“Oh, heck no,” said Mark Menendez when asked if he could repeat his 17-9, third-place bag on Day 1. “I just hope to catch five (Friday).”
Based on past performance here, Takahiro Omori might appear likely to sustain his second-place total of 18-2 on Day 1. Omori won $100,000 in a March 2001 FLW event here with a four-day total of 44-11. He beat a stellar field that included second-place Guido Hibdon, third-place Aaron Martens and fifth-place Rick Clunn.
Even though it has been 15 years since Omori last fished a tournament on Lake Martin, he knows the lake hasn’t changed its fickle nature.
“This lake is not easy for me,” Omori said. “I just had a great day (Thursday). My practice was only 7 or 8 pounds (a day). But (Thursday) I had a 5 1/2, a 4-pounder, caught maybe 10 more keepers and had a bite all day long.”
So he might go out today and catch only 7 or 8 pounds, like those practice days?
“Exactly,” said Omori.