Oklahoman leads Central Division finale
Christie bags 18-6 on opening day
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – With a mixture of clouds and sun and just a slight breeze, the weather on day one of the Stren Series Central Division event on Lake of the Ozarks was nearly perfect. The fishing, on the other hand, was anything but.
Only 55 pros out of a field of 146 caught a five-bass limit Wednesday. The culprit was likely unseasonably warm weather. Not surprisingly, a handful of Ozark veterans such as Guido Hibdon and Randall Hutson began their steady ascension to the top of the leaderboard.
But leading the way was pro Jason Christie, who caught five bass that weighed 18 pounds, 6 ounces. Anchoring that stringer was a 5-pound, 2-ounce brute. Christie’s day started slow as he only had two small keepers in the boat at 9 a.m.
“Then the shad came up, and the fish went to biting,” said the Park Hill, Okla., native. “There was no activity, and then stuff just started happening.”
Under that scenario, it sounds like Christie would be targeting schooling fish, but that wasn’t the case.
“I tried a topwater a lot in practice, but I didn’t get a single bite in seven days.”
Instead, he cranked his way to 10 total keepers, nearly all of which came from one bay located far off from the Grand Glaize Recreation Area. In fact, Christie said he burned two tanks of fuel.
“I’m fishing fast and targeting aggressive fish.”
Most of his success came in 15 to 25 feet of water, although the same group of fish was significantly shallower in practice.
“This warm weather really pulled them deep.”
At 11 this morning, the pro leader had all his weight in the livewell. At that point, he decided to lay off and fish other areas. He didn’t catch anything at those locations, which makes him wonder if his day-one success can be sustained over four days.
Fitzpatrick second
Fresh off a third-place finish at the Wal-Mart BFL Super Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks, pro Roger Fitzpatrick was back at it on day one of the Stren Series event – catching an amazing 16 keepers on an otherwise tough day.
Unlike Christie, Fitzpatrick fished slow, although he wouldn’t reveal his exact presentation. The end result was four cookie-cutter 3-pound largemouths and one kicker that weighed 5 pounds. His total weight registered 17 pounds even, good enough for second place.
“They bit this afternoon,” said the Eldon, Mo., native. “The fishing has been tough lately, but I think I figured something out. I think I can catch limits, but catching 5-pounders is a different story.”
Fitzpatrick fished the Wal-Mart FLW Series event last fall on this very same lake. There, he dragged a big jig over deep ledges. At this event, he claims he has only one area that is fishing similarly. He does have several other spots, as the local fisherman competes in roughly 30 tournaments each year on Lake of the Ozarks.
“I’m just taking what the lake is giving me right now. I’m catching most of my fish in 10 feet of water.”
Newby, Ruff tied for third
Kellogg’s pro Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla., and Steve Ruff of Wentzville, Mo., caught identical stringers weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces apiece.
Newby found his fish in practice on a topwater, but didn’t catch them that way today. Instead he resorted to his favorite tactic – flipping.
“I had a limit by 9:30 this morning, and I culled three more times after that,” said Newby.
Newby missed the third Central Division event of the year due to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on the Potomac River. Amazingly, he still has a shot at qualifying for the Stren Series Championship despite fishing only three events.
“These fish are between their summer and fall patterns. Some are deep; some are shallow; they’re just scattered. I think it will only take 15 pounds a day to win it.”
Silvester fifth
Rounding out the top five in the Pro Division was Staunton, Ill., pro Anton Slivester, who caught 15 pounds, 9 ounces Wednesday.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on Lake of the Ozarks:
6th: Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tenn., 15-7
7th: Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo., 15-1
8th: Jimmy Davis Jr. of Willard, Mo., 15-0
9th: Jason Weast of Camdenton, Mo., 14-15
10th: Lothar (Shawn) Kowal of Linn Creek, Mo., 14-8
Each of the top 10 pros caught limits Wednesday. The Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division went to Tim Janke of Janesville, Wis. His fish weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and was worth $237.
Spinks leads co-anglers
Tony Spinks of Springfield, Mo., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces on day one while fishing with pro Daniel Porterfield of Clinton, Mo., who is currently in 139th place. The biggest fish in Spinks’ stringer weighed 3 pounds, 7 ounces.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Chuck Loerzel of Yorkville, Ill. (five bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce); Mark Guin of Crossett, Ark. (three bass, 11 pounds, 1 ounce); Robert Harley of Ozark, Mo. (three bass, 
10 pounds, 7 ounces); and Ron Abbott of Lafayette, Ind. (five bass, 10 pounds, 4 ounces).
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers after day one on Lake of the Ozarks:
6th: Tony Lain of Greentop, Mo., 10-3
7th: Randy Fraser of New Florence, Mo., 10-0
8th: Randy Staton of Owasso, Okla., 9-11
9th: James Beussink of Maryland Heights, Mo., 9-7
10th: Colby Schrumpf of Highland, Ill., 9-5
The Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division went to Frank Divis Jr. of Fayetteville, Ark. Divis’ bass weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces, placed him 12th and was worth $125.
Day two of Central Division competition on Lake of the Ozarks begins as the field of 146 boats takes off from the Grand Glaize Recreation Area at 6:30 a.m. Central time Thursday.