Morehead vaults atop FLW leaderboard

Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., shows off part of his 13-pound, 12-ounce stringer. Morehead's two-day catch of 28 pounds, 13 ounces was good enough to grab the lead in the Pro Division heading into tomrrow's semifinals. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Dan Morehead.

May 17, 2001 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Bowman snatches first place in co-angler competition

SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER, La. – Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., had a very simple mindset heading into the second day of the $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on the Red River: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As luck would have it, it appears that Morehead’s strategy is paying off. Holding onto the same fishing location for a second day in a row, Morehead produced another stellar catch to take over first place in the Pro Division with a total two-day catch of 28 pounds, 13 ounces – edging out fellow competitors Kevin VanDam and Jerry Williams (both tied for second place) by a mere 1 ounce.

“I never moved from the spot I was on the very first day,” said Morehead, who used a combination of tube baits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits to grab hold of the lead. “As soon as I got there today, I just cut the motor and started fishing. I guarded that spot all day.”

Although Morehead turned in a stellar two-day performance by most accounts, the Kentucky native said he was far from satisfied with today’s outing.

“I struggled all day long. I should have had a bigger bag today – somewhere between 17 and 18 pounds – but I lost seven total fish today including a 5-pounder,” he said. “I was really worried early on. It took me all day to catch a limit because I kept losing everything. In fact, I didn’t get my limit until 2 p.m.”

Nevertheless, Morehead said he isn’t changing a thing heading in tomorrow’s semifinals.

“I’m going back to the same spot tomorrow,” said Morehead, who has been angling in shallow water less than two feet deep the entire tournament. “It’s got me this far over the last two days and I’m going to stick with it.”

And how is he going to handle the pressure as the frontrunner heading into tomorrow’s competition?

“As far as I’m concerned, once I make the top 10 the pressure is off,” he said. “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I just need to go out there, execute properly and get the fish in the boat. If it happens, that’s great. If not, that’s just the way it goes.”

VanDam continues to impress

Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., continued to show why he is leading the 2001 FLW Angler of the Year points race despite fishing in only his first full season on the circuit. VanDam, who lead the tournament after day one, produced a two-day total of 28 pounds, 12 ounces to secure a tie for second place heading into the semifinals.

“This river really suits the style of fishing that I like. And I’m pretty confident in the area that I’m fishing right now,” said VanDam. “I spent enough time in practice trying to figure out the right way to fish this river and I’m feeling pretty good about what I’m doing.”

Despite some early struggles on day one, VanDam appears to be poised to make a legitimate run at the title.

“You make a game plan before the start of every tournament, but seldom does it all come together,” said VanDam, who continues to use a combination of flipping techniques and spinnerbaits in the backwaters of the Red River. “So far, it’s coming together just as I envisioned it.”

Williams makes a run as well

Buoyed by a 15-pound, 6-ounce stringer, Jerry Williams of Conway, Ark., managed to tie VanDam for second place heading into the semifinal round. Williams, who also struggled on day one after losing 11 pounds of fish on two casts, rebounded nicely on day two with the second best performance of the afternoon.

“Yesterday, I found a pattern that is really paying off,” said Williams, who had a 14-pound limit by 9 a.m. “I used the same pattern today and everything worked out perfectly. I’ve got 100 miles of water to work with and I’m feeling very confident that my pattern will hold up over the next two days.”

Williams said his experience on the Arkansas River has helped his performance on the Red River.

“I was born and raised on the Arkansas River and this place is fishing exactly like it,” he said. “My confidence is really high right now. I’m due to win one of the things soon.”

Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn., finished in fourth place with a total catch of 28 pounds, 9 ounces. However, unlike the many of his fellow competitors, Powers is still searching for a prime location.

“I’m just junk fishing right now,” he said. “My strategy is to catch a small limit early and the spend the rest of the day flipping in an attempt to cull some more fish. My three biggest fish today were caught in spots I’ve never even been to before.”

Although Powers said he is far from certain that he will land in the top five after tomorrow’s cut, he said that he’s going to give it his all trying.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “I’m going to try the same thing tomorrow. I may not win it all and I may not get into the top five, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

Bill Chapman of Salt Rock, W.Va., finished in fifth place after recording a two-day catch of 28 pounds, 4 ounces.

Rounding out the top ten qualifiers were Gary Klein (sixth) of Weatherford, Texas, with a catch of 27 pounds, 7 ounces; Bernie Schultz (seventh) of Gainesville, Fla., with a catch of 26 pounds, 13 ounces; Joel Baker (eighth) of Talala, Okla., with a catch of 25 pounds, 9 ounces; Keith Green (ninth) of Arkadelphia, Ark., with a catch of 24 pounds, 15 ounces; and Dwayne Horton (tenth) of Knoxville, Tenn., with a catch of 24 pounds, 11 ounces.

Rick Clunn won the day’s Big Bass award and a check for $750 after landing a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass. Despite registering the largest stringer of the day – a 16-pound, 4-ounce catch – Clunn finished in 17th place.

Bowman writes his own ticket to the finals

Steve Bowman, one of the most prolific bass-fishing writers in the country, showed that he knows a little something about catching fish as well. On the strength of a two-day catch of 16 pounds, 7 ounces, Bowman grabbed hold of the lead in the Co-Angler Division heading into tomorrow’s final round.

“This is my kind of deal,” said Bowman. “I grew up on the Arkansas River and this is a very similar to what I’m used to fishing. I know river systems really well and it’s really helped me out in this tournament. It feels good. It really does.”

Despite some early struggles, Bowman said he has his sights set on winning the tournament as well as making some noise in the upcoming FLW championship – if he manages to qualify.

“The only way I can qualify for the FLW Championship at this point is to win this tournament or the next one, and that’s what I hope to accomplish,” said Bowman, who also lends a hand in producing the FLW tournament feeds for ESPN. “But I’m going to need to stay focused. It’s really easy to get distracted fishing from the back of the boat. So I’m going to have to concentrate.”

With a strong knowledge of the Red River and a good partner lined up for tomorrow’s competition, Bowman said he has as good of a chance as anyone to win the top co-angler prize of $15,000.

“The only reason my confidence level is high heading into tomorrow’s round is because I’m fishing with Dan Morehead,” he said. “I’m going to cast my heart out. If I get the bites, I should do well.”

The best of the rest

W.D. “Hoot” Gibson of Bryant, Ark., finished in second place with a catch of 15 pounds, 15 ounces. Billy Joyce of Fayetteville, Ga., took the third spot with a catch of 15 pounds, 12 ounces. Jack Morse of Oglesby, Texas, was in fourth place with a catch of 15 pounds, 5 ounces. And Brandon Ledford of Rome, Ga., grabbed fifth place with a catch of 15 pounds, 3 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 were John Bruce (sixth) of Buford, Ga., with a catch of 14 pounds, 6 ounces; Day-one leader Tommy Szwankowski (seventh) of Hope, Ark., with a catch of 14 pounds; Charlie Cawthon (eighth) of Rome, Ga., with a catch of 12 pounds, 14 ounces; David Cochran (ninth) of Hot Springs, Ark., with a catch of 12 pounds, 13 ounces; and Frank Divis, Sr., (tenth) of Fayetteville, Ark., with a catch of 12 pounds, 5 ounces.

Cochran also won the Big Bass award in the Co-Angler Division after landing a 6-pound bass. Cochran won $500 for his efforts.

Tomorrow’s competition is set to resume at 8 a.m. at Clark’s Marina, located 20 miles southeast of Shreveport on Highway 71.