Bronx native leads Co-angler Division amidst record catch
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Chad Grigsby of Colon, Mich., landed five largemouth bass weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces Wednesday on Lake Champlain to grab the opening-day lead in the $1.05 million Forrest Wood Open presented by Kellogg’s. At the same time, Bronx native Judy Israel, one of the most accomplished female anglers on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, claimed the No. 1 spot in the Co-angler Division with five smallmouth bass weighing 18 pounds, 3 ounces.
While Grigsby and Israel battled for leads in their respective divisions, Chevy pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., struggled to retain his lead over Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, in the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points race. If Yelas finishes 28 places ahead of VanDam, he will win Angler of the Year. After day one of the four-day tournament, he is in 19th place with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces. VanDam is currently in 30th place with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces.
“I wasn’t the smartest angler (Wednesday). I didn’t hit the right areas at the right time,” said VanDam, who has earned four second-place finishes and one third-place finish in his last 11 tournaments. “I didn’t really think much about (Angler of the Year) until this tournament. Then practice was tough, and I started to worry more than I have in the past. I don’t know about the rest of the tournament. I have exhausted all of my options.”
Should VanDam win Angler of the Year, he would be the first angler to win back-to-back titles and only the second angler to win Angler of the Year twice. Only Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, has earned two Angler of the Year titles, in 1997 and 2000.
Kim Stricker of Howell, Mich. (five bass, 18 pounds, 14 ounces); Alton Jones of Waco, Texas (five bass, 18 pounds, 13 ounces); Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark. (five bass, 18 pounds, 10 ounces); and Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., (five bass, 18 pounds, 2 ounces) rounded out the top five pros.
“I feel pretty good, but you don’t win a tournament on the first day,” said Grigsby, who specifically targeted largemouth bass while the majority of the field chased smallmouth. “My goal is to make the cut and catch 20 pounds Friday.”
Grigsby caught his bass by flipping a jig along weed edges in 4 feet of water.
Frank Meyer of Pembroke Pines, Fla., (five bass, 17 pounds, 5 ounces) and Derek Jones of Chicago (five bass, 16 pounds, 1 ounce) rounded out the top three co-anglers.
Anglers set a new Wal-Mart FLW Tour record Wednesday by catching 1,638 bass weighing 4,082 pounds, 6 ounces. One hundred seventy of 178 pros caught five-bass limits. The previous record of 1,428 bass weighing 3,606 pounds, 9 ounces was set on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair in 1999.
Big Bass honors and $1,250 went to Al Gagliarducci of Agawam, Mass., for a 6-pound bass. If the weight holds up Thursday, he will receive the Snickers Big Bass award and an additional $1,000. At the end of the tournament, Snickers will award another $5,000 to the angler who caught the heaviest opening-round bass at any event. Currently that distinction goes to Jim Nolan of Bull Shoals, Ark., who caught an 8-pound, 9-ounce largemouth on Arkansas’ Lake Ouachita in March.
Anglers in both divisions must place in the top 20 Thursday to advance to the semifinal round of competition Friday. Weights from opening day count toward making the first cut, but weights are cleared for the semifinal round as anglers fish for the heaviest one-day weight. Only the top 10 pros will advance to the final round Saturday for a shot at $210,000 cash. Co-angler competition ends Friday with the winner earning $40,000 cash.
The Forrest Wood Open is the sixth of seven stops on the $5.1 million 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Competition continues at 6 a.m. Thursday at Mooney Bay Marina in Plattsburgh followed by a 3 p.m. weigh-in at the same location. Friday’s takeoff starts at 7:45 a.m. at the marina followed by a 5 p.m. weigh-in at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh. Saturday’s final takeoff starts at 5:30 a.m. followed by a 3 p.m. weigh-in at Wal-Mart.