West Point comes alive

Stren Series anglers capitalize on warmer weather, Williams continues to roll

LAGRANGE, Ga. – What a difference a day makes in tournament bass fishing. Especially when that day brings enough sunshine to warm the water temperatures back up into the low 50s.

Catches and weights were noticeably up Thursday in the Stren Series Southeast event on West Point Lake.

In the Pro Division, there were six more limits, 40 more bass and 75 more pounds weighed today compared to Wednesday.

Most pros attributed the catch increase to one thing: springtime weather.

Tommy Williams of Shepherdsville, Ky., still leads the event. He added three bass for 7 pounds, 4 ounces to his two-day total, which now rests at 24 pounds, 11 ounces.

Williams said he tried to survive in some different areas today but ended up going back to his best spot to catch his three “insurance” fish.

“I really couldn’t get it going anywhere else, so I went back to my primary area,” Williams said. “There were also a couple more boats in there today, which makes me a little nervous.”

Williams revealed that he is catching his bass by cranking a shallow-running crankbait on creek channel swings.

“It’s the exact same way we catch fish this time of year in Kentucky,” he said. “The area I’m fishing is a pretty big area, and I think it will hold up for a couple more days.”

Mortenson still second

Although Mike Mortenson of Westland, Mich., has the same two-day total of 24 pounds, 11 ounces as Williams, the tiebreaker of biggest day-one string put Mortenson in the runner-up position.

Like Williams, Mortenson visited his area briefly today to get three insurance bass for the cut.

“I wanted to make sure the fish hadn’t changed on me again like they did yesterday,” Mortenson said. “This warmup has allowed guys to catch up. My fish will still bite in this warmer weather, but I’d like to see it stay cold because my fish will bite in the cold, too, and that makes it tougher on everyone else.”

Defoe sacks biggest limit for third

After catching just 2 pounds, 6 ounces yesterday, Ott Defoe of Dandridge, Tenn., weighed in the biggest limit of the tournament today – 21 pounds even – to move from 90th to third with a two-day total of 23 pounds, 6 ounces.

“I just started over today,” Defoe said of the difference in the two days. “I completely changed areas and went fishing shallow. I got my first bite at 10:30, and that clued me into a little area that seems to be productive. I found a couple of key little points that the fish seem to be moving up onto every few hours.”

Defoe noted that when the water temperature in his area broke the 50-degree mark, the bite turned on.

Tucker `lurks’ in fourth

Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., has been skirting around his primary area, just trying to catch enough fish to lurk in the cut.

Coming into the event, he figured that 10 to 12 pounds a day would be enough to make the finals, and so far everything is going according to plan. He caught 12 pounds, 7 ounces yesterday and 10 pounds, 5 ounces today for a two-day total of 22 pounds, 12 ounces to qualify in fourth.

“I know how these four-day tournaments are,” he said. “You have to manage your fish just right to make them last, and that’s all I’m doing. I’ve got one primary area, and I caught three out of it yesterday and took two out of there today. I don’t know what’s left, but tomorrow it’s hammer-down time.”

Hailstones fifth

Also joining the Comeback Club today was Patrick Hailstones of Cincinnati, Ohio, who sacked a limit weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce for a two-day total of 19 pounds, 15 ounces to qualify in the fifth position.

“I didn’t do anything different today,” Hailstones said. “I fished the same water the same way; it just warmed up enough to where they finally started biting a little bit. I’m fishing one big area in 5 to 7 feet, and it’s more of an area deal than a pattern deal.”

Rest of the best

Other members of Thursday afternoon’s Comeback Club included Jack Gadlage of Benton, Ky., who brought in 17 pounds, 11 ounces today for a two-day total of 19 pounds, 11 ounces to qualify in sixth.

Kevin Stowers of Gainesville, Ga., sacked 13 pounds, 5 ounces today for a two-day total of 19 pounds, 6 ounces to qualify in seventh.

Timothy Little of Acworth, Ga., is in eighth with a two-day total of 19 pounds, 3 ounces.

Barry Isbell of Trussville, Ala., earned a ticket into the Comeback Club with a day-two catch of 13 pounds, 9 ounces, which gave him a two-day total of 16 pounds, 10 ounces for ninth.

Kip Carter of Oxford, Ga., is in 10th with a two-day total of 16 pounds.

More comebacks and big bass

Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., jumped into the top 20 with a 14-pound catch today. And Brad Warfield of Sharpsburg, Ga., who zeroed yesterday, made the top-20 on his catch of 13 pounds, 10 ounces today.

Jerry Kelley of Wewahitchka, Fla., weighed in the day-two big bass in the Pro Division, topping the scales at 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

Hults leads co-anglers

Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., turned his co-angling fortunes around today with a 13-pound limit that put him in the lead of the West Point Stren Series tournament with a two-day total of 14 pounds, 9 ounces.

“I only had a pound and half yesterday and went out and caught a limit by 10:30 this morning,” Hults said. “At that point I just quit fishing because I didn’t want to catch any more fish out of my pro’s area.”

Hults caught his fish shallow-cranking, something he figured out on Tuesday while practicing.

“I travel with three other co-anglers: my brother and two friends,” he said. “We went out on Tuesday when it was cold and did really well on crankbaits. Now three of the four of us are in the top 20, so this is pretty exciting for us.”

James Pendleton of Vale, N.C., is in second with a two-day total of 12 pounds, 8 ounces.

He also caught a limit of bass today that put him in the top 20.

“I caught them all on a shaky-head worm,” Pendleton said. “I caught seven keepers and they were all spotted bass.”

Melvin Pigue of Aiken, S.C., is in third with a two-day total of 12 pounds, 6 ounces.

Thomas Shafer of Pine City, N.Y., is in fourth with a two-day total of 12 pounds, 5 ounces.

Steve Jones of Moss Point, Miss., is in fifth with a two-day total of 12 pounds, 1 ounce.

Richard Mitchell of Appling, Ga., took the big-bass honors in the Co-angler Divsion with a bass weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers in the Stren Series event on West Point Lake:

6th: Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C., with a two-day total of 11-15

7th: Rodger Ray of Social Circle, Ga., with a two-day total of 11-10

8th: Gerald Andrews of Benton, Ky., with a two-day total of 11-3

9th: M.L. Callahan of Independence, Ky., with a two-day total of 10-13

10th: William Sentell, Clinton, Tenn., with a two-day total of 10-11

Day three of the Stren Series Southeast Division event on West Point Lake will begin at 7:30 a.m. Eastern at Highland Marina.