Cody Stahl’s fate on Day 1 of the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain presented by Battery Tender rested on the potential of an area that produced only three 1-pounders the final day of practice.
Not long into the day, Stahl received the bite he needed to settle him down, a 9-pound, 6-ounce largemouth that anchored his 28-9 limit that leads the tournament.
“I set the hook into it and thought I was hung up. It started moving and I knew it was a grown one.” Stahl said. “That was everything. It gave me confidence to know I made the right decision. I was betting everything those bass were going to pull in there. That 9-pounder reassured meand I stayed there all day.”
That was the story of many angler performances of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes on Thursday. Those who were able to land a 6-plus-pound largemouth found themselves in the top half of the field, and anglers like Laker Howell (11th, 17-5) said those bites revealed clues they hadn’t yet discovered.
Those who didn’t are stuck in the middle, or worse.
Despite the post-front conditions brought on by Winter Storm Fern, the big prespawn femalesbit. Multiple bass over 7 pounds crossed the stage, including several 9-pounders and a 10-7 caught by Jonathan Kelley that leads Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament honors.
In Stahl’s case, his giant bass separated him from the rest of the field. In Kelley and Hayden Gaddis’s case, their lunkers kept them in the hunt.
Boat troubles hampered Kelley all day long and kept him from getting to his starting spot on time. Once he did get to his area, the Pennsylvania pro hooked into the massive largemouth, although with a hookset he wasn’t sure was going to be enough to land it.
“I got a weird hookset. I knew it was going to jump, and as it came up next to the boat, I saw the bait in the corner of her lip. So, I used her momentum (to my advantage) and just swung her in the boat.”
While boat flipping a big bass isn’t ever ideal, Kelley credited his 7-foot-3 medium-heavy ARK Sniper Series rod for not only feeling that bite, but for holding up when he needed it most. He only landed two other keepers before limping back to weigh-in, but those bass have him in 15th with 15-10.
After a trip to the service yard, Kelley hopes he can take advantage of a full day of fishing on Friday.
Gaddis landed his 9-7 early in the day and only landed three of his five bites. That one bass was responsible for the majority of his 12-11 total and has him sitting in 35th place with a chance to make a big move with a quality Day 2 performance.
“When I set the hook, it was running directly at me,” Gaddis said. “I moved to the back deck, stepped off my step and fell on the console. I looked up and saw it (jumping). Once I got it close to the boat, I saw its belly and started freaking out a little.
“One swing of the bat, and you are back in the game. It helps with confidence for tomorrow.”
It also proves to others that they aren’t totally out of the ballgame either. One or two big bites could lift someone into check range. It could do wonders for Terry Scroggins, who sits in third with 20-11.
One spot produced a really good average size, and once he had his weight, he went flipping, historically the best way to get a giant bite on the chain. He didn’t find it Day 1, but he could make a run at the lead if he finds it on Day 2.
“I went back to flipping,” the Floridian said. “That should be the deal here and right now it is not. But anytime, it could be. There’s a lot of good stuff. We have high sun and high pressure. Everything is setting up for it, but I can’t make it work.
“I don’t think I can get an 8-pounder offshore, so I’ll keep looking for it (flipping).”
