MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Fisher Anaya ran away from most of the field, but meeting back in the middle salvaged his day and positioned him atop the Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Arkansas River with a 20-pound, 4-ounce limit.
With the event based on Pool 16, tournament boundaries also comprise pools 17 and 15. The largest percentage of the field locked downriver to Pool 15, for what is generally considered the greatest concentration of quality fish in this region of the river.
Anaya, a Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie from Eva, Ala., calculated the considerable time required for locking into Pool 15, versus the shorter time he’d need to reach Pool 17. Factoring in his practice results, plus his experience at the previous Elite event, he chose the upriver option.
“I locked down at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway with like 50 other guys and I was like, heck with traffic,” Anaya said. “I locked up today and there was eight or nine of us in the lock. It wasn’t bad.
“I had a better practice up there (Pool 17). I caught 20 pounds the first day of practice and when I went down to Pool 15, I had four fish one day and 15 pounds the next. I just canned that area because I didn’t feel like making a long run.”
As Anaya explained, time management ultimately determined his game plan.
“I didn’t think I could catch them fast enough in the short time I’d have to fish,” he said. “I just gave myself more time to fish.”
Anaya, the 2025 Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Angler of the Year, reached Pool 17 and found that lower water conditions had altered the scenario. He was able to catch two big fish that he had marked in practice, but around midday, Anaya realized he needed to make a change.
After that, he returned to Pool 16 where he found greater productivity with fish relating to grass patches and a few fry guarders (male bass protecting hatchlings).
“I found one patch of grass and caught three big ones on three casts,” Anaya said. “I got a little bit lucky, but I think luck plays a big factor on this place.
“I caught the two fish from Pool 17 on a 3/8-ounce ChatterBait, but in Pool 16, it was a little bit of everything. I caught one on a ChatterBait, one on a swim jig, one on a wacky rig, one on a jerkbait. I weighed two from Pool 17 and three from Pool 16.”
Finding the fish in a less-cooperative mood, Anaya realized that success hinged on persistence.
“Making a lot of casts in the same general area was the key,” he said. “I threw like 10 times in this one patch of grass and finally on my 11th cast, I caught a 4-pounder.
“I think it was about fishing stuff really thoroughly and not leaving any open gaps. You’ll eventually run it across one’s nose and eventually, he snaps at it.”
In both pools, Anaya said he was looking for grass and clean water. He’s confident that Pool 17 holds enough opportunity for another shot on Day 2, but he’ll likely change his starting order.
“I’m probably gonna stay in Pool 16 to start,” he said. “If I struggle, I might go up to Pool 17.
“I only have a handful of areas that have what I’m looking for and I think everyone else has found them,” Anaya said. “There’s gonna be some boats in there and it’s gonna be crowded, so I just have to out-fish them.
Caleb Hudson of Lincolnton, Ga., is in second place with 19-1. The first angler to weigh in, Hudson spent his day in Pool 16.
“I didn’t have a good practice, so I decided to stay in one backwater area all day,” Hudson said. “The area I fished was about 3 acres. I got up on plane one time today while I was fishing.
“I got lucky and caught my big one — 5-4 — early and that kinda set the mood. That was my third fish and after I caught that one, I knew I just had to catch five fish. I just put my head down and went after it.”
Noting that his area had the cleanest water he has seen anywhere on the river, Hudson said he caught most of his fish over rock — a point that countered his expectations.
“In practice, I planned to stay on the bank, but first thing this morning, I pulled up on my first spot and there was a boat where wanted to get, so I just move around some,” Hudson said. “I saw a stump, cast at it and something came off of it.
“I caught that one and then eased out a little deeper and caught everything else on isolated rock.”
Hudson caught all of his fish on an 1/8-ounce Gamakatsu jig head with a Zoom minnow and a Coike Fullcast rigged on a No. 3 Gamakatsu round bend treble with a 1/32-ounce nail weight.
Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho is in third place with 19-0. Spending most of his day in Pool 15, Palaniuk said he found he could either fish long stretches or target specific spots. Both strategies produced, but he spent more time pursuing the latter.
“I ran around a lot today; I actually thought I was gonna run out of gas,” Palaniuk said. “I’m fishing specific places and covering a lot of water.
“I caught them on a little bit of everything. I caught them on the bottom, on the top and in between.”
Hank Cherry of Lincolnton, N.C. holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with a 5-13.
Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points with 342. Cory Johnston of Otonabee, Canada is second with 331, followed by Cole Sands of Johnson City, Tenn., with 325, Hudson with 323 and Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., with 311.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. CT at Three Forks Harbor. The weigh-in will be held at the harbor at 3 p.m.
Bassmaster LIVE will be available all four days of the event, starting on Bassmaster.com and Roku Sports Channel April 16 and 17. FS1 will host the morning session on April 18 from 8-11:30 a.m. ET before heading to Bassmaster.com from 12:30-3 p.m. On Sunday, April 19 action can be found on FS1 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. before heading to Bassmaster.com for afternoon coverage. All weigh-ins will be available live on Bassmaster.com starting at 4 p.m. ET.
Visit Muskogee is hosting this event.