Another big limit keeps Owens on top at Choke Canyon

Avoiding crowds helps Wilson claim co-angler lead

CALLIHAM, Texas – Given the day’s post-frontal conditions, few would have predicted anything but a lesson in frustration, however, the numbers don’t lie and the day two tally was pretty impressive for the EverStart Series Texas Division event on Choke Canyon Lake.

After a windy day one that was cut short by a morning fog delay, competitors woke to a cold, clear morning that had all the makings of a bluebird day that would thrill nature photographers, but disappoint fishermen. That, however, was not the case, as anglers enjoyed a more robust bite and more big fish. Pros caught 34 limits (as opposed to 19 on day one) and several fish of 7-plus pounds crossed the weigh-in stage.

Some of the top-10 anglers made big moves today, but so did a couple who missed the cut. Eleventh place pro Chris Wilkerson moved up from 51st place on the strength of his 20-pound, 1-ounce bag, while Jeremy Wiggins posted the event’s biggest improvement by catching 20-5 and rocketing up the standings from 75th place to 17th.

Day one leader Kelly Owens, of Crowley, La., bolstered his first round weight of 25-1 with another big limit, this one 28-2, and held on to the pro lead with a total weight of 53-3 and a comfortable margin of 12-1. The only angler to weigh two bags of 20-plus pounds, Owens also took Big Bass honors with an 11-pound, 3-ounce hog.

Predictably, Owens was highly guarding with the specifics of his location and tactics. He clearly has a fish magnet located, so details are thin.

“I found a few key areas and I selected one spot yesterday and I went back to that spot today,” he said. “These are staging fish that are just moving in and out. I’m fishing the same thing that (most) everyone is fishing. It’s a mixture of grass and wood from about three feet, out to about 15 feet.”

Owens said the first three hours of the day were most productive. Once he had what he needed, he backed off and just tested the fish’s mood to ensure enough left for the final round.

“I slowed down later in the day when the wind calmed down,” he said. “I was shaking fish off, just trying to see if I could get them to bite for tomorrow.”

Lasayone goes heavy, grabs second

Louisiana pro Kevin Lasyone sacked up a 24-pound, 11-ounce limit and rose from sixth place to second on day two with 41-2. He caught his fish by returning to the same deep grass edge that produced for him during day one’s blustery conditions.

“I got the chance to fish where I wanted to fish because the wind didn’t blow,” he said. “I tied up to the same tree (as day one), and if I make the cut, I’ll tie up to the same tree tomorrow.”

Lasayone caught his fish on a Texas-rigged Yum Dinger with a 1-ounce weight. He discovered this bite when the day one conditions necessitated experimentation. “I actually found the fish by accident. I threw out the big weight that I was punching with and started catching them on (that rig).

Curtis improves to third

David Curtis, of Trinity, Texas bagged a nice limit of 18-5 today and improved his position from 11th place to third with a total weight of 32-5. Curtis said most of his weight on days one and two has come from a grassy spot where deep water swings in close to a ridge.

“I have one spot that has produced the majority of fish weighed in by myself and my co-anglers that last couple of days,” Curtis said. “It’s one little sweet spot that has a school of fish. I actually thought today would have been tougher than yesterday, but we caught more fish there today. After that, I just went around and junk fished and culled up a couple of times.”

Curtis said he caught fish on Carolina rigs and Senkos, but he noted that bait selection was less of a factor than the location that proved to be an attractive staging area for prespawners.

Tutt makes huge jump to fourth

After a slow start on day one, Kellogg’s pro Jim Tutt stepped on the gas and sacked up a hefty limit of 27 pounds and gained 51 spots from 55th to fourth with 31-15. Throwing a chatterbait rigged with an orange Speed Craw, Tutt fished super slowly along grass edges in 10 feet of water.

“It was an early morning deal when we caught them all,” Tutt said. “I didn’t have to hurry; I could just slow down and fish at my own pace. I was fortunate that every fish that bit was a big one.”

Tutt said his small day one catch (two fish, 4-15) was the result of deviating from his original plan. “In practice, I caught fish slow rolling a Rat-L-Trap, but the grass was so pretty and I caught a few shallow in practice that I got off what I knew needed to be done to catch the big ones.”

Russell Cecil, of Willis, slipped two spots to fifth with 30 pounds.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 pro leaders at the EverStart Series Choke Canyon event:

6th: Charles Bebber, of Willis, Texas, 29-13

7th: Todd Castledine, of Nacogdoches, Texas, 29-13

8th: Matthew Scogin, of Magnolia, Texas, 27-15

9th: Tommy Martin, of Hemphill, Texas, 27-4

10th: Cody Bird, of Granbury, Texas, 26-11

Hawkins has the trick for co-angler lead

Dan Wilson, of Pilot Point, Texas entered day two in second place, but after adding 8 pounds, 1 ounce to his day one weight of 15-9, he took over the co-angler lead with 23-10. Wilson caught his fish on a Strike King Red Eye Shad over points with no grass. With so many anglers focusing on grass edges, he surmises that staying away from the heavily trafficked areas was advantageous.

“We were trying to stay away from everybody and it seems to have worked pretty good,” Wilson said.

Russel Lohman, of Pineville, La. placed second with 21-4, while Clinton McNiel, of George West, Texas took third with 20-9. Day one leader Keith Hawkins, of Missouri City, Texas slipped to fourth with 19-5. Gary Fields, of New Orleans, La. was fifth with 18-2.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 co-angler leaders at the EverStart Series Choke Canyon event:

6th: Danny Bickom, of Canastota, N.Y., 17-12

7th: Joseph Brozak, of Orange, Texas, 17-12

8th Trevor Rogge, of San Antonio, Texas, 17-5

9th: Steve Corbin, of Bacliff, Texas, 16-0

10th: James McKeithen, Baton Rouge, La., 15-3

Day three of EverStart Series Texas Division action on Choke Canyon Lake continues at Saturday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. (Central) at Choke Canyon State Park in Calliham, Texas.