Grand Lake Midday Update Day 1
The bite’s tough overall, but some pros have uncovered pockets of productivity
Grand Lake seemed to be portioning out its bounty in stingy parcels during day one of the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Ranger and hosted by the City of Grove. Partly cloudy skies with moderate wind and rising temperatures might seem like a winning combo for bass action, but many of the anglers we visited this morning were struggling to find consistency.
Realistically, it’s probably going to be more of an afternoon bite, as the sun warms the water. Most pros have said so, at least. However, when we found Louisiana’s Darold Gleason, he showed us a pair of 4-pounders that grabbed his spinnerbait by docks.
Docks were the top focus for most of the anglers we saw. Also in play were points, windy rock shorelines and isolated wood cover. Pros were throwing crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, umbrella rigs, ChatterBaits and various plastics.
Interesting note: Zack Birge snagged a brush pile near a dock, and after calmly tugging and shaking his rod, he suddenly assumed the battle position as a 5-pounder grabbed his crankbait right when the lure popped free. Unfortunately, Birge lost the fish at the net. The Oklahoma pro and former Grand Lake winner reported having his limit for about 12 pounds.
We also passed local stick Sheldon Collings, who had four keepers for about 12. Brady Winans had a couple in the box early, as did Tommy Dickerson. Derek Fulps had three keepers.
The back of the boat can be a lonely, desolate place during a tough bite, but oddly enough, the better fish we saw today bit co-angler baits. Jason Clark caught a 5-pounder on a crankbait, and Shane Patrick boated one of similar dimensions with a spinnerbait.
With air and water temperatures rising and winds increasing, it’s likely we’ll hear of strong afternoon bites. Making every fish count will be the name of the game.
Weigh-in begins at 3:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live at FLWFishing.com.