Quick Bites: FLW Series Lewis Smith Lake, Day 4

Wal-Mart FLW Series

Lewis Smith Lake, Jasper, Ala.

Final round, Saturday

Who’s in, who’s out … With all five qualifying events in the books, everyone is wondering just exactly who qualified for the $2 million 2007 Forrest Wood Cup. Drum roll please…the 30th-ranked pro was 2005 FLW Tour Championship winner George Cochran. However, since J.T. Kenney already qualified through the Stren Series Championship, an additional FLW Series spot opened up. That lucky angler is pro Paul Driskell of Jefferson, Ga., who owes a monumental favor to Kenney. Another notable inclusion is pro Matt Herren, who started the season with a 110th-place finish and 167th-place finish. Amazingly, Herren recorded three consecutive top-10s and qualified as the 25th-ranked angler. For complete FLW Series standings, click here. Counting the Stren qualifiers, 35 pro and 30 co-angler spots in the 2007 Cup have been fulfilled. Watch out for this elite group who will fish next year knowing they’ve already qualified for the richest tournament in the history of professional bass fishing.

Truly unpatternable … We’re not entirely sure if unpatternable is a word, but it fits the bill perfectly for this event. All week long anglers have told tales about catching fish one day and then completely blanking the next. The best strategy has been to adjust to the conditions each and every day. On day two, that meant fishing for largemouths shallow. On day three it meant finessing a few spots from deep brush piles. The common baits among the top 10 were football-head jigs, crankbaits and finesse jigs. The 3/8-ounce football-head jig was extremely popular. Second-place pro Jeff Shelton threw a homemade version of the bait, presenting it in 10 to 25 feet of water. Pro winner Sean Hoernke threw it on day two, but had a preconceived notion that he would need to change yet again on day four. “I knew the guy who would win this tournament would be the guy who didn’t do what he did the last three days.” It just so happened that Hoernke was that guy, as he employed an 1/8-ounce Porky’s Revenge jighead tipped with a 4-inch Zoom finesse worm. The only angler not using one of the three main baits was pro Craig Powers, who employed topwater lures. Next time the tour returns to Lewis Smith Lake, remember to pack all kinds of tackle.

Going for the jugular … Veteran pro David Fritts is notorious for fishing to win. In fact, the guy practically invented the famous “going for broke” phrase. It’s a proven method, however, as Fritts owns the record for most (4) Wal-Mart FLW Tour victories. Before weighing in on day four, the Lexington, N.C., pro spoke about his distinctive approach. “I fish every tournament to win,” he said. “I try to stick with what I do best and that’s throwing a crankbait. I had every opportunity to win this tournament, but it just didn’t work out.” Indeed, his day-two performance of one bass that weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces ultimately came back to haunt him. While the win evaded him this time, the legendary angler earned yet another massive paycheck that pushed his FLW Outdoors career earnings over $750,000.

Malone wins co-angler points race … After announcing the pro points winner yesterday, FLWOutdoors.com is proud to declare that Chris Malone of Ironton, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division Angler of the Year with a total of 922 points. You see, FLWOutdoors.com is only capable of small amounts of math per day. After calculating a complex four-man race yesterday, the world’s top competitive fishing Web site had reached its quota. After dusting off the light bulb the next day, it was discovered that Malone defeated his nearest competitor, Jason Hampson, by 6 points – the same margin of victory in the Pro Division. In third was co-angler Kevin Koone with 909 points.

Quick numbers

3-4: Hoernke’s margin of victory over No. 2 Shelton, in pounds and ounces.

9-11: Pounds and ounces of Hoernke’s day-four catch.

1: Number of tour-level victories for the Magnolia, Texas, pro.

275,000: FLW Outdoors career earnings, in dollars, for the pro winner.

3: Number of pros who caught a five-bass limit on day four.

693: Number of FLW Series points necessary to qualify for the Pro Division of the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup.

Sound bites

“I’d like to see No. 3 myself.” – Powers, after Tournament Director Chris Jones asked to see his third keeper.

“I had to borrow money from my mom to get into this tournament. I’ll pay you back on Monday, Mom.” – Second-place pro Shelton, who earned $50,000 this week.

“I couldn’t be more tickled.” – 10th-place pro Keith Monson, who was in great spirits despite failing to catch a keeper on day four.

“I told him this morning that I was coming after him. I guess I didn’t quite have enough to come with.” – Jovial pro Jim Moynagh, after weighing in a single keeper Saturday.

“I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count your top-10s.” – Jones, speaking about Trussville, Ala., pro Herren.

“I’m a Texas boy, but Texas doesn’t have nothing on Alabama. Alabama is the heart and soul of bass fishing.” – Hoernke, thanking the crowd for sharing in his triumphant moment.

“Smith Lake is a lake that keeps you guessing. This lake has taught me to be versatile.” – Third-place pro Gerald Swindle.

The BP Eastern Division of the FLW Series kicks off in 2007 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., Jan. 24-27.