This is a tournament about ounces rather than pounds. As evidence, three anglers – Mark Menendez, Paul Mueller and Bill Weidler – were tied for 35th place after Day 1 with 8 pounds, 10 ounces. Within a pound are another 17 anglers, from 27th-place Brandon Card and David Mullins, both with 9-9, to 44th-place Micah Frazier, Lee Livesay and Caleb Sumrall, all three with 7-11. Only the top 35 anglers advance to Day 3 after today’s weigh-in.
It takes just a few ounces to make a big difference in the standings. So you can expect to see a shake-up today, and it doesn’t take much to do it. Brent Chapman’s first two days at Winyah Bay in 2016 are a good example. He had 7-1 on Day 1, which left him in 67th place. Chapman caught 14-13 on Day 2 and jumped all the way to 9th place.
“I got fortunate and had one 4-pounder,” said John Crews of his 11-13 bag, which put him in 10th place yesterday. “That’s the big difference here, having one or two of those key bites to elevate yourself in the standings. I had one of those. I talked to Brandon Card. He had a 9-pound bag and he jumped off a 4-pounder.”
Jason Williamson’s tournament leading Day 1 total of 15-11 included, of course, the 6-pound, 10-ounce big bass of the day. There are some big bass in all the waters within the boundaries of this tournament. There just aren’t very many of them.
“I didn’t get many bites,” said Hunter Shryock, who is in second place with 15-8. “I think I had seven. I lost a good one, but put the rest in the boat, and I was fortunate to do so. Flipping trees is what I’m doing. It’s risky business, but they’re there to be caught.”
The margin between success and failure is razor-thin at Winyah Bay. Further evidence will be in the standings at the end of today.