Gay Holds Steady at Dale Hollow
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – For the second day in a row Bailey Gay dropped better than 21 pounds on the scale of the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Central Division event on Dale Hollow Lake. Totaling 43 pounds, 6 ounces, Gay will cling to a mere 4-ounce lead over Austin Swindle heading into Championship Saturday as he looks to go wire-to-wire in the biggest win of his young career.
“Today was the exact same [as yesterday], I had a limit at 8:11. After that, I just went big-fish hunting the rest of the day,” Gay said.
And big fish were found, as Gay was able to make two culls late in the day to boost his single day total to 21-9. One of which was a beautiful over 21-inch smallmouth that anchored his Day 2 bag.
“I was just looking for those big ones, if I saw little ones, I would just buzz right thought them,” he said. “I caught that big smallmouth about midday.”
Covering water with forward-facing sonar and keeping his line wet were keys to his success the previous two days and they will remain the game plan on the final day here at Dale Hollow.
Gay’s areas tend to have similar characteristics as much of the other anglers in the top five: baitfish, a lot of room to roam and a plethora of bass that are consistently chasing that bait.
Gay has stated both days that having the right bait profile and getting his lure in front of active fish has been a big key for him so far this week. Specifically the bait profile, which he dialed into in his limited practice.
Another key for Gay has been the constant support from those around his home area back in Kentucky, as he called in reinforcements earlier this week to ensure that a key bait made it in his boat for the week of competition.
“I need to give a shoutout to Bypass Bait and Tackle because [the owner] drove down from Flemingsburg (Kentucky) and gave me the lures I’ve caught all my fish on this week because I ran out in practice,” Gay said.
It was evident after weighing his Day 2 bag that the nerves were flowing for the 18-year-old Kentucky pro. Gay knows that all those favors from his support team could pay off dividends for him to the tune of $70,000 if he can come out swinging on Championship Saturday.
“Oh man I’m excited, I just hope I can get that limit in the boat early. It would really take some pressure off,” he said.
Top 10 Pros
1. Bailey Gay – 43 – 06 (10)
2. Austin Swindle – 43 – 02 (10)
3. Jack Daniel Williams – 42 – 13 (10)
4. Kevin Drake – 40 – 12 (10)
5. Isaac Peavyhouse – 40 – 05 (10)
6. Tristan Abbott – 39 – 04 (10)
7. Nick Ratliff – 38 – 12 (10)
8. Christian Nash – 38 – 00 (10)
9. Seth Davis – 37 – 00 (10)
10. Jonathan Dietz – 36 – 05 (10)
Burns Takes Strike King Co-angler Lead
Dale Hollow and the unrelenting congregations of pros sniping bass with forward-facing sonar posed a multitude of challenges for the field of nearly Strike King co-anglers on Day 2 of the Central Division’s second stop. Once the scale closed on Day 2, James S. Burns moved atop the leaderboard with a two-day total of 27 pounds, 3 ounces. Burns backed up his Day 1 total of 14 pounds with another solid bag of 13-3.
Burns got to work behind both of his pros by committing to an umbrella rig each day and covering as much water as possible behind them, knowing this would likely be a key in optimizing his bites.
“I caught several more keepers yesterday, it was a lot slower today,” Burns said. “Today, keeper wise, I caught seven. Yesterday a lot more.”
When asked about his hopes for the final day, Burns wasn’t making any predictions about how he will fair.
“I’m wide open on it,” he said, leaving little expectations heading into the Saturday finale.
He’s going to have to keep up the pace on the final day as Randy Wiggins (25-10) and Johnny Suratt (23-3) are well within striking distance.
Top 10 Strike King Co-anglers
1. James S. Burns – 27 – 03 (10)
2. Randy Wiggins – 25 – 10 (9)
3. Johnny Suratt – 23 – 03 (10)
4. Pop Catalin – 22 – 11 (8)
5. Jeremy Bouldin – 22 – 01 (8)
6. Richard Arnold – 21 – 09 (7)
7. Clayton Weber – 20 – 13 (8)
8. Cody Curry – 20 – 09 (7)
9. Steven Andrews – 20 – 01 (7)
10. Robert Russell – 20 – 00 (9)