It’s been six months since Hunter Shryock was last on Lake Guntersville, where he finished 25th in the Bassmaster Classic. As he noted this morning, “One thing hasn’t changed. I’ve still got a flipping stick in my hand.”
Shryock detailed his one-two punch game plan for Lake Guntersville this week, and it will likely be the same for several of the 85 anglers in this tournament. He’s going to be throwing a frog on the top of the abundant vegetation and punching a jig through that vegetation.
“It’s Guntersville 101,” Shryock said. “The sun needs to get up. It’s not easy right now. I’ve gone four, five hours in practice without a bite.”
Shryock has four keepers this morning, so he hasn’t gone long without a bite. They aren’t big – totally an estimated 6 1/2 pounds – but confidence-wise, they’re huge. And Shryock is a confident angler right now. After finishing 66th in the season opener at the St. Johns River, Shryock has 27th or higher in the four tournaments since to give him a 21st place ranking in the AOY standings entering this event.