Cox Commits To River, Retains Lead In Bassmaster Elite At Lake St. Clair

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John Cox, of DeBary, Fla., is leading after Day 2 of the 2020 YETI Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair with a two-day total of 45 pounds, 6 ounces. 

                                                                                                                                                   Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

August 21, 2020

Cox Commits To River, Retains Lead In Bassmaster Elite At Lake St. Clair

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MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — After splitting Day 1 between the main lake and the St. Clair River, John Cox of DeBary, Fla., devoted his entire day to the latter and retained his lead in the YETI Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair with a two-day total of 45-6.

“I thought about going into the lake, but I felt so comfortable in the river,” Cox said. “I feel like anytime I pitch my bait out there, I might catch a big one. I didn’t feel any need to leave, so I just hung out.”

Contrasting Day 1, Friday yielded more quantity than quality, as Cox added 20-10 to his opening round weight of 24-12 — the event’s heaviest bag so far.

“I wasn’t catching giants, but I caught way more fish today,” he said. “The key is if you run into them when they’re in one of (the key spots), you can get right quick.

Cox started his day in the St. Clair River delta where he fished the south and middle channels. He focused his efforts on seawalls, docks and other hard structure. Current eddies from the nearby channel were essential to fish positioning.

Mirroring Day 1, Cox caught all of his fish on a drop-shot rig. His top lure for the rig was the Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm, but he also used the Berkley MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad.

“I stuck with the drop shot because they were eating it,” Cox said. “I think fish were just moving in and off those banks with eddies.”

Cox made a midday run farther north and fished main-river spots close to Lake Huron but found that the water was not running as swiftly as he’d expected. Abandoning that area, he returned to the delta, where he made two key culls.

“At the end of the day, there was a spot I was trying to recall where it was, but I didn’t enter into my Lowrance,” Cox said. “I had a couple of waypoints I had marked in practice so I said, ‘I wonder if it’s those waypoints?’

“I pulled in and I caught a big one and it had four or five with it, so I threw back in there and caught another big one. Those culled my two smallest fish.”

Looking ahead, Cox said he plans on sticking with the river. He still has several areas that he has not fished, and the likelihood of his previous area reloading is very good.

“I loved it today; I had so many bites and caught so many fish,” Cox said. “I’m more excited going into tomorrow than I was this morning.”

Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, is in second place with 44-5. He began his day north of the community hole known as the Metro Flat and moved to a nearby spot later in the morning to preserve his main area.

Fishing a mix of crankbaits and drop shots, Wendlandt added 24-5 to the 20 pounds he weighed Thursday. Noting that his fish were not relating to any particular area, Wendlandt said he spent his day rotating between waypoints and searching for roaming schools of smallmouth.

“I started on the exact same place I did yesterday, but after that, I went someplace different,” he said. “I had decided I wasn’t going to fish in that humongous crowd. Yesterday I fished around it for the last part of the day. I just don’t think that (community hole) can hold up, there are just too many boats.”

Jay Yelas of Lincoln City, Ore., is in third place with 43-15. Fishing a broad flat with low grass and scattered cabbage, Yelas struggled through a slow morning and ended up catching most of his weight after noon. He caught most of his weight on a bladed jig with a Yamamoto Paddletail Zako trailer.

“I got fortunate and got some big ones this afternoon; my biggest was 5-3,” Yelas said. “It was sunny, not a cloud in the sky and light winds. Normally, that’s not the best time to fish moving baits, but it must be that the fish get more active and they’re feeding that time of the day.”

Ed Loughran III of Richmond, Va., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 6-5 smallmouth.

The Top 40 remaining anglers will take off Saturday at 6:30 a.m. ET from Lake St. Clair Metropark. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3:10 p.m.

After Saturday, only the Top 10 will advance to Championship Sunday with a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.

Live coverage of the event will be available starting at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster LIVE at Bassmaster.com with simulcasts on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Check local listings for ESPN2 times.

2020 Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair 8/20-8/23
Lake St. Clair, Macomb County  MI.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  John Cox               Debary, FL              10  45-06  100
Day 1: 5   24-12     Day 2: 5   20-10
2.  Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX             10  44-05   99
Day 1: 5   20-00     Day 2: 5   24-05
3.  Jay Yelas              Lincoln City, OR        10  43-15   98
Day 1: 5   21-01     Day 2: 5   22-14
4.  Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             10  43-09   97
Day 1: 5   21-13     Day 2: 5   21-12
5.  David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  43-06   96
Day 1: 5   24-02     Day 2: 5   19-04
6.  Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA            10  43-00   95
Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   21-05
7.  Chris Johnston         Peterborough Ontario CA 10  42-14   94
Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   21-03
8.  Cody Hollen            Beaverton, OR           10  42-11   93
Day 1: 5   19-12     Day 2: 5   22-15
9.  Taku Ito               Chiba JAPAN             10  42-06   92
Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   20-11
10. Frank Talley           Temple, TX              10  42-04   91
Day 1: 5   19-10     Day 2: 5   22-10
11. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN        10  42-01   90
Day 1: 5   20-10     Day 2: 5   21-07
12. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO        10  41-04   89
Day 1: 5   21-10     Day 2: 5   19-10
13. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL              10  41-00   88
Day 1: 5   20-08     Day 2: 5   20-08
14. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  40-04   87
Day 1: 5   21-00     Day 2: 5   19-04
15. Drew Benton            Blakely, GA             10  40-03   86
Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   19-10
16. Jake Whitaker          Fairview, NC            10  40-01   85
Day 1: 5   18-07     Day 2: 5   21-10
17. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  39-13   84
Day 1: 5   21-08     Day 2: 5   18-05
18. Seth Feider            New Market, MN          10  39-07   83
Day 1: 5   20-11     Day 2: 5   18-12
19. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  39-05   82
Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   21-06
20. Bob Downey             Hudson, WI              10  39-02   81
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   20-15
21. Randy Sullivan         Breckenridge, TX        10  39-01   80
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   21-07
22. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             10  39-00   79
Day 1: 5   22-03     Day 2: 5   16-13
23. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC           10  38-11   78
Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   21-02
24. Hunter Shryock         Newcomerstown, OH       10  38-09   77
Day 1: 5   18-09     Day 2: 5   20-00
25. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA              10  38-08   76
Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   20-08
26. Destin DeMarion        Grove City, PA          10  38-07   75
Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 5   20-12
27. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          10  38-06   74
Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   19-09
28. Tyler Carriere         Youngsville, LA         10  38-03   73
Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 5   20-14
29. Drew Cook              Midway, FL              10  38-01   72
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   21-12
30. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  37-13   71
Day 1: 5   19-04     Day 2: 5   18-09
31. Mike Huff              Corbin, KY              10  37-11   70
Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   20-08
32. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              10  37-05   69
Day 1: 5   20-11     Day 2: 5   16-10
33. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  36-15   68
Day 1: 5   19-09     Day 2: 5   17-06
34. Chris Groh             Spring Grove, IL        10  36-15   67   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   18-11
35. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            10  36-14   66
Day 1: 5   17-07     Day 2: 5   19-07
36. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  36-06   65
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   21-00
37. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           10  36-02   64
Day 1: 5   20-14     Day 2: 5   15-04
38. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA            10  36-00   63   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-10     Day 2: 5   19-06
39. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC          10  36-00   62
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   19-02
40. Derek Hudnall          Denham Springs, LA      10  35-14   61
Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   16-09
41. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN          10  35-11   60   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   16-06
42. Jesse Tacoronte        Kissimmee, FL           10  35-10   59   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   16-13
43. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX            10  35-04   58   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   19-08
44. Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         10  34-14   57   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   15-09
45. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD               10  34-13   56   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   21-11
46. Randy Pierson          Oakdale, CA             10  34-09   55   $5,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 5   19-15
47. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  34-09   54   $5,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   16-06
48. Greg DiPalma           Millville, NJ           10  34-08   53   $5,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   16-04
49. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        10  34-06   52   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   15-14
50. Dale Hightower         Mannford, OK            10  34-03   51   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   15-11
51. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  34-00   50   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   19-11
52. Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX          10  34-00   49   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   15-03
53. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  33-14   48   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   19-15
54. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  33-06   47   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   17-01
55. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              10  33-04   46   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   18-15
56. Wes Logan              Springville, AL         10  33-02   45   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-06     Day 2: 5   15-12
57. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                10  32-14   44   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   15-04
58. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY              9  32-08   43   $2,500.00
Day 1: 4   12-12     Day 2: 5   19-12
59. Harvey Horne           Bella Vista, AR         10  31-14   42   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   13-01
60. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX              10  31-13   41   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-01     Day 2: 5   13-12
61. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            10  31-02   40   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 5   14-14
62. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            10  30-15   39   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   12-15
63. Kyle Welcher           Opelika, AL             10  30-06   38   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-07     Day 2: 5   16-15
64. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA             9  30-02   37   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 4   11-12
65. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  29-07   36   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 5   14-10
66. David Fritts           Lexington, NC           10  29-01   35   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   14-14
67. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              10  29-00   34   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-00     Day 2: 5   14-00
68. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA           9  28-12   33   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-08     Day 2: 4   11-04
69. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI               8  28-11   32   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   19-15     Day 2: 3   08-12
70. Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI            8  27-14   31   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 3   10-12
71. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA          7  27-12   30   $2,500.00
Day 1: 2   07-10     Day 2: 5   20-02
72. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           10  27-12   29   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   14-11
73. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC           9  27-07   28   $2,500.00
Day 1: 4   13-12     Day 2: 5   13-11
74. Quentin Cappo          Prairieville, LA         9  27-06   27   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 4   10-15
75. Kyle Monti             Okeechobee, FL          10  27-04   26   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   13-11
76. Jeff Gustafson         Keewatin Ontario CANADA  9  26-05   25   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 4   11-11
77. Buddy Gross            Chickamauga, GA         10  25-08   24   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   11-06
78. Skylar Hamilton        Dandridge, TN           10  25-07   23   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-11     Day 2: 5   11-12
79. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL              7  25-02   22   $2,500.00
Day 1: 2   03-04     Day 2: 5   21-14
80. Chad Pipkens           Dewitt, MI               9  24-06   21   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 4   11-06
81. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA            10  23-12   20   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   09-08     Day 2: 5   14-04
82. Rob Digh               Denver, NC              10  23-10   19   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   11-05
83. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                 10  20-03   18   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   08-14     Day 2: 5   11-05
84. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TN AUSTRALIA  6  19-10   17   $2,500.00
Day 1: 1   02-15     Day 2: 5   16-11
85. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC           5  16-12   16   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
———————————————————————–

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Chris Groh               Spring Grove, IL    06-00      $1,000.00
2   Ed Loughran III          Richmond, VA        06-05      $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        80       413      1457-09
2        77       411      1472-04
———————————-
157       824      2929-13