EUFAULA, Okla. – Expectations were not high for the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southwestern Division event on Lake Eufaula after practice. Catching a fish or two over a few days was common, and nobody thought it would be easy to get to five fish. As it happened, 96 boats set out, and just five pros managed a limit, and only three co-anglers managed a mere three bass.
Leading the way by a naturally narrow margin, Texan River Lee put up 13 pounds, 10 ounces on five. In second, Wesley Baxley tallied 13-9, and Levi Thibodaux wrangled five for 12-10. Notably, Aaron Johnson sits in fourth place with just two bass for a stunning 10-11.
On the co-angler side, Clayton Coppin leapt into the lead with two for 10-1, and Ben Burk is right behind him with three for 9-10. Overall, be it from a points perspective or a tournament standings perspective, there’s huge potential to move on the leaderboard come Day 2.
Lee rises to the occasion
With the water more than a foot higher than it was on the last day of practice, the fishing was super tough. Even if a pro had figured something out in practice, it might have been out the window by takeoff. Still, someone wins even when the fishing is hard, and Lee managed to scratch out enough bites to get started on the right foot.
“I knew it would be this bad,” said Lee. “I didn’t think I’d be leading. I thought somebody would catch a big bag today, like 15 to 17, which is a big bag for here, and then they would just fall off. But I didn’t expect me to lead with what I had at all. I figured I’d be in the top five, but I knew it would be bad like this.”
Lee basically fished one area all day, with some adjustments throughout to accumulate his weight.
“I had an area that I knew had a population of fish in one creek,” said Lee. “I knew they would spawn in there if there were some fish still spawning. And then after they got done spawning, they would still be hanging around because of the higher water. So, I just went in there and put my trolling motor down in the mouth of it, and I fished everything in front of me.”
Catching his fish flipping, on a weightless worm and a spinnerbait, Lee actually lost his first bite.
“I only caught five keepers, but when I caught my fifth one, I quit fishing the area,” he explained. “I knew I had 13 or 14 pounds and I quit fishing because I knew that was really good and there was no sense of going and catching more that I’m going to need tomorrow.”
Baxley could be on the right track
A hairsbreadth off the lead, Baxley is running a similar game plan – keep a bait wet.
“It’s brutal, man,” he said of the fishing. “I did not expect to be in second when I got done. I caught good fish in practice – not a lot of them, but I just figured these guys would catch them. Hopefully, I can catch a bass tomorrow.”
Like others, Baxley is putting his head down and trying to make every sniff of a bass count.
“I had three fish probably by 10, and then I caught my last two in probably the last 45 minutes of the day,” he said. “I’m just getting on a bank and going until I can’t stand it anymore. And then go in a different area and just stay on the trolling motor, covering water. There’s lots of new water today that I hadn’t fished this week.”
It sounds like both Baxley and Lee have a glimmer of a pattern – or, at least an extra understanding of the lake. So, while catching a limit was impossible for many, the race at the top of the standings could turn out to be fascinating.
“I think I can catch five tomorrow,” said Baxley. “I don’t know how big they’re going to be. It’s changing. From practice, it has changed to today, obviously, with the lake coming up so much. But I feel like I’m kind of understanding what’s going on out there.”
Top 10 pros
1. River Lee – 13 – 10 (5)
2. Wesley Baxley – 13 – 09 (5)
3. Levi Thibodaux – 12 – 10 (5)
4. Aaron Johnson – 10 – 11 (2)
5. Matt Reed – 9 – 15 (5)
6. Shonn Goodwin – 9 – 10 (5)
7. Corey Calvert – 9 – 04 (4)
8. Paul Browning – 8 – 04 (3)
9. Seth Kelm – 7 – 04 (3)
10. Cody Ross – 7 – 02 (3)