Limbrick Takes Slim Lead
Cunningham blows past the co-angler field
Day one of the Costa FLW Series presented by Ranger on Lake Havasu featured great weather and very tight weights. Though no 20-pound bags hit the scale, 10 pros bested the 16-pound mark and Carl Limbrick Jr. of Bonita, Calif., weighed 17 pounds, 7 ounces to take the lead.
With weights as tight as they are and so many boats on the water most of the pros were pretty cagey about their patterns. For Limbrick, getting off to a hot start early was key.
“It started off good in the morning, I didn’t catch many fish, but I caught decent ones – 3- and 4-pounders,” says the California angler. “I’m not sure I can replicate it, I only got six fish today and that sixth one came later. I went a long time without a bite.”
Limbrick did divulge his methods and location to a degree – finesse fishing in the main basin. Weighing three smallmouths and two largemouths on the day, Limbrick says he isn’t particularly targeting either species, he’s just focusing on areas where both are present.
Prior to 2018, Limbrick has fished almost entirely as a co-angler, but he did end the 2017 season with an 18th-place finish from the front of the boat at Clear Lake. He’s got a great shot to follow that up with an even better finish if he can keep it rolling at Havasu.
Top 10 pros
1. Carl Limbrick Jr. – Bonita, Calif. – 17-7 (5)
2. Ted Stewner – Winnipeg, Manitoba – 17-3 (5)
2. Chris Kinley – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – 17-3 (5)
4. Cody Murray – Nampa, Idaho – 17-2 (5)
5. Shaun Bailey – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – 16-14 (5)
6. Jason Borofka – Salinas, Calif. – 16-12 (5)
7. Michael Caruso – Peoria, Ariz. – 16-7 (5)
8. Joe Uribe Jr. – Surprise, Ariz. – 16-6 (5)
9. Mitch Southern – Yucaipa, Calif. – 16-4 (5)
10. Jason Milligan – Cottonwood, Calif. – 16-0 (5)
Cunningham blows past the co-angler field
Had he been fishing on the pro side, Joseph Cunningham would still be in the lead. The co-angler from El Dorado Hills, Calif., smashed 18-2 on day one and leads over Tony Zanotelli by nearly 4 pounds.
Fishing behind Gregg Brown, Cunningham says he simply got a little lucky.
“Believe it or not it was actually a really slow day,” says Cunningham. “We came in on a spot and I caught three good ones back-to-back and then we had a lull until the end of the day when I caught my last two keepers. It feels good, I just hope I can go out there and get five tomorrow and then do it again on Saturday. It’s an adrenaline rush every time you get a bite.”