King William
Alabama's William Davis continues his 2005 hot streak at the EverStart Central event on Kentucky-Barkley
BENTON, Ky. – In a tournament typically dominated by local big sticks, Alabama angler William Davis took a 3-pound, 8-ounce lead at the EverStart Central event on Kentucky and Barkley lakes, adding yet another line to his already impressive resume. His day-one limit of five bass weighed 21 pounds, 12 ounces and included two fish weighing over 5 pounds, including one for 5-10.
Before 2005, Davis was relatively unknown in the bass-fishing world, though he had racked up impressive finishes in the BFL and was last season’s No. 10 EverStart Central pro. But he kicked off the EverStart season with a record-breaking performance on Sam Rayburn Reservoir and went on to land a top-10 finish on the FLW Tour as well – in his rookie year on the Tour, no less. He also took a win in April on Wheeler Lake in the BFL, and he’s a near-lock for both the FLW Tour and EverStart Series championships. With a top-10 performance on Kentucky Lake appearing to be in the cards, saying it’s been a banner year for Davis would be a massive understatement.
His day-one limit of five bass weighed 21 pounds, 12 ounces and included two fish weighing over 5 pounds, including one for 5-10. And Davis is one of only four anglers in the current top 10 who is not a Kentucky/Barkley resident.
“I’m hitting about 15 to 20 different places,” Davis said. “If I get bit, I’ll stay awhile. If not, I’m moving on.”
Davis said he had an exceptionally productive practice that certainly helped his opening-day performance.
“Monday I had an excellent day – the best day of finding fish I’ve ever had,” he said. “I’ve got plenty of places to fish, but some didn’t work out as well as I thought they would.”
Davis said he’s fishing ledges in 8 to 14 feet of water, and he says the bite is best from morning until about noon, a fact reiterated by several other top pros.
“I’ve got plenty of places to throw at, that’s for sure,” he said.
Lashlee making long run
Sam Lashlee of Camden, Tenn., finished ninth in this event last season and says he’s making a run down to the Tennessee side of the lakes in an attempt to claim the win this time around. He caught five bass today weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces to land in the No. 2 spot.
“I went all the way to Tennessee, and I probably fished 20 different places in a 60- to 70-mile stretch,” he said. “The bite was on until about 12 o’clock, and I was done by that time, so I came back and tried to hunt for some fish for tomorrow.”
Lashlee too is fishing ledges in deep water, noting that his biggest fish came from an 18-foot depth. He says his spots should last him through the opening round, if not the entire tournament should he land in the top 10 after tomorrow.
Lynch’s Kentucky Lake success continues
Paducah’s Drew Lynch has earned a reported $14,000 in Kentucky-Barkley tournaments in the last month, and he continues his hot streak this week with a day-one limit weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces, good for third.
Lynch’s bag today included two bass averaging about 5 pounds each, but he reported the bite was rather slow today.
“I didn’t get a lot of bites, but we got lucky and got enough in the boat,” he said. “I live here, and a lot of (my fishing holes) are spots I fish all year long.”
Lynch said he was fishing main-lake drop-offs and is definitely fishing toward a top-10 berth. Lynch finished seventh in this event last year.
“I never get confident,” he said. “There are too many good fishermen here, and anything could go wrong.”
Bolton swings for fences
Paducah pro Terry Bolton sits in fourth place after day one with a limit of bass weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces. His biggest bass of the day weighed in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces.
“My day didn’t start out very well,” Bolton said. “I did catch that biggest bass this morning, but I fished a lot of places and got a little worried, so I went to a place where I knew I could catch a limit and swung for the fences.”
Like the majority of the field, Bolton is fishing deep this week, but unlike many, Bolton says his fish turned on in the afternoon.
“I finished out my limit around lunchtime,” he said. “The fish didn’t bite really well today; they bit better in the afternoon. I’m trying to cover 15 to 20 miles of lake.”
Curtis eyeing Angler of the Year
Trinity, Texas, angler David Curtis is poised to score yet another solid performance in the Central Division, landing in fifth with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces. Curtis entered this week’s event – the last on the Central Division schedule – ranked No. 1 in Pro Division standings by a 15-point margin.
Right behind him in points is Yancy Windham of Gordo, Ala., who fared pretty well himself: He’s currently in eighth place.
Best of the rest
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on Kentucky Lake:
6th: Billy Schroeder of Paducah, five bass, 17-1
7th: Rodney Tidwell of Murray, five bass, 16-14
8th: Yancy Windham of Gordo, Ala., five bass, 16-10
9th: Kelly Albert of Goodlettsville, Tenn., five bass, 16-2
10th: Rodney Brown of Eddyville, five bass, 15-11
Gulley, Mize lead Co-angler Division
Co-angler Robert Gulley of Tupelo, Miss., fished behind Kentucky Lake heavyweight Drew Lynch on day one and reaped the benefits with a leading limit of bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces.
Behind him in second is Melinda Mize of Ben Lomond, Ark., with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces. Melinda’s older brother Matthew took home the pro title at the Central Division event on the Columbus Pool.
Rounding out the top five
Camden, Tenn., angler Richard J. Holt II caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces to sit in the No. 3 spot on the co-angler side. Currently in fourth is Keith Ray of Florence, Ala., with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces. Landing in fifth is Tom Medlock of Licking, Mo., with a five-bass catch that weighed 14 pounds, 1 ounce.
Best of the rest
The rest of the co-angler top 10 should prove to be tight competition tomorrow for a final-round berth, as sixth through 10th places are separated by mere ounces. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers after day one on Kentucky Lake:
6th: Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, five bass, 13-15
7th: Gene Purdy of Bentonville, Ark., five bass, 13-14
8th: Joe Foley of Cincinnati, five bass, 13-13
9th: Gilbert Herald of Pittsburg, Texas, five bass, 13-11
10th: Dale Kirby of Indianapolis, five bass, 13-8.
Competition continues tomorrow with takeoff at 6 a.m. from Moors Resort and Marina, located at 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville.