Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Ron Farrow of South Carolina took the Day One lead at Stop 6 on Logan Martin Lake, hosted by the City of Oxford, Alabama, weighing in 17-10, anchored by a 4-9 kicker.
Coming into the event, Ron Farrow, fresh off a “decent” practice, was hoping his pattern would push him into the top ten after Day One. It turned out even better—he exceeded his 15-pound goal by two pounds, giving him a two-pound lead over Patrick Walters with two days remaining.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “It was better than I thought it would be despite the weather today, which was the opposite of practice.”
Patrick Walters of South Carolina sits in second place with 15-10, and Missouri angler James Watson is third at 14-0.
Hunter Baughman leads the event’s big bass with a 4-14 fish, anchoring his solid 12-5 limit and putting him in 15th place after Day One. “I caught that big one in shallow water, about 2 feet deep, fishing a Brazalo Custom Lures jig,” he said.
Shallow Pattern Fares Well for Farrow
Ron Farrow came to Logan Martin expecting to fish topwater and cover water. After Day One, only one of those plans remains true. He’s throwing topwater, but instead of covering water for random bites, his pattern—replicated across a 5-mile stretch of the Coosa River—is very target specific.
“It’s a little different,” he said. “I had two rods on my deck today and caught around ten fish overall. I figured out the fish were positioned specifically on cover, and I ran through my stretch, behind some guys, and caught quality fish.”
Aside from topwater, Farrow’s other goal this week was to avoid spotted bass and focus only on largemouth. With two days remaining, it’s yet to be determined if his plan will hold under increasing fishing pressure. But for now, he’s confident.
“I’m running a pattern, and from what I’ve seen, most of the guys around me aren’t fishing like I am,” he said. “We’re in the same areas, but I’m targeting a different section of the cover. Practice was much better than today with overcast skies, so maybe the next couple days will be decent.”
Walters Fishing the Kitchen Sink
As usual, Day One was kind to Patrick Walters, who put together a solid 15-10 bag on a tough Logan Martin. His limit, which unofficially moved him into the Progressive AOY lead, took a mix of several baits, and a full eight hours on the water to build his bag.
“Literally the kitchen sink,” said Walters. “I did everything. I had a good start this morning catching over 30 fish, but only weighed in two of them. From there I caught one deep around mid-day and added another at 1 this afternoon.”
Walters kept after his plan to fish anything and everything, keeping a lot of the lake honest. With the fish somewhere between a summer and fall pattern, keeping a line wet is going to be key as the event progresses.
“I caught my final weigh fish 15 minutes before check-in and rotated all day between deep and shallow spots. The fish are scattered—some summer, some fall—and I like it because the whole lake plays and spreads guys out a bit,” he said.
Launching this morning as boat 50, Walters will have almost the same tournament hours on Day Two, when the order flips. If the weather stays consistent, Logan Martin could deliver another productive day, or not.
“I haven’t looked at tomorrow’s weather yet, but it could be tougher across the board and things might drop off with the pressure,” he concluded. “If it stays similar, they may bite again and surprise the field.”
A “Quick” Look at AOY
Coming into the event, reigning Progressive Angler of the Year Kyle Welcher held the lead, sitting seven points ahead of Patrick Walters. After Day One, things have shifted—unofficially, of course. With Walters in second place and Welcher tied for ninth, the two are now within one point of each other, with the edge going to Walters. Stay tuned for a more detailed update from Ken Duke tomorrow!
Top Ten:
Ron Farrow 17-10
Patrick Walters 15-10
Brandon Cobb 15-6
James Watson 14-0
Scott Canterbury 13-15
Matt Herren 13-14
Buddy Gross 13-10
Robert Wroblewski 13-7
Brandon Perkins 13-6
Kyle Welcher 13-6
