Reinkemeyer races to Day 1 lead on Lake of the Ozarks
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — The late summer/early fall conditions have made for a tough bite on Lake of the Ozarks, and the one-hour fog delay that prolonged the start of the Toyota Division Presented by Phoenix Boats Plains Division season finale Thursday didn’t help matters.
Brock Reinkemeyer hasn’t been immune from the struggle — although based on the results, you wouldn’t know it.
Reinkemeyer brought 19 pounds, 5 ounces to the scales to take a solid Day 1 lead. The Warsaw, Missouri, native leads Andy Newcomb by 1-11 and is more than 3 pounds clear of Jared Lintner and Aaron Johnson, who are tied for third.
While only six anglers eclipsed the 15-pound mark, the weights are tight outside of the top two, with less than 2 pounds separating 10th place from 27th. Given that and the potential for big swings in weight from one day to the next, just about everyone is still in contention.
On the Strike King co-angler side, Albert Rayborn jumped out to an even bigger lead. After sacking up 12-6 on Day 1, Rayborn has a 3-5 cushion over Charles Frick.
Shallow pivot pays off big for Reinkemeyer
Reinkemeyer resides between Lake of the Ozarks and neighboring Truman Reservoir and has won on Lake of the Ozarks before, topping a Toyota Series event in 2022. Yet after a grueling practice, he entered Thursday less than optimistic about his chances this week.
“I’ve been fishing all year long, all across the country,” Reinkemeyer said. “I would say this was the worst practice I’ve had this year.”
A challenging bite is not atypical for the lake at this time of year — Reinkemeyer said September usually brings the toughest fishing of the year on the Osage River impoundment. So, while Reinkemeyer was dismayed when his offshore starting spot didn’t produce a bite Thursday morning, he also knew what to do thanks to his wealth of experience on the fishery; head shallow and start plying the boat docks that line the lakeshore.
“We started out deep for an hour, didn’t catch nothing,” Reinkemeyer said. “And I said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to put the ol’ shaky head and a jig in my hand and flip underneath every dock that I know.’ It worked out.”
After abandoning his offshore program, Reinkemeyer said he caught quality largemouth off two of the first docks he fished. That gave him confidence to stay shallow even though at times he went hours without a bite.
“I’d catch two here, then I’d go a couple hours with nothing, then catch another two,” he said. “It was basically junk fishing 101 in September on Lake of the Ozarks.”
While Reinkemeyer believes he’s on the winning pattern, he’s also realistic about the fact that repeating his Day 1 bag will be a tall task. There are thousands of docks on the lake, and the bass are on the move, so there’s an element of luck to putting a bait in front of a few big ones.
Reinkemeyer got those big bites Thursday (his 6-2 kicker tied for Berkley Big Bass honors), which gives him some cushion. But he expects some significant shakeups on the leaderboard before the trophy is handed out on Saturday.
“It’s a crap shoot, for sure,” he said. “I think whoever grinds it out and flips as many docks and (fishes) underneath as many docks as they can is going to win. Just from what I’ve seen, I haven’t seen anything decent off the bank.
“The weights are going to be fluctuating big time throughout these three days, I guarantee you that. … It’s hard to stay consistent whenever they’re just roaming around.”
Lawrence closing in on AOY crown
Jake Lawrence narrowly missed out on taking home the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title during his stellar rookie season on the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, finishing second to Alec Morrison. However, it looks like he’s still going to walk away from this year with some AOY hardware (and prize money).
Lawrence, who entered the season finale with a slim, three-point lead over Jordan Hartman in the Plains Division points race, put together a solid Day 1 bag of 14-0. That has him in 10th place. Hartman, meanwhile, sits in 103rd, while Ethan Fields, who started the event third in the points, sits 93rd.
Lawrence still has to avoid a bomb on Day 2 to make it official, but the rising rookie on the Bass Pro Tour certainly appears positioned to add $5,000 from Fishing Clash to a 2024 winnings tally that has already surpassed $300,000.
Top 10 pros:
1. Brock Reinkemeyer — 19-5 (5)
2. Andy Newcomb — 17-10 (5)
3. Jared Lintner — 16-3 (5)
3. Aaron Johnson — 16-3 (5)
5. Daisuke Kita — 15-11 (5)
6. Josh Tate — 15-8 (5)
7. James Dill — 14-15 (5)
8. Jacob Welch — 14-12 (5)
9. Andre Dickneite — 14-11 (5)
10. Jason Sandidge — 14-0 (5)
10. Jake Lawrence — 14-0 (5)