The FLW Tour on Lake Champlain kicked off Thursday. Castrol pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., who went into the Champlain event with a one-point lead in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year race, weighed a five-bass limit for 24 pounds even to take the early lead in the tournament. Dudley now holds a 3-pound, 4-ounce lead over Walmart pro George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., and Snapple pro Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va., who both caught five bass weighing 20-12.Castrol pro David Duley
“They were biting,” Dudley said. “It’s Lake Champlain in June. They bite.
“The lake was calm,” Dudley added. “It’s Lake Champlain. You can go anywhere and do anything you want to do.”
Dudley remained quiet about techniques he used during the first day of competition, but he did report he caught close to 30 bass during the course of the day, 25 of which were keepers. When asked for his plan of attack on the second day, Dudley planned to repeat his first day strategy.
The top 10 pros after day one on Lake Champlain are:
1st: Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 24-0
2nd: Walmart pro George Cochran, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 20-12
2nd: Snapple pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., five bass, 20-12
4th: Chad Morgenthaler, Coulterville, Ill., five bass, 20-5
5th: Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., five bass, 19-11
6th: Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., five bass, 19-10
7th: Goodwill pro Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., five bass, 19-7
8th: Koby Kreiger, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 19-2
9th: Micah Frazier, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 19-1
10th: Shane Long, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 19-0
10th: Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., five bass, 19-0
Dudley and Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., shared Thursday’s big bass honors with a pair of bass weighing 6-0 on the pro side to split $500.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify. Anglers are also vying for the prestigious 2012 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s title that will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors. In his final bid of the season for Angler of the Year points, Dudley holds a one-point lead over Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn.
Daniel Ferguson of Durham, N.C., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 18-3 followed by Robin Roystan of Bath, N.H., in second place with five bass weighing 17-14.
The top 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Daniel Ferguson, Durham, N.C., five bass, 18-3
2nd: Robin Roystan, Bath, N.H., five bass, 17-14
3rd: Glenn Babineau, Mechanicville, N.Y., five bass, 17-0
4th: Grant Holderman, Augusta, Kan., five bass, 16-8
5th: Josh Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 16-7
6th: Rick Etherton, Friendsville, Tenn., five bass, 15-15
7th: Mike McDonald, Randleman, N.C., five bass, 15-13
8th: John Kite, Festus, Mo., five bass, 15-12
9th: Marc Marsh, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 15-10
10th: George Miller, Springfield, Penn., five bass, 15-9
Roystan caught Thursday’s big bass weighing 5-8 in the co-angler division to win $250.
