Wind swept Oahe tougher
than expected
By
James Hall
BASS
PRESS RELEASE
 |
| The legend Fritts still has it! (Photo: BASS) |
The mystery of South Dakota’s smallmouth was solved by Elite Series pro David Fritts during the first day of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe presented by Abu Garcia. The 1993 Bassmaster Classic champion caught a 19-pound, 7-ounce limit of smallmouth to best the 107-angler field on a body of water that he had never seen before, while battling 4-foot waves.
“Man, I should have had 23 pounds today,” the tournament leader lamented. “I had three giants jump off this morning that would have really improved my weight. But I’m really happy with what I caught.”
The North Carolina veteran found his pattern during the waning hours of the final practice day.
“I was pretty frustrated until about the last hour of practice, when I stumbled on this little deal. It involves a pretty specific structure and Berkley bait combo, so I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to duplicate this tomorrow,” he said. “I didn’t sit there and burn up a bunch of fish.”
Making Fritts’ catch even more impressive was the fact that he fought through massive waves to land his limit, which made not only the fishing tougher, but also negatively affected the school he had found.
“The wind killed me today. Really, it blew out some of my best stuff and made it just so difficult to make precise casts and then to fight fish that are hooked. If it lays down tomorrow, it will probably be better for everyone.”
In addition to leading the tournament, Fritts also weighed in the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day. The 4-11 smallmouth was the first bass he caught this morning. If that fish holds on as big bass for the next three days, Fritts will earn $1,500.
Mark Daniels Jr. landed 18-12 to take the second place spot after the scales closed on Day 1. “I had a pretty good practice, but didn’t think I had found an 18-pound limit. So, I’m pretty jacked,” Daniels said. “The wind was brutal. There were easy 5-footers out there, and I ran 50 miles north. But, it looks like the effort was worth it.”
“Man, I should have had 23 pounds today,” the tournament leader lamented. “I had three giants jump off this morning that would have really improved my weight. But I’m really happy with what I caught.”
The North Carolina veteran found his pattern during the waning hours of the final practice day.
“I was pretty frustrated until about the last hour of practice, when I stumbled on this little deal. It involves a pretty specific structure and Berkley bait combo, so I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to duplicate this tomorrow,” he said. “I didn’t sit there and burn up a bunch of fish.”
Making Fritts’ catch even more impressive was the fact that he fought through massive waves to land his limit, which made not only the fishing tougher, but also negatively affected the school he had found.
“The wind killed me today. Really, it blew out some of my best stuff and made it just so difficult to make precise casts and then to fight fish that are hooked. If it lays down tomorrow, it will probably be better for everyone.”
In addition to leading the tournament, Fritts also weighed in the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day. The 4-11 smallmouth was the first bass he caught this morning. If that fish holds on as big bass for the next three days, Fritts will earn $1,500.
Mark Daniels Jr. landed 18-12 to take the second place spot after the scales closed on Day 1. “I had a pretty good practice, but didn’t think I had found an 18-pound limit. So, I’m pretty jacked,” Daniels said. “The wind was brutal. There were easy 5-footers out there, and I ran 50 miles north. But, it looks like the effort was worth it.”
