Friday the 13th offered a tough start for Shinichi Fukae of Texas after he left his GPS waypoints notes on Lake Norman in his camper.
But that didn’t stop him from capitalizing on his career-best showing at Norman. The Megabass pro jumped into the lead with five bass weighing 11.47 pounds for a two-day total of 26.43, with one day remaining in the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
Fukae is targeting specific areas with a shaky head and also is trying to capitalize on schooling fish. His run-and-gun approach paid off as he separated himself a bit from Nitro Boats pro Edwin Evers of Oklahoma, who has 25 pounds. Evers caught 10.04 pounds on Friday.
“Saturday will be busy on the lake,” Fukae said, “so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to some of my spots. I’ll go to them if they’re open and I can get on them. I hope I can.”
The top 30 will fish Saturday for a $45,000 package including a Nitro Z-8 boat, Mercury 250 and T-H Marine Atlas Jackplate, along with qualifying points for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in October on Lake Conroe in Texas. Today’s final weigh-in will begin at 4:30 p.m. EST from Bass Pro Shops at Concord Mills Mall. Live coverage will be streamed on AnglersChannel.com.
The 28,500-acre lake is popular on weekends with throngs of recreational anglers and boaters. The field will face challenge that along with the possibility of overnight thunderstorms that could change things if the forecast holds true. Friday remained sweltering but the wind was picking up later in the day from the southwest.
Fukae was tied for the lead with Evers after the first day when both had 14.96 pounds. A late check-in penalty cost Evers a pound, and Fukae had a half-pound fish care penalty that resulted in their deadlock. The bite got tougher Friday and with one day remaining, Fukae hopes he can hit enough waypoints to maintain the lead.
“I need to hit each one about four or five times because when I catch one, they’re gone,” Fukae said. “If the spot is open, I’ll fish it.”
Baumgardner, DeFoe jump
Ranger pro Chris Baumgardner of North Carolina surged into third place with a limit weighing 13.36 pounds for a total of 23.51. Bass Pro Shops pro Ott DeFoe of Tennessee also came on strong, posting in fourth with 14.39 and a total of 22.77. DeFoe’s catch was the biggest of the day and included the big bass, a 4.90-pounder.
Baumgardner didn’t do anything differently Friday other than put a few more fish in the boat that helped him move 10 places in the standings.
“I missed a few Thursday that definitely would have helped me have more (weight),” he said. “It wasn’t anything more than that, really. I’ve fished here all my life, probably for 30 years or so. Sometimes that can hurt you, though.”
It didn’t this week, as he capitalized to move into contention. DeFoe did the same, moving from 34th into fourth with his strong limit. He fished on the lower end of the lake Thursday with a topwater and shaky head, but decided to go up-lake Friday due to an earlier flight time.
“I had a real good day and those two big fish were the difference-makers,” DeFoe said. “I had some fish found up the lake in practice and didn’t go up there because of a time deal, but I got up there quicker on Friday. It was just the decision to go up there that was the difference. I caught three on the lower end and then went up, went a while without a bite, caught the one that was close to 4, caught the fifth keeper and culled one, and then the got the biggest one about 15 minutes before I had to leave to check in.”
DeFoe said he also switched baits for his fish on the upper end, and believes the area can produce again on the final day.
“There’s plenty of fish there, no doubt, but you just have to keep fishing and try to get a bite,” he said. “I believe there are plenty of fish there to win. It’s just a matter of getting the bites.”
Bite got tougher
Several anglers said the bite died or grew tougher after about 9 a.m. when the sun began beating on the lake.
“I sat on one spot too long and that was stupid,” said Triton pro Jeff Kriet of Oklahoma. “I didn’t catch my first one until about 10:30. A few guys saw me on Thursday on my best spot and I knew if I didn’t go there first, I’d never get on it. I hit it hard Thursday and I think you have to be able to rotate your spots to let the fish regroup. When you catch one or two, it pulls them off and they scatter. But if you can’t move, it makes it tougher and you may not get another bite.”
It could get tougher Saturday, too, if the boat traffic plays a role.
“Some of these guys never have seen what they might see out there with all the boats,” said Evan Williams Bourbon pro Jason Quinn of South Carolina, who has fished the lake for years. “I mean, it’s absolutely crazy out there. Some of these guys don’t know what’s coming. The only thing that could help is if we have thunderstorms and rain. If not, it’s going to be crazy.”
The tournament is the second in the four-event series this season. The third stop will be Sept. 9-11 on Lake Tawakoni in Garland, Texas.
Complete standings are available at http://fishpaa.com/tournaments/lake-norman-results/
PAA Associate Sponsors: The PAA Tournament Series is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, E21 Carrot Stix, Lazer Trokar, Markel Insurance, Phoenix Boats, Nitro Boats, T-H Marine, Fishouflage, SolarBat, U.S. Reel, Sign Designs, BoatU.S. Foundation, Mercury Marine and Jasper Engines and Transmissions.
PAA Hosts: VisitLakeNorman.com, Cabarrus County (VisitCabarrus.com), Visit Charlotte (CharlottesGotALot.com), and Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation
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