As of Thursday morning, more than 160,000 cubic feet of water was flowing the Lake Guntersville dam. However, the Tennessee Valley Authority has predicted a drastic lessening of current as the weekend forecast only shows a meager 40,000 cubic feet of discharge.

With a combination of current, pre and post spawn conditions and 99 of the best anglers in the world, the bass of Guntersville don’t stand a chance. The BASS ZONE’s early morning coverage revealed several 25 pound plus limits from anglers such as Byron Velvick, Todd Faircloth and possibly even Kevin VanDam.

VanDam won this event back in 2007. He lapped the field on the back of the now famous Sexy Shad crankbait, out distancing his nearest opponent by more than seven pounds. It appears KVD, the most feared angler on the water, has hit his stride. After a four year hiatus from the winner’s circle, VanDam has more than double his victory count in the last 4 years. He won three times in ’05, twice more in ’07, twice in ’08 and once already this year. The tour stop on Guntersville will be followed by the Kentucky Lake event, both of which have yielded wins for the Kid from Kalamazoo.

To notch his 16th win, KVD will likely need more than 90 pounds over the four days of competition. The BASS ZONE’s continuous coverage witnessed many 20 pound limits on Thursday and as predicted, without the 20 pound average, competitors will quickly be left behind.

The first angler to come across the stage with 25 or more pounds was Rick Clunn. The long time pro weighed in early but brought a five fish limit to the scales weighing 25-14, good enough for a day one finish of 12th.

As reported Thursday morning on Wide Open, Texas pro Todd Faircloth scored early and often. After amassing a 25 pound limit within the first few hours, he was able to add a few more quality bites to his bag and finished the day in the lead with 31 pounds even.

Mike McClelland has won an Elite Series event each year since it’s inception in 2006. After a lack luster start to his 2009 season, McClelland put himself into contention with a day one weight of 30-10 pounds. 

Todd Faircloth
The quiet Texan fell short in his bid for the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year title in 2008, but his consistency has keep him in the race for ’09. With two Elite Series wins under his belt, Faircloth be as dominate as any angler on tour. His first win was a wire to wire victory at Table Rock in 2006 and he followed that up with the title at Amistad in ’08. 

“I had the majority of my weight by 8:00 this morning,” Faircloth said. “I probably threw back another 20 pound limit throughout the day.” Faircloth revealed he caught around 50 60 fish on Thursday and believes the bite can stay strong.

McClelland in Second
By his own admission, Mike McClelland hasn’t had the type of year he is accustomed to. On day one of the Guntersville slugfest, Mike got back to his true form. “Today things just fell into places. My practice didn’t really go as I had planned,” he said. “I wasn’t getting the quality bites I needed.” 

After the storm blew through on Wednesday, Mike returned to the water and that is when things started to come together, “I talked to Kreit and he got me pointed in the right direction,” he said. “I went back out there and started getting the bigger fish to bite.”

McClelland admitted to throwing a plethora of baits on Thursday, but he did learn more about the way the fish were holding and believes that will help him as the week goes on. “When the bite is like this, you can spend time experimenting,” he said. “I hope to continue to put the pieces together and that should help me each day.

Velvick Still Hot
Fresh off his 11th place finish at Smith Mountain, Byron Velvick is right back at the top at Guntersville. His Thursday weight of 29-4 put him in third. “It was a great day,” he said. I caught my best fish early and then went looking for different areas.” He said a combination of grass and current were the key components of his day. 

“I hit three spots pretty early in the day and sort of alternated between them. The current is important. I missed the first six or seven bites this morning and left the area to let it settle down.”

Velvick is unsure if his bite will hold up, but he does believe the weights will remain high overall. “The winning weight will be closer to 100 than to 80,” he said. “Just look at the guys weights right now and you can tell it is going to be a great tournament.”

Ken Cook tied for 4th
“I knew it was going to be good out there and today was just one of those days,” Ken Cook said about his 29-2 performance on day one. “I’ve got 22 spots marked on my gps and I fished one today. 

Cook will be tied for 4th as heads out on Friday and he feels confident about the way he is fishing. “I don’t think the current is that big of a deal, but it did help position the fish,” he said. “The shad are starting to spawn and I think that will play a part over the next couple of days.

Aaron Martens in Form 
With 29-2 on day one, the Alabamian by way of the west coast, Aaron Martens holds down the number 4 spot. “I threw back 6 limits over 22 pounds today,” he said. “I caught over 130 fish and lost 40 more.”

Jones back in the Race
Jones held the AOY lead before his 51st place finish at Smith Mountain Lake. With 28-12 on day one, the 2008 Classic champ is hoping to climb back to the top. “The day went just exactly as planned,” he said. “I drew boat number one and I went to a spot that I knew had some big fish and stayed on it all day.” The well known area Jones started on won’t be as accessible on Friday as he will be the last boat to leave the launch. “I pretty much played defense from about 10:30 am on today,” he said. “Hopefully, being in the position I’m in, they will let me work my way back into that area.”

Key areas are important, but Alton believes Guntersville is fishing great overall. “These places can hold up for four days, but you can also catch fish doing other things. I threw back 6 or 7 five pound fish today. Right now the current is putting the fish in the spots you can catch them.”

Alton Jones is not counting points on the water but the AOY race is always in the back of his mind. “It is something I would like to accomplish sometime in my career,” he said. “If Kevin (VanDam) slipped up a little it wouldn’t hurt my feelings.

DAY ONE STANDINGS