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RICHMOND, Va. (KLTV) - A professional angler from Wills Point finished ninth on day one of the qualifying round of the Major League Fishing General Tire Stage Six Tournament in Richmond, Virginia.

Jeff Sprague joined East Texas Now to talk about the first day of that competition that took place on the James River. The first thing Sprague mentioned was the heat.

“People say that northern heat is not like it is, but this east coast northern heat is tremendous,” said Sprague. “It’s the humidity, it’s everything we have at home and then some.”

Sprague ended up finishing ninth on the day, but spent some time atop the leaderboard after finding a sweet spot in the middle of the day.

“Pretty much lined up on a spot when that tide kinda started to break and go,” Sprague said. “It worked out really well in that particular moment.”

The James River in Richmond is unlike any lakes in East Texas. The James River is controlled by the tide and makes for some exciting fishing.

“It’s a super cool fishery and it is known for the amount of fish, and they have quality fish here as well,” said Sprague. “It’s a really fun place to fish.”

Jasper native Todd Faircloth finished day one in 19th place and Flint native Kelly Jordon is sitting in 34th.

Group A will take to the water on Thursday for their final qualifying round.