COLUMBIA, S.C. – Team Castrol’s Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., caught five bass weighing 26 pounds, 13 ounces on opening day of the $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop on Lake Murray Wednesday to lead an elite field of pro anglers in what could turn out to be a battle of the 40-pound-plus weights come Thursday afternoon.
“I could have had close to 34 pounds,” said Robertson, who caught his bass in 6 feet of water on a crawfish colored crankbait he borrowed just before takeoff. “I lost my biggest fish of the day about an hour before weigh-in.”
Despite losing his biggest bass, one in the 8-pound range, Robertson still boated two fish weighing more than 7 pounds and two around 5 pounds. His smallest bass weighed just over a pound. “I had such a terrible practice that I told someone I would be the happiest guy you’ve ever seen if I caught a fish [Wednesday],” Robertson said. “Well, I’m pretty happy right now!”
Trailing Robertson by 12 ounces in the quest for a $100,000 payday is second-place pro Terry Segraves of Kissimmee, Fla., who caught five bass weighing 26 pounds, 1 ounce.
Working spinner baits and small crawfish colored crankbaits in 4 to 6 feet of water was the technique of choice for most anglers on opening day, but with warm weather forecast throughout the week and water temperatures on the rise, that could change. Countless big bass currently suspended along grassy ledges adjacent to deep water could move up to the banks at any moment. If that happens, crankbaits and spinner baits will likely give way to jigs and finesse worms, and the tournament could turn into a sight fisherman’s paradise if rain holds off.
“I don’t think they are on the beds yet,” said Robertson, a past FLW Tour champion with more than a $1 million in FLW Outdoor earnings. “But come Saturday, I think they will be on beds everywhere.”
Greg Scott of Dearborn, Mich., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces that he caught on a copper colored lipless crankbait while fishing grass in 4 feet of water with pro Joel Baker of Talala, Okla. He is followed closely by second-place co-angler Darrell Stevens of Roseland, Va., who caught five bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces while fishing with pro Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C.
“We caught some big fish in practice,” said Scott, who has finished as high as fourth in FLW Tour competition with just five events under his belt. “I knew there were some big ones out there.”
The winning co-angler earns $15,000 cash.
Thirteen limits weighing 20 pounds or more were brought to the scale Wednesday, and there was no shortage of big fish in those limits. At least a dozen bass weighing more than 7 pounds were presented for the Snickers Big-Bass Award, but Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., earned the Pro Division title and $750 for the 9-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a 5/32-ounce finesse jig while pitching to wood in 6 feet of water. Scott earned co-angler big-bass honors and $500 with a 9-pound, 10-ounce bass he caught on his lipless crankbait. If Scott’s catch holds up as the biggest bass of the two-day opening round, he will earn an additional $1,000 from Snickers.
Rounding out the top five pros are Mickey Bruce of Buford, Ga. (five bass, 24 pounds, 10 ounces); John Crews of Jetersville, Va. (five bass, 24 pounds, 5 ounces); and Ricky Shumpert of Lexington, S.C. (five bass, 23 pounds, 11 ounces).
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Greg Gulledge of Monticello, Ark. (three bass, 13 pounds, 14 ounces); Laura Aldridge of Berkley, Mich. (five bass, 13 pounds, 12 ounces); and Alan Paczkowski of Henrico, N.C. (five bass, 13 pounds, 12 ounces).
A total of 966 bass weighing 2,743 pounds, 10 ounces were caught by 307 anglers, and 99 percent were released alive. If catch weights hold up Thursday, anglers could set a new FLW Tour record for heaviest cut weight, and Robertson could set a new opening round weight record. Currently the record for a top-10 cut sits at 37 pounds, 7 ounces and was set on Kentucky in 1998. The record for heaviest opening round catch belongs to Peter Thliveros of Jacksonville, Fla., who landed 10 bass weighing 47 pounds, 5 ounces on Kentucky Lake in 1998. Robertson needs just 20 pounds, 9 ounces to break the record.
This four-day tournament presented by Snickers marks the midpoint of the $5.76 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour. With three tournaments down following this event, 350 anglers representing 35 states, Canada and Japan will have three additional FLW Tour events in which to earn points toward qualifying for the historic $1.5 million Jacobs Cup world championship of bass fishing on the James River in Richmond, Va., Sept. 10-13. Every point is critical, as only the top 48 pros and 48 co-anglers advance to the Jacobs Cup, where the winning pro earns $500,000 – the largest guaranteed cash award in the sport’s history.
Lighthouse Marina in Chapin is hosting takeoffs at 7 a.m. Thursday and Saturday and 8 a.m. Friday. Thursday’s weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. at the marina. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 360 Harbison Blvd. at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
The community is encouraged to attend the Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family. The Fun Zone opens Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m.
Coverage of the Lake Murray tournament will be featured on the “FLW Outdoors” television show, which is broadcast to 55 million Outdoor Life Network subscribers. The program features fishing legends Hank Parker and Larry Nixon alongside hosts Charlie Evans, Carlton Wing and Taylor Carr. Parker’s preview of the event airs Saturday at 7 p.m. and again Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. Tournament highlights air March 22 and 23 followed by a tournament recap featuring Nixon March 29 and 30. “FLW Outdoors” airs every Saturday at 7 p.m. and every Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on OLN through July 5. Special Jacobs Cup episodes will air in September.
The FLW Tour features a pro/co-angler format in which the pro supplies the boat, fishes from the front deck against other pros and controls boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. One hundred and seventy-five pros and 175 co-anglers comprise a full field. After two days the field is cut to the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers who will advance to day one of the final round Friday based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for Friday’s competition, and co-anglers compete for one day to determine the winner. Pros continue competition Saturday, with final positions determined by Friday and Saturday’s combined weight. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.