Corey Casey called an audible Saturday morning and jumped into the lead in the National Professional Fishing League event at Santee Cooper Lakes.
Through two days, the lakes are delivering in a big way. The weather may be shifting, but the big fish are still biting. Casey leads with a two-day total of 57 pounds, 7 ounces. Buck Mallory sits in second with 53-15 ounces and Skeeter Crosby holds third with 53-10.
Casey remained unfazed by the shifting weather between Days 1 and 2, opting to start in a completely new spot on Saturday. Looking to avoid the wind, his decision paid off as his “staging” area fired up, producing a 30-4 bag that gave him a 3 1/2-pound lead with one day remaining.
He arrived at his backup water first thing in the morning, protected from the wind, dropped his Power-Poles, and got to work – quickly filling his limit and culling to his final weight before 10 a.m. His area, which features scattered vegetation and hard cover, is attracting bass moving in to spawn. Positioned slightly deeper than other anglers, his fish have remained unaffected by the cooler temperatures.
“There was nobody in there this morning, and I got after them, hardly having to move,” Casey said. “I caught most of them on reaction baits and a few on a worm. It’s very specific where they’re sitting – I had one cast that caught everything the same way.”
With another weather shift expected for Sunday, Casey remains confident, believing his area will be protected from the wind and still produce.
“I’m having an absolute blast out there. There isn’t anything better – unless they start biting a topwater,” he laughed. “I don’t know how tomorrow will go, but I’m excited. A lead is better than no lead, but this place changes fast and these guys can catch them.”
Unlike most of the field, Mallory saw his water get cleaner and warmer on Day 2 – a change that didn’t work in his favor. Struggling with missed fish and short strikes early, he quickly adjusted, switching colors on his Z-Man EVO ChatterBait, and saw an immediate difference. He “salvaged” his day, adding 22-14 for a 53-14 total.
“Today, the wind blew out my cooler, stained water, and it got really clean – it jumped from 51 to 57 degrees on me,” Mallory said. “On top of that, the water level dropped as the wind pushed it out. Yesterday, I got hung up a few times, but today I got hung up 18 times – it didn’t help. The cooler water temperature was key.”
With the wind expected to shift 180 degrees and cooler, cloudy conditions moving back in for Sunday, the Michigan angler is optimistic that his fish will reset.
“I had, what, 23 pounds today? But in reality, I saw 27-plus pounds worth of fish bite and not get the bait,” he added. “They’re in there, and they want to eat. I know where the key spots are. Using Humminbird MEGA 360, I can see hard spots in the grass and stumps around me, so I know exactly where to cast. The weather should help me out tomorrow and I’ve got a long day to make it happen.”
Managing fish over a three-day tournament is no easy task, but Crosby has executed his game plan flawlessly. After two days, he's third with 53-10, just 5 ounces behind Mallory. Originally planning to push hard on Day 2 and fish his spot out, Crosby didn’t need to – he secured a hefty 29-pound limit early and was able to back off, saving fish for Sunday.
“Yesterday I caught everything on one spot, and today I pulled up and fished that spot again,” he said. “I had my weight early, so I made a couple of extra casts just to see what would happen and caught two decent fish that didn’t help. After that, I decided to bail and go practice.”
Crosby hasn’t had much company aside from a few locals but remains tight-lipped about the details. He noted that he’s targeting offshore hard cover, locking down his Power-Poles and making the same cast repeatedly without moving.
“I’m fishing one single bait, and every fish has come on that,” he added. “When it’s cold and windy, this area gets even better. The wind helped me today, and tomorrow looks like more of the same. The fish are still coming, and typically, there are fish on this spot all year long. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Here's a look at the Top 10:
1. Corey Casey: 57-7
2. Buck Mallory: 53-15
3. Skeeter Crosby: 53-10
4. Patrick Walters: 51-15
5. Buddy Gross: 51-4
6. Jason Christie: 50-7
7. Bill Lowen: 50-4
8. Jordan Osborne: 49-1
9. Chad Marler: 48-0
10. Hank Cherry: 47-9
