Top 5 Patterns from Grand Lake Day 2
Slow and steady is winning the race.
Patience…fishing slow…picking it apart…not many bites…better quality.
These are just some of the common themes that are being spoken by the leaders of the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Coty of Grove on Grand Lake this week.
Tournament leader Jesse Wolfe of Nelson, Wis., has set the tone for these statements in his leading story. Here is what some of the others in the top five are saying as well.
2. Toby Hartsell – Afton, Okla. – 36-15 (10)
After bringing in 15 pounds, 14 ounces on day one, Toby Hartsell put the hammer down on 21 pounds, 1 ounce today to bounce into second place.
As for the difference in the two days, Hartsell says he had some execution issues on day one that caused him to lose some good ones. And today, he got them all in the boat.
Fishing floating docks is part of Hartsell’s strategy and he noted that when fishing around all those obstacles, misfortunes are going to happen.
“That’s just part of it,” he says. “I’m fishing slow, pitching and skipping around boat houses. I don’t get a lot of bites, but the ones I’m getting are good ones. One thing I’m keying on is water temperature – I’m looking for a specific water temperature and when I find it, I can usually get a few bites in that area.”
3. Matt Cooper – Smithville, Texas – 35-4 (10)
Checking in 18 pounds, 12 ounces today, Matt Cooper had a better day two as well, beating his day-one weigh by 2-1/2 pounds.
Cooper attributed his better day to settling down in one area and just fishing. He says he spent too much time running around on day one, which ate up a lot of time.
“I know where the better fish are, I just have to slow down and fish for them,” Cooper says. “And that’s what I did today: I committed to one area and really seined it slowly for quality bites.”
Cooper said he, too, is throwing a jig on particular banks in spawning coves.
“I’ve got a few stretches of bank in spawning coves that have just the right features on it,” Cooper says. “They’re about 75 to 100 yards long, which might not sound like much, but as slow as I’m fishing, it takes a while.”
4. Chad Warren – Sand Springs, Okla. – 35-3 (10)
Consistency has been the name of the game for Chad Warren who weighed 17-8 and 17-11, respectively.
Warren says he is fishing staging areas at the mouths of coves and pockets and has honed his arsenal down to just one rod.
5. Sammy Burks – Joplin, Mo. – 34-11
While crowding in certain areas have been an issue on Grand, Sammy Burks has remedied that by making a long, long run up one of the rivers to a secluded backwater that he has to himself.
In two days the backwater has produced weights of 18-7 and 16-4 respectively.
“Up there I can get away from the pressure and get away from some of this dirt brown water down here in the lake,” Burks said. “Far up the river the water is that real pretty Grand Lake green, which is just perfect for the way I like to fish.”