Tindell tends to the lead at Seminole

Local pro still leads, Canterbury makes a charge

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – For the second day in a row anglers fishing the EverStart Series event on Lake Seminole were treated to all day heavy overcast with cooler temperatures than day one. Some pros indicated that the water temperatures fell some 3 to 7 degrees in their best areas.

The lack of sun and cooler temps did little to entice new bass onto the shallow sand at Seminole and as result those counting on strictly bedding bass found themselves scrambling.

The most consistent bite now seems to be for those who have hung their hats on staging areas or “funneling areas” in more stable water in depths of 6 to 10 feet.

These areas located on the outsides of the spawning bays and flats are where leaders are catching bass coming and going from the shallower sand. Such is the case with the leader Robert Tindell of Leesburg, Ga., who reeled in 20 pounds, 12 ounces today to resume his lead at the EverStart event with a two-day total of 47-14.

Tindell has one spot in particular that has paid off big time because it’s a hallway to the bass’ honeymoon suite.

“This morning I went to the same place where I caught all of the pre-spawn bass yesterday,” Tindell said. “And today every fish I caught was a beat-up, skinny post-spawner. The same exact spot – yesterday they were all fresh, new, fat pre-spawn bass and today they were all skinny, laid-out fish. Tell me what kind of sense that makes? All I can figure is it’s a transitional area.”

Tindell did admit that all of his fish are coming on a crankbait. When asked if he has tried an Alabama rig on his staging places he said that he has, but in his opinion the A-rig is not as potent on Seminole as other places in the country.

“I have tried it here,” he said. “And I have caught a few fish on it this year, but by no means has it been as effective as it seems to be on places like Guntersville. To me it really does not seem to be any better than a crankbait in the areas I like to fish.”

Canterbury second



Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala., rocketed into second place today with a 27-pound, 2-ounce catch for a two-day total of 42 pounds, 7 ounces.

“I came here with total intentions of sight-fishing,” Canterbury said. “I spent all of practice looking for beds and marking beds. And by one o’ clock yesterday I finally realized that just wasn’t going to happen for me, the conditions just weren’t right.”

Once he scrapped his sight-fishing game plan, he found something else.

“Yesterday afternoon I was working my way out of a backwater pond onto the outsides when my co-angler caught a 6-pounder and I caught a 4-pounder,” he said. “And that’s when I figured out I better commit to the outsides where the fish are moving in and out.”

Canterbury only caught 7 bass today. Two were fat pre-spawn butterballs and the other three were skinny and spawned out.

“I’ve got four little staging spots and I’m just rotating through them all day long,” he continued. “But there’s no doubt that’s where the bigger ones are right now.”

Canterbury did say that two of his bass came on an Alabama rig during the day, but his other fish came on other lures.

Beaver third



Rodger Beaver of Dawson, Ga., receives the unofficial award for being the highest-placed contender who is still sight-fishing.

Today he plucked another 14 pounds, 14 ounces off beds to grab third place going into the final day with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 11 ounces.

“I’m officially on the scramble the now,” Beaver said. “The water actually cooled off today and no new ones are coming in. I’ve been forced to fish all of the shallower beds because of the conditions. I’ve got a few on deeper beds, but with this overcast and wind I can’t see down there to work them. I don’t know, if the sun would come out it would help me a lot.”

Davis fourth



Tony Davis of Williston, Fla., is in fourth place with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 8 ounces.

Davis his focusing his efforts on post-spawn fish.

Davis starts the mornings with topwaters to trigger fry-guarders up shallow and then moves out to about 10 feet where he throws a crankbait to catch bass retreating from the shallows back out to the main lake.

Wilson fifth

Barry Wilson of Birmingham, Ala., rounds out the top five with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 7 ounces.

Wilson also says his fish are post-spawn bass located in a bay off the Chattahoochee River.

“Everything I’m catching is post-spawn,” Wilson said. “It looks like most of the spawning is over with in the place I’m fishing and I’ve moved out into the middle where it’s deeper to catch the ones moving out.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 pros in the EverStart Series event on Lake Seminole after day two:

6th: Pete Thliveros of St. Augustine, Fla., two-day total of 35-13

7th: Howard Poitevint of Bainbridge, Ga., two-day total of 32-13

8th: JT Kenney of Palm Bay, Fla., two-day total of 32-6

9th: William McKinstry of Loxahatchee, Fla., two-day total of 32-3

10th: Bradley Enfinger of Colquitt, Ga., two-day total of 32-0

Hults leads co-anglers

Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., has won an astounding six tournaments as Co-angler in FLW Outdoors competition. And from the looks of things, he is about to make it seven.

Hults smashed a 23-pound, 6-ounce limit from the back of pro Bradley Enfinger’s boat. Enfinger fared pretty well, too, reeling in 24 pounds, 6 ounces for himself.

“That’s the biggest limit I’ve ever caught from the back of the boat,” Hults said. “It was an incredible day. Bradley is a super good guy. He told me how each place we fished laid out and how he felt the fish were positioned. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Joe Ventrello of Orlando, Fla., is in second place in the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 29 pounds, 12 ounces.

Wesley Bleich of Newnan, Ga., is in third place with a two-day total of 26 pounds.

Nicholas Davico of Cantonment, Fla., is in fourth place with a two-day total of 25 pounds, 6 ounces.

Brent Chitty of Moultrie, Ga., caught the big bass in the Co-angler Division on day two weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces, which helped propel him to 5th place with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers in the EverStart Series event on Lake Seminole after day two:

6th: Greg Jeter of Bainbridge, Ga., two-day total of 21-2

7th: David Hallmark of Muscle Shoals, Ala., two-day total of 20-15

8th: Byron Botdorf of Albany, Ga., two-day total of 20-6

9th: Aaron Richardson of Destin, Fla., two-day total of 20-4

10th: Daniel Buswell of Newnan, Ga., two-day total of 19-11