KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Two of the hardest things to find in Florida: a parking spot close to the main attraction and early-year bass fishing consistency.
Cody Stahl found both and handily maintained his lead in the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain presented by Battery Tender. After leading Day 1 with a 28-pound, 9-ounce limit, the Barnsville, Ga., pro added a 28-pound bag to tally 56-9 and establish a mammoth lead of 19-7 over Cliff Prince.
“This is just one of those events where you prep for it in practice, you mentally prepare for the conditions and where these fish are headed and it actually pans out,” Stahl said. “Not too many times do you find a place in practice where you catch 1-pounders and you have a feeling that this is where it’s gonna go down; this is where you think the fish are moving, and you put yourself in that spot.
“I’m fishing a stopping point for prespawn bass, but I know there probably are some fish spawning out there, just because of how shallow it is. The majority of these fish are feeding up before they go spawn.”
Stahl, who anchored his bag with an 8-14, stuck to his Day 1 script and fished one particular area at the lower end of Lake Toho. While his practice results were far from impressive, it was the site’s promising potential that prompted Stahl’s commitment.
Winter Storm Fern, which blasted much of the nation with extreme conditions, lowered air and water temperatures right before the event began. Stahl, however, was undeterred, as the event’s warming direction and the approaching full moon (Feb. 1) told him big things were coming.
“I caught better weight and way bigger fish up shallow on the bank, but based on history and experience, I knew what was gonna happen with the conditions that we’re having, the (rising) water temperature and how those fish were gonna react,” Stahl said. “I put myself in a position to find one of the places where the big fish go and in two and a half days of practice and I found one.
“That spot met all the requirements, it had all the ingredients for it to go down. It had the bucks (smaller male bass) there in practice and all I was waiting for was that weather to come in and push those females right there on the edge. That’s exactly what happened.”
Day 1 saw Stahl rotate between two baits, but a single presentation — a lipless crankbait — produced all of his Day 2 fish. Stahl also narrowed down key sections within his spot.
Tournament note: This event does not allow anglers to use forward-facing sonar, so Stahl has had to break down his area by fishing it.
“When I found my area in practice, I didn’t expand on it at all,” Stahl said. “I just planned on giving myself time on Day 1 to expand, to learn the area and figure out the sweet spots in the area.
“Yesterday, I started in a spot that’s not as good as where I started today. Yesterday morning ended up being a little slower, but late in the day, I found that magical sweet spot where I started this morning.”
Stating that he had his weight before 9 a.m., Stahl said he intends to see if his area has one more day of productivity to offer. He’s optimistic, but he’s also aware of how fleeting Florida consistency can be.
“I think the biggest factor will be the wind in the afternoon; how hard it’s gonna blow and when it’s gonna start blowing hard,” Stahl said of the next cold front forecast to arrive on Saturday. “Another factor will be tonight’s overnight low.
“If it drops really low and really cools down the water temperature, the fish might pull out. I’m just going into tomorrow with an open mind and I’m gonna try and follow the fish. If they’re not there and it’s not happening, I’m gonna have to make some adjustments and get something done.”
Hailing from Palatka, Fla., Prince is in second place with 37-2. After placing second on Day 1 with 26-2, Prince saw his productivity slip with a second-round limit of 11-0.
“In Florida, you catch ’em when they’re biting,” Prince said. “I did all I could yesterday and all I could today and I didn’t lay off of ‘em yesterday.”
Prince had been catching most of his fish on a bladed jig, but a tip from a fellow angler fishing nearby led him to catch a couple of good ones on a swim jig.
“I caught a couple that helped me, but if I had made that change earlier in the day, I probably would have been better off,” Prince said.
Jonathon VanDam of Gobles, Mich., is in third place with 37-1. VanDam placed 10th on Day 1 with 17-6. He added a Day 2 limit of 19-11.
“It was just fishing a big flat where you kinda have to mill around a little bit, but there’s definitely little key zones where it seems the fish are concentrated,” VanDam said. “It definitely seems like there are some bite windows.”
Moving baits produced most of VanDam’s fish. He also caught one of his limit fish on a finesse presentation.
Jonathan Kelley of Old Forge, Pa., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 10-7.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Kissimmee Lake Front Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3 p.m.
Bassmaster LIVE can be found on Bassmaster.com and Roku from 8-11 a.m. ET and from Noon-3 p.m.
Follow along with all of the action from the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain of Lakes presented by Battery Tender on Bassmaster.com.
Visit Kissimmee is hosting this event.
