Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
The weather may be tossing curveballs to start the season, but the fish don’t seem to mind. On this first day of tournament competition—after high winds canceled day one—anglers are putting in the work and lighting up the FISHING CHAOS CATCH TRACK
Mallory Approaching the Dirty Thirty
Buck Mallory is off to a strong start on Day One, with an unofficial weight of over 28 pounds. His five-bass limit includes two fish over 7 pounds, a 6-pounder, a 5-pounder, and his smallest—a 3-pounder.
More updates on Mallory’s day are coming soon.
Behind him, local anglers Corey Casey and Skeeter Crosby are putting together solid bags, with their smallest fish weighing over 3 pounds. Casey is reporting 25.5 pounds, while Crosby is approaching 25 pounds.
In fourth, Kevin Madeley sits at over 24 pounds, and rounding out the top five is Darrel Robertson, who got off to a quick start this morning and has culled up to nearly 24 pounds himself.
Fishing Fast and Fishing Slow
On-the-water photographers report clear skies with a few clouds, as the cold morning temperatures have warmed to nearly 50 degrees by midday. While conditions have shifted from practice to competition, the fish have stayed put—and they’re biting well.
Many anglers are targeting the bank with a mix of reaction baits, including swim jigs and bladed jigs. Others are slowing down with weightless worms around shallow cover. The majority of the field is focusing on grass lines and cypress trees.
Catch the Weigh-In
The weigh-in begins at 3:00 PM EST @ LIVE. Don’t miss it!
The top ten look like this:
Buck Mallory 28-4
Corey Casey 25-12
Skeeter Crosby 24-13
Kevin Madeley 24-7
Darrel Robertson 23-10
Andrew Upshaw 22-12
Hank Cherry 22-6
Caleb Kuphall 20-0
Nick Brown 20-0
Jason Meninger 18-0
Follow along on the Fishing Chaos Catch Track for real-time unofficial updates from the water.
Check out the Morning Story and Launch Photo Gallery, here!
