Lake Chickamauga Day 4 Coverage - Major League Fishing

Lake Chickamauga Day 4 Coverage

Wooley and Blaylock battle goes down to the wire
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Stetson Blaylock spent a lot of time idling spots and it paid off quickly. Photo by Jody White. Angler: Stetson Blaylock.
June 14, 2015 • MLF • Archives

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2:15 p.m.: Will a lost fish kill Blaylock's chances, or can he take over Wooley's lead?

With just 30 minutes left to fish, this will be the final update at the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Igloo Coolers at Lake Chickamauga.

Stetson Blaylock has made the headlines today with a combination of drop-shotting and ripping a big spoon. He's got about 20 pounds. The catch is he just lost one on the spoon. It's tough to estimate fish size with that bait because fish are often hooked awkwardly, and even a small one can feel like a big fish in that situation, but it looked like a decent one.

Wooley is still a couple pounds ahead, but those weights are only estimates. It could be closer than we think.

Can Wooley catch one more and close it out in the final half-hour? Or will Blaylock steal his title? Find out at 4 p.m. ET on FLW Live at FLWFishing.com.

 

1:40 p.m.: Blaylock continues to climb with 20 pounds

OK, it's time for a little quick math:

Michael Wooley had a 6-pound, 2-ounce lead over Stetson Blaylock coming into the day. We estimate that Wooley has about 16 pounds right now.

Blaylock has about 20 pounds. That means he's still 2 pounds and change behind Wooley.

Here's where it gets interesting. Wooley hasn't caught a keeper since before noon. Blaylock has cracked a 7-pounder and a 5-pounder on a spoon in the last 90 minutes, and he seems to have figured out how to track down some more big ones. Wooley needs to step on the gas to keep Blaylock off his heels and protect his lead.

David Dudley is also putting together a strong limit with about 17 pounds, but his recent culls have only gained 8 ounces to a pound. That's not a bad deal, but Dudley really needs a couple of 6-plus fish if he wants any chance of catching Wooley, who was 10 pounds ahead of Dudley coming into today.

 

1:15 p.m.: Switching from the drop-shot to the spoon produces a 7-pounder for Blaylock

Stetson Blaylock's strategy today seems to be working. He's running some new water and bouncing around quite a bit, using his electronics to scan every ledge before he ever makes a cast.

Blaylock was slow-fishing with a drop-shot most of the morning, which was the key to getting a limit. Then he made a major upgrade by swapping from the drop-shot to a spoon, which drew a big bite from a 7-pounder. Blaylock was able to haul that fish aboard with just one point of his treble hook hanging on in its mouth.

Interestingly, that fish came from a spot that Blaylock hadn't fished all week, proving that all that idling really was a good use of his tournament time. "They won't make fun of me for idling now," he said.

Michael Wooley is still in the lead with about 16 pounds. Blaylock has about the same weight – maybe a little more – but he started the day 6 pounds, 2 ounces back.

David Dudley in fourth was about 10 pounds off Wooley's lead. He's caught two really nice kickers today fishing shallow. If he can get a couple more big-time bites, Dudley does have a shot at catching Wooley. He'd need an upper-20s limit to make it happen.

It's hot still, with plenty of sunshine, very little wind and enough current to make this an interesting afternoon. pros have to check in at Dayton Boat Dock in 90 minutes. Let's see who can make it happen.

 

11:45 a.m.: No current and fishing pressure add to the challenge

Lake Chickamauga is challenging the top 10 anglers today. Bryan Thrift reports that the water dropped about a foot overnight. There's very little current. Plus, a local tournament is taking place, which has led to some increased fishing pressure on a few of the better offshore holes.

Michael Wooley is in control with about 16 pounds. Added to his 6-pound lead, that limit gives him a safe cushion. Still, anyone behind Wooley could end up with a mid- to upper 20s limit to have a shot.

Stetson Blaylock has probably the best chance with about 12 1/2 pounds right now. David Dudley, back in fourth, also has a shot. He's got 16 pounds, which includes a 7- and 5-pounder. If he can get a few more like that, he'll make some noise at weigh-in for sure.

 

10:45 a.m.: This one's turning into a Wooley-Blaylock showdown, but Dudley is trying to keep up

David Dudley just pulled off a typical David Dudley fish catch. He had one tied up underneath a dock and somehow managed to wrestle it free. That fish weighs about 7 pounds. He probably had flashbacks to Beaver Lake in 2014, when he pulled off a similarly impressive … er, lucky feat on a kicker fish.

Michael Wooley currently has about 15 pounds, so his lead is safe at the moment. Stetson Blaylock, in second place, did get a pretty good flurry going with a drop-shot, but his limit only weighs about 12 pounds. He was 6 pounds back of Wooley coming in, so Blaylock needs a big day to catch him.

 

10:10 a.m.: The action is picking up

Things sure have started to pick up here in the last 45 minutes. Stetson Blaylock got a school to fire up and quickly caught two keepers. Then, just as fast, the fish shut off.

Leader Michael Wooley's action has been much slower paced, but every fish he's landed has been a good one. He's put together a limit of 15 pounds and really looks to be in control.

Darrell Davis is on the shallow program. He has three keepers. One of them is the biggest bass of the day – a 5-pounder. A pro on that shallow bite could challenge Wooley today, and according to one local angler on the water, the shorebound bass are biting. The angler, who's fishing a local tournament, pulled up on one of our camera boats and reported that he's caught 23 pounds already.

 

9 a.m.: Wooley slowly piecing it together

The leader Michael Wooley has two keepers for about 7 pounds to maintain his lead on what has turned out to be a very difficult final morning. Seven pros have at least one keeper in the livewell.

Terry Bolton and Richard Peek are the only pros with limits, but they don't have enough to threaten Wooley.

Stetson Blaylock has been idling and graphing a lot of structure but hasn't located anything too appealing yet. He doesn't have a keeper, nor does Larry Nixon.

The lack of current and four days of heavy fishing pressure are probably to blame for the sudden slowdown. Still, you can about bet that these fish will fire at some point today, and several of the leaders will end up with impressive limits.

 

8:15 a.m.: Wooley has a 4-pounder; Bolton a limit

The morning bite hasn't been as good as many anglers anticipated. The deep bite is tough, as many spectators bounce around the anglers and the current is nil. The shallow bite is tough too.

Michael Wooley has managed to get on the board with a solid keeper of about 4 pounds. Terry Bolton has coaxed up a limit, but they're aren't big enough to threaten Wooley. Bolton's limit weighs about 11 pounds.

Billy McDonald, Bryan Thrift, Richard Peek and Darrell Davis each has one keeper.

 

7:15 a.m.: Perfect conditions for ledge fishing

Day four broke with the perfect conditions for an offshore shootout. It's calm, so boat positioning should be easy. It's sunny, and periods of sunshine have been the best for igniting flurries of ledge activity.

For Michael Wooley, these should be ideal conditions to close this one out, but there are some hammers behind him, especially Stetson Blaylock in second. He has gotten stronger as the week has gone on, and he might be on the kind of fish to catch an upper 20s limit.

Darrell Davis was actually the first to put a keeper in the boat this morning. He landed a 3-pounder, and he's mostly been fishing shallow.

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