Quick Bites: FLW Okeechobee, Day 1
Wal-Mart FLW Tour
Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.
Opening round, Wednesday
Fussy fish … The fans, friends and family who packed the weigh-in tent for opening day of the 2002 FLW Tour were bristling to see a blockbuster day at scale. Coming into the event, all everyone could talk about was how BIG and HEAVY the sacks of bass were probably going to be at Okeechobee this week. Well, today at least, the “Big O” kind of turned into the “Fair-to-middlin’ O” as angler after angler brought smaller- to medium-sized bass to the scale. The buzz before the tourney was about how the water was up, the big bass were spawning, and the pros were going to get them. They caught a lot of them, but none of the 10-pounders predicted made it into the competitors’ boats. Why? These Florida bass were just plain fussy today. A number of pros reported that the big fish weren’t taking the bait as heartily as anticipated. “You really have to watch what you’re doing,” said pro Steve Daniel, a Clewiston native and past FLW winner at Okeechobee. “Getting them on is half the battle, but then you’ve got to get them in the boat.” As for the predicted surge in catches this week, Alabama pro Gerald Swindle advised folks not to give up on the big ones yet. “The fish have been cycling about every three days,” he said. “I think the guys who stay in it until Friday and Saturday are going to have some really big bass.”
The 20-pound barrier … On a day where people expected to see a number of sacks weighing 25 pounds or more, pro leader Rusty Rust of Hermitage, Tenn., was the only angler – pro or co-angler – to bring in more than 20 pounds. He caught five bass weighing 21 pounds, 11 ounces. “I thought I’d be around 10th place,” he said after weigh-in. Rust, who today fished a location he found just six days ago, said the pre-tournament fishing pressure might have led to the lighter weights. There are a lot of anglers – tournament and local – who took advantage of the increasing bass bite that came with the weather warm-up here the last couple of weeks. “I think (the anglers) staying on (the fish before the tourney) hurt them,” he said. The fish at Rust’s location, however, were much less affected. Overall, he caught 12 keepers and lost an additional five.
So, what’s with the name? … Rust explained that the first name on his birth certificate is not, in fact, “Rusty.” While he has a string of first names that he refuses to divulge, he said, “I’ve been called Rusty since I was born.” Apparently, a quick-witted hospital nurse noticed his ruddy complexion when he was born and gave him the nickname. “I was a little rusty, so the nurse handed me to my mom and said, `Here’s your little Rusty.'”
It’s what they call “parity in the FLW” … Those who were looking to handicap the pros for this tournament and play the Conseco Fishing Challenge are in for some surprises – at least so far. A look at the top six on day one might have a few people scratching their heads:
· The leader, Rust, has fished in only one previous FLW tourney
· Second-place Kelly Jordan of Mineola, Texas, has only one previous top-10 finish to his name – on the EverStart Series
· Third-place Jimmi Leuthner is a Vermont fisherman with two top-10s – also EverStarts – and is fishing in his first FLW event.
· Fourth-place Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla., has an EverStart win, but is also an FLW rookie
· Fifth-place Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro, N.C., is an FLW veteran with a couple top-10s under his belt – but his last one came two years ago
· Sixth-place Gary Klein of Weatherford, Texas, is the only truly “big name” in the top six. He’s a good bet at any given tournament.
Not to diminish these guys’ stellar performances today, but where are the rest of the big names? And where are the locals? The highest-placing Florida pro on day one was Redington Shores’ Chuck Economou, who landed in 23rd. David Fritts and Kevin VanDam – last year’s Okeechobee winner and runner-up, respectively – placed 47th and 28th today. Leave it to the surprising Big O to be the big leveler. Said VanDam, “It’s a lot different here than it was last year.”
Quick Numbers:
164: Number of five-bass limits caught by pros and co-anglers on day one of FLW Okeechobee 2002.
23: Number of five-bass limits caught by pros and co-anglers on day one of FLW Okeechobee 2001.
3: Number of limits caught by pros and co-anglers on day one of FLW Okeechobee 2001 that weighed over 20 pounds.
1: Number of limits caught by pros and co-anglers on day one of FLW Okeechobee 2002 that weighed over 20 pounds.
Sound Bites:
“I think the water needs to come up a little bit more. I was having a problem seeing over those weeds. I was on my tip-toes all day.”
– Five-foot, 4 1/2-inch pro Carl Svebek of Sam Rayburn, Texas, offering his take on the rising water at Okeechobee.
“He was treating me like I had anthrax, kind of avoiding me all day. Then when I helped him net that big one, he came over and hugged me around the neck.”
– Co-angler Randy Clark of Mobile, Ala., describing his pro partner on day one, second-place Kelly Jordan. Clark, who had a touch of the flu today, said Jordan was trying to avoid getting sick himself.
Quick Links, Day 1: