Moore Sacks 21 on Rayburn
The fishing was actually pretty good on day one
Taking the lead on day one of the Toyota Series Southwestern Division event on Sam Rayburn, Cole Moore weighed an even 21 pounds to kick things off. Though the fishing was not really up to the massive heights it can reach on Rayburn, it was far from bad, and plenty of pros put together limits in the teens both shallow and deep.
Moore is just 20-years-old and hails from Louisiana, and he made the top 10 in the Toyota Series event last summer on Rayburn as well. Today, lighting struck late for Moore, and he put together most of his weight at the very end of the day.
“I started off the morning very slow, I did not have the bites I thought I could get first thing in the morning,” says Moore. “I managed to catch a small limit off a couple limit holes, and I carried it all day long.”
Then, at the end of the day, Moore pulled into a “keeper hole” that sometimes has a 3-pounder or two.
“The big ones had moved in there like I’ve never seen it before,” says Moore. “I caught an 8, a 6 and a 4 in the last 30 minutes of the day.”
Moore didn’t spend much time fishing truly shallow, but he also didn’t commit to one thing out deep.
“It’s a little bit of a mix,” says Moore of his day. “Where I caught them later in the day is mid-depth, 8 to 10 foot, so it’s a mix from shallow to deep to brush piles.”
Moore says that lately he’s been burned by day two, but with a front rolling in and a bit of a cushion, he’s looking forward to tomorrow.
“It feels great, I like the weight I had, and it gives me the confidence that I don’t need to catch quite as much tomorrow to make the final day,” says Moore. “Tomorrow, it all depends on what the wind does and what it allows us to fish. I think it should make the fish bite, I think it should be a good day tomorrow.”
Top 10 pros
1. Cole Moore – Anacoco, La. – 21 – 0 (5)
2. Aaron Johnson – Shreveport, La. – 19 – 2 (5)
3. Chris McCall – Palmer, Texas – 18 – 13 (5)
4. Blake Schroeder – Whitehouse, Texas – 18 – 3 (5)
5. Kenneth Cates – Zavalla, Texas – 17 – 14 (5)
6. Andrew McClusky – Silsbee, Texas – 16 – 13 (5)
7. Josh Bensema – Willis, Texas – 16 – 8 (5)
8. Michael Herron – Paris, Texas – 16 – 7 (5)
9. James Ware – Longview, Texas – 15 – 14 (5)
9. Zack Birge – Blanchard, Okla. – 15 – 14 (5)