More than one angler estimated yesterday that half this 94-angler field would lock into Rodman Reservoir today. One of them won’t be Bryan New, most definitely.
“I will never go over there the rest of my life,” New said yesterday. “I will not. I don’t care if everyone over there gets a check. I can’t fish like that. It’s just not my type of fishing. I tried over there for half a day, and I was so mad. I hate timber and not being able to run around. That’s not my deal. So I’m going to be in the river.”
True to his word, New is in the St. Johns River this morning, and he’s doing some work. New is listed on BassTrakk as the leader at 10:30 with a limit of 3- and 4-pounders weighing 19-9. However, New just told photographer Andy Crawford that he’s probably got “closer to 18 pounds and change.” Whatever, he’s having a great morning and seemingly building on the victory he achieved here last year in his first-ever Elite Series event.
Interestingly, New just told Crawford that he wants to go back to the spot where he won last year. But he’s afraid he doesn’t have enough gas and he forgot to check on which fuel stations are open now. Oh well, New seems to be doing just fine where he is.