Quick Bites: FLW Series Eastern, Pickwick Lake, Day 3

Go with the flow, Deep thoughts on Tennessee River, It’s a family affair, Sexy beast

Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern

Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.

Third round, Saturday

Go with the flow… When the Tennessee Valley Authority built hydroelectric dams on its namesake river, recreational fishing enhancement may not have been the primary objective, but there’s no escaping the ancillary benefits. Water released through the massive structures – measured in cubic feet per second (CFS) – not only creates electric power, it stirs downstream impoundments, piles up baitfish and puts bass in a bona fide food mood. Unfortunately, today’s discharge schedule declined to a level that was less than favorable for tournament anglers. National Guard pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla. explained: “On the first day of the tournament, they released about 19,000 CFS, which means there was quite a bit of current. On day two, it was down to about 13,000 or 14,000 and today, it was about 9,000.” Slower water means less active fish. “Those fish are used to fighting the current, so the more current the better because it makes them feed. When there’s not as much current, you have to really get your lure on (precise spots). It’s just harder fishing.”

Deep thoughts on Tennessee River… Although many anglers fared well by targeting Pickwick Lake’s burgeoning pastures of shallow grass, Paducah, Ky. pro Terry Bolton stuck with a familiar pattern that he fishes on his home waters of Kentucky Lake. The plan carried him into second place for Saturday’s finale. “All I do for 10 months out of the year is structure fish, and Pickwick Lake is not a lot different from Kentucky Lake. On the Tennessee River, there’s always a population of bass that stay deep. A lot of times, if you can find them, they’ll be nice ones and you’ll have them to yourself. That’s basically what I did this week. I found a few places and just kept moving around.”

It’s a family affair…FLW Outdoors stresses wholesome fun with a strong emphasis on family involvement. Several anglers took this to heart by including their loved ones in the weigh-ins. With film crews capturing the action for a future episode of FLW Outdoors on FOX Sports Net, pros and co-anglers frequently recognized wives, children and other relatives in the audience and those watching at home. Most endearing were the moments when kids joined fathers on stage. Co-angler Mark Vos of White Heath, Ill. weighed a 4-pound, 4-ounce largemouth, but he was clearly more joyful about having his daughter Malissa (6) and son Matthew (10) by his side. “I’m happy to catch some fish, but it’s a blessing to have my family travel with me.” Later, Addis, La. co-angler Daryl Folse showed off a good-luck note hand-written in crayon. “My 5-year-old daughter Madison hid this in my bag before the tournament, so I carry this with me every day.” The Family Fun Zone starting at noon on Saturday furthers this theme with games, giveaways and interaction with Wal-Mart FLW Series pros.

Sexy beast…When Wal-Mart pro Trevor Jancasz felt his line come tight he suspected he’d stuck another trash fish. “I was throwing a Rat-L-Trap and just pulling it along and it just stopped. I thought I had hooked another drum because I had caught one earlier – or maybe a catfish. But as soon as I set the hook, it came up and jumped and I said “Oh yeah!” The fish: A 5-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth. The accomplishment: Snickers Big Bass for day three. The bait color “Sexy Shad.”

Quick numbers:

3: Number of days Mark Rose and Terry Bolton finished first and second on the pro side.

0: Number of clouds in the clear, blue sky overlooking the day-three weigh ins.

20: Number of birthdays Stetson Blaylock had celebrated prior to winning the co-angler division at the FLW Series Eastern Division event in Florence, Ala. (His most recent was in August.)

0: Stetson Blaylock’s day-one score

27: Total number of limits caught by the pros in today’s competition.

1: Number of limits caught by co-anglers in today’s competition. (Stetson Blaylock bagged five fish.)

21: Number of pros with 3-day totals of more than 30 pounds.

Sound bites:

“If you’re only going to catch one fish, this is the one!” – Matt Greenblat upon weighing his sole catch of day three – a 5-pound, 9-ounce largemouth that won the Snickers Co-Angler Big Bass award.

“I’m just flabbergasted.” – Jim Moynagh after he slid into the third-place spot with a limit catch of 19 pounds, 2 ounces – the tournament’s heaviest bag in three days.

“I knew this day was coming.” – Stetson Blaylock reacting to his co-angler win, which comes after numerous top-10 finishes in FLW competition.

“My wife’s having contractions right now, so we may be having a baby tomorrow.” – McCalla, Ala. pro Kyle Mabrey, noting that missing the tournament’s top-10 cut actually worked out well by enabling him to return home to his soon-to-be unpregnant wife.

“I would have liked to have put a little more distance between me and (the other top-10 pros), but now it’s going to be tight.” – Day three leader Mark Rose after his lightest bag in three days (12-1) allowed second-place Terry Bolton to move within 13 ounces.

“He’s been mad a lot this week.” – Pro Frank Lannom, explaining how his 8-year-old son Isom gets upset when dad doesn’t bring in a big limit. Lannom’s lean week on Pickwick had apparently drawn the little guy’s ire.

“I’m bubbling bad.” – A&W pro Chris McCall who entered the FLW Series event in Florence “on the bubble” at 33rd place in the Eastern Division standings was crossing his fingers in hopes that he would earn enough points to make the top-30 cut for the FLW Series BP Easter Division/National Guard Western Division Fish-off.

“When I get home, I’m driving an arrow through a deer.” – Chris Daves on his plan to blow off some tournament stress during archery season.

Day four of FLW Tour action on Pickwick Lake continues at Friday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. (CDT) at McFarland Park Marina, located at James M. Spain Drive in Florence, Ala.