Texas' Campbell Leads Women's Bassmaster Tour Season Opener on Lewisville Lake

Written by ESPN Outdoors

Friday, 11 April 2008

Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, led on the first day with 15-12 Lewisville Lake. Photo by ESPN Outdoors. Battling windy conditions on Lewisville Lake, Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, breezed into the lead Thursday with 15 pounds, 12 ounces, in the season opener of the Women's Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors. Campbell leads Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship winner Judy Wong, of Many, La., after Day 1. Wong weighed in 12-2 and trails Campbell by nearly 4 pounds. The two pros lead a field of 97 who are competing in the April 10-12 event for a top prize of $51,000 in cash and merchandise. Just north of Dallas, Lewisville Lake is a 29,000-acre fishery that was buffeted by gusty winds Thursday afternoon, making boat positioning and casting a challenge. Campbell, a supervisor for an IT company when she is not competing on the water, lives about 50 miles from Lewisville Lake, but she doesn't consider it home water. "It's close, but I'd never fished here before 2006, and I haven't fished it much since," said Campbell, who finished in third place when the WBT stopped here about two years ago. "There's a lot more structure in the water now, and it does have bigger fish. I thought today someone would come in with 17 to 18 pounds." Heavy rains Wednesday muddied the water for the competition. "Some places are a lot muddier than they were a week ago," said Campbell, who is fishing plastics in 2 to 8 feet of water. "The wind was OK this morning, but then it started getting high, and everybody was trying to find a place to get out of the wind." While the wind was a foe for Campbell, it was a friend to Wong. "I actually need some wind, but the bluebird skies are starting to affect these fish," Wong said. "They're suspending, going a little deeper. I'm fishing fairly shallow, around brush. "I've got two to three areas I'm working, and one is quite crowded. I did leave it, and caught a 4-12 on my first cast." In third place was Kathi Hurst of Ripley, Miss., whose 10-13 was almost 5 pounds out of first. In fourth was Cindy Hill of Smyrna, Tenn., with 10-7. Fifth was held by Mary Croft of Bedford, Va., whose 9-15 was the only five-fish limit among the pros. In the co-angler division, Denese Freeman of Lawton, Okla., was the leader with 12 pounds, 2 ounces. In second was Arkansas' Bertha Cavakis with 10-12; she was the only co-angler to manage a limit. Three Texans completed the top five: Kim Petrowski of Arlington with 8-10; Tracy Doty of Roanoke with 6-6; and Kim McGuffey of Weatherford with 5-2. Co-anglers are competing for a $25,500 first prize package. The tournament continues Friday and concludes Saturday, when only the top 20 in each division will compete. Contender boats will launch at 6:50 a.m. each day from the docks at Sneaky Pete's, 2 Eagle Point Road, Lewisville. The Friday weigh-in will be at Lewisville Lake Park, 100 E. Lake Park Road. The final weigh-in, at 3 p.m. Saturday, will be hosted by Academy Sports & Outdoors at the Lewisville store, 2428 South Stemmons Freeway, across from Vista Ridge Mall.

 

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