Fisher finishes in first place in semis

Al Fisher of Hackett, Ark., used a 17-pound, 2-ounce catch to finish the day in first place in the Pro Division. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Al Fisher.

April 5, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Hill dominates competition to grab top spot in Co-angler Division, top-10 cut announced

GROVE, Okla. – As a promotional director for an upstart tackle company, Al Fisher knows a thing or too about the process of engineering success baits. However, as it turns out, Fisher knows a little bit about tournament bass fishing as well. Bolstered by an impressive catch weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces, Fisher used his very own tackle to fish his way into first place heading into tomorrow’s all-important final round of competition.

Despite his success, Fisher said he is taking today’s achievement in stride.

“It feels good, but I’ve got to do it again tomorrow,” said Fisher, a resident of Hackett, Ark. “I fish about 40 tournaments a year and I’ve learned that it’s best not to get too excited because then you get too flustered.”

Fisher, who used his own bait, a Norman crankbait, to land the majority of his catch, said he was targeting largemouth bass in shallow ditches.

“I’m doing something that no one else is really doing and that’s important on a lake like this that gets a lot of fishing pressure,” said Fisher. “Today, I had a limit by 11:00 a.m. and I left my fish alone after that.”

Although Fisher said he wouldn’t try to predict tomorrow’s outcome, he said he was definitely in the running for the title.

“I’ve got a lot of areas that are working for me, so I’m feeling pretty good about my chances tomorrow,” he said. “But you never know. I could lose one or two fish that could cost me big time.”

Eakins sticks to strategy, lands second qualifying position

Jim Eakins of Nixa, Mo., used a 16-pound, 14-ounce stringer to grab hold of second place heading into the finals.

“It’s been tough out there all week because of the weather changes,” said Eakins. “But the fish were biting a little bit better today. To tell you the truth though, I’d rather have caught these fish tomorrow. Because that’s when it really counts.”

Like Fisher, Eakins took advantage of his own special lure in today’s competition.

“I fished the same water today as I have the past two days. And I fished with the same bait – an Eakins jig,” he said, referring to his namesake lure that has become quite popular on the professional bass fishing circuit as of late. “And I’ll probably wind up doing the same thing tomorrow.”

Eakins, who targeted “channel swings in back pockets” with a Falcon rod and Seaguard line to record the majority of his catch, said that the tournament is up for grabs.

“I was lucky today, but it really is a crap shoot out there,” said Eakins. “The fish are staging and they’re just about ready to pull out. But I’m not really sure if I can catch them tomorrow. You just have to hold on and see what happens.”

Greg Hackney of Oak Ridge, La., used a 15-pound, 2-ounce catch to finish the day in third place.

Fourth place belonged to local fishing legend Darrel Robertson, a native of Jay, Okla., who turned in a catch of 14 pounds, 9 ounces. Fifth place was reserved for day-two leader Toby Hartsell, a resident of Grove, Okla., who recorded a total catch of 13 pounds, 11 ounces.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top 10 finalists were: Tommy Dillon (sixth) of Manhattan, Kan., with a catch of 10 pounds, 2 ounces; Jeff Ransom (seventh) of Muldrow, Okla., with a catch of 8 pounds, 10 ounces; James Fredieu (eighth) of Saint Martinville, La., with a catch of 8 pounds, 8 ounces; Jim Tutt (ninth) of Longview, Texas, with a catch of 6 pounds, 15 ounces; and David McCormick (tenth) of Shawnee, Kan., with a catch of 6 pounds, 13 ounces.

King of the Hill

Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C., used a whopping 16-pound, 12-ounce catch to out-fish all other co-anglers as well as 18 of 20 pros to capture first place in the Co-angler Division heading into tomorrow’s final round of competition.

Not surprisingly, Hill was more than satisfied with his performance.

“I had a ball. It was awesome out there,” said Hill. “I had my limit by 10 a.m. and I didn’t make a cast after that all day. I just love being here.”

Hill, who targeted largemouth bass in 18-30 feet of water off deep points, said he caught the majority of his fish with a rogue jerkbait. However, Hill said a lot of the credit for his performance belonged to his pro partners.

“Yesterday, Wayne Diffee showed me how to fish a rogue jerkbait. And without his help, I don’t think I would have caught any fish today,” he said. “My partner today, Kirk Washburn, was a total gentleman as well. He put me on fish and really helped me get here.”

Although Hill said he was happy to reach the finals, he said he would love nothing more than to walk away with the top prize of $6,000 in tomorrow’s competition.

“I’ve had tons of top-10 finishes over the past four years on the EverStart trail,” he said. “But I’ve never had a win. So I’m kind of hungry to finally get one. But I’ll tell you, I’m really nervous right now. My heart is going a mile a minute.”

Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo., used a 12-pound, 7-ounce stringer to capture second place. Finishing the day in third place, right behind McMullin, was Mike Swayne of Du Quoin, Ill., with a catch of 12 pounds, 5 ounces.

Keith Johnson of Moore, Okla., qualified for the finals in fourth place with a catch of 10 pounds, 7 ounces, while day-two leader Dennis Huggins of Broken Arrow, Okla., grabbed the fifth spot with a catch of 5 pounds, 8 ounces.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top 10 qualifiers were: Bobby Reed (sixth) of Cypress, Texas, with a catch of 4 pounds; Larry Creech (seventh) of Columbia City, Ind., with a catch of 3 pounds, 13 ounces; Willie Ogden (eighth) of Wentzville, Mo., with a catch of 3 pounds, 12 ounces; Steve Marler (ninth) of Fenton, Mo., with a catch of 3 pounds, 3 ounces; and Brian Tolley (tenth) of Katy, Texas, with a catch of 2 pounds, 2 ounces.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 6 a.m. at Red 11 Port, located at 59801 East 250 Road in Grove, Okla.