Toho Day 1 Coverage

Giants are falling on day one at Toho

QUICK LINKS

Live leaderboard – click here

Lake Tour – click here

Tournament Details – click here

Toho By the Numbers – click here

Day 1 OTW gallery – click here

Day 1 marshal gallery – click here

 

 

1:00 p.m. – Final updates

Ryan Salzman recently caught a biggun. We’re not quite sure on how many total pounds he has in his livewell, but he will definitely have an eye-catcher at weigh-in. He won’t be alone, either. There have been a staggering amount of hawgs landed today.

Along with the blog, we’re shutting down the leaderboard for the day. Day one at stop No. 2 of the FLW Tour has certainly lived up to the hype surrounding the event. Our marshals have seen true giants caught from all over the Kissimmee Chain. For those who like seeing big fish in-person, be sure to attend today’s weigh-in. If you can’t be there, be sure to watch it all live on flwfishing.com at 3 p.m. ET.

Thanks for following along and we will see y’all tomorrow morning!

 

12:35 p.m. – Leaderboard update

With a little more than two hours before the first wave of anglers returns to check in, here's a quick snapshot of the unofficial leaderboard:

1. Scott Martin – 22.5 lbs. (5 fish)

2. John Cox – 22 lbs. (5)

3. Tyler Woolcott – 19.25 lbs. (5)

4. Austin Felix – 19.25 lbs. (5)

5. Aaron Britt – 18.5 lbs. (5)

6. Jim Jones – 18.5 lbs. (5)

7. Andrew Upshaw – 18 lbs. (5)

8. Mike Surman – 17 lbs. (5)

9. Braxton Setzer – 16.75 lbs. (5)

10. Buddy Gross – 16.5 (5)

A whole bunch of limits are being filled today, with a healthy dose of hawgs mixed in. Don't be surprised if there's a shakeup atop the leaderboard in the couple hours between the end of live coverage and the start of weigh-ins. 

 

12:00 p.m. – Martin bags another big

Scott Martin’s Marshal just reported that he caught another 8-plus-pounder. That unofficially puts him in the lead at 22 1/2 pounds. Still, he has three rats in his livewell that need to be culled. If he does that, we could see a mammoth five-bass limit from the Florida pro.

Otherwise, midday updates haven't been too kind. The bite seems to have slowed considerably in the last hour or so. That might be the formula for the rest of the afternoon if this lull persists. With a bunch of buck bass out there, culling by ounces at a time is the norm. Still, those behemoths are moving up to spawn, and we're seeing the result.

We have six anglers at (unofficially) 18-plus pounds or more so far and another seven with 15 or more pounds. 

 

11:18 a.m. – They're catching them, and they're catching them good

We're seeing a lot of big fish pulled out of the Kissimme Chain right now. By our count, at least 8 fish of 7 pounds or more have been boxed so far today. There are plenty of buck bass to be had, but the big females do seem to be moving up shallow for the spawn. Plenty of pros are sight-fishing in clear water, pitching around soft plastics, though a couple big ones today have been landed on moving baits.

Here's a quick leaderboard update with unofficial weights:

1. John Cox – 22 lbs. (5)

2. Tyler Woolcott – 19.25 lbs. (5)

3. Austin Felix – 19.25 lbs. (5)

4. Aaron Britt – 18.5 lbs. (5)

5. Jim Jones – 18.5 (5)

There's still plenty of time left, and it's a good bet we see at least a handful of pros eclipse the 20-pound mark today. With water temps in the mid-60s and the weather showing out in a big way, the bite is only going to get hotter. 

 

10:35 a.m. – Scott Martin

Florida pro Scott Martin just smacked a Toho giant. The fish looks like it is at least 9 pounds. If you are in the Kissimmee area, you need to get out to weigh-in this afternoon. With the amount of big fish we have seen so far you will surely be in for a show.

 

10:00 a.m. – Bigguns are showing up

Tyler Woolcott just had a monster cull by exchanging a 2-pounder for a 7-pounder. Working moving baits through pads seem to be the juice for the Florida pro. Elsewhere, Bryan Thrift, Jimmy Reese, Bradley Dortch and Terry Bolton have each landed a 5-plus pounder in the last half hour. From what we are seeing, lily pads, Kissimmee grass, hydrilla and scattered clumps have all been producing well so far.

 

9:10 a.m. – Lock check, Surman

After this morning’s takeoff we counted a total of 64 boats that went through the lock on the south side of Toho. Most likely a few more guys have locked since then. As far as fishing goes, most pros are fishing the shoreline Kissimmee grass instead of the offshore areas. It's clear they're sight-fishing for larger fish.

Mike Surman just took over on the unofficial leaderboard. He is sitting with at least a 15-pound stringer. His limit is anchored by a 5-plus pounder that came out of the pads.

 

8:35 a.m. – Updates

California pro Aaron Britt is off to the start he needed. Right now, he has an 8-plus-pounder, a 4-pounder and a dink in his livewell.

Cody Kelly is also having himself a solid start this morning. He is working an offshore grass area and has already boated a few small keepers and a 4-pounder.

Meanwhile, Tyler Woolcott is the first angler to start culling. He has an estimated 12-13 pounds so far. It sounds like he is around a ton smaller fish – most likely males. As the sun comes out it wouldn’t be surprising if the big girls come up to his area.

 

7:40 a.m. – John Cox on the board with a hawg

Updates are already starting to roll in. While a good portion of the field has gone through the lock (or is still waiting for its turn), John Cox stayed close to takeoff — and it paid off in a big way. He landed an eastimated 8-pounder just after takeoff while nearly everyone else was working their way to their first spots of the day. Cox is a shallow-water hammer who's more than familiar with these Florida fisheries. Jumping out to an early lead with an absolute hawg is a good way to get going.

Jacob Wall is also off to a good start. He has a 4-pounder in the boat just a half hour after takeoff. The morning bite seems to be on, though there's nothing much to report in the way of size to this point — yet. That should change very soon with the weather looking downright perfect for a slugfest early this morning. 

 

7:00 a.m. – The second stop of the 2019 FLW Tour season is underway.

Three days of practice followed by an off day on Wednesday left many anglers with the same question: Is today the day big fish start moving up to spawn?

Unlike other recent trips to Toho, Tour anglers have arrived during a warm front that led to rising water temperature throughout the week. With highs in the low-80s expected both today and tomorrow — after several days of pleasant weather in the Sunshine State — it’s nearly time for big females to start bedding down. If that happens to be the case, expect to see some sizable bags weighed in today.

But even if early waves of spawners still aren’t moving up in droves, Toho is fully capable of producing in a multitude of ways. The Kissimmee Chain offers plenty of options, most of which involve grass, and it’s a good bet we’ll see more than a couple 20-plus-pound bags at the weigh-in stage this afternoon.

When there’s as much grass present as there is at the Kissimmee Chain, count on seeing a lot of the same tactics across the tournament field this week, from flipping and punching to cranking and swimming a jig.

 

CONDITIONS

Temperature at takeoff: 58 degrees

Forecast high: 82 degrees

Sky: Sunny and clear all day long

Precipitation: 0 percent chance of rain

Wind: ESE at 8 mph

 

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

Presented by Ranger Boats

Hosted by Experience Kissimmee / Kissimmee Sports Commission

Takeoff: 7:00 a.m. ET at Big Toho Marina, 69 Lakeview Drive, Kissimmee, Fla.

Weigh-in: Days 1 and 2 at 3 p.m. ET; Days 3 and 4 at 4 p.m. ET at Big Toho Marina

FLW Expo: 2 p.m. ET through the end of weigh-in at Big Toho Marina

FLW Live: 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET weigh-in