He has fish on multiple patterns and they are all bigger than average. Today Drew Benton used that advantage and took over the lead with one day left to fish in the first stop of the 2013 Walmart FLW Tour on lake Okeechobee out of Clewiston, Fla.

Benton has stalked the leaders all week. He began the tourney in 3rd with 23 pounds, 7 ounces. Yesterday he brought in another 23 pound limit to move to 2nd. Today he only needed 15-04 to lay claim to the top spot. The Tour rookie did it on a day when wind rocked the Big O and the 20 competitors left in the comopetition. Now he has only 9 other guys to beat out and a 1-pound head start when he launches as boat #1 tomorrow.

Benton’s total weight stands at 62-03. Day 2 leader Rick Cotten has 61-03.

Benton sight fished in semi-protected areas today. Tomorrow he hopes he can “go fishing” with a moving baits, not that he doesn’t like sight fishing, he does, but his other fish are big and plentiful. A bunch of y’all are going to be shocked when you see how Benton fished Okeechobee this week.

Keystone Light Pro Brent Ehrler made a big move today with the day’s lone 20-pound sack. No bitter beer face for Ehrler. He was all smiles as he ran his total to 56-03 and settled in at 3rd place.

Fellow Keystone Light Pro Chad Grigsby also made the cut. He said he will make a dedcision in the morning as to where he will start the day.

The lake is fishing so wierd that none of the big Okeechobee sticks made the 10 cut. Few made the 20 cut to start with. “This lake didn’t set up right for us,” said Randall Tharp who spoke for the contingent of mat-flippers who usually dominate this lake.

Final weigh in will be interesting.