Quick Bites: FLW Kentucky Lake, Day 2

Walker tiptoes into $10,000 club, Morehead misses by an ounce, and Fukae works voodoo magic

Wal-Mart FLW Tour

Kentucky Lake, Benton, Ky.

Opening round, Thursday

50 gets you $10,000 … If you don’t think sitting on the bubble for a 50th-place finish seems that nerve-wracking, just talk to pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., a man with 11 top-10 FLW Tour finishes to his credit. He may not have made the cut at Kentucky Lake, but his heart was beating hard nonetheless throughout Thursday’s weigh-in. Walker’s 50th-place finish marked the edge of a financial chasm, the other side of which paid $7,000 less for 51st. “It is comparable, because $10,000 is a substantial check,” he said of holding the experience up against the anxiety of waiting to find out if you’ve make a top-10 cut. “This was a long weigh-in, let me tell you.” Walker said the extended payout – a relatively new facet of certain FLW Tour events – has likely had an impact on professional bass fishing. Certain anglers will start “aiming a little lower” while other skilled fishermen may be lured to FLWs that wouldn’t be otherwise, helping to bring fresh competition to the tour. “Because they may think, `Oh, I can’t compete with a David Fritts … but I bet I can finish in the top 50.'”

Morehead’s lament … But if 51st-place pro Jerry Williams of Conway, Ark., was feeling the sting of missing out on $10,000, local pro Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., to be one hurting unit after Thursday’s weigh-in. The 2003 Angler of the Year missed the top-10 cut by a heartbreaking 1 ounce. Morehead has amassed an incredible record on his home waters of Kentucky and Barkley lakes over the years: an EverStart Central win in 2002, an FLW Tour win in 1998, three LBL Division wins in the BFL between 1997 and ’99, and several other BFL top-10s. However, the disappointment was tempered by a good experience he had on the water today. Some local guides were on the lake fishing some of his prime destinations, but the moved over for Morehead. “I know they’re trying to make a living … but they backed off and let me have some space,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”

Voodoo child … Japanese pro sensation Shinichi Fukae of Osaka, who has already garnered three top-10s in his first year on the FLW Tour, let his secret for success slip Thursday. He said each time he’s qualified for the finals this year – at Lake Okeechobee, Beaver Lake and Kentucky Lake, so far – he has rubbed Jack Hodges’ voodoo doll. Apparently the doll doesn’t rub off the same way on the co-angler from Elephant Butte, N.M. Hodges zeroed on day one this week and only managed to bring in one keeper today.

Seeing red … Pro Byron Velvick of Boulder City, Nev., had a disappointing tourney here in Kentucky, landing only four fish over two days, but he’s not eating sour grapes. He was willing to turn his lemons into lemonade for the top-10ers who will fish again tomorrow. “I doubt anyone here wants to know what I’ve been throwing because I’m not catching anything,” he said at the weigh-in stage. But for those who wanted to know what not to use in the finals, he gave it up: red crankbaits.

Quick numbers

280-5: Difference in weight, in pounds and ounces, caught by pro anglers on day two at Kentucky Lake in excess of that caught on the same day last year.

18-12: Difference in weight, in pounds and ounces, caught by co-anglers on day two at Kentucky Lake less than what was caught on the same day last year.

Sound bites

“Millions.”

– Pro Steve Kennedy, winner of last year’s FLW event on Kentucky Lake, quantifying how many bass there are to catch in the Kentucky and Barkley lakes fisheries. He caught a limit both opening-round days this year, but ultimately placed 57th.

“I’m on fish everywhere.”

– Pro Charlie King describing how much fun he had fishing Thursday, when he weighed in a 16-2 sack that helped push him into 13th place.

“I haven’t caught a big fish in a week and a half.”

– Pro Tracy Adams, who had been leading the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year race until a disappointing 82nd-place finish, describing his woes on Kentucky Lake.

“I fished behind Mr. Shop-Vac.”

– Co-angler Judy Israel tipping her hat to her pro partner, Clark Wendlandt, while explaining her one-bass catch Thursday.