How's this for your first Bassmasters Classic? What an upgrade for Roy Hawk!
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Will Eads
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Finally one worth a picture for Andy Montgomery! “This is what I was catching in practice.” Heading back to a certain log where another nice one rolled over on a Strike King lure earlier in the day.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Roger Metz
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After a slow morning that produced just two keepers and a handful of short fish, Brett Hite made a move at 12:30 that immediately paid off with a 3-pound smallmouth.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Matt Pangrac
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Aaron Marten's catches his first keeper a nice three pounder.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Ricky Phillips
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Number four for Roy Hawks. This makes his 2nd keeper smallmouth of the morning. He only needs one more keeper to limit out.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Will Eads
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Bobby Lane is getting bites this morning, and has put no less than six short fish in the box. Currently he has two keepers with hopes of culling both of them. Once he retrieved his crank bait, he went ahead and hit all the angles under this dock.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Blake Pressly
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And that's 5 for Roy Hawk. He has about 12 -pounds. He's looking for No. 6. Let the culling commence.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Will Eads
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Garrett Paquette has two boatloads of buddies yelling every time he catches a fish. They are from Indiana, Michigan, Canada and other states in the mid-west.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Rick Moore
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Bobby Lane is continuing to get bites and has boated a few more short fish. So far this is the best one of the day and makes keeper No. 4.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Blake Pressly
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This is Roy Hawks's third keeper of the morning. Another solid largemouth. Roy confessed that his last two fish came from areas he didn't fish in practice. In the hunt for No. 4.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Will Eads
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The locals. Best line from the slow morning by Andy Montgomery, “Fish are like women, you never know what they are going to do!”
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Roger Metz
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Garrett flips number two in the boat. The bites are few and far between but he says he’s relieved to have at least two in the boat with plenty of time left. He says his first Classic is everything he expected. He’s enjoyed every moment but he’s here to catch fish!
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Rick Moore
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Garrett Paquette’s first game-day interview by BASS staffer Craig Lamb, in his first Classic appearance.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Rick Moore
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The interviews are fast and furious at the dock as the first day for the Classic gets started.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Rick Moore
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One of the favorites on odds to do well, Ott DeFoe is bombarded at the dock by cameras and interviews.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Rick Moore
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The line to interview Ott Defoe keeps getting longer. The upside is the weather this morning seems to be better and warmer than predicted. He has mentioned the conditions several times this morning.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Rick Moore
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This is No. 2 for Roy Hawk. He said as long as they are this size, it doesn't matter to him whether they are largemouth or smallmouth. Looking for No. 3.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Will Eads
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