Changing waters shook the bite on day one of the 2011 Southern Division Championship on Green River, in Cambellsville, Ky., but not enough to keep down the host state team of Kentucky. Kentucky lead the pack today in the overall team standings, but the Alabama state team is right on their heels. What’s in store for day two of the 2011 Southern Division Championship is unknown as the water continues to shift and patterns continue to adjust.
Holding the top spot in the individual standings is Gregory Hoskinson, from Louisville, Ky. Hoskinson brought in a five bass limit today weighing 18lb 1ounce to command the lead. “I’ve been winging it out there,” Hoskinson said. “It’s just changing out there every day, so I went with what I thought were the strongest things to make the fish come to me, instead of chasing.” Hoskinson had two beauties that really helped push him to the top. “One of my big ones was 6lb 12ounces, which made a big difference; take that away and I would’ve been right there with everybody else. I was just fortunate to get both big bites in the boat.” Hoskinson was expecting a lot of big weights today and was kind of surprised. “It’s going to change again tomorrow, so we’ll probably see people get big bags that might not have had them today.” Hoskinson plans on doing the same thing out there tomorrow, starting in one area and then looking for that limit. “I’ll kinda just hop, skip and jump around; I would be happy with a limit tomorrow, I don’t care what it is. My biggest goal for this tournament is not to be leading, but for the Kentucky state team to be leading.” In the team standings Alabama caught up towards the end and now is only a few pounds away from Kentucky in second. “If it would’ve been a regular summer pool the playing field would have been different, but with the changing waters it’s really evened things up.”
Not far behind Hoskinson is Mike Garris from Macon, Ga., in second with five fish weighing 14lb 15ounces. In third, is Robbie Robinson from Mobile, Ala., who caught a limit of bass weighing 14lb 4ounces. Robinson has also been adjusting daily to the water changes. “The water is falling about a foot a day I’m guessing,” Robinson said. “So you have to adjust, change the bait, change the technique; I’m just changing my pattern every day.” Changes in the water levels have moved the fish and definitely shifted the bite. “The fish were up on the bed the last three or four days spawning. They’ve sunk back basically waiting on the water to stabilize, and coming off the bed the fish are stressed. I think I can catch a limit tomorrow, but as far as Friday goes who knows what’s going to happen out there.”
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| 2011 Southern Division Championship |
In the overall team standings, Kentucky leads it with a total weight of 126lb 5ounces. Alabama is just six pounds away in second with 120lb 5ounces. In third, is Georgia with 110lb 1ounce. Tennessee is in fourth with 97lb 9ounces. In fifth, is North Carolina with 97lbs. In sixth, is Florida with 91lb 14ounces and South Carolina is in seventh with 84lb 9ounces.
Full Results
Day 1 Overall Standings | Day 1 State Team Member Standings | Day 1 State Federation Standings
