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Suggs slugs his way to the top

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – It was only a matter of time, right? Fishing on his home lake as well as the site of his last major tournament victory, Scott Suggs of Bryant, Ark., vaulted from third place overall to the top of the leaderboard using a stellar two-day catch of 34 pounds, 13 ounces.

It’s now obvious that Suggs is picking up right where he left off the last time the bright spotlight was on him during a Lake Ouachita tournament. That event – the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup – allowed Suggs to become the first person in bass-fishing history to net a $1 million payday (which is still a record to this day) for a tournament victory.

Clearly, Suggs now owns Lake Ouachita. And after today’s competition, there was little doubt who the frontrunner will be for the remainder of the tournament. Complete Story

3rd: Suggs Feels Blessed

It was a harried morning for Suggs after the fog delay. He had a short day due to boat draw, and wanted that morning bite before the sun rose. "I feel fortunate and blessed to catch what I did," he said. "I fished under a lot of pressure this morning. Knowing all that I wanted to try and do, I was just kind of nervous. And I lost more than I caught this morning. I lost a couple 3-pounders right off the bat, then I lost an even bigger one a little after that. Then it all starts playing in your head with the day being slick-calm and all that.

"I was just fortunate that I made some good decisions. I changed my style of fishing for a little bit to go for a limit, then from 12:30 until weigh-in I managed to catch one nearly 5, a 5 and another good one." Complete Story

Scott Suggs' fish were of better-than-average size, but he only caught six of them on the weekend.

Scott Suggs fished one lock up the Allegheny in his bid to become the first two-time Cup winner. He was on fish there that were better-than-average size, but managed a limit only on the first day.

"I didn't pre-fish much, but I rode all three rivers in practice and I could tell that the Allegheny was the flattest of all of them," he said. Complete Story

4th: Suggs Disappointed

Scott Suggs desperately wanted to be the only one to win two Cups. It wasn't to be.

"I'm disappointed," he said. "I caught what I hooked today, but I had this one spot where I caught two largemouths yesterday. I stopped in there this morning and had one between 2 1/2 and 4 come up on my Pop-R and suck it completely under. I leaned into it but never set the hook – I never felt him. Complete Story

Scott Suggs gained a spot in the standings today despite a bag that contained just three fish.

"I want to win, but I know it's going to take a little help from upstairs," he added. "I'll just do the best I can and let God do the rest. I made the Top 10. I'm so relieved."

As mentioned, he stayed off his primary area today and fished to the side of it. It wasn't really a gamble, he said, because he knew he could pull back onto his main area and fill his limit if need be. So his spot's essentially had a full day to rest, and if the water does clear overnight, his fish should be snapping tomorrow. Complete Story

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