Williams Ahead at Norris
Ultra-deep school keys a big day one for the N.C. pro
Autumn has kissed the hills of Lake Norris with color, however, water temperatures still hover near the mid 70’s and bass still think it’s summer. At least that’s what a lot of pros who crossed the stage on day one of the Walmart FLW Tour Invitational presented by Quaker State on Norris Lake think. A common refrain from the stage was, “It’s not cold enough yet,” in reference to why the bite seemed to be pretty stingy on the northeast Tennessee reservoir.
On the day, only nine five-bass limits were weighed in and 6 pounds, 3 ounces stands as the top-20 cut line. But as with all bass tournaments, at least one angler always dials up the right combination to put a solid limit in the boat. Today that limit belonged to David Williams of Maiden, N.C., who sacked up 15 pounds and an ounce to take the day one lead.
Top five patterns from day one
Ironically, Williams was initially attracted to the pair of FLW Invitationals because of the Lake Norman event, held last month near his home. Williams scored a 30th place in that event, which is not quite what he had hoped for. Without any prior experience on Norris, he decided to give it go and now finds himself in the lead.
“I’ve never fished here before,” Williams says, “But I’ve fished three (BFL) Regionals over on Cherokee, which is just right up the road, and I’ve had some success there, so I figured this lake would be similar.”
Williams estimates he caught 10 to 12 keepers on the day, most of which came from a big school he located suspended over extremely deep water. His weigh-in bag included a Norris Lake slam featuring all three species of bass.
“The place I started on was 95 feet deep,” Williams explains. “And there is a big school suspended over that deep water. The water is so clear I can literally see them bite my bait. And when I’m fighting the fish, there are 10 more following it.”
On several occasions, Williams was reeling his lure back up and saw fish following it and dropped it back down to get bites.
Once he scored a decent limit at around 10:30, Williams quit fishing his primary area and started running the bank with a spinnerbait where he lost two fish estimated to be in the 4- to 5-pound class.
“It could have been a real big day, but I’m happy with where I am,” he adds. “Hopefully I can get on that big school tomorrow and have another good day.”
Top 10 pros
1. David Williams – Maiden, N.C. – 15-1 (5)
2. James Watson – Nixa, Mo. – 13-10 (5)
3. Jason Lambert – Pickwick Dam, Tenn. – 12-14 (5)
4. Derrick Blake – Rockwood, Tenn. – 12-4 (5)
5. Wesley Strader – Spring City, Tenn. – 10-11 (5)
6. Bill Dunn – Maynardville, Tenn. – 10-1 (5)
7. Tracy Adams – Wilkesboro, N.C. – 9-13 (5)
8. Todd Hollowell – Fishers, Ind. – 9-11 (4)
9. Kurt Mitchell – Milford, Del. – 8-9 (4)
10. Matt Arey – Shelby, N.C. – 8-8 (5)
Williams breaks down day one
Tournament details
Format: All pros will compete for the first two days. The top 20 pros based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
Takeoff Location: Anderson County Park, 2191 Park Lane, Andersonville, Tenn. 37705
Weigh-In Time: 3 p.m. ET
Weigh-In Location: Anderson County Park