Fuqua rockets into first
Top-10 cut announced at Stren Series Texas Division event at Red River
NATCHITOCHES, La. – For Ricky Fuqua it was only a matter of time. As a local who has fished the Red River for as long as he can remember, Fuqua knew that sooner or later his prime fishing locations would have to produce. However, with the top-10 cut looming and Fuqua treading water in 27th place, he realized it was now or never.
“I have one really good area but the last two days it was full of people,” explained Fuqua. “I went through there both days but didn’t really fish it the way I wanted to. Basically I didn’t want people to see what I was doing. But today, there really wasn’t anyone there. And I got to stay there all day.”
Buoyed by the drop off in fishing pressure, Fuqua boated a monstrous 19-pound, 14-ounce stringer that not only vaulted him into the top 10 but atop the pro leaderboard as well.
“It feels really good. I’m fired up,” said Fuqua, who now boast a three-day total weight of 35 pounds, 6 ounces. “I fish this river almost every weekend so I knew that my fish were going to turn on sooner or later. I knew I could catch them. It was only a matter of the fish cooperating.”
And cooperate they did. In the short span of 24 hours, Fuqua managed to go from more than 10 pounds out of first place to leading the entire event by 2 1/2 pounds – a remarkable feat to say the least.
The only question now is whether Fuqua has enough fish left to seal the deal.
“My area is really hard to get into,” said Fuqua, who hails from Effie, La. “It’s about 50 yards wide. And I’m going to go there in the morning. I know I’m on the right fish to win this. We’ll just have to see what happens.”
Not surprisingly, Fuqua also netted the day’s Big Bass honors in the Pro Division after recording a 5-pound, 14-ounce largemouth. His catch landed him $165.
Kenyon clings to second place
By all accounts, day-two leader Robert Kenyon had a tough day. In addition to suffering through the most difficult bite of the tournament to date, he lost his fair share of fish as well.
“It was tough out there today,” said Kenyon. “I don’t really know what changed. The water stayed the same and the current stayed the same, but I had a hard time catching them. I only wound up with five bites total and I missed two fish.”
However, that being said, Kenyon still managed to eke out a second-place finish with a three-day weight of 32 pounds, 14 ounces.
“When you miss fish like that it really hurts,” said Kenyon, who resides in Cordova, Tenn. “But the good thing is that I didn’t put myself too far out of first place. If I can catch a decent limit tomorrow I should be in good shape. But we’ll have to see how everything shakes out.”
Kenyon said that he’s fishing “moving baits” while targeting bass on shallow banks. Specifically, the Tennessee native said that he’s keying on wood structures that flank some vegetation.
Best of the rest
Kevin Lasyone of Dry Prong, La., used a three-day catch of 32 pounds, 8 ounces to leapfrog from ninth to third place.
Stren Series pro and Coppertone team member Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas, turned in a three-day catch of 31 pounds, 11 ounces to grab fourth place.
Meanwhile, Ricky D. Scott of Van Buren, Ark., used a total catch of 31 pounds, 5 ounces to take fifth place.
Rounding out the top-10 pro leaders at the Stren Series Texas Division event:
6th: Stephen Johnston of Hemphill, Texas, 30-12
7th: David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, 30-9
8th: Tim Reneau of Del Rio, Texas, 30-1
9th: Bud Pruitt of Houston, Texas, 29-11
10th: Robert Robinson of Mobile, Ala., 29-4
Hults maintains top spot in Co-angler Division
Although he didn’t have a stellar day on the water by any stretch, Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., still landed enough fish to hold onto first place in the Co-angler Division for the second day in a row.
“I really struggled out there today,” said Hults. “I only had two fish in the boat with like 15 minutes left. But that’s when I landed my largest fish (3 pounds, 9 ounces) of the day. I felt a lot better after that.”
Hults said that he used a combination of trick worms and jigs while fishing in “heavy cover” to land the majority of his catch.
Sporting more than a 2-pound lead heading into the finals, Hults said that he likes his position. However, he also said that he’s taking nothing for granted.
“Overall I’m pretty happy with where I’m at,” said Hults, who boasts a three-day total catch of 25 pounds, 2 ounces. “I haven’t really lost any fish and so far I’m fishing a pretty clean tournament. I’m glad to have a chance to fish tomorrow and I’d like to catch a limit. But I’ll take what I can get. Things change everyday on this river and you just have to be ready to adapt.”
Francis nets second place
Like Hults, Stephen Francis of Brookeland, Texas, also struggled during today’s competition. However, despite landing a meager 4-pound, 4-ounce catch, Francis still found himself within striking distance of first place heading into tomorrow’s finals.
“It was the toughest day I’ve had out there in three days,” said Francis. “I only had four bites all day – and I only caught two of them. I still can’t believe I’m in second place. All I can figure is that it must have been hard for other people too.”
Francis, who caught the majority of his fish today fishing jigs, said he couldn’t wait until tomorrow’s competition.
“I finished in second place at the last Texas Division event at Lake Texoma,” said Francis. “But this time, I’m looking for first.”
Best of the rest
Bennie Anderson of Grand Prairie, Texas, finished the day in third place in the Co-angler Division after netting a three-day total of 20 pounds, 11 ounces.
Chris Weaver of Lawton, Okla., used a three-day catch of 20 pounds, 10 ounces to net fourth place.
Meanwhile, David Underwood of Waco, Texas, finished the day in fifth place with a total catch of 18 pounds, 12 ounces.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers at the Stren Series Texas Division event:
6th: Mark Oakley of Davis, Okla., 18-0
7th: Jimmy Brumfield of Madison, Miss., 17-15
8th: Matt Hults of Gautier, Miss., 17-0
9th: Keith Honeycutt of Temple, Texas, 16-11
10th: Bo Middleton of Elgin, Okla., 16-2
Terry Grisham, Buddy Hicks and Larry Hunter tied for the day’s Big Bass honors in the Co-angler Division after landing identical 3-pound, 13-ounce catches.
Day four of Stren Series Texas Division action continues during Saturday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 6:30 a.m. (CDT) at the Grand Encore Recreation Complex, located at 234 Rufus Morgan Road in Natchitoches, La.