Peavyhouse jumps into lead at Guntersville
Isaac Peavyhouse started Day 2 in second place and finished at the top with 52-14 on 10 bass. Photo by Jody White. Angler: Isaac Peavyhouse.
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – After bringing 28 pounds, 6 ounces to the scales on Day 1 of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division finale at Lake Guntersville, Jamestown, Tennessee’s Isaac Peavyhouse backed it up with 24-8 on moving day to jump Steve Lopez for the lead heading into Championship Friday with 52-14 total and a 4-8 lead over Lopez.
Right behind Lopez is a trio of challengers in Caz Anderson, Cal Lane and Banks Shaw, none of whom are more than a handful of ounces out of second. In fact, first through ninth place are separated by just 6-14, which is a negligible difference on a lake like Guntersville that’s so loaded with megabag-filling giants.
Also of note, the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race got a whole lot more interesting on Thursday with Dylan Nutt, who won both of the first two events of the Central Division season, just missing the cut in 26th place after finishing Day 2 tied with Jimmy Reese at 40-8. Shaw currently resides in fifth place and came into the tournament just 10 points back of Nutt. Even more interestingly, Dylan’s twin brother, Carter, entered the final event 18 points behind and finished Day 2 in eighth place. We could be in for a wild finish in the AOY race tomorrow afternoon.
On the co-angler side, Randy Craft of Seminary, Mississippi, grabbed the lead on the strength of a 20-pound, 13-ounce bag to give him 35-5 over two days and a 14-ounce lead over Finn Taylor.
Peavyhouse runs same program with similar results
On Day 1, Peavyhouse caught most of his weight on one school early in the day, going back one time to cull out a couple key fish for his 28-6 total. He started Day 2 on the same school – one of the few on Guntersville that didn’t have a boat already sitting on it.
“I’ve got about 30 schools marked, and there’s a boat on dang near every one of them,” he said. “My main school’s just got bigger-quality fish, and it’s more off the beaten path.”
That school’s been a blessing and a curse for Peavyhouse. On one hand, he’s had it basically all to himself through two days. On the other, it’s not the biggest school he’s found, and the fish are getting harder and harder to catch.
“Yesterday, I caught like 25 1/2 (pounds) real quick, and I debated going back because I had two 4 1/4s,” he said. “I went back and in two casts I culled both of them out. Today, I had to do it three times. I had to beat on it a little bit more.”
He’s optimistic, but also realistic, about what tomorrow could hold for that honey hole.
“There may not be a fish left there tomorrow,” he added. “It’s not a gigantic school by any means. It’s a little but more off the beaten path. They bite a little better, but they’re wising up, there’s no doubt about it.”
Still, Peavyhouse is enjoying a bit of a fresh perspective on Guntersville. He’s fished multiple Toyota Series events at the Big G in the past, but they’ve all been early in the year before ledge fishing has been a viable winning pattern. He spent all of his practice time graphing and marking schools to give ledge fishing a go – and so far, it’s working out.
To catch his tournament-leading fish, Peavyhouse, who has 19 Top 10s in MLF competition (mostly on Tennessee fisheries), has turned to multiple baits and techniques from ultra-slow to especially fast – jigs and crankbaits among them – with just a little minnow shaking mixed in.
As for tomorrow, Peavyhouse plans to start right back at his primary school and adjust accordingly. If nothing changes, he might not even have to run any of his other schools that have been beaten on the last two days.
“My experience here this time of year is zero,” he said. “I think the lack of experience might have helped me in finding that [main] school. I didn’t know what’s community holes and what isn’t. Obviously, I know now because there’s boats on all of them, but this is my first ledge fishing experience here. Hopefully I can do it one more day.”
Lopez loses key fish, falls to second
Lopez is still within shouting distance of the lead, and may have been the lede of this story had he not lost a giant by the boat to start Day 2. Still, he knows he could have caught more weight off his primary shad spawn area first thing if not for the lost fish and funky wind conditions, and he’s confident in that spot producing tomorrow.
“The wind was going against the current today, so you couldn’t really tell where the seams were,” he said. “Yesterday, I could tell where the seams were; they were pulling a lot of current. I couldn’t line up my casts as well today.”
Lopez says the “wheels kind of came off” for a bit after that lost fish, so to reestablish his footing, he went up shallow and got right with a few 3- and 3 1/2-pounders. After that, he returned to his offshore grass to cull up another couple pounds.
The silver linings for Lopez are many, though. For one, he knows he could have caught more at his starting spot on Thursday. He also hasn’t run any of the schools he knows about – “I haven’t burned 10 gallons of gas so far,” he said – and even has some plans to potentially throw big baits around bridges if he needs a giant bite or two on Friday.
“I feel good,” Lopez said. “I should have had 24 pounds today. I’m going to start on the same stuff as yesterday and see how it goes.”
Top 10 Pros
1. Isaac Peavyhouse – 52-14 (10)
2. Steve Lopez – 48-6 (10)
3. Caz Anderson – 48-4 (10)
4. Cal Lane – 48-3 (10)
5. Banks Shaw – 48-1 (10)
6. Preston Kolisek – 46-15 (10)
7. Broderick Luckey – 46-12 (10)
8. Carter Nutt – 46-6 (10)
9. Kyle Cortiana – 46-0 (10)
10. Matteo Turano – 45-6 (10)