Kevin VanDam just took the lead with about 24 pounds, according to BASSTrakk. How long that lasts is anybody’s guess. Here’s why.
Keep looking at the stream of photos coming in from the marshals and you see the same thing. That is sustainable shallow and deep bites happening all morning, thus far.
My best guess is KVD is fishing his strengths by throwing a trusty Strike King crankbait. That’s what he does best this time of year. He could be catching transitional fish coming and going across an underwater rest stop. On this lake that’s a flat bordered by a channel connecting a creek with the river.
Meanwhile the shallow bite continues. Morizo Shimizu caught his 22 pounds along a shoreline with inundated cover visible in the background. Edwin Evers is outside and likely using his expertise in deeper water.
Look at Keith Combs. He’s fishing shallow and you can see the shoreline in the background. Combs’ marshal reports the angler catching 7 bass in 5 minutes. Obvious evidence of a “fired up” school. Shallow, not deep, but in between.
Like VanDam, Clunn has been stationary for some time now. My prediction is like VanDam, he’s fishing his strengths. Those are intercepting bass in the spawning cycle during migrations into and out of creek channels.
Summing it all up shows the shallow and deep bites are remaining productive at midday on Day 1.
Clunn said it best before the tournament as to how the event could shape up.
“With the high water the bushes and flooded cover are factors and that opens up a shallow water bite,” he said.
“There are fish deep, too.”
“You’ll be able to go out, fish your strengths and likely remain confident all during the tournament.”