EUFAULA, Ala. – Justin Lucas brought the heat right out of the gate on Day 2 of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats on Lake Eufaula. Weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces, Lucas tallied up 36-9 to move into the lead going into Championship Saturday. In second, Kyle Austin also sacked up 18-4 on Day 2 for a 33-11 total and Day 1 leader Kenny Malone managed four fish to drop to third with a 32-4 total.
Lucas leans on the shad spawn for Day 2 lead
On Day 1, Lucas culled throughout the day after a quick start on the shad spawn. That was not the case on Day 2, as he basically did it all off one spot.
“Really, my starting spot just held up again today,” Lucas said. “All but one fish came off of that spot today. The fish were a little bit bigger there today, but it took a little bit longer to get a limit. Hopefully, the spot will hold on for one more day because if that doesn’t work out it’s going to be tough for me.”
Lucas’ primary location is a ditch leading to the main lake that bass are using to gorge on spawning shad. The area also has a variety of hard bottom that has fish staging as they migrate towards the main lake. However, Lucas is not sure if bass are coming to him or if they are leaving for deeper water.
“I don’t really know to be honest,” he said. “I’ve never fished it before except for I made one cast there in practice. It’s a main (lake) enough spot to where it should replenish, but you never know.”
Lucas is catching his bass on moving baits, specifically using primarily a shad pattern spinnerbait with a mix of a few crankbait offerings to catch his bass first-thing each morning.
“It’s always moving baits,” he said. “My biggest fish came on a Berkley Power Blade spinnerbait that they just came out with. I’m throwing a mix of different crankbaits in there. I’ve got to break some new stuff out and show them something different tomorrow.”
Late in the day, Lucas made one cull while dragging deeper on some rocky bottom structure with a 5-inch Berkley PowerBait Power Hawg, but he knows he will likely live or die on his starting spot tomorrow.
“If my spot holds up, I’m feeling good,” he said. “If it doesn’t, then I’ll be running around; probably pretty anxious. So, I’ll have to slow down (if that happens). I have some drop-shot fish I haven’t tried yet and I may have to go to Plan B and C.”
Shad spawn also produces for Austin
Austin also found himself leaning on a shad spawn bite early on Day 2, sacking over 18 pounds to slide up and into second place.
“Today, I changed it up and started on what I caught them on yesterday,” he said. “I didn’t go there yesterday until about 9 o’clock and I caught 15-something pretty quickly. Today, I started there and they were biting pretty good.”
Austin’s shad spawn bite is a bit deeper than Lucas’ focus area, but his plan also includes utilizing shad-imitating moving baits to target his fish.
“It’s a shad spawn, but just a little bit deeper,” he said. “Just catching them early and often and then after (it shuts off) it sucks. Just throwing a spinnerbait and a swim jig with a hollow body (swimbait) on it. Just something more subtle.”
Austin seems fairly confident his pattern can hold up for the last day and has no second thoughts about starting once again right on his main area which is within eyesight of Lucas.
“I think that’s going to be pretty consistent,” he said. “Justin’s in first place, and I can see him fishing out in front of me a little bit.”
Austin knows he has a challenging task ahead of him to chase down Lucas, who holds a 2-14 lead over the young South Carolina pro. But he’s confident that if things can fall into place, he’s still got a shot at the victory.
“I feel pretty good,” he said. “I think if I can get lucky and get like two big bites, then I have a shot. Someone could break the 20-pound mark and walk away with it tomorrow. That’s just what this lake’s known for, finding one magical brush pile or one magical stretch and you can just catch them every day. If I can get there and nobody is there, then I feel like I can get it done.”
Mullikin holds onto 8-ounce Strike King co-angler lead
Larry Mullikin may have missed a few key opportunities to blow the doors off the Strike King co-angler division on Day 2, but he did enough to continue to hold a lead over the full field of anglers. With 20-8 for his total, Mullikin is just ahead of Robert Griswold, who caught a massive 17-pound limit on Day 2.
“I feel good and bad,” Mullikin said with a chuckle. “I think I could have had enough weight to maybe win without fishing tomorrow. But you know, things happen.”
Mullikin’s best fish came on a flurry that saw multiple bites, but only one key fish enter the boat after a series of casts that lead to some acrobatic bass shaking the hook.
“I started cranking like I did yesterday,” he said. “We pulled into a spot, and I got a bite, it was maybe 4 pounds. It jumped on me and threw the hook. Three or four casts later, I land one close to 6 pounds. I cast about five more times and I hook another one about 5 pounds, and it jumps and throws the hook.”
Besides another rogue 4-pound caliber fish shaking the hook later in the day, Mullikin knows it was an opportunity squandered, but he’s still optimistic about his shot at the win on Day 3.
“I’m fine honestly,” he said. “I feel great. To be sitting in first place still, in these conditions, really everything is good. The bad was good.”
Top 10 pros
1. Justin Lucas – 36 – 9 (10)
2. Kyle Austin – 33 – 11 (10)
3. Kenny Malone – 32 – 4 (9)
4. Justin Barnes – 31 – 15 (10)
5. Emil Wagner – 30 – 0 (10)
6. Bobby Bakewell – 28 – 15 (10)
7. Brent Chapman – 28 – 10 (10)
8. Michael M. Smith – 28 – 1 (10)
9. Robert Crosnoe – 27 – 10 (9)
10. Mike Cavender – 27 – 8 (10)