Rust proof
Rusty Rust grabs lead in $550,000 FLW Tour event on Lake Okeechobee
CLEWISTON, Fla. – Despite fishing in only the second FLW tournament of his career, Rusty Rust of Hermitage, Tenn., used a whopping 21-pound, 11-ounce stringer to distance himself from the rest of the pro field after the opening day of competition. Although household names like Steve Daniel, Kevin VanDam and Clark Wendlandt were expected to be atop the leaderboard at the highly anticipated Lake Okeechobee tourney, it was Rust who dominated the first day of action.
In fact, by the time the weigh-in had concluded, Rust’s nearest rival was an astonishing 3 pounds behind.
“It was just an awesome day,” said Rust, whose entire FLW experience before today consisted of one tour event at Beaver Lake in 2000. “To have lost as many fish as I did today and still come out on top, it’s amazing. I’m very thankful.”
Despite catching 15 keepers and demonstrating some expert fishing knowledge of Lake Okeechobee, Rust said that a little luck also played a part in today’s performance.
“I was definitely a little lucky today,” said Rust. “At one point, I stopped my boat to change my shirt and I decided to throw a line in the water. Just when I was pulling the shirt over my head, my bait started to take off. I reeled it in and I had a 4-pound bass on the line. I had never even fished the spot before.”
Although Rust was more than pleased with his performance, not to mention a few lucky breaks, he acknowledged that the road to the finals will be both long and grueling.
“This thing isn’t even close to being over,” he said. “I’m still going to have to catch a good, solid limit tomorrow just to make the cut. And even if do, I still have two more days of competition. It’s going to be tough to win this. But if the weather holds up, and I can catch between 10 and 12 pounds tomorrow, I should be in good shape.”
Jordan jockeys into second place
Kelly Jordan, a native of Mineola, Texas, used an 18-pound, 11 stringer to grab hold of the runner-up position heading into tomorrow’s second round of competition. But like Rust, Jordan also caught a few lucky breaks. Not only did he lose a huge fish that could have cost him, but he almost missed the mandatory check-in time – an error that would have completely disqualified his day-one efforts.
“I lost a fish in the first five minutes that probably weighed between 6 and 8 pounds,” he said. “And then later, after I caught my limit, I decided to start (exploring) other parts of the lake. Well, as luck would have it, I was all the way on the other side when the wind picked up. It was like a rodeo out there on the water coming back. I almost didn’t make it in on time.”
Jordan, who used a Lake Fork Tackle Magic Shad as his primary bait throughout today’s competition, said he could hardly wait for tomorrow’s tournament action to begin.
“If we don’t have a big fog delay, I should be able to catch enough fish to make the top 20,” he said. “But no matter what happens, I’m having a lot of fun. There’s great weather here and great fishing. I just love south Florida.”
Best of the rest
Jim Leuthner of Vernon, Vt., used a 16-pound, 7-ounce catch to finish in third place while Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla., grabbed the fourth spot with a 16-pound, 5-ounce catch. Newby also won the day’s Big Bass award after landing a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth – a prize worth $750.
Rounding out the top five competitors in the Pro Division was Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro, N.C., who turned in a 15-pound, 4-ounce catch.
Unrein nabs top spot in the Co-angler Division
On the strength of a 13-pound, 12-ounce catch, Gordon Unrein of Columbus, Ga., took over the lead in the Co-angler Division heading into tomorrow’s competition. John Bruce of Buford, Ga., used a 12-pound, 15-ounce catch to grab second place while Mike McAdoo of Murfreesboro, Tenn., landed in third place with a 12-pound, 7-ounce catch.
Rounding out the top five were Ken Keirsey (fourth) of Owasso, Okla., with a 10-pound, 15-ounce catch and Greg Lineberry (fifth) of Galax, Va., with a 10-pound, 14-ounce catch.
T.R. Fuller of Auburn, Ala., won the day’s Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division after landing a 6-pound, 13-ounce largemoth. Fuller, who was in 25th place, won $500 for his efforts.
Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. at Roland Martin’s Marina, located at 920 E. Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston, Fla.
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