Jordan Wiggins experienced what he called “a magical day” in taking the lead at the Smith Lake Bassmaster Central Open.
Wiggins, of Cullman, Ala., caught a 17-08 stringer. Just 5 ounces behind him was John Cox of Debary, Fla., with 17-03 and David Williams of Newton, N.C., was 3rd with 15-11. Wes Logan of Springville, Ala., and Griffin Phillips of Mount Olive, Ala., were tied for 4th with 15 pounds.
Fishing on his home water, Wiggins caught a mixed heavyweight bag of spotted bass and largemouth. His key area was a pocket located off the main lake with the strike zone from 1 to 10 feet of water. He had all of his weight by noon
Can he work the magic again Friday?
“I should be able to because it’s how we fish here this time of year,” he said. “It’s not that uncommon to catch what I did, but to do it so quickly and exactly from the same area, that’s not so common.”
Cox ran a “junk-fishing” pattern, choosing his lures and techniques based on the area where he fished at the time. Today’s success required covering a lot of water, rotating through lures and picking apart any bass cover he encountered along the way.
“I went through a lot of numbers to catch the quality,” said Cox. “I have figured out something for Friday.”
Here are the opening-round numbers for the top 12:
1. Jordan Wiggins: 17-08
2. John Cox: 17-03
3. David Williams: 15-11
4. Wes Logan: 15-00
4. Griffin Phillips: 15-00
6. Matthew Graves: 14-13
6. Nick Trim: 14-13
8. Brent Crow: 14-05
9. Caleb Kuphall: 14-04
10. James Davis Jr.: 14-01
11. Jimmy Charbonnet: 14-00
12. Kyle Dorsett: 13-13
