COUNCE, Tenn. – The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division event on Pickwick Lake might turn out to be one of the best events of the season. On Day 1, Banks Shaw took the lead with 25 pounds, and he backed it up with 24-5 for 49-5 on Day 2. Really great, except Hayden O’Barr was better.
After putting 24-1 on the scale on Day 1, O’Barr rallied into the lead with 26-5 on Day 2, including a 7-pounder, for a total of 51 pounds. Both young anglers are pretty far ahead of third-place angler Donny Beck, who has sacked up 44-4 through two days and is having a fantastic tournament in his own right.
On the co-angler side, Nathan Brewer leads with 22-1, just an ounce ahead of Keith Gunsauls. Jakob Labelle is in third with 21-14, and the top of the co-angler leaderboard as a whole is very tight.
1. O’Barr on the cusp of a big one
As previously mentioned, O’Barr tends to have the runner-up spot on lockdown. This week, there are signs that could be changing. However, it has not come easy for the Alabama pro.
“I had battery troubles all week; my co-angler ran over a fire hydrant; I hit a rock pile on Day 1 running full-tilt,” O’Barr said. “Aside from the fishing, nothing has really went my way. It has been one of them weeks.”
On the fishing side of things, it has been going extremely well for O’Barr. Day 1, he popped a 6-pounder on a ChatterBait to get the tournament rolling. Today, he boxed a 6- and 7-pounder during his ‘Scope period.
“I threw a ChatterBait and a Senko for hours, and I caught fish – a lot of fish and some big ones yesterday doing it,” O’Barr said. “Today, I had zero bites. So, I decided, I guess I’m going to have to ‘Scope my way out of it.”
When he fired up his electronics, O’Barr went from zero to nearly 27 pounds in a hurry, and he may have saved a little for Day 3. Notably, if saving the fish works out, it would be the first all week that he caught off bed.
“I left one, a big one. I’m pretty sure she’s on the nest, too,” O’Barr said. “I really don’t think I’ve caught any on bed; if I have, I don’t know it. Every fish I’ve caught is skinny aside from those two big ones today. Which made me think they’ve already spawned. But on Day 1, my co-angler was catching a lot of buck bass on the bank – small ones, like they are setting up to spawn. The water was 60 when I got there, so I thought they’d be prespawn, but it doesn’t seem that way. I’ve never seen anything like what I’m seeing. My two biggest were just kind of hanging out, not really doing anything special.”
On Day 3, O’Barr is going to make the run back to Bay Springs, while Shaw will likely stick tight in Pickwick. With the win in play, O’Barr isn’t exactly sure how he likes it.
“I think I’d rather be in second right now. I’m comfortable there, and last time I was in the lead, it didn’t go well. I was in the lead (last year) at Seminole, and Kyle Cortiana beat me,” he said. “I really had no intention or expectation to be leading or thinking about winning this tournament. I’m pretty shocked by what is happening right now. When it’s your time, it’s your time, so hopefully it is just my time. You’ve got to think about the positives.”
2. Shaw still likes his chances
Always confident when he’s doing what he’s best at, Shaw mixed and matched on Day 2. Today, the phenom brought in two smallmouth and weighed two fish caught outside of his forward-facing sonar period – pretty much doing all you can do on Pickwick.
“It was kind of weird today; I switched it up,” he said. “I tried a shad spawn in the morning that wasn’t working, then I ran up to the Horseshoe and caught two big ones and left. Then I caught one big one where I caught some yesterday, and another good one, and left there pretty quick.
“When I had 23 pounds, I started running new water and helping my co-angler get a limit, and I caught another good one,” he said. “I took it easy today after I hit 23; based off yesterday, I thought I was going to be good. I’m glad I caught another 5-pounder.”
Going into Day 3, Shaw will be hunting his third MLF win of the year in a season that has already seen him bank more than $250,000 before the calendar turned to April.
“I was hoping I would have a little bit of a cushion. I knew exactly what I was going to do,” said the Tennessee River ace. “I’m going to mix in a couple new areas where I know there will probably be some big ones. I need a big bite. If I hit 22 pounds I would have a decent shot, and from there I could go on the hunt for a couple big ones.”
Top 10 pros
1. Hayden O’Barr – 51 – 0 (10)
2. Banks Shaw – 49 – 5 (10)
3. Donny Beck – 44 – 4 (10)
4. Jade Keeton – 43 – 3 (10)
5. Lake Johnson – 39 – 15 (10)
6. Clayton Ellis – 39 – 1 (10)
7. Dylan Nutt – 39 – 1 (10)
8. Cal Lane – 38 – 12 (10)
9. Clint Knight – 38 – 11 (10)
10. Brody Campbell – 38 – 9 (10)