Morrow Leaps to Commanding Lead at All-American

5/28/2010 10:33:30 PM

Troy Morrow of Georgia has 4-12 lead going into the finals

Photo by Patrick Baker / See FLWOutdoors.com for more photos and coverage of event

Boater Troy Morrow of Toccoa, Ga., caught a five bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to capture the lead at the 2010 BFL All-American presented by Chevy on DeGray Lake. With a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 30-2, he holds a commanding 4-pound, 12-ounce lead over his closest competitor, Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., heading into the final day of competition.
 
“Things are going pretty good, but I am still losing some of those kicker fish and I just can’t let that happen tomorrow,” said Morrow, who is representing the Savannah River Division and fishing in his second BFL All-American. “I am covering a lot of water and let’s just say I am not fishing the shore.”
 
Not to jinx himself Morrow remained very close-mouthed about his style and baits used, however, he did indicate that he is doing a couple of different things that are giving him an edge and keeping him in the hunt. He is concerned that the expected higher-than-normal holiday boat traffic on the lake tomorrow may impact his fishing, but said he would just have to work through it.
 
Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky. caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 25-6 to jump from 13th place to advance to the final round as the No. 2 seed.
 
The remaining top-10 boaters who will fish the final day at DeGray Lake are:
 
      3rd:   Richie Eaves, Nauvoo, Ill., 10 bass, 22-1
      4th:   Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho, nine bass, 21-14
      5th:   Keith Green, Arkadelphia, Ark., nine bass, 21-14
      6th:   Ty Garrett, Pulaski, Tenn., nine bass, 21-4
      7th:   Chris Darby, Mount Ida, Ark., nine bass, 20-13
      8th:   Jason Grape, Southside, Ala., six bass, 19-4
      9th:   Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., 10 bass, 19
      10th:  Jason Threadgill, Norwood, N.C., nine bass, 18-13
 
Overall there were 169 bass weighing 353 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 55 pros Friday. The catch included 16 five-bass limits.
 
Boaters in the All-American are competing for up to $130,000 plus a spot in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
 
Brett Rudy of Burlington, Iowa, leads the Co-angler Division with four bass weighing 15-6 followed by Randy Pierson of Oakdale, Calif., in second place with six bass weighing 13-14.
 
“I caught three toads today and I thought my heart would stop after each one of them,” said Rudy, who is making his first All-American appearance representing the Great Lakes Division. “I have got to thank my boaters, both of them put me on some fish and I can’t believe that I am leading this thing, unbelievable!
 
“We fished the same area most of the day, some shallow (5-10 feet) and some deep, over 25 feet. It’s unbelievable how clear this water is; this lake is packed with fish, you can see fish everywhere you go, it’s just a matter of getting them to bite.
 
Rudy was fishing with a Carolina rig most of the day, but indicated that he caught one of his 5-pound hawgs with a Texas rig.
 
Rudy caught one bass weighing 3-6 on Thursday while fishing with boater Eric Guimond of Standish, Maine. Today he caught his three hawgs while fishing with Jay Keith of Camden, S.C.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
 
      3rd:   Ben Due, Mauston, Wis., seven bass, 13-11
      4th:   Matt King, Olathe, Kan., seven bass, 12-4
      5th:   Ray Holloway, Snellville, Ga., six bass, 10-11
      6th:   David Hamilton, Rogers, Ark., four bass, 9-15
      7th:   Jeremy Rasnick Point Lookout, Mo., seven bass, 9-11
      8th:   Charlie Russler, Falling Waters, W.Va., six bass, 8-12
      9th:   Jerry Pyles, Middletown, Md., six bass 8-5
                  10th: Adam Williamson, Ridgeway, S.C., five bass, 7-7
 
Co-anglers are competing this week for up to $60,000 and for a coveted spot in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
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