Defoe defends lead at Santee

Cypress tree skipping vs. sight-fishing battle begins

MANNING, S.C. – Despite absolutely perfect fishing weather on day two of Stren Series event on Santee Cooper, weights fell off slightly from day one: it was not the banner day many pros were expecting, but catches did not crash either.

The best way to put it is pros “maintained” on day two. Fifteen catches over 20 pounds were still weighed in (same as day one) and the cut weight on the pro side is now 38-12 – pretty stout.

The classic Santee Cooper battle between the sight-fishermen and the cypress tree specialists is once again starting to take shape in South Carolina.

Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn., who represents the cypress tree camp, still has the lead with a two-day total of 50 pounds, 4 ounces. But about 4 pounds back is Stren Series Championship winner Mike Jackson of San Mateo, Fla., who is sight-fishing.

After catching 27-14 yesterday, Defoe raked in another 22-6 today from beneath Lake Moultrie’s cypress trees today.

Defoe is using a technique perfected by Santee Cooper specialists: skipping weightless plastics under to the base of low-hanging cypress trees with light line and a spinning rod.

Defoe noted that there is nothing secret about his place as other pros are in the area, but getting “finessey” with Moultrie’s big bass is the name of the game.

“The water down there is real clear and it’s all about staying way back off those trees, making long silent presentations and letting that worm just flutter down real slow in front of them,” Defoe detailed. “And you miss some doing that; I lost two big ones today. But I definitely believe that lighter line gets you more bites.”

Like yesterday, Defoe is sticking with a 7-inch Berkley Power Shakey worm tied to 8-pound test Berkley 100% fluorocarbon line.

“Even if you miss a fish, though, a lot of times you can come back to that same tree again later and get them to bite a second time,” he added.

As for tomorrow, Defoe plans to change very little.

“Same area, same technique,” he said. “I think there are plenty of fish in the area, it’s just a matter of out-finessing the competition.”

Jackson second

Jackson complimented his day-one weight of 24-10 with a 21-5 catch today for a two-day total of 45-15.

Jackson hit the bonus round first thing this morning when he found a single bed loaded with three big females and one buck. He caught all four fish in about 20 minutes.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Jackson. “This one buck bass had three big ol’ girlfriends on the same bed. Every time I pitched in the bed, he ran in there, snapped up the lure and carried it out away from the bed. Each time, I’d just shake him off, reel in fast and make another immediate pitch to the bed and one of those big females would eat it. I did that three times until I caught all of the females and then I caught the buck.”

Jackson’s early fortune afforded him the opportunity to then go and look for more bedding bass for tomorrow.

“After I caught my fifth one, I just went looking,” he said. “I found some more for tomorrow, I just hope they’re ready.”

McFadden third

Local pro Henry McFadden of Georgetown, S.C., is in third place with a pair of 20-plus pound limits for a two-day total of 42-3.

McFadden’s father guided on Santee Cooper for 40 years so it’s safe to say that he knows a thing or two about the lake.

“The water level is critical for me,” McFadden said. “I’m fishing staging fish on cypress trees and falling water could hurt me. As long as the water stays stable I think my fish will keep replenishing each day.”

Klys fourth

Berkley pro Ron Klys of Gainesville, Fla., is in fourth place with a two-day total of 45-10.

Klys said he is “half and half” between sight-fishing and blind-casting on Lake Moultrie.

When Klys first starts into his area in the mornings he is making long casts to holes in the grass with a Berkley Heavy Sinkworm. After he catches a limit and the sun gets higher for better visibility, Klys moves in and visually hunts beds to upgrade his catch.

“I’m definitely in a bedding area and I feel like this warming trend and up coming moon has fish funneling into the area, but I’m not strictly sight-fishing,” Klys said.

Pugh fifth

Sight master Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala., moved up into fifth place today with a 22-7 catch that gave him a two-day total of 40-9.

It will come as no surprise that Pugh is strictly sight-fishing. During practice, he did nothing but stand on his trolling motor looking for beds while making notes of beds he found. His bed-fishing notebook is eleven pages long and he’s only worked through two pages of it in the last two days.

“I’m really trying to manage my fish right now,” Pugh said. “I’ve had the opportunity to catch a little more than that last couple of days, but it’s pointless to burn a 6-pounder that will only cull me up a couple of pounds when I could use all six of those pounds the next day. I’m figuring 18 pounds a day to make the top 10, so that’s my target. If I make that last day then I’ll fish for every big one I know about.”

Big bass

Lee McCracken of Ocala, Fla., caught the big bass in the Pro Division on day two weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 pros in the Stren Series event on Santee Cooper after day two:

6th: Bryant Ailor of Knoxville, Tenn., two-day total of 39-14

7th: Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., two-day total of 39-11

8th: Cody Bird of Grandbury, Texas, two-day total of 39-5

9th: t Arnie Lane of Lakeland, Fla., two-day total of 38-15

10th: Lee McCracken of Ocala, Fla., two-day total of 38-12

Breckenridge still leads co-anglers

Day-one co-angler leader Larry Breckenridge of Dothan, Ala., maintained his lead today with four bass for 12-11 which gave him a two-day total of 30-13.

“I’ve had two real good partners,” Breckenridge said. “I fished completely different today than I did yesterday. The real key today was making good casts under those cypress trees – nice quiet presentations to the base of the trees.”

Breckenridge used soft plastics, a small jig with a twin-tail trailer and a small bream imitator swimbait a friend gave him for his catches today.

Jason Ober of Johnstown, Pa., is in second place with a two-day total of 25-4.

Greg Hamblin of New Albany, Miss., is in third place with a two-day total of 22-15.

Patrick Cook of Johnsonville, S.C., is in fourth place with a two-day total of 22-5.

Kenneth Owens of Wise, Va., rounds out the top-5 co-anglers with a two-day total of 19-14.

Big bass

Blake Parker of Hapersville, Ala., caught the big bass in the Co-angler Division on day two weighing 8 pounds, 14 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers in the Stren Series event on Santee Cooper after day two:

6th: Brian Carroll of Smyrna, Ga., two-day total of 18-13

7th: Aaron Fahnestock of Enterprise, Ala., two-day total of 18-3

8th: Ken Golub of Pittsford, N.Y., two-day total of 18-1

9th: Blake Parker of Hapersville, Ala., two-day total of 17-14

10th: Gill Bristow of Columbia, Ala., two-day total of 17-9

Day three of the Stren Series Southeastern on Santee Cooper will begin Friday at 7 a.m. from John C Land III Landing located at County Road S-14-260 (Greenall Road) in Summerton, S.C.