Byron Velvick leads a line of boats from the take-off point out into Oneida Lake early on Day One of the Ramada Championship.
Stephen Browning idles out into the lake while other Elite anglers jockey into position early Thursday.
A boat load of spectators watch as Gerald Swindle idles by early Thursday morning.
Bernie Schultz leads a line of Elite anglers from the take-off points Thursday morning.
A ball of water sprays off Ott DeFoeâs reel during the early morning hours of the Ramada Championship on Oneida Lake.
DeFoe hit four different areas by about 11 a.m. on Day One. Early on he struggled but started building on his limit as the day progressed.
Davy Hite speeds by during opening round action on Oneida Lake.
Bill Lowen casts on the outside edge of a grassline Thursday.
Ott DeFoe spent the first part of his morning fishing in one of the many canals along the lake.
DeFoe took his cue from the âSlow, No Wakeâ sign and slowly crept around the shallow area.
On the outside point of the canal, Bill Lowen fishes around a riprap wall.
DeFoeâs reflection is cast down the canal as he works the area.
Lowen fishes outside the area as a blue heron watches both the anglers from his grassy perch.
DeFoe and his cameraman turn to the sound of breaking fish as they exit the canal.
DeFoe is rewarded with his first bite of the day.
The fish puts up a good struggle.
But the excitement was dampened by the revelation it was a pickerel.
A group of anglers, Kelly Jordon, Jeremy Starks and Boyd Duckett, pile together in one area of the lake.
The anglers were chasing breaking fish on a shallow flat.
Jordon turns to the sound of shad popping behind him.
Starks hooks up with a largemouth after casting to one of the breaks.
The largemouth was brought aboard quickly.
It was Starks’ sixth keeper of the day and allowed him to cull.
The largemouth was the first green fish he had caught that morning. Up to that point, he had only hooked smallmouth bass.
DeFoe sets the hook on his third keeper of the morning.
He took his time with the fish as it shook its head on the surface.
The keeper made several short jumps in the shallow waterâ¦
â¦as DeFoe gets him close to the boatâ¦
â¦the fish makes one last jumpâ¦
â¦creating a big splash…
â¦and a short runâ¦
â¦before DeFoe swings him aboard.
A quick plop into the livewell, and DeFoe is back in action.
While re-tying, DeFoe takes a peek over his rod box as a fish breaks nearby.
Several of the bass on the lake are relating to grass like this.
Morizo Shimizu fishes tight to the bank Thursday.
DeFoe catches his fourth keeper.
The fish came on DeFoeâs fourth stop of the day.
DeFoe and Shimizu shared the bank for almost an hour.
Both of the anglers were focusing on the shallow cover along the bank.
Some of that cover included blown down trees with huge root wads.
DeFoe squats down to cast under one of the laydowns along the bank.
DeFoe pushed himself well into the cover.