While several contenders made long runs and played the lock game, Scott McGehee stayed close to take the lead on day 1 of the Bassmaster Central Open at the Arkansas River.
“I might have burned 3 gallons of gas,” said the 55-year-old McGehee. “I am just not a lock guy. There is too much risk for too little reward.”
The Madison, Miss., angler stayed around the Three Forks Harbor area and caught a five-fish limit weighing 16-07 to grab the initial lead
During practice this week, Mcgehee and his traveling buddies, Teb Jones and Darold Gleason, worked an area that produced for all three anglers. “I pulled in there and caught them real quick this morning,” said Mcgehee, who owns a moving and storage company. “I had a limit by about 8:45 and I only upgraded once since then.”
Mcgehee said he was a “little bit” surprised by the quality of fish he caught on day 1. “I know I can catch 9 or 10 pounds tomorrow, but I don’t think I can catch that big of a stringer again,” he said. “But these river fish replenish, so it should be pretty good.”
The Mississippi angler has been fishing Bassmaster events since 1996 but he has never won an Open. He has been in this spot before – he recalls leading an Open on Texas’ Sam Rayburn Reservoir in 2002 for 2 days before falling short on the final day.
Local favorite Chris Jones is in position to win his second Open on the Arkansas River as he finished the day in 2nd place with 16-03. The Bokoshe, Okla., angler won the 2013 Central Open on his home waters and has won several local events in the month of June. Two weeks ago, he won a BFL tournament with 18 pounds, and he and his dad weighed in 18 pounds in a buddy tournament last week.
Jones said he is fishing the same pattern that has worked for him the last couple of weeks. He's locking through to other pools on the river, making a round-trip run of about 140 miles.
“I only have about 3 hours of fishing time,” said Jones, who was still catching fish when he left his area today. “I'm hitting specific spots that are all the same kind of stuff. I'm just running as many spots as I can hit in a day.”
Here's a look at the current Top 12:
1. Scott McGehee: 16-07
2. Chris Jones: 16-03
3. Teb Jones: 15-15
4. Lucas Ragusa: 15-14
5. Brandon Lee: 15-10
6. Justin Kerr: 15-00
7. Kenyon Hill: 15-00
8. Gerald Spohrer: 14-15
9. Jason Christie: 14-05
10. Keith Poche: 14-04
11. (tie) Ray Hanselman Jr.: 14-02
11. (tie) Nickolas LeBrun: 14-02
