Fredrychowski takes TBF lead
2008 co-angler national champ leads Southern Divisional on Lake Norman
CORNELIUS, N.C. – It was a hot one on Lake Norman to kick-start The Bass Federation’s Southern Divisional, and when you’re hot, you’re hot, as 2008 TBF National Championship co-angler champion Craig Fredrychowski put himself in position to make that a repeat as he leads day one with 10 pounds, 14 ounces.
Eighty-four competitors on seven state teams are in the hunt this week for a slot in the 2009 TBF National Championship, as each state’s winner at the tournament’s conclusion on Friday earns a boater slot in next year’s nationals. Each state’s No. 2 will advance to the 2009 nationals as a co-angler. The states competing this week are North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, and Fredrychowski is currently leading Team South Carolina.
Indeed, not two months after earning the co-angler crown at the 2008 nationals, Fredrychowski once again finds himself atop a TBF leaderboard. That’s a pretty good track record considering he has competed in only two divisionals, including this week’s. But luck seems to be on Fredrychowski’s side.
“I had good luck and bad luck today,” he said. “I had a marina that I was doing really well at in practice, but it was shut down today due to an explosion. Later, I had a backlash, and I got a bite while I was fixing that and ended up with a fish.”
That was one of five that Fredrychowski caught today that put him in the overall lead by 6 ounces and gave him a state-team lead of 1 pound, 1 ounce. He caught his bass today on a shaky head and a Trigger Shad made by Cache Custom Lures.
While Fredrychowski has tasted sweet co-angler victory, this time he’s hungry for a boater win and another national victory that would give him paid entry into either the Wal-Mart FLW Tour or Wal-Mart FLW Series.
“Last year, I finished second overall at the Southern Divisional and got to fish the TBF National Championship and win it as a co-angler,” he said. “This year I want to fish as a boater and win the TBF Living the Dream package.”
Hayes scores quick limit to land in second overall
Leading the Kentucky team and sitting in second overall is Shane Hayes of New Albany, Ind., with a day-one catch of five bass that weighed 10 pounds, 8 ounces. That leads the Kentucky squad by 10 ounces.
“I fished a topwater all day, dead into the sun,” Hayes said. “I got my limit pretty quickly and gave my nonboater the front of the boat for six hours.”
Hayes had quite an experience on Lake Norman today, including tales of lost and found fish.
“The big fish were crushing my topwater lure – I lost three big ones today,” he said. “But I saw the craziest thing – I had a big fish break off my topwater lure. As the lure was floating on the top of the water, the fish came back up and ate it.”
Hayes credits his nonboater “guide,” Neal Smith, with his day-one success, which comes at his first divisional after his first season with the Kentucky Bass Federation.
Tuck bags 10-6 to land in third
In third place overall is Ronald Tuck of Rockwell, N.C., whose day-one catch of five bass weighing 10 pounds, 6 ounces leads the North Carolina team by a 13-ounce margin. Like Hayes, Tuck’s money bait today was a topwater.
“Eighty percent of my fish were caught on topwater lures, and the rest were from working soft-plastic lures,” Tuck said. “I kept culling fish, but I couldn’t find a kicker fish.”
Despite the kicker, Tuck fished well enough to count himself among the leaders on day one. As such, he intends to stick with what worked – shallow water.
“Tomorrow I am going to have to keep moving,” he said. “I will keep fishing shallow and not mess with deep water.”
This is Tuck’s first divisional appearance.
Rest of the best
Tops on Team Georgia after day one is Justin Lanier of Macon, Ga., with a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces that put him in fourth overall. Behind him in fifth is Florida team leader Chris Crossan of Naples, Fla., with a day-one catch of 9-15. Those five bass gave him a substantial 3-pound lead on the Florida team.
Russell Burroughs claimed a 6-ounce lead on the Alabama team with his opening-day catch of five bass weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces, a catch that has him in ninth place overall. Rounding out the state leaders is Scott Mansfield of Team Tennessee with 8 pounds.
Cash prizes on the line
Although the overall winner Saturday will receive a $500 Wal-Mart gift card as the Castrol Maximum Performer, cash prizes are awarded to the state teams based on overall weight caught, with $15,072 going to the winning state team. Leading the race among the states after day one is the North Carolina squad with 71 pounds, 15 ounces. South Carolina makes it tight in second with 71 pounds, 11 ounces. Team Kentucky trails them in third with 62-10.
Competition continues tomorrow
Southern Divisional contenders will take off tomorrow at 6 a.m. EDT from Blythe Landing, located at 15901 N.C. Highway 73 in Huntersville, for the second day of competition. They will weigh in their catches there beginning at 2:30 p.m.