PARIS, Tenn. — The lead changed hands often on Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley presented by SEVIIN.
But when Thursday’s weigh-in was complete, a local stick was in the pole position.
Jordan Hartman, who lives in Benton, Ky., on the north side of Kentucky Lake, caught a limit of five bass weighing 25 pounds, 4 ounces and seized the early lead in the three-day tournament. That haul gave him more than a 1-pound cushion on the field, consisting of 226 anglers from around the U.S. and several foreign countries.
Hartman said he fished in 10 to 15 areas on Thursday and had consistent bites throughout the day. The best was a monster smallmouth bass that weighed approximately 6 ½ pounds.
“That doesn’t happen often around here, but I’ll take it,” he said, laughing. “I’m ready to go.”
As well he should be, with his knowledge of the lake likely to help if Friday’s weather forecast proves true. Thursday featured cloudless skies and temperatures that stayed in the upper 40s. By sunrise on Friday, however, winds are expected to pick up, blowing consistently from 10-15 mph and with higher gusts.
Hartman isn’t fretting even though he’s fishing the main channel and not likely near cover.
“It all depends on what I see when I get to my first area tomorrow,” he said. “You can usually tell if things are gonna be on when you get there. If not, I’ll move.”
Hartman said Thursday’s best bites came in 10 to 15 feet of water, with chartreuse and blue minnows proving his best lures.
“It’s all current-related,” he said. “That’s the deal this week. The water is moving pretty good through here right now. It’s a little lower than I’d like, so I’m fishing a little deeper than I might this time of year … And the water’s a little dirty. You have to get your bait on the fish. It’s not clear enough to keep the bait above them. You’ve got to put it to the cover, where they’re hiding.”
Japan’s Yui Aoki is in second place with a 24-pound limit. Though he’s fishing about 6,600 miles away from his hometown, he proved Thursday the ability to catch bass knows no geographic boundaries.
Like Hartman, the 25-year-old Aoki is fishing the main channel of Kentucky Lake for smallmouth bass, keying on timber in anywhere from 5 to 10 feet of water. He said he’s throwing a five-inch white swimbait and that his best fish came later in the day.
“I had 15 bites and caught 10 fish,” he said. “I had a limit by (noon), but the fish got bigger then.”
Andy Newcomb, of Camdenton, Missouri, is in third place with 23-6. He said he’s only fished Kentucky Lake once previously and that it was a complete failure.
Day 1 of this tournament, however, certainly was not.
“I weighed three largemouth and two smallmouth,” Newcomb said. “I wasn’t looking for one or the other in particular, but I was looking for areas where a lot of fish would be. On this lake they live together. That’s what I found, at least. I don’t know enough about the place to have specific spots to hit. I’m just looking around on the main river for current breaks. It worked today and hopefully we’ll get more of the same tomorrow.”
Rounding out the Top 5 on Day 1 of the derby are fourth, Missouri’s Brad Jelinek, 23-1; fifth, Alabama’s Fisher Anaya, 23-0. In all, 14 anglers weighed more than 20 pounds on Thursday.
Nebraska’s BJ Miller has the early lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award with an 8-3 he hooked on Day 1. The angler with the heaviest bass after Saturday’s final weigh-in will win $750.
A total of $334,028 cash will be split among the Top 45 competitors in the Open, including $50,305 to the winner. Top anglers also will earn valuable points toward a berth in the inaugural Bassmaster Elite Qualifier Series this fall.
Day 2 of the Open is scheduled to begin Friday at 6:15 a.m. CT from Paris Landing State Park, with weigh-in set to start at 2:15 p.m. The full field will fish again Friday and the Top 10 anglers will fish on Championship Saturday.
Bassmaster LIVE will stream the final day’s action on Bassmaster.com and the Roku Sports Channel will air coverage from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. ET and from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Stay up-to-date on all tournament coverage at Bassmaster.com/how-to-watch/.
The City of Paris is hosting the event.