Lake Travis Day 2 Coverage
We’re headed to weigh-in
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Top five patterns from day one
2:10 We’re headed to weigh-in
Our reporters are heading in and it’s about time to weigh some bass. Today’s weigh-in should be a dandy. It looks like things are pretty tight again and only 20 pros are fishing tomorrow. Making the cut will be a real battle!
Besides the pros, we get to crown a co-angler champion today!
Be sure to watch online or come on down to Jones Brothers Park at 3 p.m. for a show!
Tournament Details
Folgers Morning Takeoff: 7 a.m. CT at Jones Brothers Park, 10301 Lakeside Drive, Jonestown, Texas
Weigh-in: Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. CT at Jones Brothers Park and 4 p.m. CT Saturday and Sunday at Jones Brothers Park.
FLW Expo: 12 to 4 p.m. CT Saturday and Sunday at Jones Brothers Park
FLW Live: Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. CT to 12:30 p.m. CT
1:38 Terry is struggling
Austin Terry did well on day one, but that hasn’t really translated to success on day two. He’s just got one little Guadalupe bass in the livewell with little time left to fish.
1:30 Bad news for Suggs
Scott Suggs mumbled that he doesn’t have any keepers to one of our reporters. He had a great day one, so that’s pretty disappointing.
Chris Brasher is doing considerably better, with a 4-pounder and three small keepers. If he can fill out his limit he’ll almost certainly make the cut.
1:19 Gagliardi is still scratching
Anthony Gagliardi has move out of his shallow stuff to an offshore drop. On the way, he fished the hole where he and Jim Moulton caught ‘em on day one with no success. So far, he’s still missing that final upgrade to assure him a place in the top 20.
With just about an hour and a half before the first flight is due to check in, there is a lot of running around. Everyone is looking for that last bi to push into the cut or into a check.
1:05 Buck-date
Grae Buck has only one fish today. It’s a 4-pounder, and his co-angler Bryan New has three, so there may be hope for more.
Braxton Setzer has three in the boat, but nothing worth exclaiming about.
12:50 Blake and Webster
Derrick Blake has a limit of little ones. He started the day in 80th with almost 9 pounds. If he can replicate that today he just might cash a check.
Joseph Webster had 7-14 on day one with just one bass. Today he has about the same, but with one 5-pounder and one keeper.
12:42 Cobb is scrambling
Brandon Cobb has five fish in the boat, but he’s not sure that one of them will definitely keep come weigh-in. Now he’s scrambling around skipping main lake docks with a fairy wand.
12:38 One more Thrift update
After spending about an hour in one cove, Bryan Thrift finally picked up and moved again, still with four fish. With that, he’s flying solo the rest of the day. We’ll see what he brings back to weigh-in.
12:30 Gags update
Anthony Gagliardi has a limit for about 9 pounds. He says he needs a big bite and about 12 pounds to make the cut. We’ll see come weigh-in.
He’s mixing it up between shallow and deep, sometimes fishing offshore and sometimes pitching shallow bushes and the like in coves.
12:17 Dudley is on the board with two
David Dudley just caught his second keeper of the day. He’s fishing down in the lower end of the lake and is having a pretty tough time of it based on his results.
12:05 Thrift has his fourth
Bryant Thrift just boxed up his fourth keeper. He’s had a much slower day than day one. Then again, he said he was pretty amazed at how well day one went, so maybe we should have expected this. Either way, we’re leaving him to his own devices for the rest of the afternoon.
Of note, Josh Douglas has two, both pretty good ones. He did not do well on day one, so he’d need a pretty big day to make a run at a check.
Finally, we can report that Clark Wendlandt still has about 16 pounds and hasn’t caught any new fish since out initial report.
11:42 Birge and Cifuentes
Zack Birge has three little ones in the boat and says he needs a “Texas ten.” Don’t we all?
Joey Cifuentes has one in the box.
11:20 Wind update
The wind is really getting up on Travis. It is blowing up from the south and has gotten into the teens and produces whitecaps and rollers in section of the main lake. Travis is pretty squiggly, so there is a limit to how rough it can get, but it’s still blowing hard enough to make fishing and navigating tiresome in a few areas.
10:55 Thrift is still rolling around
The wind is howling pretty good now and Bryan Thrift is still stuck on three keepers. He’s hit a half dozen places now up the river and around Gloster Bend, but each has produced the same result – nothing. Thrift never gets flustered, but going from 24 pounds to a few dinks is hardly ever a good sign.
10:40 Team Canada update
We haven’t found Gussy yet, and Cory Johnston is mentioned below with one keeper. As for Chris Johnston, he doesn’t have anything in the box yet.
10:33 Bill Smith Jr. has a limit
Bill Smith Jr. has a limit worth about 10 pounds in the boat and just landed another keeper on a drop-shot that didn’t help. He’s looking pretty good after starting the day in 15th with nearly 14 pounds.
10:22 Wendlandt alert!
Clark Wendlandt pulled his wrap off (very sneaky) and is having a much better day today. He began the day in 27th, but he’s got about an 8-pounder in the livewell now, and figures he has about 16 pounds total, so you can figure that he’ll be moving way up.
10:15 Hollowell and Moulton
Todd Hollowell has two little keepers so far. Still slinging the drop-shot, Jim Moulton has three small keepers.
10:04 Arey with one, the wind is getting up
Matt Arey has one keeper so far today.
We had one reporter run nearly to Marble Falls looking for boats and they struck out. It seems like the vast majority of pros are fishing the middle to upper section of the lake today.
It’s supposed to blow pretty good today, and that promise is beginning to take shape. With the weather warming and the wind blowing, the fish ought to really start biting.
9:55 Sprague and Batts have limits, Thrift is moving
Jeff Sprague and Clayton Batts each have limits that go about 7 or 8 pounds. Sprague is cranking rock pretty far up the river.
Thrift has left his primary area and is headed off up the lake. We’re following.
Finally, Cory Johnston has one keeper in the box.
9:46 Thrift again
Bryan Thrift might be on to something. He just flipped up his third keeper, this one also out of the brush. It’s not really the size he was on yesterday, but it’s a sign that he’s headed in the right direction.
9:43 Thrift has No. 2
Fishing bushes near his primary area, Bryan Thrift just stuck his second keeper of the day. It’s not special, but now he’s got a school going in his livewell.
Fishing nearby, Scott Martin caught his third keeper, another one that’s just regular-sized.
9:35 The bushes are getting pounded
Though there are plenty of bushes in Travis (some in pretty deep water), the ones on and near the bank are getting pounded. Hallman is striking out so far, but he’s far from the only one trying to get something out of them. Tom Monsoor, Brandon Medlock and even Martin and thrift have all been spotted fishing bushes at some point this morning.
9:27 Gagliardi update
Anthony Gagliardi began the day in ninth place and he’s doing decent so far. Though he doesn’t have any giants, he’s got three keepers in the box to start off.
9:24 We’ve hit a bit of a lull
Though things certainly started off pretty hot, that trend hasn’t continued for everyone. The flipping bite isn’t doing Hallman any favors, and Patek hasn’t had another flurry like he did to start. It’s a lot warmer and theoretically much nicer for fishing, but that hasn’t translated into results yet.
9:05 Still nothing for Hallman
Bradley Hallman was feeling it this morning. So far today he hasn’t really backed up that vibe – he still hasn’t landed his first keeper. He was one of the last to weigh-in on day one, so he has a much shorter fishing day today.
8:58 Martin is winning today
Bryan Thrift just caught a nice crappie, but so far Scott Martin is winning their personal battle today. Martin just landed his second of the morning, a keeper worth about 2 pounds.
8:43 More updates
Shane LeHew has one keeper in the boat so far. JT Kenney is fishing in the Pedernales and doesn’t have a keeper yet.
Also, we've got the estimate on Patek at about 14 pounds.
8:32 Martin is on the board
Scott Martin finally caught one! He started his day with about a 2-pounder. Also, fishing nowhere near the crowd, Bill Day has a 3-pounder in the box as well.
Day one GoPro highlights
8:30 finding the juice
A lot of pros this week are looking for hard spots in Travis. With so much submerged brush in the lake it’s actually the places that are a little bit different that are really good. It’s also why you see so much Carolina rig action. You can’t really drag a c-rig in heavy brush, but it comes over rock like a dream.
8:25 Lambert is playing games
Jason Lambert is video game fishing with a drop-shot and has caught five shorts in quick succession. No keepers for him yet, but he seems in good position to work through some numbers for some size.
8:20 Other updates
Outside of the leaders, Scott Ashmore started his day where he culled most of his weight on day one. So far he’s caught nothing but shorts today. Clark Reehm is already doing better on day two – he just caught a 4-pounder on a spinnerbait.
Of note, there are a lot fewer boats up the Pedernales River this morning than there were yesterday.
Bradley Hallman has swung and missed a time or two so far, but hasn’t put anything in the boat yet.
8:15 Patek is finished with his limit
Stephen Patek is a hammer. Dude has a limit by 8:15 and he finished it in style with a 4-pounder. All on the c-rig. Lookout!
8:08 Robertson is on the board
Outside of Thrift and Patek, Darrel Robertson is the first on the board. He’s got a solid 2-pounder in the boat to start his day.
8:05 It’s a little crowded in places
Grae Buck, Blake Smith and Barry Wilson have all started in the same cove. They’re all fishless to this point and are dragging Caroline rigs or jigs.
There is also a decent crowd up by Martin and Thrift. In addition to those two, Matt Arey and Billy Hines are fishing within about 150 yards.
7:57 Patek is cooking
Stephen Patek was pretty confident that he could replicate his success on day one to some extent today. It looks like he’s on pace to do that so far. Dragging a Carolina rig, he just put his first three keepers in the boat on three consecutive casts. None of them are all that big, but there are plenty of folks who would kill for three keepers this early.
7:40 Thrift is on the board
In a shocking development, Bryan Thrift has caught the first fish of the day. He started with one that’s about 2 pounds, caught with a spinning rod.
7:35 Thrift and Martin are starting close again
Bryan Thrift and Scott Martin have started on the same place they fished for so long on day one. Yesterday Thrift flat-out dominated the area, but today is a new day. Nobody has hooked up yet, but it’s likely just a matter of time before someone gets going.
While Thrift is fishing a little off the bank, Bradley Hallman is most certainly not. He’s posted up on some bushes and has started his day with a buzzbait and a frog.
7:00 Day two is underway
Get started under much warmer conditions than day one, day two of the FLW Tour presented by Quaker State on Lake Travis promises to be a good one. Today we crown a co-angler champion and cut to 20 pros for the weekend, so there’s a lot on the line. The group of contenders from day one is fascinating, from the usual suspects like Bryan Thrift and Anthony Gagliardi to Bradley Hallman, the surging Scott Suggs, Brad Knight and rookies like Grae Buck, Justin Atkins and Dylan Hays. Though the top folks caught them pretty well, Travis can also be mean – look at Andy Morgan and Cody Meyer mired back in 130th and 134th.
As for the fishing, the dominant patterns on day one were undoubtedly throwing a Carolina rig or finesse bait offshore or flipping brush on the bank. With warmer weather today, that mix might stay steady, but it could also push more fish shallow or allow for more sight fishing that on day one. It’s also supposed to be a little windy, which might help the bite. All told, the conditions look good for someone else to step up and begin to match the blistering pace set by Bryan Thrift.
Whatever happens, Texas hill country is a beautiful place to be and we should be in for another great day of competition.
Top 10 pros
1. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 24-12 (5)
2. Stephen Patek – Garland, Texas – 20-5 (5)
3. Bradley Hallman – Norman, Okla. – 19 – 4 (4)
4. Scott Suggs – Alexander, Ark. – 17-3 (5)
5. Christopher Brasher – Longview, Texas – 16-8 (5)
6. Justin Atkins – Florence, Ala. – 16-0 (5)
7. Deal Alexander – Georgetown, Texas – 15-0 (5)
8. Dylan Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 14-15 (5)
9. Anthony Gagliardi – Prosperity, S.C. –14-13 (5)
10. Grae Buck – Harleysville, Penn. – 14-12 (5)
Conditions
Temperature at takeoff: 52 degrees
Forecast high: 76 degrees
Sky: mostly clear
Precipitation: 20 percent chance of rain
Wind: S at 10 mph
Tournament Details
Folgers Morning Takeoff: 7 a.m. CT at Jones Brothers Park, 10301 Lakeside Drive, Jonestown, Texas
Weigh-in: Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. CT at Jones Brothers Park and 4 p.m. CT Saturday and Sunday at Jones Brothers Park.
FLW Expo: 12 to 4 p.m. CT Saturday and Sunday at Jones Brothers Park
FLW Live: Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. CT to 12:30 p.m. CT