Runnin' & gunnin' at West Point

Timmy Horton started Day One of the West Point Lake Battle close to the launch site, but quickly moved along to another fishing location.

Scott Rook started the morning fishing a long point decorated with tall Georgia pines.

Pete Ponds fishes a rock wall under a railroad bridge crossing West Point Lake.

Pondsâ finesse tactics pays off and he hooks up with a fish.

Ponds swings the fish aboard.

The fish met the minimum length requirement and goes in the live well.

Jason Williamson idles through a no wake zone under one of the many bridges on West Point Lake.

A mallard hen coasts to a landing near where Bernie Schultz was fishing.

Schultz was fishing the back of a shallow pocket off the main lake.

He was changing baits often to figure out the key to the morning bite.

Josh Bertrand speeds to his next fishing location.

Gerald Swindle sets his boat down near a no wake buoy.

Swindle takes a look at his electronics as if pondering the next waypoint to hit.

Dave Smith left his trolling motor down to make a quick move to another bridge piling.

Matt Greenblatt fished a riprap wall near a highway crossing on West Point Lake.

Bradley Roy pitches a drop bait along the clay banks of West Point Lake.

Roy picked up a spinnerbait as he approached a boat dock.

During practice Roy said he a found a large school of spotted bass, but had yet to relocate them on Day One.

Bridge pilings were a popular place to fish on Day One with many of the anglers in the field, including Todd Faircloth.

Matt Herren said he didnât expect to have a spinning rod in his hand, but wanted to catch a small limit before change tactics.

Herren had missed fish on back-to-back casts before hooking up.

The fish jumps near the boat.

The fish stayed hooked and Herren swings it aboard.

Herren sizes the fish upâ¦

â¦and decides he needed to put this one on the measuring board.

The fish was a keeper and goes in Herrenâs live well.

A spectator kept a respectable distance and watched Herren fish with binoculars.

Mike McClelland was fishing a windy bank with a couple different baits.

Kelly Jaye makes a late morning move.

Dave Smith had stuck with fishing bridge pilings and hooks up with a fish.

Smith laughed at the size of the fish, but said he would catch a couple short fish, and then usually get a keeper bite.

A couple casts later Smith was hooked up again.

Smith fights the fish to the boat.

Smith swings a keeper spotted bass into the boat.

Smith said this was his fourth keeper so far on Day One.

Smith deposits the fish into his live well and was working on an early limit.

Steve Kennedy starts Day One of the West Point Lake Battle in a frenzy.

Kennedy doesn’t stay put for long.

On the move again.

Brandon Card works a topwater nearby.

It’s not long before Card yanks up the trolling motor and moves on.

Running and gunning was the theme of the morning.

Kennedy doesn’t even bother picking up his trolling motor as he moves again.

A little competition fishing this tree.

Kennedy is fishing cypress trees along the main river, picking up right where he left off in 2011.

Kennedy loads up.

But itâs not the size heâs looking for.

These little spots are closer to the size of the swimbait Kennedy throws than the size heâs after.

Kennedy sets the hook on another.

Another small one.

J Todd Tucker scoots by.

Dennis Tietje is on the move.

Tietje tries to make good on a lost 4-pounder from earlier in the morning, a costly loss on a tough day.

Three small ones so far.

Fred Roumbanis backs off a bit.

All smiles from Boom Boom, despite a slow morning.

Cliff Prince comes screaming by.

Casey Ashley on the run.

Tucker fishes main lake cypress trees and humps, a popular pattern on Day One.

Terry âBig Showâ Scroggins blows by.

Kelly Jordon on the move. Day One saw more anglers on the big motor than the trolling motor.

Keith Combs is on his way to his next stop.

Cliff Prince fires a shot.

Jason Christie works a shallow point as the rain starts to fall on West Point Lake.