An armada of boats skimmed along the surface of Kentucky Lake at sunup, as the takeoff of another 200-plus boat tournament coincided with the start of the second round of the Rayovac FLW Series Central Division event presented by Evinrude coincided.

Unlike Thursday, when 208 Rayovac contestants flew out of Moors Resort & Marina and headed north and south, the preponderance of boats went south this morning. By midday, the majority were sharing ledges and bars up and down the main lake as well as inside the mouths of larger coves. The disposition of boats in deeper water suggests that most anglers have abandoned shallow patterns.

The added fishing pressure has impacted the tournament’s top 10, though current leader Tom Redington has a limit, as does Brandon Hunter (3^rd), Mark Rose (8^th) and Jason Lambert (19^th). Michael Wooley (4^th) found anglers fishing most of his spots and was scrambling to get away from the crowd.

“You can’t play offense because you’re having to play defense,” Mark Rose noted during a lull between stops. “If you manage to get on a good spot and catch some fish, you better stay there, because if you don’t somebody else will be on them as soon as you leave.”

This afternoon’s weigh-in begins at 2 p.m. at Moors. Saturday, the top 10 finalists will fish, and the championship weigh-in is set for 3 p.m. CT at the Walmart parking lot in Benton, Ky.