Shaw drops the hammer with 24-4 on Chick, two others cross the 20-pound mark
DAYTON, Tenn. – Lake Chickamauga has long been considered one of the premier big-fish lakes in the country. And today, its giant Florida-strain largemouth showed just how much they can shape an event.
Facing transitioning fish and blustery, post-frontal conditions, the majority of the field struggled on Day 1 of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division finale. Just shy of 11 pounds had a pro in the Top 50, a mere 15 pounds had a pro in the top 18, and only three anglers cleared the 20-pound mark. A far cry from what Chickamauga can show when it’s fishing well.
Thus, catching even one of its big kickers was a massive separator for pros. Or in the case of leader Curtis Shaw, catching three in 5 minutes to buoy his 24-pound, 4-ounce bag.
“I was in awe,” Shaw said about his flurry of kickers. “That changed my whole day.”
It’d change most days, but especially Shaw, who said he could barely catch anything over 3 pounds all of practice. He simply went to a shallow area where he figured he could catch a limit, and suddenly, he caught a pair of 6 ½-pounders on back-to-back casts. Three casts later, he caught a third, which sent him into shock.
“It was just boom, boom, boom,” Shaw said. “I had to sit down because my stomach turned to knots. I was in awe.”
Needless to say, he was pretty much done by 9 a.m. this morning after he caught the third, saying he upgraded only by a few ounces the rest of the day. Yet, he admits he has no idea if that magic stretch will reload tomorrow or even what made it so special today.
“I wish I could tell you,” Shaw said. “I’m hoping that area reloads; but if it doesn’t, I have a few spots I wanted to try today but didn’t because I didn’t want to make a long run with those big fish in my livewell, especially with that wind.”
The wind certainly was a key factor throughout today, as it was sustained 20 mph straight down the lake for the majority of the day. That pretty much ruined many anglers’ spots, be it muddying them up or making it too hard to fish.
Shaw said his area was somewhat protected from the wind, which he figured helped. That was a key thing most everyone else at the top mentioned, too.
Gordon nails down second, wind impacts the whole field
Jeremy Gordon caught his second-place 21-12 bag fishing offshore hitting places that were out of the wind, and Brent Chapman (21-3) was fishing a well-known area near Chester Frost that also was pretty protected. Same went for Andrew Nordbye, as he, too, fished shallow and out of the wind to catch his 19-10 bag.
And did they all have kickers? Absolutely, with Gordon having one over 6 pounds, Chapman having one close to 9 pounds and Nordbye having a 7-pounder he caught first thing in the morning.
Fortunately, tomorrow’s forecast is calling for the wind to lay down, and be potentially replaced by clouds and a little rain. For the shallow pros like Shaw, Chapman and Nordbye, that has them excited about what could happen, especially Chapman and Nordbye, who feel very dialed in after today. For Gordon, he admits he’d like to have the sun, as he upgraded a few times once the sun started coming out later today. Then again, he’s still optimistic.
“My biggest bag ever on this lake came fishing offshore in the rain,” Gordon said. “So, who knows. I think there’s still plenty of fish coming out to me.”
Top 10 pros
1. Curtis Shaw – 24 – 4 (5)
2. Jeremy Gordon – 21 – 12 (5)
3. Brent Chapman – 21 – 3 (5)
4. Andrew Nordbye – 19 – 10 (5)
5. Seth Davis – 19 – 2 (5)
6. Casey Martin – 18 – 13 (5)
7. Austin Swindle – 18 – 1 (5)
8. Donavan Carson – 17 – 11 (5)
8. Wesley Strader – 17 – 11 (5)
10. Rick Tilley – 17 – 8 (5)