English Edition
September 22, 2005
TENESSEAN ANDY MORGAN DELIVERS 22-1 TO SCALES, TAKES DAY 1 LEAD ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. - Using a deep water short-casting technique, Dayton, Tenn. resident Andy Morgan took the lead after Day 1 of the CITGO Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Guntersville with 22 pounds, 1 ounce. Heading into Day 2, he commands a half-pound lead over runner-up Terry Scroggins, who ended the day with 21-9.
"It's nice to be king for a day," he joked. "There's a lot of fish in Lake Guntersville and a 30-pound sack is just waiting to be caught. "I'm excited about going fishing tomorrow because they've really been biting well."
Morgan fished deep grass structure in water 12 feet deep, short-casting a Zoom Baby Brush Hog and War Eagle jig on 65-pound braided line. He caught eight keepers for the day.
Two-time Classic qualifier and Florida pro Scroggins follows closely behind Morgan and is confident about his chances to bring in a lunker on Day 2.
"This is just like fishing in Florida and fishing grass," said Scroggins. "I love it."
Scroggins used a 7-foot, 6-inch Airrus rod, and flipped a 4-inch tube on both an ounce and ounce and a half weight using Spiderwire Stealth line. He looked for the shallow bite, targeting areas 3 to 6 feet in depth.
Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., sits in third with 20-7. Deakins was throwing topwater baits in water 3 to 9 feet deep into grass mats.
Tommy Swindle of Cleveland, Ala., is in fourth with 20-0 and Hot Springs, Ark., resident Stephen Browning rounds out the top five with 18-10.
Heath Pack of Mineral Bluff, Ga., is the Day 1 non-boater leader with 17-10. Pack caught a limit of largemouth flipping shallow grass in water 5 to 8 feet deep. He caught his biggest bass, weighing 5-13, on a Sweet Beaver creature bait.
Pack is followed by fellow Georgian Butch Tucker with 15-14 and Fred Rigdon of Belleview, Fla., in third with 13-12.
Meanwhile, the River City Bassmasters will be hosting a CastingKids competition for youngsters 7-10 and 11-14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Lake Guntersville State Park.
Location and Field
CITGO Bassmaster Southern Open
Lake Guntersville
Guntersville, Ala.
Sept. 22-24, 2005
Launch
Lake Guntersville State Park Tournament Facility
7966 AL Highway 227
Guntersville, Ala. 35976
6:15 am
Weigh-in
Lake Guntersville State Park Tournament Facility
7966 AL Highway 227
Guntersville, Ala. 35976
2:30 pm
Day One Puralator Big Bass
Boater: Steve Stinson, 7-8, Huntsville, Ala.
Non-Boater: Clay Morris, 7-3, Monroeville, Ala.
Local sponsors: Local sponsors include the city of Guntersville, the Guntersville Chamber of Commerce and Guntersville State Park.
Bassmaster Northern Open sponsors: CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the CITGO Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 550,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit https://www.bassmaster.com.
BASS Communications -Sept. 22, 2005
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