Vatalaro Wows Crowd with 25-12 Limit on Guntersville

6/23/2010 8:12:33 PM

FLW Tour event kicks off with a bang in scorching heat
Vic Vatalaro of Kent, Ohio, crossed the stage Wednesday with a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces to lead day one of the FLW Tour event on Lake Guntersville presented by Ranger. Vatalaro now holds a one-ounce lead over pro Brent Long of Cornelius, N.C., with five bass weighing 25-11 in a tournament featuring anglers from all across the country.
 
In preparation of scorching temperatures, and with conservation in mind, FLW Outdoors officials changed takeoff and weigh-in times for the tournament to help preserve the health of the fish and to minimize the time they are out of their natural habitat.
 
“It is so hot it’s unbelievable,” said Vatalaro, who has won more than $691,000 in FLW Outdoors events. “With these shorter days, it’s pretty easy. We practiced 14 hours a day in practice, so it’s an easy day when you come in at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.”
 
Vatalaro said he began the day in a spot where he thought he could catch a solid limit, but ended up catching three keepers on finesse baits and spinning equipment. Vatalaro said he then ran to three or four other spots and filled his tournament limit then began culling fish.
 
“I went to one of my better spots I really didn’t think anybody had found,” Vatalaro said. “And I didn’t get anything, and I was like, ‘Wow! There’s nothing here.’”
 
Vatalaro said he relocated and changed baits to a Johnson Lures Weedless Wonder and a large soft plastic worm. He said after a few casts he caught a 5- or 6-pounder and a 4- pounder on the next cast, and ended up culling four fish over the next half hour.
 
Vatalaro said he fished in four to 10 feet of water and targeted sparse weeds near deep water where the weed line isn’t visible.
 
Rounding out the top-10 pros after day one on Lake Guntersville are:
 
            3rd:    Mark Rose, Marion, Ark., five bass, 25-7
            4th:    Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., five bass, 23-3
            5th:    Chevy pro Jimmy Houston, Cookson, Okla., five bass, 22-11
            6th:    Craig Dowling, Grant, Ala., five bass, 22-10
            7th:    Kyle Mabrey, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 22-7
            8th:    Keith Combs, Del Rio, Texas, five bass, 22-5
            9th:    Damiki pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 22-1
            10th:  Terry Bolton, Jonesboro, Ark., five bass, 21-11
 
Overall there were 652 bass weighing 2,176 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 136 pros Thursday. The catch included 122 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 which will be held Aug. 5-8 at Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Ga., where they could win as much as $600,000 – the sport’s biggest award.
 
Jason Law of Waycross, Ga., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 20-12 followed by John Jacobs of Birmingham, Ala., in second place with five bass weighing 20-5.
 
Rounding out the top-10 Co-anglers are:
 
            3rd:    Chad Hillis, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 19-4
            4th:    J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., five bass, 19-1
            5th:    Mark Heatwole, Harrisonburg, Va., five bass, 18-12
            6th:    Van Roy Foster, Dalton, Ga., five bass, 18-3
            7th:    Dan Clark, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 18-0
            8th:    Naohiro Maruo, Takamatsu Kagawa, Japan, five bass, 17-12
            8th:    Eric Schultz, Minnetonka, Minn., five bass, 17-12
            10th:  Billy Brindle, Calhoun, Ga., five bass, 17-9
            10th:  Micah Frazier, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 17-9
 
Overall there were 523 bass weighing 1,469 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 131 co-anglers Wednesday. The catch included 74 five-bass limits.
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