Keep on eye on Lester

Brandon Lester has a 9-pound, 12-ounce limit at 11:30 today. That’s almost exactly what he had at this time yesterday before he finished with his second-straight 20-pound bag. Lester had to adjust his tactics from Day 1 to do so, and that’s why some thought he would be one of the contenders this week. The 31-year-old pro from Fayetteville, Tenn., has matured as a tournament angler.

“I’ll tell you what’s different about my fishing,” Lester said yesterday. “I’ve learned that it does no good to get frantic on the water. If you start rushing, you’ll fish right over a 30-pound bag and never know it’s there. If you’ll just keep a good pace, you’ll do well most of the time. But it’s hard to do.

“It’s the second day of the Bassmaster Classic, and I’ve got nine pounds in the boat at 12 o’clock. I pull up on those docks and it happens.”

Lester had dock-fishing as a back-up plan. He played a hunch to go there at noon yesterday. That’s where he caught the 6-pound, 7-ounce big bass and filled out his 20-1 total to go with the 20-15 total that put him in 4th place on Day 1.