Gundel grabs pro lead on Sam Rayburn

Divis dominates Co-angler Division with biggest stringer of tournament

JASPER, Texas – Braving the frigid conditions and gusting winds, Joe Gundel of Selman, Mo., recorded a 19-pound, 9-ounce catch to take the overall lead in the Pro Division heading into Thursday’s competition. Gundel, who is fishing in his first full season in the EverStart Central Division, said he couldn’t have been happier with his performance.

“It was an awesome day out there,” said Gundel. “The first fish I caught was an 8-pounder and I had that fish by about 7:30 a.m. I caught a big fish like that in practice, but I never thought I’d be able to catch a fish this big once the tournament started. Today’s catch was the biggest stringer of my entire career. I’m tickled to death.”

Gundel’s 8-pound largemouth was also good enough to capture the day’s big-bass award – worth $750 – in the Pro Division.

However, he admitted that it wasn’t easy.

“I haven’t fished this lake in 10 years so I wasn’t sure how I’d do,” he said. “It was also pretty rough out there. I had a tough boat ride. But I was able to fish some pockets I found in practice that were out of the wind. And those were really the only places I was able to fish today.”

Gundel said he mixed up his bait selection all day – using a combination of finesse worms, jerkbaits, crankbaits and jigs while targeting largemouth bass in grass.

So, what’s in store for tomorrow?

“I’m going to do the same thing,” he said. “I just hope I can catch them again.”

Best of the rest

Larry Lovell of Emory, Texas, finished the day in second place after landing a total catch of 17 pounds, 11 ounces. David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, grabbed third place with a catch of 17 pounds, 8 ounces.

Rounding out the top five pros were Bradley Stringer of Huntington, Texas, and David Truax of Beaumont, Texas. Both anglers finished the day tied for fourth place after hauling in identical catches weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces.

Divis steals the show with monstrous 23-pound, 4-ounce catch

Fishing out of the back of the boat for the first time in recent memory on the EverStart circuit, co-angler Frank Divis Sr. of Fayetteville, Ark., bested the entire tournament field by more than 5 full pounds – an amazing accomplishment in any division.

“It’s been a while since I caught a sack that big,” said Divis, who also won the day’s big-bass award in the Co-angler Division after recording a whopping 9-pound, 2-ounce largemouth. “I’ve fished this lake so many times from the front of the boat. So, you really have to learn how to adapt. But in some ways, I probably have a lot more experience than a lot of the pros here.”

Ironically, Divis said he doesn’t have as much time to put toward preparing for tournaments as he has in the past.

“I’m working for Bass Medics now, and I’m spending a lot of time helping them out,” said Divis, referring to the same company that has worked extensively with FLW Outdoors to create solutions to help bass survive longer in livewells. “Because of my job commitment, I really only got in one day of practice for this tournament.

Divis said that the key to his success was a new No. 2 IGA Extreme tube bait.

“It’s unlike any other tube out there on the market today,” he said. “It’s the only bait I’ve used in the past seven tournaments. It’s a great lure.”

Divis said he also targeted prespawn bass holing up just outside of the grass line.

“The fish are ready to spawn,” he said. “But when this cold front moved in, the fish moved a few feet out from that inside grass line. You can still catch a bunch of 2-pounders on that inside line, but if you want the bigger fish, you have to move further out.”

Best of the rest

Daniel Armstrong of Fayetteville, Ark., claimed second place overall after hauling in a healthy 18-pound, 6-ounce catch. Mark Everett of Tyler, Texas, finished in third place with a total catch of 14 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers were David Hargett of Sherwood, Ark., and Jerry McCafferty of Muscle Shoals, Ala. Both anglers finished the day tied for fourth with identical catches of 13 pounds.

EverStart Central Division action continues at tomorrow’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. Central at the Twin Dikes Marina, located at Highway 255 in Brookeland, Texas.