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Brad Hurdle / Hank Dawson Win Lake Anna Elite Series – April 12, 2015

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Brad Hurdle / Hank Dawson Win Lake Anna Elite Series – April 12, 2015

11141263_965429593490253_7505361781029929481_o

1st Place
Brad Hurdle / Hank Dawson
5 Fish – 22.75 lbs

10497340_965428990156980_2711983823149996019_oBig Fish
Hank Hawson
8.16 lbs

1149085_965428530157026_1436241439655271008_o2nd Place
Scott Gibson / Ron Ellis
5 Fish – 20.23 lbs

3rd Place
Preston Cox / George Decatur
5 Fish – 16.67

1900520_965423893490823_141260401026886655_o4th Place
Martin Villa
5 Fish – 13.19

Lake Anna Elite Series – April 12, 2015
Official Standings as of Week 2

Place Team Name Points
1 Preston Cox / George Decatur 96
2 Rob Grike / Eric Nelson 93
3 Ron Ellis / Scott Gibson 92
4 Ken Roberts / Drew Marmo 83
Martin Villa 83
6 Dean Perrin / Trey Perrin 82
Eric Kunz 82
John Hutchins / Josh Steinberg 82
9 Gene Hord / Scott Aikens 79
Clayton Gatewoon / Darrin Parrish 79
11 Jeff Parrish / Brian Green 78
12 Scott Connors / Steve Rose 77
13 David Taylor / David Chisholm 73
14 Mike Hurdle / Cindy Hurdle 70
15 Mike Powell / Mark Finley 69
16 Tommy Bailey / Jeff Bailey 68
17 Wayne Dorman / Brian Oxidine 64
18 Dee Kidd / Wil Vickery 63
John Doyle / Eugene Carter 63
20 Dave Everly / Charles Shuck 60
Shane Norton / Jeff St. Dennis 60
22 Brad Hurdle / Hank Dawson 51
23 Keith Lupo / Mike Hicks 46
Gary Colvin / Joe Colvin 46
25 Charlie Bowles / Will Phillips 40
26 Mark Kelly 38
Mike Wood 38
28 Mike Mastin / Gerald Mastin 17

Lake Anna Elite Series – April 12, 2015
Official Results

Place Team Name Weight (lbs)
1 / BF Brad Hurdle / Hank Dawson 22.75 / BF – 8.16
2 Ron Ellis / Scott Gibson 20.23
3 Preston Cox / George Decatur 16.67
4 Martin Villa 13.19
5 Gary Colvin / Joe Colvin 12.19
6 Ken Roberts / Drew Marmo 12.11
7 Eric Nelson / Stan Cobb 10.35
8 Wayne Dorman / Brian Oxidine 10.29
– John Hutchins / Josh Steinburg 10.29
10 Eric Kunz 9.67
11 Charlie Bowles / Will Phillips 8.27
12 Shane Norton / Ricky Edwards 8.19
13 Mike Hurdle / Cindy Hurdle 8.00
14 Dean Perrin / Trey Perrin 6.04
15 Jeff Parrish / Brian Green 5.71
16 Darrin Parrish / Clayton Gatewood 5.10
17 Jeff Bailey / Todd Neil 4.89
18 David Taylor / David Chisholm 4.21
19 Mark Finley / Mike Powell 4.13
20 Scott Aikens / Gene Hord 3.26
21 John Doyle / Eugene Carter 3.12
22 Dave Everly / Charles Shuck 3.08
23 Dee Kidd / Wil Vickery 2.55
24 Scott Connors / Steve Rose 2.05
25 Mark Kelly –
25 Mike Wood –
24 Mike Mastin / Gerald Mastin –

Skeet Reese Overtakes Michael Iaconelli To Win Lake Guntersville Elite

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Skeet Reese Overtakes Michael Iaconelli To Win Lake Guntersville Elite
Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., takes first place at the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville. He brought a four-day total of 92 pounds, 11 ounces even to the scales.

Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

Skeet Reese Overtakes Michael Iaconelli To Win Lake Guntersville Elite

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GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — When Skeet Reese arrived in Alabama last week for the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, he had a solid plan in place for how he wanted to fish.

His plan didn’t work.

So instead, he just followed the lead of his friend and roommate on the tour, Byron Velvick.

Velvick told Reese about the 7-inch Basstrix Swimbait — the largest version of a 15-year-old soft plastic bait that has seen a recent resurgence in popularity — and Reese used it to win with a four-day catch of 92 pounds, 11 ounces. He entered the final round in second place, more than 2 pounds behind Michael Iaconelli, but vaulted himself to the $100,000 victory with a Sunday catch of 25-5.

His buddy, Velvick, placed second with 88-1.

“You just couldn’t have scripted this any better,” said Reese, a California native who now has eight victories in B.A.S.S. events. “I had a really tough practice. I was going out with the anticipation of catching 13 to 14 pounds a day — unless maybe I could find a big bite and come in with 16 to 17. But Byron turned me on to a bait, and it evolved into something special, a win.”

Reese spent most of his week fishing in or near Seibold Creek, targeting a variety of shallow and midrange structure along the banks and on offshore flats. He believes he caught fish from all phases of the spawning process — prespawn, spawn and postspawn.

The rod-and-reel combination Reese used to throw the swimbait came from the seemingly endless line of products that bear his signature. He used a 7-foot, 5-inch Skeet Reese Victory Pro Carbon rod and a namesake Pro Carbon reel with a 6.4:1 gear ratio, both from Wright McGill.

He said the slow-retrieve reel was particularly important because the bait had to be fished painfully slow.

“There was so much fishing pressure on the lake that you had to get the bait down to them and slow roll it to get the bite,” Reese said. “That’s one of the things I figured out the first day. Around the shallow laydowns, they were a little more aggressive. But once the bait got out a little deeper, you had to really slow it down.”

Velvick, who spent a lot of time fishing the Basstrix Swimbait around Guntersville’s many bridges, wasn’t quite as consistent as Reese all four days of the tournament.

While Reese brought in 24 pounds or better three of the four days, Velvick managed only 18-plus pounds on Day 1 and Day 3. But his Sunday catch of 24-7 was enough to lift him from eighth place into second with 88-1.

Despite earning $25,000 –$75,000 less than the check given to Reese — Velvick was happy to see his friend win.

“You’ve got to help your friends out,” said Velvick, who lives in Texas. “You’ve got to be honest with the guys you fish with. I actually went and found him some more baits this morning.

“I felt like a NASCAR guy with extra tires in my trailer, and my driving partner needed tires to win the race. Even though I was in the race, too, if I couldn’t win it, there was no one else I’d rather see win.”
Besides the assist from Velvick, Reese benefited from New Jersey pro Michael Iaconelli finally running out of fish.

The leader for the first three days of the event, Iaconelli insisted things had gotten tougher for him each day. But good decisions had helped him maintain the lead, and he was hoping for one more solid limit from the area he was fishing in Seibold that had been so good to him.

His primary area fizzled, along with his backup plan, and he managed only one fish that weighed 2 pounds, 15 ounces. He finished 12th with 72-7.

“I look back at today, and I don’t know if I would really change anything,” Iaconelli said. “It just didn’t work. I had a B plan, and it didn’t work. I had a plan C, and it didn’t work. What are you going to do?”

Alabama angler Derek Remitz finished third with 85-5, and might have placed higher if not for losing a 5-pounder Sunday. Tennessee pro David Walker was fourth with 84-8, and Texan Keith Combs was fifth with 83-6.

Rookie Carl Jocumsen placed sixth with 81-15 and became the first angler from Australia to qualify for an Elite Series Top 12.

Bonuses and Contingency Awards:

  • The $1,000 award for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points leader will go to John Crews.
  • The Power-Pole Captain’s Cash will award $1,000 to Derek Remitz.
  • The Evan Williams Bourbon Heavyweight Award of $500 for the angler with the heaviest five-fish limit during the tournament goes to Michael Iaconelli for his 28-2 bag on Day 1.
  • The Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for the angler leading on Day 2 goes to Iaconelli.
  • The HUK Biggest Jump Award of $1,000 for the angler who made the largest jump in standings from Day 1 goes to Jason Williamson.
  • The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass award of $750 for the heaviest bass weighed goes to both Rick Clunn and James Elam for an 8-8 catch.
  • The Toyota Bonus Bucks award of $3,000 for the highest placing eligible angler goes to David Walker. The second highest placing angler, Keith Combs, is awarded $2,000.
2015 Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 4/9-4/12
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville  AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              20  92-11  100 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5   24-15     Day 2: 5   17-06     Day 3: 5   25-01     Day 4: 5   25-05
2.  Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX              20  88-01   99  $26,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   26-06     Day 3: 5   18-07     Day 4: 5   24-07
3.  Derek Remitz           Grant, AL               20  85-05   98  $21,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-11     Day 2: 5   24-00     Day 3: 5   20-13     Day 4: 5   20-13
4.  David Walker           Sevierville, TN         20  84-08   97  $15,000.00
Day 1: 5   23-01     Day 2: 5   25-05     Day 3: 5   18-14     Day 4: 5   17-04
5.  Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          20  83-06   96  $14,000.00
Day 1: 5   23-00     Day 2: 5   20-06     Day 3: 5   19-09     Day 4: 5   20-07
6.  Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 20  81-15   95  $13,500.00
Day 1: 5   19-14     Day 2: 5   26-10     Day 3: 5   18-00     Day 4: 5   17-07
7.  Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           20  81-15   94  $13,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   21-06     Day 3: 5   23-10     Day 4: 5   16-08
8.  Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL            20  78-14   93  $12,500.00
Day 1: 5   23-11     Day 2: 5   16-06     Day 3: 5   24-02     Day 4: 5   14-11
9.  Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA       20  78-01   92  $12,000.00
Day 1: 5   23-08     Day 2: 5   20-05     Day 3: 5   16-12     Day 4: 5   17-08
10. Chad Morgenthaler      Coulterville, IL        20  76-06   91  $11,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-10     Day 2: 5   24-08     Day 3: 5   19-13     Day 4: 5   15-07
11. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ    20  75-04   90  $11,000.00
Day 1: 5   22-02     Day 2: 5   20-02     Day 3: 5   20-06     Day 4: 5   12-10
12. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         16  72-07   89  $12,000.00
Day 1: 5   28-02     Day 2: 5   24-15     Day 3: 5   16-07     Day 4: 1   02-15
BASS PRO SHOPS BIG BASS
Rick Clunn               Ava, MO             08-08        $750.00
James Elam               Tulsa, OK           08-08        $750.00
EVANS WILLIAMS HEAVYWEIGHT
Michael Iaconelli        Pitts Grove, NJ     28-02      $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       108       558      1930-13
2       108       557      1939-03
3        47       249       820-09
4        11        56       205-06
———————————-
274      1420      4895-15

HANSELMAN WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE RAYOVAC FLW SERIES TEXAS DIVISION EVENT ON SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR

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HANSELMAN WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE RAYOVAC FLW SERIES TEXAS DIVISION EVENT ON SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR
HANSELMAN WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE RAYOVAC FLW SERIES TEXAS DIVISION EVENT ON SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR
Wilson wins co-angler title

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BROOKELAND, Texas (April 11, 2015) – Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Mercury with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 60 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win Hanselman earned $35,815, pushing his season winnings to more than $69,000 from just two tournaments.
“I’m honestly shocked. That’s about the only way to describe how I feel right now,” said Hanselman, who won the Texas Division opener on Lake Amistad in February. “You always want to win but to take two in the same season is just incredible.”
In order to secure his victory, Hanselman targeted small drains that led to spawning flats in the mid-lake area.
“In practice I found that the majority of the fish were along the sides of the points. Not at the tip, not in the back, but right along those longer sides,” Hanselman said. “I narrowed the pattern down to three spots across the lake and decided to pursue them further in the tournament.
“I was looking for fish that had already spawned,” Hanselman continued. “I specifically focused on those drains, or pinch points, where they’re forced to go in and out of the beds.”
Hanselman said that he managed to catch around 15 fish on day one using an Okeechobee Craw–colored Strike King Slither Rig – the same bait he used the entire tournament
“It really did what the name suggests. When I was flipping it slid right into that thick cover where I needed it,” Hanselman said.
On days two and three, Hanselman returned to those same areas and found a similar bite.
“I caught almost 25 fish on day two and was able to bring in around 15 on day three,” Hanselman said. “It was pretty exciting.”
Hanselman went on to say that the unusually high water level on Sam Rayburn didn’t affect his strategy as much as other anglers.
“I wanted to keep it simple. I didn’t want to get lost way back in the pine trees. I was looking for fish that had already spawned at those drains and it worked.”
The top 10 pros on Sam Rayburn Reservoir were:
        1st:                  Ray Hanselman, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 60-8, $35,815
        2nd:                 Kris Wilson, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 53-6, $13,878
        3rd:                 Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 52-10, $10,745
        4th:                 James Stricklin Jr., Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 50-15, $8,954 + $252 Big Bass award
        5th:                 Denny Brauer, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 50-3, $8,058
        6th:                 Joe Don Setina, Pittsburg, Texas, 14 bass, 49-11, $7,163
        7th:                 T.J. Goodwyn, Center, Texas, 15 bass, 47-10, $6,268
        8th:                 Ricky Guy, Humble, Texas, 13 bass, 44-5, $5,372
        9th:                 Randy Sitz, Prosper, Texas, 14 bass, 41-5, $4,477
        10th:               Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 12 bass, 34-3, $3,582
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dan Wilson of Pilot Point, Texas, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Sam Rayburn Reservoir were:
        1st:                  Dan Wilson, Pilot Point, Texas, 15 bass, 39-4, Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower outboard + $5,000 Ranger Cup
        2nd:                 Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 35-8, $4,500
        3rd:                 Clint Lipham, Conroe, Texas, 12 bass, 32-8, $3,600
        4th:                 Collin Cooper, Smithville, Texas, 11 bass, 31-3, $3,150
        5th:                 Tim Montz, Wichita Falls, Texas, 12 bass, 29-11, $2,700
        6th:                 Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, 13 bass, 28-6, $2,250
        7th:                 Bubba Finstad, Ranger, Texas, 10 bass, 26-3, $1,800
        8th:                 Mark Mowery, Longview, Texas, 11 bass, 22-14, $1,575
        9th:                 Denny Swartz, Broussard, La., eight bass, 21-6, $1,350
        10th:               Michael Stilley, Nacogdoches, Texas, 11 bass, 21-5, $1,125
The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the no-entry-fee Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2015 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 29-31 on the Ohio River in Paducah, Kentucky.
The Rayovac FLW Series tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir was hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce. It was the second Texas Division tournament of 2015. The next Rayovac FLW Series tournament will be a Central Division event, held April 16-18, on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING CENTRAL CONFERENCE OPENER ON TABLE ROCK LAKE

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UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING CENTRAL CONFERENCE OPENER ON TABLE ROCK LAKE
UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING CENTRAL CONFERENCE OPENER ON TABLE ROCK LAKE
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KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. (April 11, 2015) – The University of Evansville team of Nick Uebelhor and Lee Knies, both of Jasper, Indiana, won the FLW College Fishing Central Conference event on Table Rock Lake Saturday with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned the club $2,000 and advanced the team to the FLW College Fishing Central Conference Championship tournament.
“It feels great to bring a check home to the club,” said Uebelhor, a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering. “We’ve done well in FLW competition in the past but have never won before.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Knies, a sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering. “We figured we had enough weight to qualify for the Conference Championship but we didn’t think that we had enough to win the tournament.”
The duo said that they started their day off in an area near Indian Point, targeting banks in shallow, off-color water. By 10 a.m., they had netted two keepers throwing an umbrella-rig with Berkley Havoc swimbaits.
“We sat in 10 feet of water and threw up into about 2 to 4 feet,” said Knies. “They really liked the Berkley swimbaits and bit it quick.”
At 10:30 a.m. the anglers decided to make a run to an area near Long Creek to explore banks with similar cover and picked up two more bass.
“About 50 yards from where we stopped, we found our 5-pound kicker,” said Uebelhor.
With a few minutes left in their day, the Evansville duo returned to the take-off ramp and boated their final keeper.
“It was almost four pounds – our second largest fish of the day.” said Uebelhor. “By then we felt good about what we had in the livewell.”
Of the nine fish the team caught during the tournament, two were caught on the umbrella rig while the rest came on a Phantom Green-colored Storm Wiggle Wart.
“This win is a big deal for our team to be able to fish more tournaments,” said Knies. “Money is hard to come by so this is great for our club.”
The top 15 teams that advanced to the Central Conference Championship tournament on Table Rock Lake are:
1st:          University of Evansville – Nick Uebelhor and Lee Knies, both of Jasper, Ind., (five bass, 16-2, $2,000)
2nd:         Kansas State University – Quinn Fowler, Olathe, Kan., and Dylan McKee, Abilene, Kan., (five bass, 15-1, $1,000)
3rd:          Kansas State University – Garrett Cates, Overland Park, Kan., and Brett Herder, Lee’s Summit, Mo., (five bass, 14-14, $500)
4th:          Kansas State University – Lance Maldonado, Chapman, Kan., and Ethan Dhuyvetter, Manhattan, Kan., (five bass, 14-1, $500)
5th:          University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Mark Hugus and Cody Hahner, both of Stevens Point, Wis., (five bass, 13-12, $500)
6th:          Missouri State University – Brian Bueker and Darin Schildknecht, both of Springfield, Mo., (five bass, 13-10)
7th:          Murray State University – Mathew Cardani, Murray, Ky., and Jason Shaw, Wildwood, Mo.,    (five bass, 13-3)
8th:          Eastern Illinois University – Mitchell Meinhart, Effingham, Ill., and Dan Martin, Elmhurst, Ill., (five bass, 13-0)
9th:          University of Missouri – Daniel Fuhrig, Wentzville, Mo., and Michael Fink, Saint Louis, Mo., (five bass, 13-0)
10th:        Kansas State University – Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., and Taylor Bivins, Manhattan, Kan., (five bass, 12-12)
11th:        Greenville College – Ray Hingson, Montrose, Ill., and David Weyers, Peoria, Ill., (five bass, 12-10)
12th:        University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Samuel Sobieck, New Prague, Minn., and Connor Graham, Stevens Point, Wis., (five bass, 12-10)
13th:        University of Nebraska – Ben Kroeger and Zach Kroeger, both of Omaha, Neb., (five bass, 12-9)
14th:        University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Evan Chambers, Saint Charles, Ill., and Jacob Clisch, Reedsburg, Wis., (five bass, 12-9)
15th:        University of Illinois – Qiurun Chen and Luke Stoner, both of Pekin, Ill., (five bass, 12-7)
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This FLW College Fishing Central Conference tournament was hosted by the Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce and was the first regular-season qualifying tournament. The next event for Central Conference anglers is scheduled for June 13 at Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top fifteen teams from each regular-season tournament will qualify for one of five Conference Championship tournaments. The top ten teams from each of the five Conference Championship tournaments will advance to the 2016 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.

Michael Iaconelli Struggles But Maintains Lead In Bassmaster Elite On Lake Guntersville

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Michael Iaconelli Struggles But Maintains Lead In Bassmaster Elite On Lake Guntersville

Michael Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., takes the lead on Day 3 of the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville. He has a three-day total of 69 pounds, 8 ounces.

Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

April 11, 2015

Michael Iaconelli Struggles But Maintains Lead In Bassmaster Elite On Lake Guntersville

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GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Michael Iaconelli’s ever-evolving game plan for the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville took another drastic turn during Saturday’s third round.

The New Jersey pro switched to a Carolina rig – a technique he calls his “next-to-least-favorite way” to fish – and managed a five-bass limit that weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces. It pushed his three-day total to 69-8 and kept him in the lead for the third straight day.

Iaconelli’s margin dwindled, however, dropping from nearly 5 pounds as the day began to just 2-2 as he prepares to enter Sunday’s championship round. Skeet Reese of California caught 25-1 Saturday and jumped into second with 67-6, followed by Tennessean David Walker (67-4) and Oklahoma angler Jason Christie (65-7).

“My least-favorite way to catch fish is with a jiggin’ spoon,” Iaconelli said. “After that, it would be Carolina rigging. But if I had not pulled out that Carolina rig, I probably would have only weighed in about 11 pounds today.”

Iaconelli worked the same area that produced catches of 28-2 and 24-15 the first two days. But the fishing was much tougher due to strong winds that made the lake choppy and eventually caused some areas to become stained with mud.

He said he’ll have to decide before takeoff Sunday whether he’ll stick with the area that’s been so good to him or finally make a move.

“I still believe in my heart that the area I’m fishing is the winning area,” Iaconelli said. “It’s so hard to leave. My mind keeps thinking I just need to stay in there the entire day and commit. I’m going to go home and think about it tonight.”

Iaconelli did leave the area briefly Saturday to check out a spot where he had found several fish on spawning beds during practice. But after inspecting that area, he said he abandoned any thought of sight fishing the rest of the way.

“I took it off the table,” Iaconelli said. “When I ran in there today, there were dudes on the bank everywhere. So I just decided I’m not bed fishing.”

Though it helped him hang onto the lead Saturday, Iaconelli said he believes another 16-pound catch Sunday will sink his chances for a wire-to-wire victory. He thinks it’ll take 20-plus pounds, possibly even mid-20s, to finish the win.

With heavy hitters like Reese and Walker on his heels, he may be right.

Reese, who still maintains he had a dismal practice for the event, turned in his best catch so far with 25-1. Unlike most anglers, who said the wind made their days tougher, he said it actually helped him.

“I really did have a horrible practice here,” Reese said. “But one thing I learned is that what I was doing in practice sucked. So why continue to do that? I just kept adjusting and changing and trying to find something new, and I did.

“The wind blew and really helped the bite today, but it’s supposed to be slick tomorrow. I may have to change up a little bit.”

Walker continued what has been a great bounce-back event for him after finishing 107th last month at the Elite Series opener on the Sabine River. After catching 23-1 and 25-5 the first two days, he added 18-14 Saturday and slipped slightly from second to third with 67-4.

Unlike Friday, when he landed a 5-pounder on his first cast, Walker said Saturday was more of a grind. But once he slowed his approach, he caught a good limit that included a 7-pounder, and he was able to steadily cull his way to a solid catch.

Walker wasn’t nearly as happy about the wind as Reese.

“The wind was not helpful at all,” he said. “It got to a point where you had a very small range to throw in. If you tried to throw too far this way or that way, your line just got out of hand.”

The one positive to the wind, Walker said, was that it made things tough for everyone in the area he was fishing.

“One thing that gave me a huge advantage over some of the other people who were fishing around me was those Power-Poles,” Walker said, referring to his shallow-water anchoring system. “I could put them down and stay there and fish, while a lot of people were spinning around and struggling to stay put.”

Other anglers who made the Top 12 and qualified for Sunday’s championship round were Carl Jocumsen (64-8), Derek Remitz (64-8), Greg Vinson (64-3), Byron Velvick (63-10), Keith Combs (62-15), Dean Rojas (62-10), Chad Morgenthaler (60-15) and Brent Ehrler (60-9).

The pros will launch from Guntersville City Harbor at 6:15 a.m. Sunday with the final weigh-in scheduled for 3 p.m. at the same location. A $100,000 first-place prize will be on the line.

Local host for the event is the Marshall County CVB.

Michael Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., takes the lead on Day 3 of the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville. He has a three-day total of 69 pounds, 8 ounces.Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

Michael Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., takes the lead on Day 3 of the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville. He has a three-day total of 69 pounds, 8 ounces.Photo by Gary Tramontina/BassmasterMichael Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., takes the lead on Day 3 of the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville. He has a three-day total of 69 pounds, 8 ounces.Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

2015 Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 4/9-4/12
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville  AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$1.  Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         15  69-08  100     $500.00
Day 1: 5   28-02     Day 2: 5   24-15     Day 3: 5   16-07
2.  Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              15  67-06   99
Day 1: 5   24-15     Day 2: 5   17-06     Day 3: 5   25-01
3.  David Walker           Sevierville, TN         15  67-04   98
Day 1: 5   23-01     Day 2: 5   25-05     Day 3: 5   18-14
4.  Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           15  65-07   97
Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   21-06     Day 3: 5   23-10
5.  Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 15  64-08   96
Day 1: 5   19-14     Day 2: 5   26-10     Day 3: 5   18-00
6.  Derek Remitz           Grant, AL               15  64-08   95
Day 1: 5   19-11     Day 2: 5   24-00     Day 3: 5   20-13
7.  Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL            15  64-03   94
Day 1: 5   23-11     Day 2: 5   16-06     Day 3: 5   24-02
8.  Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX              15  63-10   93
Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   26-06     Day 3: 5   18-07
9.  Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          15  62-15   92
Day 1: 5   23-00     Day 2: 5   20-06     Day 3: 5   19-09
10. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ    15  62-10   91
Day 1: 5   22-02     Day 2: 5   20-02     Day 3: 5   20-06
11. Chad Morgenthaler      Coulterville, IL        15  60-15   90
Day 1: 5   16-10     Day 2: 5   24-08     Day 3: 5   19-13
12. Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA       15  60-09   89
Day 1: 5   23-08     Day 2: 5   20-05     Day 3: 5   16-12
13. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ             15  60-04   88  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   26-08     Day 3: 5   16-10
14. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               15  59-15   87  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   23-05     Day 2: 5   19-07     Day 3: 5   17-03
15. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             15  59-02   86  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   21-02     Day 3: 5   22-12
16. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX              15  58-11   85  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 5   21-07     Day 3: 5   20-00
17. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC              14  58-02   84  $10,000.00
Day 1: 4   19-07     Day 2: 5   17-04     Day 3: 5   21-07
18. Matt Lee               Auburn , AL             15  57-15   83  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   23-15     Day 2: 5   18-09     Day 3: 5   15-07
19. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA        15  57-11   82  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   22-04     Day 2: 5   18-13     Day 3: 5   16-10
20. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK              15  57-11   81  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-06     Day 2: 5   20-10     Day 3: 5   19-11
21. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          15  57-08   80  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   18-08     Day 3: 5   20-04
22. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC               15  56-13   79  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 5   21-04     Day 3: 5   18-05
23. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            15  55-10   78  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   23-00     Day 3: 5   17-04
24. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL         15  55-08   77  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   22-03     Day 2: 5   19-12     Day 3: 5   13-09
25. Kelly Jordon           Flint, TX               14  55-06   76  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   26-01     Day 2: 4   15-09     Day 3: 5   13-12
26. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, AL             15  54-14   75  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-04     Day 2: 5   15-12     Day 3: 5   19-14
27. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        15  54-13   74  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-01     Day 2: 5   18-11     Day 3: 5   16-01
28. Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL            15  54-09   73  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   21-07     Day 2: 5   17-10     Day 3: 5   15-08
29. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK             15  54-09   72  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-15     Day 2: 5   18-12     Day 3: 5   19-14
30. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL        15  53-05   71  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-06     Day 2: 5   15-06     Day 3: 5   18-09
31. Nate Wellman           Newaygo, MI             15  53-03   70  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   21-00     Day 2: 5   19-00     Day 3: 5   13-03
32. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         15  53-01   69  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   25-08     Day 2: 5   15-01     Day 3: 5   12-08
33. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA             15  52-13   68  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   21-04     Day 2: 5   20-04     Day 3: 5   11-05
34. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY           15  52-08   67  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   16-01     Day 3: 5   16-00
35. Kevin Short            Mayflower, AR           15  52-07   66  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-06     Day 2: 5   16-07     Day 3: 5   15-10
36. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           15  51-10   65  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   24-04     Day 2: 5   14-00     Day 3: 5   13-06
37. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ             15  51-05   64  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 5   22-01     Day 3: 5   11-15
38. Charlie Hartley        Grove City, OH          15  51-02   63  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   17-15     Day 3: 5   14-03
39. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR         15  50-12   62  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   23-00     Day 3: 5   14-15
40. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              15  50-01   61  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   17-03     Day 3: 5   14-02
41. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                 15  50-00   60  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   23-02     Day 2: 5   16-02     Day 3: 5   10-12
42. Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL       15  49-12   59  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   14-05     Day 3: 5   14-14
43. Matt Reed              Madisonville, TX        15  49-02   58  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   19-06     Day 3: 5   13-05
44. James Elam             Tulsa, OK               15  48-00   57  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   16-00     Day 3: 5   13-00
45. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI           15  47-06   56  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-13     Day 2: 5   17-05     Day 3: 5   12-04
46. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA            15  46-07   55  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-04     Day 2: 5   15-09     Day 3: 5   11-10
47. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             15  46-04   54  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   16-15     Day 3: 5   10-15
48. Jordan Lee             Vinemont, AL            14  44-12   53  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   18-03     Day 3: 4   08-01
49. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX         12  44-00   52  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   25-08     Day 3: 2   06-11
50. Chris Zaldain          San Jose, CA            13  44-00   51  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   22-00     Day 3: 3   05-11
51. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI           13  41-00   50  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   19-07     Day 3: 3   06-00
52. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           12  40-02   49  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   15-04     Day 3: 2   05-09
53. Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA       10  35-07   48  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   17-07     Day 3: 0   00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       108       558      1930-13
2       108       557      1939-03
3        47       249       820-09
———————————-
263      1364      4690-09

Montana’s Johnston Qualifies For Third Consecutive Championship

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Montana’s Johnston Qualifies For Third Consecutive Championship

Tim Johnston of Kalispell, Mont., caught 50 pounds, 14 ounces to take the title at Clear Lake during the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Western Divisional held out of Lakeport, Calif., Friday. 

Photo Craig Lamb/B.A.S.S

April 10, 2015

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Montana’s Johnston Qualifies For Third Consecutive Championship

LAKEPORT, Calif. — Tim Johnston is carving out a competitive niche on the bass club scene in the West. The proof is a third consecutive Montana state title won at the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Western Divisional.

Johnston also won the tournament with an overall winning weight of 50 pounds, 14 ounces, edging runner-up Brent Shores by a slim margin of 10 ounces.

What is remarkable about the win is Johnston did not catch a keeper bass during practice. He planned to follow a successful strategy of two years ago with the divisional held on Clear Lake. The plan involved flipping for spawning-phase bass in the tules along the shoreline. It was a bust.

Going into a tournament without a game plan is a recipe for disaster on Clear Lake, known to produce 30-plus pound limits in a single day.

As the final day of practice ended Johnston idled into a random shallow cove. There was nothing there to get excited about. Then, casts with a crankbait produced peculiar results.

“I felt the lure striking baitfish with nearly every cast,” he said.

Johnston ended the day believing the presence of baitfish could mean the same for the bass. The simple hunch proved correct.

The Western Montana Bassmasters member made the cove his first stop on Day 1. It produced a limit weighing 15-13.

Ironically, Kory Ray and Mark Torrez were at the cove entrance catching more bass. Johnston watched the two anglers catch nearly 60 pounds of bass from the spot. Torrez and Ray took the top two positions on the scoreboard. Johnston was unfazed.

“This is an amazing fishery, and I thought if that one spot can produce such great weight that more fish would move in,” added Johnston.

Johnston reasoned the fish were staging on the outside of the cove and then moving inside to feed on the massive school of bait.

He returned to the spot for Day 2 and boated 17-3, eclipsed by the 20-pound limit of partner KC Stone. Indeed, the fish did move in to feed and more would come.

Johnston, 50, and a B.A.S.S. Life Member since a teenager, sealed the win on Day 3 with a limit weighing 17-4.

For all three days he fished with a Lucky Craft LV 500. The presentation was simply to cast the minnow-imitating lure into the school of baitfish. The action heated up as hungry schools of prespawn female bass moved into the cove to feed.

Johnston’s state title comes with an invitation to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, set for next March on Grand Lake, Okla. Ten other anglers who caught the most cumulative weight on their teams will join him.

The lineup includes Pat Hanning, Arizona; Steven Wilson, California; Larry Triplett, Colorado; Brent Shores, Idaho; Stephen Pike, Nevada; Robert Peixotto, New Mexico; Kory Ray, Oregon and Davick Hansen of Utah.

The teams also competed against each other to win a $33,000 Triton/Mercury boat and motor package, based on highest cumulative weight for all of the team’s anglers. California won state bragging rights with 376-11.

The event included a friendly competition between state championship high school teams from the region. Mentoring the youths and introducing them to a championship event was the goal. Julius Mazy and Thomas Sendek, Arizona’s high school representatives, won the event.

The next divisional tournament is the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. The event is April 22-24. Stay tuned for Bassmaster.com for complete coverage.

PLANO’S ELITE KVD SIGNATURE SERIES BAG PUTS EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

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PLANO’S ELITE KVD SIGNATURE SERIES BAG PUTS EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

KVD DESIGNED, IMPROVED AND APPROVEDPLANO’S ELITE KVD SIGNATURE SERIES BAG PUTS EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

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Plano, IL (April 10, 2015) – Serious anglers are a demanding bunch. They strive to be the best, and expect the same from their gear. So does Plano… It’s why the world leader in tackle storage solutions constantly seeks design input from the angling elite.

Kevin Van Dam (KVD) sits atop that group. He is the fiercest, most intellectual challenger competitive fishing has ever seen. KVD’s the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing, and he didn’t get to the top by chance. Like other sporting legends, KVD earned his success by mastering the details of efficiency. In Van Dam’s case, organization is cornerstone to his effectiveness on the water.

Plano engineers recently sat down with KVD and asked him to help redesign what was already the best premium tackle and equipment tote money could buy – the Plano Elite Kevin Van Dam Signature Series Bag.

What manifested from the mind of the “The World’s Greatest Angler” was almost scary in its brilliance. How could a man think so deeply about lures? The answer lies in 10 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year titles and four Bassmaster Classics.

The result of this particular brainstorming exercise is the most advanced tackle sorting and toting system to ever find the bow of a boat. Infinitely more than a canvas bag with pockets and plastic containers to toss tackle into, it’s a beautifully conceived carryall that puts everything in its proper place.

“Plano is constantly trying to improve their products, and I am honored to be a part of that,” says Van Dam. “This bag offers the most innovative features available for managing tackle and gear. I wouldn’t put my signature on it if it didn’t.”

The Elite Kevin Van Dam Signature Series Bag sports a molded top containing two StowAway™ utility boxes, held securely with elastic tie-down straps for quick access to baits that are in immediate demand. A clear zippered pocket beneath the cover is a great spot for maps, licenses or a smartphone, all of which can easily be seen with just a flip of the lid.

The bag’s colossal compartmentalized front cubicle and sizable side pockets store gear and sundries like extra reel spools, energy bars and trolling motor remote controls – items other tackle bags just don’t have room for. Slots on the outside of the front and side pockets are ideal for keeping tools like pliers and cutters at-the-ready.

A cavernous mesh pocket on the back holds additional items such as soft plastic bait packs or smaller StowAway utility boxes. Of course, the interior of the bag holds three included 3700 Series ProLatch™ StowAway boxes, providing maximum capacity for loads of lures.

Man, that’s a lot of tackle and tool toting engineered into a 19”X11”X10.5” bag. Go ahead and pack it full, too, because a thickly padded, removable shoulder strap provides comfort for those longer walks to and from the dock, no matter the load you’re bearing.

487070 KEVIN VAN DAM SIGNATURE SERIES BAG

  • Molded top with elastic tie down strap holds two StowAway® utility boxes for quick access to your favorite baits
  • Includes three 3700 Series ProLatch™ StowAway® boxes
  • Large mesh pocket on back
  • Compartmentalized from pocket for multiple uses
  • Padded removable shoulder strap
  • Plier and tool holder slots on front and side pockets
  • Clear, zippered pocket under top cover

Approximate retail price of Kevin Van Dam Signature Series Bag: $79.99 – $89.99.

From elite anglers come elite products. Designed, improved and approved by the most proficient, organized and commanding angler on Planet Earth, and engineered by the masters of tackle storage, the Plano Elite Kevin Van Dam Signature Series Bag will make you a better angler by helping keep you more organized and more efficient on the water. Welcome to the elite.

Mike Iaconelli Holds Onto Lead In Bassmaster Elite On Guntersville

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Mike Iaconelli Holds Onto Lead In Bassmaster Elite On Guntersville

April 10, 2015

Mike Iaconelli Holds Onto Lead In Bassmaster Elite On Guntersville

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GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – After rocketing into the lead with 28 pounds, 2 ounces on the first day of the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, Michael Iaconelli went back out during Friday’s second round with intentions of fishing the same way.

But after a while, things just didn’t feel right. So he followed his instincts, made a quick adjustment and put together another fantastic catch, a five-bass limit weighing  24-15, to widen his lead in the event with a two-day mark of 53-1.

The remainder of the 5 saw some drastic changes on a day that was delayed one hour by thunderstorms with David Walker (48-6) moving into second, and Carl Jocumsen (46- 8), a rookie from Australia, holding down third. Byron Velvick (45-3) and Brent Ehrler (43-13) are fourth and fifth. With the lake itself undergoing changes, even more shifting could happen atop the leaderboard Saturday.

“On Thursday, I thought I knew exactly what was happening,” Iaconelli said. “After today, I believe there’s a lot more fish moving up to spawn than I thought and a lot more fish coming out for the postspawn than I thought. There are a lot of fish on the move.”

Iaconelli, who never said which lures he was using Thursday, said he switched to a crankbait when things got slow Friday. That’s when he caught two of his largest fish of the day.

“The first cast on a crankbait, I caught one that weighed almost 8 pounds,” Iaconelli said. “The next one on a crankbait was a 6-pounder. That was a key decision, because without those two fish, I probably would have only weighed in about 16 or 17 pounds.”

Several of Iaconelli’s fish had what he called “big quarter sores” on their gill plates. He believed those were identifying marks for bass that have entered the postspawn phase.

Because Guntersville has such an immense bass population, Iaconelli believes the bass don’t stay on bed as long as they do in other venues. With so many fish in transition, he said things were tough Friday – and could get tougher.

“It looked a lot better for me today than it really was,” Iaconelli said. “Yesterday, it was happening. I’d pull up to spot and just know I was going to catch them. I caught over 30 keeper bass. Today, I caught maybe nine keepers.

“I feel like I’m in the winning area, but it’s going to be really important to keep moving with the fish.”

Iaconelli also earned the Livingston Lures Leader award of $500 for being the second-day leader.

Walker, who suffered through a dismal 107th-place finish in the Elite Series event last month on the Sabine River, came to Guntersville worried that another bad finish might jeopardize his chances of qualifying for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic. But after landing 23-1 Friday and 25-5 Saturday, he easily made Saturday’s Top 53 cut and put himself within striking distance of his second Elite Series win.

“I started off with a 5-pounder on my first cast, and that’s the way to start the day,” Walker said. “After a while, I had that one good fish and just four others that would measure. But as the day went on, I’d catch another fish that was a big one and then another. My culls were going up really fast, because I started with such small ones.”

Walker, who revealed little about the technique he was using, said confidence played a major role in his Friday success.

“It was one of those days when I had the one thing you always want as a fisherman,” Walker said. “It’s not a secret spot or a secret lure. It was confidence in my choices. Almost every time I thought I needed to try something it would work. And if it didn’t work, I knew that it didn’t because when I got there it just didn’t feel right.”

The biggest catch of the day belonged to Jocumsen, who brought in 26-10 to vault himself into third with 46-8. The popular Australian pro, who is fishing only his second event as an Elite Series rookie, had 21 pounds around noon and actually upgraded his catch while scouting for Saturday.

Jocumsen said the weigh-in took place around 6 a.m. in Australia, and more than 20,000 people in his native country were likely watching live on Bassmaster.com. He said many had also been up most of the night following his progress on the web site through BASSTrakk.

“Because of BASSTrakk, they say no one’s sleeping because they’re refreshing it all through the middle of the night,” Jocumsen said, laughing. “My sponsors and my friends say they haven’t slept the last two nights.

“Everyone in Australia is so excited. It’s going to bring awareness to the sport and put bass fishing on the map a little bit in another country.”

The 53 pros surviving the cut will launch from Guntersville City Harbor at 6:15 a.m. Saturday with the weigh-in scheduled back at the park at 3 p.m. Only the Top 12 anglers after Saturday’s weigh-in will move on to Sunday’s championship round.

Local host for the event is the Marshall County CVB.

Don Setina overcame a slow morning to take the day-one lead with 23 pounds, 6 ounces.

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Don Setina overcame a slow morning to take the day-one lead with 23 pounds, 6 ounces.

Joe Don Setina overcame a slow morning to take the day-one lead with 23 pounds, 6 ounces.

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April 10, 2015  by David A. Brown

The cliche police will just have to get over this one because Joe Don Setina, whose 23 pounds, 6 ounces leads day one of the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, defines the phrase “all’s well that ends well.”

In truth, the tournament, which is presented by Mercury, is far from over. But day one is in the books, and everyone who plays this game knows that, while you can’t win a tournament on the first day, you certainly can lose it.

By his own admission, Setina endured one of those mornings that had him convinced he was on his way to the bottom of the standings.

“My day started out terribly,” the Pittsburg, Texas, pro says. “I couldn’t cast. Everything was off by 2 feet, and when you’re flipping bushes and trees you have to be precise.

“It was a nightmare,” he adds. “I jumped off several. I broke off a couple. I had a big one on a bed – an 8-pounder – and hooked her twice and lost her. After that, she was just too spooky; she was done.”

Most frustrating, Setina says, was the stark contrast in which his morning stood in comparison to his practice.

“I really thought I’d catch them pretty good today. I actually thought I’d catch closer to 30 pounds,” Setina says. “But I can’t complain, especially after how the day started out.”

With a lone keeper in the livewell at 11 o’clock, Setina said enough’s enough.

“I just calmed down, and things started to come together,” he says. “I caught one here, one there.”

Setina leads second-place pro Denny Brauer by just 8 ounces. Brauer experienced his own difficulties this morning when he aggravated a shoulder injury on his first hookset of the day. He was already scheduled to undergo an MRI on the shoulder after the tournament. Updates on his condition will follow in an additional story.

On the water, recent rains pushed Rayburn about 5 feet higher than normal, so a lot of the fish are tucked deep within shoreline trees that normally stand high and dry. Some are spawning, while others are moving out to postspawn locations.

Setina developed a particular technique for fishing the flooded trees that he feels was essential to his success.

“I feel like I got it dialed in pretty good, and I’m doing something that it seems like a lot of the other guys aren’t doing out there,” says Setina, who was understandably reserved about the specific details of his presentations. “You get the good bites doing what I’m doing, but you just don’t have a high degree of success landing them.”

Setina also kept his specific baits under wraps, but says he caught his fish flipping and throwing a swimbait and notes that specific offerings probably are not the key component.

Setina caught fish from 2 to 9 feet of water throughout a broad area. While no particular stretch stood out in terms of productivity, Setina selected leeward shorelines where he could get away from the winds that built to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Looking back at his rough start, Setina says it was simply a change in attitude that got him back on track.

“If it could go wrong this morning, it did. I’d set the hook and my bait would end up in a tree. It was just a really bad morning,” he says. “Finally, I sat down and just told myself to have fun. This lake has always been my Kryptonite. I’ll have good practices and then just terrible, terrible tournaments. Before I came down here, I told myself I’m going to fun fish. I did that, and it worked out.”

 

Day-one co-angler leader Randy Hicks wowed the weigh-in crowd with a 7-pound, 14-ounce kicker.

Hicks’ Hog Anchors Co-angler Lead

One flip completely changed the complexion of Randy Hicks’ opening-day effort. Sending a Strike King Rage Twin Tail Menace Grub toward the trunk of a flooded willow tree rewarded the Lumberton, Texas, co-angler with a 7-pound, 14-ounce kicker that took big-fish honors for the co-angler and clinched the day-one lead at 15 pounds.

Hicks fished the bait with a 1-ounce weight. He says he favors this bait for its slender body, which slides easily into cover.

“It’s compact and streamlined, and it goes down through the cover really well,” Hicks says. “You want to go right down to the center of the cover to get it to the base.”

Fishing in the trees, as well as the perimeter, Hicks caught eight keepers. His hot period was from 1 to 3 p.m., with the big one biting right in the middle.

 

Top 10 Pros

1: Joe Don Setina – Pittsburg, Texas – 23-06 (5)

2: Denny Brauer – Del Rio, Texas – 22-14 (5)

3: Ricky Guy – Humble, Texas – 22-13 (5)

4: Jeff Cade – Richardson, Texas – 22-10 (5)

5: Jim Tutt – Longview, Texas – 21-13 (5)

6: TJ Goodwyn – Center, Texas – 21-11 (5)

7: Ray Hanselman – Del Rio, Texas – 20-09 (5)

8: Kris Wilson – Montgomery, Texas – 20-07 (5)

9: Randy Sitz – Prosper, Texas – 19-14 (5)

10: Corey Harris – Chatham, La. – 18-15 (5)

 

Click here for complete results.

Top 5 Patterns from Sam Rayburn Day 1

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Top 5 Patterns from Sam Rayburn Day 1

Brauer Power is on display once again.

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April 10, 2015  by David A. Brown

Overcoming a tough start, Joe Don Setina rallied to take the day-one lead at the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event presented by Mercury on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. He’s fishing flooded trees and bushes like most of the field and weighed in 23 pounds, 6 ounces.

With the lake at a 15-year high thanks to recent rains, Rayburn’s bass are scattered, often in areas that are difficult to reach. Some pros are muscling their way through the thick stuff to search for bedding fish, while others opt for working the perimeter of the flooded zone for postspawn bass.

Here are the details of the rest of the top five.

2nd Place – Denny Brauer – 22 pounds, 14 ounces

The bass fishing legend from Del Rio, Texas, showcased his incomparable flipping skills today, just not in the circumstances he would have preferred. Brauer’s limit puts him just 8 ounces behind Setina, but he’s uncertain of how tomorrow will shape up for him.

“I’m having serious issues with my left shoulder, and I have an MRI scheduled for Monday,” Brauer explained with a grimace after weighing in. “I set the hook on a 12-incher right off the bat this morning and totally tore something loose.

“I’ve been fishing one-handed. I lost a couple of big fish,” he adds. “I feel very blessed to get through the day the way I did, but I’m very frustrated over what could have been.”

Brauer caught his fish by flipping and pitching the trees with Strike King plastics. On each bite, he had to employ an awkward side-sweeping hookset style.

 

Humble, Texas, pro Ricky Guy is less than 2 pounds off Setina's day-one lead.

3rd Place – Ricky Guy – 22 pounds, 13 ounces

Also working deep in the trees is Ricky Guy, who got off to a good start by sacking up a limit on his first spot. He’s catching fish that he believes are in various stages of the spawn.

“There are a few postspawners coming out; there are a few coming in,” he says.

With thousands of flooded trees in the lake, Guy’s narrowing down his likely spots by targeting trees in 3 to 8 feet and paying particular attention to those with significant vine growth and blown-in grass.

“It’s more habitat [the vines and grass], and the baitfish get blown up in there,” he says. “It’s a trap where the bass can ambush them easily.”

 

Jeff Cade shows off a nice pair of Sam Rayburn beauties.

4th Place – Jeff Cade – 22 pounds, 10 ounces

A kicker at the start of his day set a successful tone for Jeff Cade, and another nice catch midday kept the fun rolling. With his first day of competition pleasantly contrasting his practice, the pro from Richardson, Texas, found his reaction baits surprisingly productive today.

“I think the weather and the wind helped my bite,” Cade says. “The first fish I caught was about 6 1/2 pounds, and that got me off to a good start. Momentum is important. My biggest fish, which was about 7-2, was caught around 1:30.”

Complementing his moving baits, Cade also caught fish by dead-sticking soft plastics, mostly on the edges of the flooded trees.

 

Jim Tutt stands a good chance to make the top-10 cut. He's in fifth with 21-13.

5th – Jim Tutt – 21 pounds, 13 ounces

Fishing slowly and methodically is part of Jim Tutt’s formula, but he has also identified a particular depth range and a specific relationship to the shoreline that seem to make a difference for him. Tutt’s keeping his cards low on this scenario, but he did reveal a bit about his go-to baits.

Although he had intended to fish a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper that had produced in practice, that swimbait bite never materialized. Tutt stuck with two other Texas-rigged plastics and caught fish inside the trees, as well as outside.

“I’ve fished this lake a lot. This is where I started fishing tournaments,” Tutt says. “I caught most of my fish today in places I’ve never, ever, ever fished in my entire life. The water height and the pattern set up perfectly on places I’ve never fished.”

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