Late Wednesday afternoon, Curt McGuire was a little frustrated. The pro of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., typically does well fishing Kentucky Lake events. In fact, he’s finished second in two American Fishing Series events here (formerly called the Stren Series) since 2005. He’d had good practice sessions and felt confident prior to both of those events. But this week was different. By 2:30 Wednesday, with the tournament slated to begin shortly after daylight Thursday morning, he’d yet to find the fish he believed he needed to be competitive.
Third place pro Curt McGuire started day one with plenty of options but found himself debating a key decision right up to the last minute. Having found good fish upriver in Lake Wilson and unsure of Pickwick’s potential, he was literally under way this morning before he made the decision.
EverStart Series Southeast Division competitors are in for some hot fishing on Pickwick Lake – and everyone’s hoping that’s more of a promising metaphor than a grueling weather outlook.
McGuire, who often fishes Tennessee waters, was gearing up for a long run. “We’ve probably got 45 miles to our first stop,” he said. “And then after that, we’ll be hitting a lot of different stuff. I’ve never been the type to just camp out on a single area; I run from place to place all day. I’ve found fish in this tournament in areas stretching from Kenlake all the way down to New Johnsonville.