The leaders generally came from those anglers who worked all day long on spawning and post-spawn bass.
“A lot of these are spawning fish. Spawning and post-spawn,” said David Walker, who is 19th with 15-8. “That’s what makes them difficult to catch. They’re not real interested in chasing and feeding.”
Brandon Lester, who is fourth with 18-11, said, “My fish are post-spawn. I don’t want to say too much about what these fish are doing. I feel like I’ve got fish coming to me. The place I’m catching the big ones is right there, like the first stop (after spawning).
“There’s a lot of fish being caught early on the shad spawn, and I kind of missed that deal. It took me all day to get mine, and it was a long time between bites.”
Lester said he caught seven keepers all day. His bag included three largemouths, a smallmouth and a spotted bass.