Maloney Leads by a Little
Just 6 ounces separate the top three on Lake of the Ozarks (updated)
Catching 20 pounds goes a long way on Lake of the Ozarks. For Brian Maloney of Osage Beach, Mo., catching 20 pounds, 7 ounces today moved him from fourth to first with a total of 38-6 through two days of the Costa FLW Series event presented by Evinrude on Lake of the Ozarks. Behind Maloney, day-one leader Cory Steckler has 38-3, and Dion Hibdon has an even 38 pounds. Going into the final day, the top three pros are separated by just 6 ounces.
Top five patterns from day two
Despite a vicious cold front that crashed into the lake right at takeoff, Maloney got off to a good start. With 16 pounds in the boat by about 11 a.m., the former BFL All-American champ was already sitting pretty before the sun even thought about coming out.
“After I culled my last Kentucky [spotted bass], I went to about three more good spots and caught three more good fish,” says Maloney. “And then I stopped.”
Both days, Maloney has had his weight by early afternoon and taken time to lay off his best stuff and search out a limit for his co-angler. Remarkably, he’s done it all in two parts of the lake that are miles apart.
Fishing docks that range from right near the main lake to way in the backs of pockets, Maloney is primarily using a jig and seems pretty dialed in.
“I’m happy with what I’m doing,” says Maloney. “I think the sunshine might help me more, but it’s kind of scary if there’s no wind. The wind helps to position the fish on the docks. If you don’t have wind you have to fish the entire dock, or three or four docks. The way it was today, it was kind of easy to call, if you can say easy.”
Maloney says he breaks down the docks like someone else would a pad field – starting farther at the edges in the morning and targeting the deeper and darker regions of the docks as the day drags on and the sun gets higher.
“They’re just relaxing under there,” explains Maloney. “Then you bop ’em in the head with a jig.”
Heading into the final day with the slimmest of leads, Maloney seems as cool as a cucumber and says he’s got plenty of water to fish.
“I just wanted to make the cut. It’s just fun,” says Maloney. “I’m here to compete against these guys and compare levels and get a check back. I’m not afraid of having anywhere to go tomorrow. I’ll get under that bridge at The Glaze and look and say ‘let’s go this way.’”
Top 10 pros
1. Brian Maloney – Osage Beach, Mo. – 38-6 (10)
2. Cory Steckler – Rocky Mount, Mo. – 38-3 (10)
3. Dion Hibdon – Sunrise Beach, Mo. – 38-0 (10)
4. Mark Tucker – Kirkwood, Mo. – 34-9 (10)
5. Duke Jenkel – Pinckneyville, Ill. – 34-2 (10)
6. Marcus Sykora – Osage Beach, Mo. – 33-14 (10)
7. Jim Young – House Springs, Mo. – 33-10 (10)
8. Dustin Evans – Eads, Tenn. – 33-3 (10)
9. Dustin Blevins – Harrison, Ark. – 32-9 (10)
10. Shawn Kowal – Linn Creek, Mo. – 32-9 (10)
Hostetler heads up the co-anglers
Going steady with 12 pounds, 2 ounces on day one and 14 pounds, 15 ounces on day two, Brad Hostetler Jr. of Franklin, Ind., moves into the lead among co-anglers with 27 pounds, 1 ounce.
“I caught them on a jig and a big worm,” says Hostetler. “We were fishing brush piles out in front of docks. I caught seven keepers today and probably a dozen fish.”
Hostetler says the last time he fished on Lake of the Ozarks was in high school, but he’s proven himself capable of adjusting. In contrast to day two, he caught all his bass up shallow on the first day.
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Brad Hostetler Jr. – Franklin, Ind. – 27-1 (10)
2. John Bach – Salem, Mo. – 25-14 (9)
3. Derrick Wright – Carl Junction, Mo. – 24-14 (10)
4. Michael Carter – Raytown, Mo. – 24-14 (9)
5. Jacques Fleischmann – Lampe, Mo. – 24-9 (8)
6. Scott Parsons – Rogers, Ark. – 23-11 (9)
7. Brian Futch – Vienna, Ill. – 20-9 (9)
8. Chris Dunlap – Foristell, Mo. – 20-1 (7)
9. Arnold Payne Jr. – Kokomo, Ind. – 19-13 (8)
10. James Ingram – Quitman, Ark. – 19-12 (10)
Tournament details
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 7:00 a.m. CT
Takeoff Location: Public Beach #2, 711 Public Beach Road, Osage Beach, Mo. 65065
Weigh-In Time: 3:00 p.m. CT days one and two, 4:00 p.m. CT on day three
Weigh-In Location: Public Beach #2 on days one and two, day three at Walmart, 4252 Highway 54, Osage Beach, Mo. 65065