Forrest Wood Cup Day 1 Coverage
All anglers are off the water. Day one is a wrap.
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3:10 p.m.: It's almost quittin' time. There's a handful of contenders at the top.
Ramie Colson Jr. added his name to the list of early contenders with an afternoon keeper that pushed his limit to about 13 pounds. Unofficially, Colson, Brad Knight, Brandon Cobb, Jacob Wheeler and Ish Monroe are the top five, but anglers have begun to run and gun a lot more, so it's harder for our reporting crew to keep tabs on them. Someone else could have a big limit. Also, a half-dozen pros are in the 9- to 11-pound range, so one more fish could push any one of them up to the top.
We're signing off the day-one blog with this post. Check out FLW Live at 5 p.m. CT to watch the day-one weigh-in broadcast from Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
See you back here tomorrow.
Day 1 Midday Update
Blaylock Fishing in a Crowd
Catchin' Up with Peter T
2 p.m.: The door is still open on Ouachita
With 90 minutes left until the first flight has to check in, and another hour on top of that until the final flight is due, there's still plenty of opportunity to make a run at the leaders. Right now, the bar is set at 14 pounds by Jacob Wheeler, Brandon Cobb and Ish Monroe. Several anglers, including Todd Auten, Mark Daniels Jr., Brad Knight and Stetson Blaylock, are just a fish or two behind the leaders.
After about an hourlong flurry of activity that saw several anglers punch into double-digit weights, we've set into an afternoon lull. Don't expect it to last too long though. There's still some schooling activity going on, and bank-running bass in the summer are known for firing up periodically throughout the afternoon.
Weigh-in starts in three hours. We're into crunch time now. Who can put himself into position to have a shot at the weekend today? Find out at FLWFishing.com.
1:10 p.m.: Cobb and Ish battling for the lead
Move over Jacob Wheeler, because Brandon Cobb and Ish Monroe are taking advantage of a sudden flurry of midday activity, and both are approaching 14-pound limits. Ish says he's figured out a program where he covers large stretches of water and is catching not only quality keepers, but a lot of keepers. Not every pro can say that this week.
The reports from Ouachita really picked up at about 12:30. It's almost like the lake came alive all over. For sure, the sunny, warm conditions that have taken over are known for turning on the shallow bluegill bite. Ish and Cobb aren't saying much more about their patterns though, so we'll have to wait for more details as the week goes on.
12:30 a.m.: Jacob Wheeler wants to make it two
Could this be the year that someone becomes a two-time Forrest Wood Cup champion? Jacob Wheeler is making his bid for it to happen. He told one of our reporters that he has about 13 pounds in the livewell. That makes him the first to crack the "teens" and the unofficial leader. This tournament is right up Wheeler's alley. He excels in tough, hot summertime tournaments. He can scrape and claw his way to a solid weight better than almost anyone else. And he's putting himself in contention on day one.
What's happening on Lake Ouachita
Local pro and former Forrest Wood Cup champion Scott Suggs, who's not fishing the Cup this week, gave FLW fans a lesson in summertime fishing on Lake Ouachita. His insights will help fans understand the patterns and presentations that are being used this week.
11:45 a.m.: Brad Knight surges to the front with 12 pounds
We have a clear early leader now. Brad Knight of Knoxville, Tenn., has 12 pounds in the livewell. He's got a leg up on Mark Daniels Jr. and Stetson Blaylock.
More reports are coming in. Stay tuned to FLWFishing.com and the live OTW feed for up-to-date info.
11:25 a.m.: Mark Daniels Jr. is charging, Andy Morgan not far behind
The star of Circuit Breaker, Mark Daniels Jr., might have found his good luck charm this morning when his mom, Sylvia, surprised him at takeoff. MDJ just filled his limit and has about 10 1/2 pounds in the box. He's right up there at the top and is probably the new unofficial leader. His bites have been coming rather consistently about every 30 minutes, and he's actually picked up the pace since the sun started shining brighter.
Andy Morgan is also making a move. He now has four keepers, including one of decent quality. He'll need to cull out a couple little fish though if he wants to make a run at the early lead.
10:45 a.m.: As the temperature climbs, the action slows
We're still getting a steady flow of updates from the reporting crew out on Lake Ouachita, though the pace has slowed somewhat. At the same time, the sun is now shining bright, and it's warm enough for a guy to break a sweat.
A few additional anglers are working on their limits. Chris McCall has four. Roy Hawk has three. He's cranking deep grass. Mark Daniels Jr. is slowly but surely pecking away and now has four keepers.
Right now, Brad Knight and Stetson Blaylock get a very slight edge as the unofficial leaders, but almost a dozen pros are one solid kicker away from taking over.
Topwater is still the dominant technique, both out over deep suspended timber and in on the bank. A few anglers are cranking the grass, while others are relying on slow-fished soft plastics.
9:45 a.m.: Stetson Blaylock and Brad Knight lead a crew of All-Stars right now
The limits coming in early are small, but they're limits nonetheless. Stetson Blaylock, the local favorite, and Tennessee pro Brad Knight are the early leaders. They're right around the double-digit mark with their limits.
Behind them, Bryan Thrift, Adrian Avena and Scott Canterbury all have limits too, though they're catching only small fish.
Brandon Cobb, who has four keepers, has one really nice one in the box. If he gets No. 5 he'll be in good shape.
The sun is shining now on Lake Ouachita, and the temperature is rising. A couple of the anglers keying on the shallows have said that the bite is better in the afternoon, possibly once the sun has beaten down awhile and the bass start sliding up to chase bluegills. We'll keep you posted.
9 a.m.: Blaylock and company heating up
There's a crowd forming on Lake Ouachita, and Stetson Blaylock is in the center of it. Around him, you'll find a few media members, seven or eight local observers and four other hammers looking to capitalize on the same bite as Blaylock. Adrian Avena, Scott Canterbury, Bryan Thrift and College Fishing champ Patrick Walters are all within sight of Blaylock. All are catching fish too.
We know that Blaylock and Canterbury have limits, and Avena has four keepers. We're getting an update from Wilson and Thrift now. The schooling bite is still on, as is a general bank topwater bite. However, the anglers fishing out off the bank seem to be getting more consistent bites. Stay tuned to see if that changes once the sun gets high over Ouachita.
8:30 a.m.: The morning bite is strong
The Forrest Wood Cup is under way on Lake Ouachita, and the morning bite is hot. The weather, thankfully, is cool. It appears that yesterday's front, which brought rain and a temperature drop, is paying off for anglers in both creature comforts and better fishing.
John Cox caught a 3 1/2-pounder to start his day, missed another one just as big and then had a trolling motor issue. He's getting fixed up by the tech crews and will be back out there real soon.
Scott Martin, who won the last time the Cup was on Ouachita, caught three small keepers right off the bat.
Brad Knight has three keepers and is off to a strong start. Clark Reehm has just one, but it's a 3-pounder.
Brandon Cobb has one quality keeper accompanied by three small fish.
Meanwhile, last year's runner-up Scott Canterbury has four keepers, though they're all small too.
Here's who else we know about:
Mark Daniels Jr. – 1 keeper
Ramie Colson Jr. – 1 keeper
Adrian Avena – 1 keeper
Luke Clausen – 1 keeper
Stetson Blaylock – 0 keepers
It's mostly topwater in play out there right now, thanks to overcast morning conditions. Stand by, because the pros aren't wasting any time in this derby.
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