Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Soon after the 26 angler championship field launched this morning into overcast conditions, the Weigh Live Tracker was lighting up. Several anglers got going early and since then, several have separated themselves from the pack with above-average fish.
All week the word was that anglers needed to catch a couple of quality bass each day to put themselves in position to win on Showdown Saturday. A few big ones have hit the livewell on day one and the group is led by Jesse Wise, unofficially with 17 pounds, 5 ounces.
Behind Wise, the Bass Warrior Louis Fernandes shows out when the opportunity to throw a crankbait arises. He is reporting a limit of over 15.5 pounds on the day with an 8-pound lunker to anchor his bag.
In the third and fourth place spots, Trent Palmer checks in with around 14 pounds while his roommate Patrick Walters is reporting over 13.5 pounds himself.
On the water photographers Tanner and Travis Lyons are reporting Walters’s estimate may be light, as he typically is, and they would not be surprised if Walters is closer to the lead at the mid-day point of day one.
Overall, the action has been slow, with only 12 limits reported. Seven anglers have reached the double-digit mark with an afternoon left to go. Keith Carson planned on spending his tournament offshore using forward-facing sonar and has a limit of over 8 pounds which has him in the ninth place spot currently.
Light winds and overcast skies as projected, most anglers are focusing on fishing shallow with reaction baits or slowing down with a shakey head.
The weigh-in this afternoon begins at 4:00 PM CST on TNPFL.com.
The top ten look like this:
Jesse Wise 17-5
Louis Fernandes 15-12
Trent Palmer 14-0
Patrick Walters 13-9
Barron Adams 12-9
Todd Goade 11-8
Dustin Smith 10-0
Nick Brown 9-8
Keith Carson 8-11
Richard Cooper 8-10
Follow along on the Weigh Live Tracker for real-time unofficial updates from the water.
Check out the Morning Story and Launch Photo Gallery, here!
