Posted April 26th, 2007  9:07pm CST

Field is Tight.....Ounces Will Make or Break This Week at Lake Norman

Story by Dru Smith

Overall, 178 of the 200 pros brought 5 fish limits to the scales. Less than five pounds separates the leader from 89th place. Pro angler, Chris Malone brought in the Snickers Big Bass of the day at 5 pounds, 8 ounces. Current AOY leader, Dave Lefebre finished the day with 10-11 and will start Friday’s round tied for 81st.

Lake Norman Kind to Kindy
Growing up on Lake Hamilton outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Jeremiah Kindy is accustomed to fishing these types of conditions. On Thursday, the Ranger pro went out and caught 12 to 14 keepers and culled his way to the top of the leader board. With partly clouding conditions this morning, Kindy started with a top-water bait, but when the wind picked up he headed to the docks. “The wind is your friend this time of year,” said the Land-O’Lakes pro. “The wind helps to position the fish around cover.”

The majority of Jeremiah’s fish were post-spawn males and he believes what he is doing will hold up throughout the tournament. “This pattern will be good for another month on this lake,” he revealed. “I thought I would need one or two big fish a day to stay in contention, but the bass I caught today were all the same size.”

Kindy did lose a big fish today that would have help with his chances of making the finals, but he feels good about his chances. “I think the cut will be around 26 pounds which means I will need to catch another good limit tomorrow. I am on the type of fish to do that.”

Jig is Up for Jim Moynagh
Residing in Carver, Minnesota, Jim Moynagh is famous for his ability with a jig especially in deep water. With a day-one weight of 15-3, Jim claimed the jig play no part of his second place finish. “I didn’t catch a fish off it today,’ he said. “Three of my five best bass came on a Polish lure called the Skinner.” Jim is referring to a lure made by Salmo Performance Fishing lures. They are known for their walleye and muskie baits, but they are now entering the bass frontier. “I was working the bait (Skinner) on top and the better fish seemed to key in on it,” Jim said. “I caught 10 keepers today and the best ones came on this bait.” 

Jim also threw a weightless worm to round out his limit. Predicting the cut to be just around 27 pounds, Jim feels he will need a solid performance on Friday to stay in the top ten. “I have two primary areas and one of those got beat up pretty bad today. The morning bite has been key for me and the wind did not help today. I will just cover more water tomorrow and see what happens.”

Pugh Plucking-em Off Beds
On his first visit to Lake Norman, Ranger pro Greg Pugh caught enough quality fish to put himself in contention. After a great practice where 45 bites a day was the norm, Greg weighed 14-10 on Thursday and finished in third. “This is basically what I thought I could catch after the practice I had,” the Pedigree pro said. “I did catch a lot of fish off beds and hopefully there are more on the way.” 

Greg feels like the conditions are setting up right for another wave of spawners to move to the shallows and he plans to be there when and if it happens. “I saw several big fish cruising the shallows during practice and I think they want to lock on,” he said. “The fish here seem to need sunshine to help settle them on the beds and we may not have much in the next couple of days.”

The forecast is calling for wind, rain and the possible storm, but Greg does have a back up plan. “I was getting 25 bites a day with a spinnerbait during practice he said. “The days we had clouds and wind, the bigger fish seemed to bite better.”

With 25 pounds in mind for the cut, Pugh is confident he can find enough quality fish to be around on the weekend. Greg is using a 1/4 ounce football jig and a PJ’s Lure finesse jig to catch the lion share of his fish. He also wanted to credit Solar Bat sunglasses for his ability to see these fish in less than perfect conditions. “I’m using their new yellow lens and it makes all the difference.” 

Powers ahead of the Pack
With the way the field is bunched together one good bite can make a huge difference. That was the case on Thursday for Tennessee pro Craig Powers. “I was surprised by the way the guys caught them today,” he said. “There were a ton of fish brought in and guys are stacked together.” Craig used a top-water lure to catch 18 keepers and put together a limit that totaled 14-7. Targeting shallow areas, Craig is not necessarily focusing on the numerous docks of Lake Norman. “They (fish) are shallow but not always around cover. Some are spawning and others just cruising the bank.” 

With a slow morning bite, Powers stuck with the pattern and it paid off. “I threw it (top-water) all day long,” Craig said. “It’s just a matter of putting it in front of the right fish.” Unlike the leader, Powers does like the wind and hopes for calm conditions throughout the tournament. “Getting the bigger bites, like a four pound fish, will make a big difference this week. I’m going to stick with what I’m doing and hopefully the right fish will bite.”
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Day One Top 50