Tennessee president David Daniel believes it will take 15 pounds per day to compete at the Southern Divisional.

The Kentucky Lake fish are off their beds and Tennessee president David Daniel thinks it'll take at least 15 pounds a day to win.

The TBF Southern Divisional begins this Wed., June 7 on the Tennessee portion of Kentucky Lake. The competition will be tough – as it is at every Divisional – and the stakes are high for the anglers from seven states.

Up for grabs are two National Championship berths for each state, the hard-fought team title and berths to the Skeeter BassFan Army Weekend Warrior Championship.

Tennessee TBF president David Daniel lives on Kentucky Lake, so he knows what anglers can expect this week. Right now, he's looking at 15 pounds a day to win.

Stable Water

Kentucky Lake, which sits at the end of the Tennessee River chain, is a renowned bass fishery with a variety of structure and cover. The portion open to the tournament runs from the start point at Cuba Landing, north to the Scott Fitzyou Bridge, and south to the Pickwick Dam.

Fluctuations in the water level can be a concern at Kentucky Lake, but anglers shouldn't have to worry about significant changes during the tournament.

"Right now the water level is at summer pool," Daniel said. "There's not going to be a lot of fluctuation in the water. The only way is if we have a lot of rain to the east of us, but the long-range forecast says everything will be stable with temperatures in the mid-80s."

Variety of Styles

No single strategy is likely to dominate the tournament, because Kentucky Lake offers anglers a wide range of options and approaches for success.

"Kentucky Lake has it all," Daniel said. "Guys that like to fish shallow can go shallow. Guys that like to fish deep can work the deep humps. We've got plenty of grass, sunken islands, deep ledges and humps at the mouths of creeks."

Hot baits and strategies will likely change throughout each day of the 3-day, cumulative-weight tournament.

"A lot of people will be cranking and lot of people will be Carolina-rigging," he said. "Early in the morning, there's a good topwater bite. Later in the day, people can find humps mouths of creeks. If people like to flip, it's a great time for flippin'. There's a variety of things they can try. "

Big Bags

Most of the Kentucky Lake fish have moved off their spawning beds. During tournaments in the last few weeks, anglers have whacked some big bags and weights could soar during the Divisional.

"Lately, in 1-day tournaments, it's taken 18 to 21 pounds to win," Daniel said. "We've caught a lot of fish in the 5- to 6-pound range this year. I think it's going to take 15 pounds per day to get in the money."

The majority of anglers will focus their efforts on largemouths, but Kentucky Lake's smallmouths and spots might play.

"We have quite a few smallmouth in the lake and I think several of those will come into the mix," he said.

There's a 15-inch size limit on Kentucky Lake, but that shouldn't be a concern for those in at least the Top 20.

"I think the guy that can come in with five quality fish in the 18-inch range will prevail," he said.

Notable

> The event is co-hosted by the Humphreys County Chamber of Commerce. "I had a chance to bring this (Divisional) in here and the local chamber of commerce had really worked hard," Daniel said. "I'm looking forward to a great tournament."

> He thinks anglers who've prefished the lake will have the upper hand, including members of the Tennessee 12-man team. "Six of the guys call this their home lake," he said. "The other six are from east Tennessee and know it well."

> This is the third time the Southern Divisional has been held at Kentucky Lake.