Elite Series rookie Kyle Welcher talks as fast as he fishes. And he fishes fast. Welcher put three bass in the boat in short order today, capped by a 3 1/2-pounder that put him in the early lead. Welcher abandoned his upriver plan of the previous two days, which took him all the way to the Tennessee state line. Now he’s concentrating mid-lake, targeting a particular combination of hydrilla clumps, rock cover and current.
“I’m looking for a clean line of rocks on the inside edge of the hydrilla,” said Welcher. “Ain’t nothing like the bite. They just thump it and knock slack in the line. It’s hard to beat.”
Welcher is throwing a vibrating jig. He mentioned that he’d prefer to be casting a crankbait as he works down the bank, but there’s just too much floating vegetation in Guntersville to do that.
Current is the key. “I’m just looking for current,” Welcher said.