Norris Lake is setting up for a dramatic final-day shootout tomorrow at the Walmart FLW Tour Invitational at Norris Lake presented by Quaker State.
Seven-year FLW Tour veteran James Watson of Nixa, Missouri, who started the day in second place, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces to take the lead with a two-day total of 26-14.
Watson is trailed by a contingent of Tennessee and Carolina anglers – Jason Lambert of Pickwick Dam, Tenn. (23-12), Derrick Blake of Rockwood, Tenn. (23-8), Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro, N.C. (22-2) and Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn. (21-13), round out the top five. Day One leader David Williams of Maiden, N.C. (16-13), fell to eighth after weighing just one bass totaling 1-12.
With the weights so tightly stacked up top any of the top five anglers have a legitimate shot to win the tournament and the top prize of more than $78,000 along with a coveted spot in the world championship of bass-fishing – the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup.
“I only had two bites a day during practice, but they were the right clues that I needed,” said Watson, who has eight career top-10 finishes in FLW competition. “Where I am catching them at is very, very specific. I’ve never been so dialed in in my entire life. We’ll have to see what this weather does, though, because it is going to play a big factor.
“I’m catching topwater fish and flipping boat docks,” Watson continued. “I thought the topwater bite would go all day today but it ended quickly when the sun peeked out. I’m fishing in one part of the lake and looking for the right combination of rock.
“I caught more keepers today than I did yesterday, but it seemed like I had a better day yesterday,” Watson said. “The wind changed directions today and messed up my water so I ran a lot of new water today and caught some fish off of stretches of bank that I wasn’t dialed in on. That gives me confidence that I’ll be able to put together a quality limit tomorrow.
“I said it on stage – I love fishing during the fall,” Watson went on to say. “There are not enough bass tournaments this time of year. I can catch 12 pounds a day all year long and that’s pretty good during the fall. I hope I can do it again tomorrow.”
The top 20 pros that will advance to the final day of competition on Norris Lake are:
1st: James Watson, Nixa, Mo., 10 bass, 26-14
2nd: Jason Lambert, Pickwick Dam, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-12
3rd: Derrick Blake, Rockwood, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-8
4th: Tracy Adams, Wilkesboro, N.C., 10 bass, 22-2
5th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 21-13
6th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-15
7th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., nine bass, 19-0
8th: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., six bass, 16-13
9th: Eddie Whiten Jr., Pickens, S.C., eight bass, 16-10
10th: Bill Dunn, Maynardville, Tenn., eight bass, 16-8
11th: Kelley Jaye, Dadeville, Ala., eight bass, 16-6
12th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., six bass, 16-16
13th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., seven bass, 15-15
14th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., eight bass, 15-12
15th: Ray Philhower, Milford, Ohio, seven bass, 15-12
16th: Ken Vicchio, Bluff City, Tenn., six bass, 15-10
17th: Johnny McCombs, Morris, Ala., eight bass, 15-5
18th: Greg Werner, Niagara, Wis., five bass, 14-14
19th: Yamamoto Baits pro Gary Yamamoto, Palestine, Texas, seven bass, 14-11
20th: William Campbell, Middlesboro, Ky., seven bass, 13-9
Overall there were 219 bass weighing 454 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 70 pros Friday. The catch included 20 five-bass limits.
The final 20 anglers will take off from Anderson County Park located at 2191 Park Lane in Andersonville at 7:30 a.m. EDT Saturday. The final weigh-in will be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The Walmart FLW Tour Invitational at Norris Lake presented by Quaker State is being hosted by the Anderson County Tourism Council.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros.
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
