All bunched up
FLW anglers looking to break out of the pack to make the cut at Old Hickory
GALLATIN, Tenn. – It’s day two at Old Hickory Lake and that means it’s crunch time. On Wednesday, anglers caught a surprisingly high number of keeper bass in the first half of the opening round at the $550,000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. Look for competitors to try and somehow find an edge Thursday because it’s going to be a tight race to make the first cut.
Most of the top 20 pros on day one were bunched up in the 11- to 15-pound range and those in the top 60 are still within spitting distance in the 8- to 11-pound range. The two-day cut weight, while initially estimated at around 18 to 22 pounds before the tournament started, looks like it could go as high as 23 pounds.
One pro who really doesn’t have to worry too much about his chances of making the cut is Wednesday’s leader Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark. He weighed in the best one-day stringer of the year with 23 pounds, 1 ounce on day one, besting the next closest angler, David Womack of Gallatin, by over 4 pounds.
One key to Kilby’s prolific day-one production was his use of four different lures, at a variety of depths, to catch the bass. “I was switching baits rapidly,” he said. “You don’t get bored here because there are a lot of different ways to catch them.”
That being the case, everyone within striking range – from the deepwater smallmouth specialists to the flippers and pitchers – has a legitimate shot at making the cut. “Everybody out here has the confidence to go to a mud hole and catch some big bass,” said Kilby.
The 175-angler pro and co-angler fields will each be pared down to the top 20 competitors following today’s action. At stake in the Pro Division is a first-place prize of $110,000 while $15,000 is earmarked for the winner of the Co-angler Division.
Thursday’s weigh-in will take place at 3 p.m. at Bull Creek Boat Dock, located at 200 Odoms Bend Road in Gallatin.
Today’s conditions
Sunrise: 5:39 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 60 degrees
Expected high temperature: 81 degrees
Water temperature: 59 degrees
Wind: From the south at 7 mph
Relative humidity: 78 percent
Day’s outlook: A mix of clouds and sun
Day-two links: