Steckler Starts Strong
Lake of the Ozarks local cracks 21+ for the lead (updated)
As weigh-in progressed, it became apparent that Lake of the Ozarks was putting out for the Costa FLW Series Central Division event presented by Evinrude. Midway through, Cory Steckler of Rock Mount, Mo., dropped 21 pounds, 14 ounces on the scale and took the lead. The only pro to weigh more than 20 pounds, Steckler is trailed by Ozark legend Dion Hibdon, who caught 19-12 on day one.
Clouds and showers kept the sun at bay for most of the morning, which frustrated many anglers trying to fish docks. That was the time when Steckler capitalized.
“It started out real good. Nothing went wrong,” says Steckler. “I had those by 11 o’clock, and then my cranking battery got low so I ran back around weigh-in and just fished around.”
Steckler is known as one of the best fishermen on Lake of the Ozarks. According to Hibdon, Steckler is likely to fish a tournament almost every night of the week and is the caliber of angler that can catch them offshore (where he’s especially dangerous) and shallow as well.
“I’m fishing shallow around docks,” says Steckler. “With the sun not being out today it made it a little trickier. I didn’t get a lot of bites; I just got big ones. They seemed to be on the same docks they were in practice, but a little harder to get.
“I think one of the big ones was one I shook off yesterday, so that’s a good sign. I’m going to go do the same thing tomorrow, and I left a lot of stuff alone today.”
Top 10 pros
1. Cory Steckler – Rocky Mount, Mo. – 21-14 (5)
2. Dion Hibdon – Sunrise Beach, Mo. – 19-12 (5)
3. Kyle White – Windsor, Mo. – 18-0 (5)
4. Brian Maloney – Osage Beach, Mo. – 17-15 (5)
5. Evan Barnes – Hot Springs, Ark. – 17-3 (5)
6. Michael Stetich – Ankeny, Iowa – 17-0 (5)
7. Jeffrey Smith – Knob Noster, Mo. – 16-6 (5)
8. Dustin Evans – Eads, Tenn. – 16-5 (5)
8. Scot Floyd – Wentzville, Mo. – 16-5 (5)
10. Jim Young – House Springs, Mo. – 16-0 (5)
Fleischmann leads co-anglers
Fishing behind Dan Morehead on day one, Jacques Fleischmann of Lampe, Mo., crushed 17 pounds, 7 ounces to take the co-angler lead on day one.
“It started real slow. I didn’t have a fish until about 11:30 a.m.,” says Fleischmann. “Then I switched over baits from a reaction bait to something slower, and it started working. I just caught fish after fish. I had a great day. I fished the BFL here two weeks ago and only had one fish. Everybody has their day, and today was mine.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Jacques Fleischmann – Lampe, Mo. – 17-7 (5)
2. Erick Fernengel – Lake Waukomis, Mo. – 15-1 (5)
3. Bob Bueltmann – Osage Beach, Mo. – 13-14 (5)
4. Michael Carter – Raytown, Mo. 13-11 (5)
5. Bob Cambell – Ankeny, Iowa – 13-8 (5)
6. John Bach – Salem, Mo. – 13-3 (5)
6. Ricky Watkins – Springdale, Ark. – 13-3 (5)
8. Scott Hill – Saint Louis, Mo. – 12-6 (5)
8. John Turley Jr. – Winchester, Ky. – 12-6 (5)
10. Tyler Garretson – Conway, Ark. – 12-3 (5)