Chris Wilkerson of Conroe, Texas, netted a total catch of 24 pounds, 15 ounces to land in second place overall after the first day of tourney action. And like most of the anglers atop the standings, Wilkerson relied predominantly on bed-fish for the majority of his catch.

“It feels good to be where I’m at in the standings, but it was definitely tough out there today,” said Wilkerson. “It’s right before the spawn, so the fish are in a transitional stage right now and they’re not biting really well. But, overall, I feel pretty good. I was hoping to catch between 22 and 23 pounds today, and I did that. And I didn’t leave any big ones out there.”

Wilkerson said that he targeted most of his quarry with a new creature bait prototype from Double Z Lures.

“It’s designed for bed-fishing, and the fish really seemed to like it,” said Wilkerson. “I didn’t have any problem getting my big fish to bite this bait at all today.”