“This place has a special place in my heart,” said Rose, who said he has fished Pickwick since high school. “I like this area. I love the whole Tennessee River, and it’s fishing really good right now. Pickwick is one of the best in the country.

“We’re catching them with not much current right now, and that’s affecting the weights a little bit,” Rose added. “You’re still seeing great bags of fish come in. I would be willing to say this place is better than Kentucky Lake.”

Rose said he caught 25 to 30 fish during the course of the day and virtually all of them were keepers. Rose fished a Strike King shaky-head rig to catch a limit and then culled fish using a large soft-plastic worm as well as a crankbait.

“It was a grind,” Rose said. “I was catching one every 15 or 20 minutes. Without much current it’s a slow deal and you really have to slow your presentation down. If you grind it out and you know where they live you can catch them.

“We’re going to see a lot of 14- and 15-pound bags, and that’s a fun tournament,” Rose added.

Rounding out the top five pros after day one on Pickwick Lake are:

                  3rd:       Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 19-14
                  3rd:       Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., five bass, 19-14
                  5th:       National Guard pro Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., five bass, 19-9

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Rose caught the Snickers^® Big Bass weighing 5-10 on the pro side to win $500.

Overall there were 590 bass weighing 1,475 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 121 pros Thursday. The catch included 114 five-bass limits.

Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Cup will be in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 11-14 on Lake Ouachita where pros are competing for a top prize of $600,000 – the sport’s biggest award. Pro anglers are also vying for the prestigious 2011 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s that will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors with the winner receiving $100,000 for their accomplishment.

Dan Thill of La Crosse, Wis., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 22-13 followed by Chris Hults of Vancleave, Miss., in second place with five bass weighing 17-15.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are:

                  3rd:       Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 17-10
                  4th:       Johnny Douglas, Hustonville, Ky., five bass, 17-1
                  5th:       Frank Divis Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., five bass, 15-10

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Thill caught the Snickers^® Big Bass weighing 8-8 in the co-angler division to win $250.

Overall there were 514 bass weighing 1,005 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 121 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 87 five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. The Walmart FLW Tour Co-angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors and the winner will receive a new Ranger 198VX with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.