MUSKOGEE, Okla. — The bass bite was less than cooperative for many on Day 1 of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional at the Arkansas River, but Kris Bosley made the most of his chances Wednesday to take an early lead here in the Sooner State.
Bosley, a 44-year-old Amarillo, Texas, resident fishing for Team New Mexico, caught a five-bass limit of 15 pounds, 10 ounces to grab the pole position in the first B.A.S.S. Nation regional of 2023.
It might not seem like a hefty total, but this stretch of the Arkansas River was an absolute riddle on Wednesday. Only 10 of 80 competitors in the boater field caught limits and 21 anglers zeroed. The nonboaters had an equally rough go, with only seven of 80 catching a three-bass limit and 40 of them coming up empty.
“We had bluebird skies and no wind whatsoever,” Bosley said. “You really had to make the fish eat. I thought I might be able to flip the cover out here. There’s a lot of it, but that was difficult — for me at least.”
So, Bosley did what most do when fishing is tough — he zigzagged across miles of water looking for bites. He found them, albeit scattered, while looking for specific conditions in the river.
“When you come across it, you know it,” he said. “But it wasn’t easy to find … Water depth is part of it.”
Bosley said he had only seven keeper bites on Day 1, all in the 3-pound range. He said he’ll repeat the pattern he started developing Wednesday, tricky as it might be.
“I’ll run those same stretches again,” he said. “I’m confident the fish are there.”
Others in the Top 5 of the boater division include Arkansas’ Blake Wilson, second, 15-2; New Mexico’s Gabriel Rivera, third, 12-14; Missouri’s Cole Findley, fourth, 11-6; and Oklahoma’s Tyler Ramsey, fifth, 11-3.
Unlike Bosley, who didn’t go through one of the Arkansas River locks on Day 1, Wilson locked downriver immediately to reach two favored spots he found in practice.
“We fished the secondary spot, which was about a 100-yard stretch,” Wilson said. “We caught all our fish there in about 90 minutes and then we headed back through the lock. I wanted to save some for tomorrow. I have a pretty late draw, so I’ll have more time to fish it.”
The 41-year-old, of Benton, Ark., said he found bass following baitfish in 1 1/2 to 4 feet of water.
“It doesn’t sound like much, but that’s what’s out there right now,” he said. “I watched the water fluctuating last night and that’s why I didn’t go to my primary spot. I was afraid I might not be able to get into or out of it.”
Missouri’s Corey Stewart caught a 4-1, which was the big bass in the boater field.
Fellow Missourian Joe Whelan leads among nonboaters with three bass weighing 9-7, including a 4-15, which was the heaviest bass of the day for that side of the field. Jesse Cornell of Kansas is second with 7-9 and Colorado’s Marshal Allen is third with 7-7.
A total cash purse of $34,500 is up for grabs, including $5,000 for the top boater and $2,500 for the leading nonboater.
The top 16 in both divisions after the Day 2 weigh-in will compete in Friday’s final round, as will the top two boaters and nonboaters from each state who are not already among the top 16 in their division.
Eight states are represented in the regional, and the state with the collective heaviest weight over the first two days will win a $5,000 first prize. Second place will take home $3,000 for their team and third place is good for $2,000.
After Day 1, Kansas leads with a total weight of 82-15, followed by Missouri (71-13), New Mexico (67-15), Oklahoma (65-13), Louisiana (61-15), Colorado (51-3), Arkansas (50-7) and Texas (46-0).
Competition continues Thursday with the full field taking off at 6:30 a.m. CT from Three Forks Harbor. Weigh-in will be held at the harbor at 2:30 p.m. and will be carried live on Bassmaster.com.
The tournament is being hosted by the Muskogee Tourism Authority.
