Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Day one is over and now the real tournament begins. Most anglers predicted before the event that we would see some big weights at the top followed by plenty of anglers not weighing a limit. Those predictions couldn’t be any truer as leader Sheldon Collings weighed a five-bass limit of 23 pounds, 12 ounces with a 7-pound, 12-ounce kicker.
Behind him, South Carolina angler Patrick Walters had 22 pounds, 8 ounces while Will Harkins rounds out the top five with 20 pounds, 4 ounces. Tim Cales and Todd Goade round out the top five with 19 pounds, 15 ounces, and 18 pounds, 14 ounces respectively.
Only three anglers weighed over 20 pounds on the day and 10th place angler John Cox sits with 17 pounds, 4 ounces.
From 10th place down, the weights drop off substantially with 13 pounds, 2 ounces occupying 20th place, and 30th place a little over 10 pounds. If predictions hold true, we will see some major shake-ups in the leaderboard on day two with plenty of fishing left to make a move back into check range.
There were 22 limits on the day. Consistency during the event will go a long way with changing conditions and increased winds. Inside the top ten without a limit, Louis Fernandes caught four bass for 17.5 pounds.
Rest of the best:
Dan Blackert 17-14
Randy Sullivan 17-12
Nick Brown 17-9
Louis Fernandes – 17-8 John Cox (FL) 17-4
Check out the day one leaderboard.
Weather Watch
Anglers can expect different weather on day two and day three, and reports are that high winds could have a huge effect on the angler’s ability to both fish and move around. With highs in the 70s, anglers will fish under cloudy skies with a chance of rain showers. Winds increase from 10 to 20 MPH.
How to Watch
Tune in today and tomorrow to watch daily action from Santee Cooper, with Live Coverage here and on the FREE PHYX TV App beginning this morning from 8 AM to 1 PM.
Follow along and watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers on Santee Cooper Lakes.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Weigh Live Tracker with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins
