Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Day One is in the books at Douglas Lake, and the leaderboard is stacked. With rising water pushing fish shallow and a handful of offshore schools in play, anglers were faced with the decision: go to the bushes or commit to the ledges.
Alabama pro Scott Canterbury made the right call, weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces to take the early lead at Stop Three of the NPFL season. After splitting his practice time between deep and shallow, Canterbury made the right decisions this morning that paid off in a big way.
Just behind him, Buddy Gross brought in 16 pounds, 9 ounces to lock in second place after leaning on four offshore areas he located during practice. Despite changing conditions, Gross is optimistic heading into Day Two.
Tim Cales sits in third with 15 pounds, 15 ounces, thanks in part to the Day One Big Fish—a 5-pound, 2-ounce kicker that anchored his limit.
Of the 115 anglers on Day One, 112 recorded a catch—and all but two of those brought in a five-bass limit. With the unofficial check line sitting around 11 pounds, 9 ounces, just a two-pound difference in weight equates to a swing of more than 45 spots in the standings. One quality bite could be the difference-maker as this tournament unfolds.
Canterbury Cruises to Day One Lead
With a Day One weight of 17 pounds, 6 ounces, Alabama pro Scott Canterbury leads the charge at Stop #3 on Douglas Lake. After only two days of practice and splitting his time between offshore and shallow water, it was a last-minute call at takeoff that set the tone for his day.
“I split practice in half and fished both deep and shallow, and this morning when I took off I had to see where other anglers were before deciding where to start,” said Canterbury. “I fished shallow first thing and then made a move offshore around 11 a.m.”
Getting into a good rotation is everything on TVA lakes, and that can make or break your tournament before it even gets rolling. With boats nearby at nearly every stop, Canterbury still managed to find solid quality and exceeded his own expectations on Day One.
“You know, I went out this morning and would’ve been happy with 13 pounds—honestly, that’s a good bag here right now,” he said. “But getting 17 was fortunate. I was in a good rotation and that helped. You can fish behind someone who just caught them on an offshore spot, or pull up shallow and the one fish you wanted gets caught right before you get there—you just never know. It’s hard to catch bigger fish, and tomorrow I’ll just have to see how things lay out and go with what feels right.”
Gross Commits to the Ledges
With just two days of practice, Buddy Gross leaned on experience and made the call to stay offshore. Fighting the urge to chase shallow fish in flooded bushes, the Georgia pro put in the time idling and found several schools—enough to land 16 pounds, 9 ounces and end Day One in second place.
Gross rotated through four of his nine areas, catching around 15 keepers and keeping a close eye on how the schools were shifting throughout the day. While things didn’t fire quite like they had in practice, he’s optimistic about what Day Two might bring.
“There just aren’t a lot of fish out there,” said Gross. “I only sampled a few of my areas today but the wind kind of messed things up and the schools got smaller. In practice it went from a few in one school to a bunch, but today it was less.”
After a productive morning, Gross spent most of his afternoon idling and watching how fish repositioned with changing conditions. While he’s all-in on the ledges for now, he knows he has other options.
“I know I can get bit if I go to the bank, but I’m not going to do it unless I absolutely have to. I’m excited to get back out there tomorrow.”
Top Ten:
Scott Canterbury 17-6
Buddy Gross 16-9
Tim Cales 15-15
Lendell Martin 15-12
Tim Fredrick 15-4
Brandon Cobb 15-2
Kyle Welcher 15-1
Cody Bird 14-10
Jason Reyes 14-7
Nick Brown 14-3
