Bill Lowen is a noted shallow-water specialist. And, as he noted before the tournament began, “They get shallower on Guntersville when the water is cold more than any place I’ve ever seen.” However, it took until noon for Lowen to put his first keeper in the boat today. This one looks bigger than the 2 1/2-pounder that was recorded on BASSTrakk, but then Lowen’s arm is fully extended toward the camera.
Maybe, though, it was simply an omen of things to come. Lowen caught a 5-pounder 15 minutes after his first fish. It doesn’t take long to shoot up the leaderboard on Lake Guntersville.