Furious Weather Makes for Tough Fishing on Smith Lake

Rain and wind combined to make pro anglers miserable, cold, and wet today during the second BASS Tour event of the year. Smith Lake's bass went into hiding during the storms and rain to make day 1 weights noticeably low.

If you doubt that these deteriorating conditions could affect the field, just look at these numbers: only three pros managed to catch a five-bass limit, and the angler currently in fourth place (Ben Matsubu) caught only three bass. What about four bass? Only three anglers caught that amount as well. To further testify to the toughness of Smith Lake, eight pounds is all it takes to place in the top 10.

However, there is a silver lining to the clouds over Smith Lake: the torrential downpour will raise water levels, hopefully bringing bass along with the swell.

"I need to get the fish in the boat," said Ben Matsubu, who lives in Mineola, Texas. "I had six bites and only boated three. The rain will probably help my fish. As shallow as most of them were, it might bring some more of it up, so the water going up might help things. I think I made a mistake by not going back for some today."

Mastubu is going to take chances tomorrow:

"I'm going in a totally different area tomorrow. I'm going in an area I haven't been in and hopefully I'll catch them."

In defiance of the miserable conditions, Louisiana's Greg Hackney managed to boat 16-1 today to lead the field. Hackney and second-place contender Lee Bailey, who caught 14-2, boated two of the three limits that pros managed to haul to the weigh-in at Lewis Smith Lake Dam.

Hackney won more than just a nearly 2-pound lead today by bringing in the heaviest catch of the day, he also became the fifth BASS pro to qualify as a Busch Heavyweight for the Shootout. If his weight remains one of the top 10 heaviest daily catches through all six Tour and four Bassmaster Elite 50 events, Hackney will earn an invitation for the $160,000 Busch Shootout Tournament that will be held at a mystery lake on Sept. 18.

Heading into Friday's round, after which the field will be cut to 12 anglers, Illinois' Chad Morganthaler is in third with 10-15, and Oklahoma's Edwin Evers, fifth with 10-8, rounded out the top five today. Evers was surprised that he was still in the top five, but knows he'll have to fish well tomorrow to stay in the running.

"I only had four today," Evers said. "Tomorrow I'll have to slow down and catch three or four fish. I caught all spots in less than 20 feet of water today."

In addition to the weather, pros face a challenge from Smith's stingy slot limit, which only allows them to bring in fish under 13 inches or over 16. BASS rules allow for fish over 12 inches, and many anglers are bringing in bass that hover just between the 12- and 13-inch marks.

Robert Hamilton of Hattiesburg, Miss., earned today's Purolator Big Bass award with a bass that tipped the scales at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. Hamilton will take home a $1,000 bonus and, if his bass remains the tournament's largest through Sunday's final weigh in, will take home another $1,000.

On the amateur side, only 27 anglers weighed in fish and just seven weighed in more than one. Alabama's Timothy Hatcher leads the field with 8-7, while fellow Alabamian Red Berry and Virginian Alex Sowell both had 6-10 sacks that will tie them for second. Tennessee's Dennis Arendt had 6 pounds to round out the top four.

Day 2 at the Smith Lake gets under way Friday with launch at 7 a.m. from Lewis Smith Lake Dam. Friday's weigh-in, beginning at 3:30 p.m. will also be at the Lewis Smith Lake Dam.

Fans can catch a telecast of the Smith Lake tournament on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
 

Day 1 Pro Standings

Rank	Name	Hometown	Bass	Weight
1	Greg Hackney	Gonzales, LA	5	16-00
2	Lee Bailey	Hebron, Conn.	5	14-02
3	Chad Morgenthaler	Coulterville, IL	4	10-15
4	Ben Matsubu	Mineola, TX	3	10-10
5	Edwin Evers	Mannsville, OK	4	10-08
6	Chris Baumgardner	Gastonia, NC	3	10-02
6	Rick Clunn	Ava, MO	5	10-02
8	Kevin Short	Mayflower, AR	4	8-11
9	Charlie Weyer	West Hills, CA	3	8-01
10	Rick Morris	Virginia Beach, VA	3	8-00
11	Brett Hite	Phoenix, Ariz.	3	7-07
12	Kelly Jordon	Mineola, TX	3	7-04

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

13. Robert Hamilton Jr Hattiesburg, Miss. 2 7-03 $1,000.00
Day 1: 2 7-03
14. Gregory Pugh Cullman, Ala. 2 7-02
Day 1: 2 7-02
14. Dean Rojas Grand Saline, Texas 2 7-02
Day 1: 2 7-02
16. Mike Hicks Mineral, Va. 3 7-01
Day 1: 3 7-01
17. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 2 6-13
Day 1: 2 6-13
17. David Mansue Robbinsville, N.J. 2 6-13
Day 1: 2 6-13
17. Morizo Shimizu Murrita, Calif. 3 6-13
Day 1: 3 6-13
20. Mark Shepard Labelle, Fla. 2 6-11
Day 1: 2 6-11
21. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 3 6-10
Day 1: 3 6-10
22. Luke Clausen Veradale, Wash. 3 6-09
Day 1: 3 6-09
23. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, N.C. 3 6-06
Day 1: 3 6-06
24. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 3 6-05
Day 1: 3 6-05
25. Darryl Burkhardt Gresham, Ore. 2 6-03
Day 1: 2 6-03
25. Brooks Rogers Quitman, Texas 3 6-03
Day 1: 3 6-03
27. Jason Quinn Clover, S.C. 3 6-01
Day 1: 3 6-01
27. Tommy Stiles Mc Minnville, Tenn. 3 6-01
Day 1: 3 6-01
29. Jimmy D Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 3 6-00
Day 1: 3 6-00
30. Dennis Kolender Henderson, Nev. 2 5-14
Day 1: 2 5-14
31. Jeff Reynolds Platter, Okla. 3 5-12
Day 1: 3 5-12
32. Charlie Hartley Grove City, Ohio 2 5-10
Day 1: 2 5-10
32. Aaron Martens Castaic, Calif. 2 5-10
Day 1: 2 5-10
34. Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 2 5-07
Day 1: 2 5-07
35. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, Mo. 2 5-06
Day 1: 2 5-06
36. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 2 5-05
Day 1: 2 5-05
37. Marty Stone Linden, N.C. 2 5-02
Day 1: 2 5-02
38. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 2 5-01
Day 1: 2 5-01
39. Ken Cook Lawton, Okla. 2 5-00
Day 1: 2 5-00
40. John Crews Jetersville, Va. 2 4-13
Day 1: 2 4-13
41. Matt Reed Madisonville, Texas 2 4-11
Day 1: 2 4-11
42. Gerald Gostenik Dearborn, Mich. 2 4-10
Day 1: 2 4-10
43. Jack A Gadlage Benton, Ky. 2 4-07
Day 1: 2 4-07
43. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 2 4-07
Day 1: 2 4-07
45. Bud Pruitt Spring, Texas 2 4-05
Day 1: 2 4-05
46. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 2 4-04
Day 1: 2 4-04
47. Sean Hoernke Quitman, Texas 1 4-03
Day 1: 1 4-03
47. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, Ala. 2 4-03
Day 1: 2 4-03
49. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 2 3-13
Day 1: 2 3-13
49. Mike McClelland Springdale, Ark. 2 3-13
Day 1: 2 3-13

 

By Brandon Shook