Knoxville, TN – He didn’t get many bites on the day, but he got them in the boat. Ott DeFoe was rewarded for his efficiency with a 20 pound limit, and the lead on Day 1 of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic.
DeFoe only caught 8 keepers on the day, but his best five were good enough to keep that lead over Arizona pro Roy Hawk, who came to the scales with 17 pounds, 11 ounces.
DeFoe described a two pronged attack that he believed would produce the best results. One pattern was intended to fill his limit, while the other was supposed to target the bigger fish.
The problem is the first pattern didn’t work – at all.
“Honestly, it felt like a very tough day,” he said.
But sometimes bass fishing is a lot like boxing, you only need one haymaker to turn the tides your way. For Ott, that haymaker would be a six pounder that was his big fish of the day.
Hawk used a completely different approach to take second. He focused on shallow water structure using an unspecified crankbait in red.
With more local knowledge than the rest of the field and a pretty solid lead after day one, Ott DeFoe has to be considered the betting favorite to take home the big trophy.
We will see if he continues his two-pronged attack tomorrow, and if he continues to find quality fish to fill the bag.