Astoria High School is in first place after Leg 1 of the two-leg Oregon State Bass Fishing Tournament.

Anglers Leo Matthews and Michael Postlewait were busy last Saturday on Mercer Lake in Florence, targeting largemouth bass. Astoria holds a 0.30 pound lead over second place Thurston High School and 4.81 pounds over third place Amity High School.

“It was fun, but challenging,” Matthews said. “We really had to work hard for everything today.”

Conditions seemed favorable as the day began at sunrise, but no teams brought in a full fish limit.

“The bite was hot garbage today,” exclaimed Postlewait. “It was a grinder.”

The teams are judged on the combined total weight of a maximum of five fish. As a team fishes throughout the day, after they reach five fish they keep the bigger fish caught, releasing a smaller fish.

Postlewait missed the big fish honors by a mere 0.10 pounds to Thurston High School’s team, which qualified for nationals with their previous results.

The next and final leg will take place May 12 on the Columbia River at The Dalles.

“I’m looking forward to the next leg,” Postlewait said. “We haven’t had much experience fishing smallmouth bass, but we expect to catch fish and win.”