot of money,” said Poston. “I just bought a brand new Ranger boat. So the prize money would really come in handy.”

Best of the rest

Doug Shuck of Arlington, Texas, used a 9-pound, 14-ounce stringer to grab second place overall in the Co-angler Division.

Chris Slopak of Hot Springs, Ark., registered a 9-pound, 8-ounce catch to finish the day in third place, while Dan Schoonveld of Hemphill, Texas, grabbed fourth place with a total catch of 9 pound, 2 ounces.

Co-angler Daniel Langley of Monahans, Texas, netted fifth place after landing a total catch weighing 9 pounds.

Tomorrow’s final championship takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7:15 a.m. at Lakeside Park Marina, located at 2669 FM 726 in Jefferson, Texas.