KJ Talks River Channel Tackle for Eufaula

Decision Time: KJ Talks Main Lake or River Channel for Eufaula Sudden Death Success

Despite a solid day of fishing earlier this week, Major League Fishing pro Kelly Jordon is looking forward to a change of pace as the Sudden Death round looms on eastern Alabama’s Lake Eufaula.

Maybe, that is.

Hoping to add the 2017 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup to the 2014 version that already rests in his trophy case back home in Flint, Texas, KJ is hopeful for a more normal day of fishing than the one he persevered through earlier in the week during first round Elimination Day action.

Thanks to fall turnover here at Eufaula, Jordon and the other MLF pros had to battle tough conditions and scattered numbers of smaller fish during the first round. And in the end, KJ seemed to figure things out as well as anyone else has this week. But that doesn’t mean that he necessarily liked the tough angling, nor that he is eager for a second helping.

As his Sudden Death group prepared to launch onto the upper portion of Eufaula, Jordon was noticeably optimistic about his chances to pull off a day of good fishing. Why is that? Jordon said that during fall turnover, the most consistent place on many lakes is up river like the section of Eufaula that his group will be fishing today.

“This is (typical) river fishing up here and maybe I can get them on a spinnerbait, a frog, a buzzbait, a squarebill, stuff like that,” KJ said. “I have those tied on (to rods on my front deck) and I’m ready to go.”

Because of sandbars in the upper river section of Eufaula, Jordon hopes to have an easier time finding active fish.

“They ought to be loaded up on them (the sandbars),” he said. “They might be schooling up here.”

If so, expect the SCORETRACKER LIVE! leaderboard to sing often and early. But if not, don’t be surprised to hear the sound of crickets.

With all of that in mind, Jordon admitted that he and the other pros today will have a tough choice to make during the 15-minute run-around period–which direction to point the boat – either venturing upriver into the unknown, on Sudden Death day, no less, or down lake towards the lower end of today’s zone, a region that is more similar to what was fished earlier in the week.

“Where you go in the runaround, that’s what is probably going to dictate who does well in this thing today,” said Jordon with a mixture of a wry smile, a sigh and a laugh. “That’s what is tough in this deal to me.

But that’s why we do this and you’ve just got to hope you make the right decision.”

And if you do, another big step towards a potential Major League Fishing Challenge Cup championship is waiting in the wings.