Cherry catching big numbers, 1 keeper

Hank Cherry trolled by the “media headquarters” of Bassmaster.com at 9:30, close enough for a brief conversation. After landing and releasing yet another short bass, Cherry said, “I must have caught 80 this morning. Everything is 14 to 15 1/2 inches. And it doesn’t seem to matter what I throw.”

Cherry listed a wide variety of baits he’s caught fish on today – from topwater to shallow-running to deep – all of which have produced fish – mostly short. He said he’s got one small keeper. The 16-inch minimum length limit on largemouth and smallmouth bass for this tournament makes for lots of short fish.

Cherry has none of the extra incentive that many have in this event, like the AOY Championship, or AOY top 50 or Bassmaster Classic qualification. He’s clinched a Classic spot, ranking 20th in AOY points prior to this tournament. He wouldn’t mind taking a paycheck home from Tenkiller, but he’s got work to do. Cherry was 55th on Day 1 with 3 bass weighing 5-0.