It's a tie at the top after day one of the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake.
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NPFL Press Release
A tie atop the leaderboard highlights a tight Day One as changing conditions and scattered fish make consistency hard to come by at the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3.
Day One of the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake is complete and it’s shaping up how most expected. Fish are spread out, with some still shallow while others are starting to move deeper. When the dust settled, it was more about surviving than separating. A couple anglers managed to figure it out just enough to get to the top, but it’s tight across the board.
Derek Lehtonen and Alex Davis lead the way with 19-5, each putting together solid limits to set the pace. Both anglers had completely opposite days, with Lehtonen catching his fish early and Davis running around a bit more before culling to his final weight.
Just an ounce back, Patrick Walters sits in third with 19-4, keeping things close heading into Day Two. In fourth, Drew Cook caught 18-9, while Ryan Satterfield sits in fifth with 17-7, anchored by the Day One Big Bass weighing 7-10.
Andy Morgan sits in the final check spot with 12-1.
Lehtonen Finds the Right Rotation
Coming into practice, South Carolina angler Derek Lehtonen made quick work of breaking down Lay Lake. Increasing his weights each day of practice, he continued to dial in a pattern that produced both quantity and quality mixed in. On Day One today, he wasted no time getting into a groove, eventually taking a share of the Day One lead with 19-5.
“Practice was up and down, but I caught 12 pounds on day one and 14 on day two,” he said. “On Tuesday (the final day of practice), I kind of tried to replicate it in other places, but didn’t want to do much fishing, so I left things alone. This morning, although I didn’t catch them right off on the first couple places well, I found them and caught my bag quick.”
In five casts, he had a limit for 14 pounds. At the next spot, he added three more big spotted bass and culled to his Day One weight of 19-5. While he didn’t have much for traffic, he noted that one other angler saw him in the middle of his rotation, and with a late boat number on Day Two, he is going to have to settle in and see how things look tomorrow.
“They very well may not be there tomorrow at all,” said Lehtonen. “They are spots, they move. Things are changing. I feel like there are not necessarily fish coming to me, but they do seem to be moving through the area in transition to their summer patterns.”
As far as timing, the morning does seem to be key, but it wasn’t until later in the morning when he made his move. Rotating through several different baits, his bites came in waves.
“I don’t think I had any fish on my first few spots, but I am fishing how I like to fish, and it is exactly how I found them in practice,” he added. “My plan is to just go out and get a limit; I think that’s going to be key the next couple days as the event draws on and things get more pressured.”
Davis Capitalizes on Afternoon Bite
While tied for the lead, Alex Davis’ day was the complete opposite of Lehtonen’s. It took a while to get going, but he was able to put more than 20 bites in the boat, with three of the right ones coming in an afternoon flurry to give him several key pounds toward his limit.
In pre-practice, the Alabama angler was pleasantly surprised at how Lay was fishing. But during official practice it was the opposite, going several hours each day without bites. Still, when they bit, he caught several. This morning, Davis opted to target spotted bass to get his day started.
“I caught three of the four that bit, but those spotted bass are not heavy,” said Davis. “I think when I had a limit it was for about 10 pounds, but it calmed me down some. After another lull, I caught a few more pretty quickly, putting me over 12 pounds.”
And then, another lull. But he kept his head down in places he found fish in practice, and later on Day One, he caught three good ones in 20 minutes, all around 4 pounds, giving him over 19 pounds on the day and a share of the lead.
“I got fortunate to catch three good ones pretty quick there,” said Davis. “Today was by far my best day weight-wise, but I thought it was pretty slow out there. But now that I think about it, I did catch 22 or 23 fish today. It wasn’t too bad.”
Going into Day Two, he may have to make a change. Fishing slow, but fast, his pattern requires plenty of time to get the fish to bite.
“It’s painfully slow, really,” he said. “And I did have some company later in the day, and I have a decision to make in the morning. I have an early draw, but it’s forcing my hand — do I go catch spots or do I go to where I caught them? That’s the question. Either way, I have plenty of places I have yet to fish, and I am rotating a few different baits, both offshore and shallow. I am looking forward to getting back out there.”
Derek Lehtonen 19-5
Alex Davis 19-5
Patrick Walters 19-4
Drew Cook 18-9
Ryan Satterfield 17-7
Jordan Osborne 16-5
Darrell Davis 16-1
Brandon Cobb 16-0
Brock Mosley 16-0
Buddy Gross 15-13
Josh Butler 15-9
John Cox 15-8
Scott Hamrick 15-4
Wesley Gore 15-2
Kristopher Queen 15-2
Tim Cales 14-12
Harmon Davis 14-6
Hank Cherry 14-1
Gerald Spohrer 14-0
Lavoyd Lemmond 13-15
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