ETBU Leads by an Ounce After Day 1 at Fort Gibson
WAGONER, Okla. – Day 1 of the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship on Fort Gibson Lake didn’t stray far from expectations, producing a wind-beaten field and a tight race. Fishing for East Texas Baptist University, Kaden Proffitt and Cason Ragsdale tallied 17 pounds, 9 ounces to take the lead. In second, brothers Lafe and Matt Messer put up 17-8 for Kentucky Christian University.
Behind the leaders, a bag in the low teens was a very good thing, and less than 3 pounds separates 25th place and seventh place. Overall, the fishing lived up to typical prespawn Oklahoma expectations, with bites being at a premium and many teams running fine margins.
“The scales make it seem like we smashed them, but it was pretty tough,” said Ragsdale, a senior business administration major. “We had to grind, the wind blew us around a lot. But, I think the difference was we got out in the wind when a lot of guys weren’t, and we would stay in one area and really pound it. Sometimes it would take 20, 30, 40 minutes for us to get a bite, making the same cast over and over again. Just a fish here and a fish there, and they just happened to be the right ones today.”
Fishing methodically, mostly in the lower and mid-section of the lake, the pair are targeting fish that are theoretically en route to their spawning grounds.
“It’s transition banks; fish that want to move up, but the water is changing, the weather is changing, and they don’t know where they want to be,” said Proffitt, who is also a senior business administration major. “It’s transition banks in front of where they’re going to be spawning.”
Neither angler has much experience on Fort Gibson, but most college anglers these days have fished about everywhere, and Proffitt and Ragsdale are proving to be typically adaptable.
“For the most part, we’re just fishing things that make sense,” said Ragsdale. “Places where when the water is going up and down, fish can just sit there and be comfortable, where the water isn’t going to run away from them.”
Landing their fifth and biggest fish at 1:10 p.m. CT, both are cautiously optimistic about Day 2.
“I think most of the fish we’re around are quality,” said Proffitt. “I think if we do get five bites again, I’m pretty confident it can be in that range.”
“I think we can duplicate it, but we can also zero,” said Ragsdale. “If we get the bites we can do well, but it’s not going to just be a slugfest.”
Top 10 Teams
1. Kaden Proffitt and Cason Ragsdale – East Texas Baptist University – 17 – 09 (5)
2. Lafe Messer and Matt Messer – Kentucky Christian University – 17 – 08 (5)
3. Gaige Blanton and Kody Mazur – Missouri Western State University – 14 – 04 (4)
4. Jacob Andrews and Connor Nimrod – University of Louisiana-Monroe – 14 – 00 (5)
5. Kyle Hopping and Lane Stephens – McKendree University – 13 – 15 (5)
6. Bailey Bleser and Nathan Doty – McKendree University – 13 – 09 (5)
7. Austin Anderson and Cal Cameron – Stephen F. Austin – 13 – 00 (4)
8. Caz Anderson and Lee Rose Koza – Carson Newman University – 12 – 15 (5)
9. Chase Milholen and Levi Mullins – Bethel University – 12 – 12 (4)
10. River Lee and Hunter Muncrief – Stephen F. Austin – 12 – 11 (4)