Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Tennessee angler Michael Stout takes the day one lead at the Chompers NPFL Stop #5 presented by Bait-Wrx, with a total weight of 17 pounds, 12 ounces, and anchored by a 6-pound, 7-ounce kicker. Despite having no prior experience on Lake of the Ozarks, Stout is fishing with confidence, running a pattern and adjusting on the fly.
“Man, I don’t know, but I had a tough practice only getting a few bites, and today I was able to fish more thoroughly through my areas and caught some better quality bass,” said Stout. “I locked one bait in my hand and just went fishing.”
As simple as it may seem, Stout is fishing with intent and knows which docks to target, and where to position his bait. As long as it’s got the right depth, the right “stuff,” in the right area, he has been able to get bites – but keepers are the issue.
“I hooked six keepers today, and only landed five,” he added. “I am fishing a reactive style bait, and mostly what I fished today was new water for me. I have never been here, so it is all new water. I am not sure if it’s the area I am in, but I am learning more about it as I go.”
He plans on fishing some of the same water on day two, and seeing how far he can take his pattern. As long as he can stay focused mentally, and continue to grind, he is confident in catching more quality fish throughout the event.
“Timing is a little bit key, but overall, it seemed like when I got one to bite, I could catch a couple,” he concluded. “The big fish came super shallow, and I do not plan on making any chances tomorrow.”
Josh Watkins
In second place after day one, Tennessee angler Josh Watkins caught a total weight of 15 pounds even. Despite the tough bite, his confidence in Lake of the Ozarks led him to scrap his practice plan and focus on new water. He caught six keepers on day one, including a 4-pounder and his biggest, a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass, which solidified his decision.
“Honestly, practice was horrible for me,” said Watkins. “I only had a few bites overall, and I focused on the wrong section of the lake. Today, I started on a deal and it was not happening, so I made a move to a different area and it paid off.
He is fishing around other boats, but his history on LOZ allowed him to quickly figure out a pattern – one that requires both precision and timing.
“I wanted to catch them this way,” he added, referring to his pattern fishing a specific type of “cover.”. “I noticed in practice they were nosing up to the bait and not committing, so I swapped baits and started connecting on more bites.”
Watkins learned long ago from his fishing mentor that “if you’re not getting bit, pull the motor and move on,” and that is exactly what he did on day one. He could see the potential that the area of the lake he fished has, and plans on doing more of the same on day two.
“If we were a week or two later here, it would be going off,” he added. “But, it’s tougher, and the water is warmer, so they really are not set up correctly. Tomorrow, I’ll plan on running some of the same stuff and expanding on new water. It is also a timing deal, and that is crucial to getting not only bites but keepers.”
Michael Stout holds the big bass after one day with a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass caught in “less than 10 inches of water.” Tennessee angler Michael Brewer weighed in a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass, moving him to fourteenth-place.
Top Ten:
Michael Stout 17-12
Josh Watkins 15-0
Gary Adkins 14-15
John Cox 14-15
Joseph Webster 14-0
John Soukup 13-12
Dustin Perry 13-10
Jason Meninger 13-3
JTodd Tucker 12-10
Spencer Peters 12-10
