Lopez leads on Guntersville with 28-10
Steve Lopez mashed them on Day 1. Photo by Jody White. Angler: Steve Lopez.
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – If there was any doubt that Lake Guntersville could continue to kick out an incredible number of solid limits like it has for months, that was quickly dispelled as Wisconsin’s Steve Lopez brought in 28 pounds, 10 ounces for the first day lead at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division finale. In total, 35 pros surpassed the 20-pound mark, and three co-anglers also passed that magic number.
Just 4 ounces back of Lopez is Isaac Peavyhouse with 28-6, and both Broderick Luckey and Caz Anderson are hot on their heels after both crossed the 27-pound mark.
After winning the first two events of the Central Division, Dylan Nutt was obviously going to be the points leader for Fishing Clash Angler of the Year, but it’s still somehow a close race. Coming into Guntersville, Dillon Falardeau and Banks Shaw were just 10 points back after scoring finishes in the Top 10 at the first two events. After one day, Nutt is in 13th, Shaw is in 20th, and Falardeau finds himself in 29th, as each racked up over 20 pounds. With not much weight separating the trio, it could come down to the final day to decide this one.
Springfield, Missouri’s, Stanislav Sedletskii brought in 26-4 for the lead on the co-angler side. Benjamin Russell holds down second place with 23-9.
Lopez starts strong and catches the big bass
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, is a good distance from Scottsboro, Alabama, but Tackle Warehouse Invitationals angler Lopez appears to know Guntersville pretty well. He’s looking to secure his third Top 10 in the past four years on the lake, and he was also able to land the big bass of the day, a 7-12 that helped buoy his Day 1 leading limit.
On a lake with so many 5- and 6-pound class fish, a bass nearing 8 pounds goes a long way. The 7-12 that Lopez caught was the big bass of the day and came mixed in with smaller bass in a morning flurry.
“The day started great, and I had pretty much all my weight by 9 o’clock,” Lopez said. “I caught one more big one later, but this morning, it seemed like every 20 minutes or so, I’d catch a nice one. I probably caught over 40 bass today. Once I had a pretty good limit, I left my main areas and started to look for some bass for my co-angler because there were so many boats around.”
Lopez shared that he’s mixing it up, fishing shallow, deep, and in-between with various techniques.
“I’ve got a real shallow game going and then some offshore; it’s a little bit of both,” he said. “I’ve got a bunch of Duckett rods producing fish, some spinning stuff with a Gambler Fat Ace on a wacky rig around bluegill beds, some chunking and winding rods for the shad spawn, and then some big baits to trigger a different quality of fish.”
Like most, he’s impressed with what Lake Guntersville is kicking out. He’s confident he’ll catch plenty of fish tomorrow, but what they will weigh is the question.
“I know I’ll catch fish tomorrow. I don’t know if it will be 28 pounds again, but it may be 18 or 20, or 30, because this place is incredible right now,” he said. “You see all the 20-pound bags, but look at the 18- and 19-pound limits. If they pull a lot of current again tomorrow, the fishing will be really good again and set up to be an excellent derby.”
Peavyhouse a close second
A quarter of a pound back of Lopez is Peavyhouse of Jamestown, Tennessee. He got off to a fast start this morning and has plenty of water left to fish if needed.
“I had over 25 pounds in the first hour from one school and then started running a bunch of other schools I had,” he said. “I caught some fish on those, but nothing that helped my bag. Then, I pulled back up on that main school later in the afternoon, caught two 5 1/2-pounders on back-to-back casts, and left them.”
Peavyhouse is confident in the number of areas he found, but is banking on his primary area holding up. He’s coy about his techniques, but did share that he’s mixing in fast and slow-moving techniques.
“I marked 28 or 29 different schools, but a lot of them are community holes with boats all over them,” he said. “My main area is pretty off the wall, I feel like, and I don’t think anyone else is fishing it. If they stay, I feel good about backing it up tomorrow.”
Top 10 pros
1. Steve Lopez – 28 – 10 (5)
2. Isaac Peavyhouse – 28 – 6 (5)
3. Broderick Luckey – 27 – 15 (5)
4. Caz Anderson – 27 – 9 (5)
5. Josh M. Butler – 25 – 6 (5)
6. Preston Kolisek – 25 – 0 (5)
7. Matteo Turano – 24 – 12 (5)
8. Hayden O’Barr – 24 – 10 (5)
9. Nook Yahn – 24 – 9 (5)
10. Jesse Rigsby – 24 – 8 (5)