Day 1 delivered overcast skies so Berlo started with a topwater in his key area. He immediately caught schooling fish and had a limit by 10:30. Because it was overcast, he stuck with the topwater beyond his limit, then began to mix in a jig from his sponsor – Hunter Creek Bait.
"I knew with a jig in my hand, that's how I could get a big bite, like back in 2004," he said. "I think the key to day 1 was that the sun came out. I was throwing that Hunter Creek green-pumpkin jig and hadn't had any success. At about 12:00, I switched up to the rootbeer-colored jig, which is actually called gold, and in a few casts I caught one that culled a fish. It was maybe a 2-pounder.
"Then about 20 minutes later I caught the big fish of day 1, a 4-02. That was the key – switching to that gold – because I almost immediately started getting bit. And when I caught that big fish, that really moved me up from mediocrity."
He ended the day in 5th – less than 3 pounds behind the leader.
Berlo's high hopes were quickly deflated on day 2. It was sunny, and because of a relatively late blastoff, his topwater bite never materialized.
"I did end up getting behind some of the community floating docks where there was still a lot of shade, and I got a few bites, but they kept missing the bait," he noted. "The bite was just off on day 2 and I really struggled."
He caught his first fish at 11:00, and thought it would pick up, but it never did. At 1:30, he decided to scrap everything and run and gun the docks he'd waypointed on the official practice day. He caught four keepers in the last hour and a half, including one pushing 4 pounds that missed being the day-2 big fish by a few ounces.
"I caught them all on that gold jig again," he noted. "It was a critical day for me, because in an hour and a half I went from disaster to being back in the hunt in 2nd place."
Berlo's main strategy each of the days was to tank an early limit of any size, then try for a big bite. The limit part didn't work on day 2, but he stuck with that same attack plan for day 3.
"Day 3 started out pretty good, and I was getting bites right away," he said. "The difference was, I got my first bite while I was reeling the jig back in. One came out and tried to get it. I thought there might be something to that, so I started swimming the jig, and sure enough, I got more bites than I'd been getting by hopping it on bottom. That was definitely key on the last day."
"I think what hurt me the final day was boat traffic," he noted. "It was pretty much horrific. I'd never seen it that bad. There were 2- and 3-foot waves out there – constant. And you literally had to wait, like you were sitting at a stop sign, to cross the lake."
His small limit weighed 4-11, but with the cushion he gained on day 2, it was enough to edge the 2nd-place finisher by 3 ounces.
The water temperature was 79 degrees.
Berlo noted that his best area was a series of main-lake pockets that were close to the main river channel. Critical was that the best pockets had only an isolated boat dock or two.
The big fish, he added, tended to locate under the large, permanent boat docks.
> Topwater gear: 6'6" medium-action All Star Topwater Special rod, Shimano Scorpion casting reel, 12-pound Ande mono, Rebel Pop-R.
> About his Pop-R, he said: "It's an old one from the '80s. It was silver with a black back, and it's pretty beat up."
> Jig gear: 6'6" medium-heavy All Star IM10X jig rod, Shimano Calcutta casting reel, 15-pound Berkley Trilene Big Game mono, 1/2-ounce Hunter Creek Bait Cheeseburger jig ("It's called gold, but it's really rootbeer/pumpkin/pepper."), Zoom Super Chunk trailer (rootbeer/pumpkin/green).
Performance edge – "The jig, definitely." Notable
> Berlo works as a director of business development for Agility, which provides support to the Dept. of Defense, Dept. of State and UN peacekeeping operations worldwide.
> He's sponsored by Hunter Creek Bait.
> As noted, he received a pro berth in the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray, S.C. in August. "That should be interesting," he said. "I'm not really sure what to say about it at this point. I've been traveling so much for work, I haven't had the chance to do much research."
> He also received a berth on the 2009 FLW Tour, but he's not yet sure he'll accept. "I'm going to wait and see what happens and how I do against the cream of the crop in the Cup before I make any decisions on where I'm going with this."
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Final Standings
> Field = 54 boats
1. Shayne Berlo -- Vienna, Va -- 5, 8-10 -- 5, 7-07 -- 10, 16-01 -- 5, 4-11 -- 15, 20-12 -- $100,000
2. Kevin Snider -- Elizabethtown, Ky -- 5, 9-15 -- 4, 3-15 -- 9, 13-14 -- 5, 6-11 -- 14, 20-09 -- $25,000 + $25,000
3. Chris Martinkovic -- Liberty Township, Oh -- 5, 7-01 -- 5, 6-07 -- 10, 13-08 -- 5, 6-15 -- 15, 20-07 -- $14,000 + $18,000
4. Greg Rikard -- Leesville, Sc -- 5, 8-00 -- 5, 6-00 -- 10, 14-00 -- 4, 6-06 -- 14, 20-06 -- $13,000 + $8,000
5. Michael Conley -- Bainbridge, Ga -- 5, 5-12 -- 5, 7-14 -- 10, 13-10 -- 5, 6-11 -- 15, 20-05 -- $12,000 + $14,000
6. Kim Carver -- Milledgeville, Ga -- 5, 11-06 -- 5, 5-07 -- 10, 16-13 -- 3, 3-00 -- 13, 19-13 -- $11,000
7. Terry Mcwilliams -- Greenfield, In -- 5, 9-14 -- 5, 5-05 -- 10, 15-03 -- 4, 4-00 -- 14, 19-03 -- $10,000 + $5,000
8. Mike Brueggen -- Cashton, Wi -- 5, 8-01 -- 5, 6-01 -- 10, 14-02 -- 5, 4-14 -- 15, 19-00 -- $9,000 + $4,500
9. Brett Sellers -- Denham Springs, La -- 5, 7-02 -- 5, 6-05 -- 10, 13-07 -- 5, 5-02 -- 15, 18-09 -- $8,000
10. Ray Griffin -- Henderson, Nc -- 5, 7-05 -- 5, 7-03 -- 10, 14-08 -- 3, 2-14 -- 13, 17-06 -- $7,000 + $7,000
11. Thomas Wooten -- Huddleston, Va -- 5, 7-15 -- 4, 5-00 -- 9, 12-15 -- $6,000 + $3,150
12. Ronald Hobbs, Jr. -- Graham, Wa -- 5, 5-10 -- 5, 7-03 -- 10, 12-13 -- $6,000
13. Mike Brower -- Texarkana, Tx -- 5, 6-11 -- 5, 6-01 -- 10, 12-12 -- $6,000 + $3,150
14. John Bitter -- Maitland, Fl -- 5, 6-11 -- 5, 6-00 -- 10, 12-11 -- $6,000 + $6,300
15. Rip Bass -- Spring Hope, Nc -- 5, 6-10 -- 5, 5-11 -- 10, 12-05 -- $6,000 + $6,300
16. Allan Cagle -- Deltona, Fl -- 5, 5-04 -- 5, 6-12 -- 10, 12-00 -- $6,000 + $3,150
17. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 5, 8-14 -- 3, 2-06 -- 8, 11-04 -- $6,000 + $10,000 + $3,150
18. Ricky Campbell -- Waxahachie, Tx -- 4, 5-07 -- 5, 5-08 -- 9, 10-15 -- $6,000 + $6,300
19. Jim Street -- Johnson City, Tn -- 5, 6-06 -- 4, 4-06 -- 9, 10-12 -- $6,000
20. Richie Eaves -- Nauvoo, Il -- 3, 4-11 -- 5, 5-13 -- 8, 10-08 -- $6,000 + $6,300
21. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 5, 5-14 -- 4, 4-05 -- 9, 10-03 -- $4,500
22. Brian Travis -- Conover, Nc -- 5, 5-10 -- 5, 4-09 -- 10, 10-03 -- $4,500
23. Tom Belinda -- Hollidaysburg, Pa -- 5, 6-09 -- 3, 3-09 -- 8, 10-02 -- $4,500 + $5,500
24. Eddie Herlong Sr -- Prosperity, Sc -- 1, 1-00 -- 5, 9-01 -- 6, 10-01 -- $4,500 + $2,750
25. Dirk Sluyter -- Russellville, Mo -- 5, 6-14 -- 2, 2-14 -- 7, 9-12 -- $4,500
26. Keith Jones -- Texarkana, Tx -- 5, 6-02 -- 3, 3-09 -- 8, 9-11 -- $4,500 + $5,500
27. Larry Sisk -- Evansville, In -- 4, 4-04 -- 5, 5-05 -- 9, 9-09 -- $4,500 + $2,750
28. Jesse Millsaps -- Tate, Ga -- 4, 3-07 -- 5, 5-14 -- 9, 9-05 -- $4,500 + $2,750
29. Terry Steele -- Sparta, Tn -- 4, 4-07 -- 3, 4-14 -- 7, 9-05 -- $4,500 + $2,750
30. Pat Hatcliff -- Murfreesboro, Tn -- 5, 6-10 -- 2, 2-06 -- 7, 9-00 -- $4,500 + $2,750
31. Don Owens -- Ponca City, Ok -- 5, 5-15 -- 3, 2-09 -- 8, 8-08 -- $2,500
32. John Dunn -- Maryville, Tn -- 5, 5-03 -- 3, 3-05 -- 8, 8-08 -- $2,500 + $2,000
33. Perry Neathery -- Albany, Ky -- 3, 2-14 -- 5, 5-05 -- 8, 8-03 -- $2,500
34. Brian Cox -- Woodstock, Ga -- 3, 4-13 -- 3, 3-06 -- 6, 8-03 -- $2,500
35. Johnny Patterson -- Grant, Al -- 3, 4-06 -- 5, 3-10 -- 8, 8-00 -- $2,500 + $1,000
36. Scott Hamrick -- Denver, Nc -- 4, 3-07 -- 3, 4-07 -- 7, 7-14 -- $2,500 + $2,000
37. Jeff Ritter -- Prairie Du Chien, Wi -- 3, 3-15 -- 2, 3-15 -- 5, 7-14 -- $2,500
38. Chris Baldwin -- Lexington, Nc -- 5, 5-15 -- 2, 1-12 -- 7, 7-11 -- $2,500 + $1,000
39. Frank Mcclain -- Scottsburg, In -- 4, 4-15 -- 3, 2-12 -- 7, 7-11 -- $2,500
40. Bryant Ailor -- Knoxville, Tn -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 7-07 -- 5, 7-07 -- $2,500
41. Brad Mcculley -- Batesville, Ms -- 5, 6-05 -- 1, 1-01 -- 6, 7-06 -- $2,500
42. Hubert Stafford -- Colquitt, Ga -- 5, 5-04 -- 2, 1-14 -- 7, 7-02 -- $2,500 + $2,000
43. Barry Smith -- Catlettsburg, Ky -- 5, 5-04 -- 2, 1-10 -- 7, 6-14 -- $2,500 + $1,000
44. Eddie Burgess -- Greenwood, Sc -- 3, 3-06 -- 3, 3-04 -- 6, 6-10 -- $2,500 + $1,000
45. Jerad Perkins -- Carterville, Il -- 5, 4-09 -- 1, 1-11 -- 6, 6-04 -- $2,500 + $2,000
46. Steven Fikes -- Northport, Al -- 5, 5-09 -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 5-09 -- $2,500 + $1,000
47. Rick Miller -- Bettendorf, Ia -- 4, 3-10 -- 2, 1-14 -- 6, 5-08 -- $2,500
48. Robert Crino -- South Royalton, Vt -- 3, 3-10 -- 2, 1-10 -- 5, 5-04 -- $2,500
49. Keith Buterbaugh -- Douglasville, Ga -- 4, 4-12 -- 0, 0-00 -- 4, 4-12 -- $2,500 + $2,000
50. Brian Wilson -- Somerset, Ky -- 3, 2-12 -- 1, 1-15 -- 4, 4-11 -- $2,500 + $2,000
51. Lee Pitts -- Gaylesville, Al -- 1, 0-13 -- 3, 3-11 -- 4, 4-08 -- $2,500 + $1,000
52. Tim Malcolm -- Americus, Ga -- 4, 4-06 -- 0, 0-00 -- 4, 4-06 -- $2,500
53. Sam Moody -- Athens, Al -- 3, 2-13 -- 1, 1-02 -- 4, 3-15 -- $2,500 + $1,000
54. Darren Hahne -- Ottawa, Il -- 0, 0-00 -- 3, 2-13 -- 3, 2-13 -- $2,500
Big Bass
> Day 1: Shayne Berlo -- Vienna, Va -- 4-01 -- $500
> Day 2: Eddie Herlong Sr -- Prosperity, Sc -- 3-14 -- $500
