Thrift at it Again
“Smoke” just keeps catching them (updated)
Just a couple of weeks ago, Bryan Thrift attempted one of his signature come-from-behind wins at the FLW Tour season opener on Lake Guntersville. Despite a phenomenal 22-pound charge on the final day, Mark Rose held him off by 15 ounces.
Apparently that didn’t set too well with Thrift, and today he decided he’d just start the FLW Tour presented by Quaker State at Lake Travis in the driver’s seat. Thrift sacked up an impressive 24 pounds, 12 ounces right out of the starting gate to take an early lead.
Top five patterns from day one
In doing so, Thrift proved two things: He is in a take-no-prisoners mode, and Lake Travis is in far better shape than it was 10 years ago when the FLW Tour visited the Texas fishery.
In a day that started with frost on boat carpets and ended with sunshine and temperatures near the 70-degree mark, Thrift reportedly conducted “a clinic” in a popular fishing area in the lake’s mid-section. A crowd of anglers had already been sampling the area when Thrift pulled up at about 9:30 a.m. and proceeded to catch several substantial keepers – including a 6-1/2 pounder – for all to see.
Uncharacteristically, Thrift then camped on the area for the next 5 hours.
“I wanted to make sure I got all I could from there,” Thrift says. “I knew once I left, there would be no going back, so I milked it for all I could get out of it.”
Also uncharacteristic of Thrift for the first day of a tournament, he was unusually vocal about his technique.
“I ended up catching four keepers there, all on 8-pound test P-Line with a Damiki Finesse Miki on a shaky head,” he says. “When I finally left there I just started running and gunning and caught another 6-1/2 on a jig.”
“I’m baffled to say the least,” Thrift says. “I never expected that kind of catch at all today. But I’m pretty happy about it.”
Thrift has nearly a 4-1/2 pound lead going into the second day.
Top 10 pros
1. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 24-12 (5)
2. Stephen Patek – Garland, Texas – 20-5 (5)
3. Bradley Hallman – Norman, Okla. – 19 – 4 (4)
4. Scott Suggs – Alexander, Ark. – 17-3 (5)
5. Christopher Brasher – Longview, Texas – 16-8 (5)
6. Justin Atkins – Florence, Ala. – 16-0 (5)
7. Deal Alexander – Georgetown, Texas – 15-0 (5)
8. Dylan Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 14-15 (5)
9. Anthony Gagliardi – Prosperity, S.C. – 14-13 (5)
10. Grae Buck – Harleysville, Penn. – 14-12 (5)
Larson leads co-anglers
Fishing behind Chris Johnston, David Larson of Mound, Minnesota weighed in a 16 pound, 11-ounce bag (of just four fish) to grab the co-angler lead at Travis. Larson’s 8-pound, 5-ounce big bass – which led both co-anglers and pros – earned him $250. Larson leads second-place co-angler Benjie Seaborn of Guin, Ala., who checked in a limit of bass worth 13-15.