Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., bounced back to reclaim the lead today after bringing 17 pounds, 5 ounces to the scale during the semi-final round of GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma.
Ashley’s limit of bass bumped his three-day total to 51-15, which is more than 3 pounds ahead of Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., who now sits in second.
“The morning hours are very important to producing a solid limit,” Ashley said. “Once the sun gets high, the fish seem more reluctant to bite. It’s flat-out challenging to cull up during the afternoon.”
Even after three days of competition and several official practice days, the 2015 Bassmaster Classic champion said that he still isn’t locked in on a specific pattern, but the fishing remains good in his area.
“During most tournaments you can often predict when and where the fish will bite, but here it’s not that way at all. The fish are setting up in submerged bushes that are typically on dry land. When one does bite, it’s very random compared to how and where the last fish did.”
Ashley said that covering water and keeping his lure in the brush is the best way to find and catch active fish.
Swindle caught 16 pounds today pushing this total weight to 48-5, and he attributes his success to fishing ultra slow and giving the brush-hugging bass several opportunities to see and eat his presentation.
“I missed a lot of fish today. They were biting it, but not fully eating it, which makes it hard to get a good hookset,” Swindle said. “I personally believe that the receding water makes the bass uncomfortable, which results in half-hearted bites. I am catching good fish, though, and with a weather change in the forecast, I bet it gets even better on Sunday”
Each day of competition, Swindle has improved his placement in the daily standings. The only way to better today’s finish is to win on Sunday, and in order for that to happen, he thinks at least 19 pounds will be required.
Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., weighed in a five-bass limit for 12-7 and fell two spots to third place today. He is currently 4 pounds, 13 ounces out of the lead.
“I didn’t get the big bites today, but to be honest I’m very happy with how things have gone so far,” Hackney said. “I came here to finish strong and improve on my Angler of the Year standings, and now I’ve got a shot at winning this thing.
“I’m glad we have a day off, which I believe will help me and the fishing. There is a pending weather system pushing through by the end of the weekend, and I think that will help what I’ve got going on.”
Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., caught a bass that weighed in at 7-6, which is the derby’s new Phoenix Boats Big Bass. If a bigger bass isn’t caught during Championship Sunday, Tharp will take home a $1,500 bonus.
Rounding out the Top 10 are Rick Clunn (44-0), Chad Morgenthaler (43-8), Brandon Card (43-1), Randall Tharp (42-9), Bradley Roy (42-3), Ott DeFoe (41-10) and Keith Poche (41-6).
Following today’s weigh-in, the field will be cut to the Top 12 anglers who will compete on Sunday for the $100,000 first-place prize and a berth to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Takeoff will be held Sunday morning at Dam Site Park in Denison, Texas, at 6:15 a.m. CT, and weigh-in will take place at 3:45 p.m. at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Okla.
There will be no fishing on Saturday, as Bassmaster University will take place at Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Okla., in the same location as daily weigh-ins. Gates open at 10 a.m., and it’s completely free to the public. Bassmaster fans will have opportunities to visit sponsor booths, attend pro seminars, ask their favorite anglers questions and even gather autographs.
Also on Saturday, the Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team has been invited to participate in a special tournament Saturday on Lake McGee. Each All-American angler will be paired with an Elite Series pro for the one-day derby with weigh-in at Choctaw Casino Resort beginning at 2:30 p.m.
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, GoPro, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, Academy Sports + Outdoors, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines,Bassmaster website, television show (The Bassmasters), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Nation, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
2016 GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort 6/8-6/12
Lake Texoma, Durant OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 51-15 110
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 17-05
2. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 48-05 109
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 16-00
3. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 48-03 108 $500.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 12-07
4. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 15 44-00 107
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 14-10
5. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 14 43-08 106
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 4 11-02 Day 3: 5 13-00
6. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 15 43-01 105
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 16-09
7. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 15 42-09 104
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 12-02 Day 3: 5 16-01
8. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 42-03 103
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 18-12 Day 3: 5 13-08
9. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 41-10 102
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 11-05
10. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 41-06 101
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 12-15 Day 3: 5 12-07
11. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 15 41-04 100
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 14-12
12. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 40-12 99
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 12-06
13. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 15 40-12 98 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 14-04
14. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 15 40-11 97 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 13-05
15. David Walker Sevierville, TN 15 40-07 96 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 11-00 Day 3: 5 12-15
16. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 39-14 95 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 14-07
17. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 39-10 94 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 15-06
18. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 14 39-09 93 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 4 10-02 Day 3: 5 15-07
19. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 15 39-05 92 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 13-05
20. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 38-12 91 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 5 13-07
21. David Williams Newton, NC 15 38-00 90 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 15-00
22. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 37-13 89 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 12-07
23. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 37-12 88 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 08-12
24. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 14 37-08 87 $11,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 12-13
25. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 15 37-07 86 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 12-09
26. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 36-05 85 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 09-11 Day 3: 5 10-11
27. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 15 36-02 84 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 10-03
28. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 15 35-08 83 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 07-08 Day 3: 5 11-11
29. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 15 35-03 82 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 08-13
30. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 35-01 81 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 09-07
31. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 35-01 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 11-04
32. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 14 34-11 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 4 09-14
33. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 15 34-10 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 12-05
34. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 13 34-08 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 4 14-15 Day 3: 4 09-04
35. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 13 34-02 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 3 09-11 Day 3: 5 11-03
36. John Murray Spring City, TN 15 33-13 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 11-05
37. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 15 33-12 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 11-06
38. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 13 33-06 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 3 04-13
39. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 14 33-04 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 4 09-12
40. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 13 33-03 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 3 11-04 Day 3: 5 08-07
41. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 15 33-01 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 10-04
42. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 11 32-15 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 1 02-04
43. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 13 32-07 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 3 08-09 Day 3: 5 08-12
44. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 14 30-04 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 4 07-03
45. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 13 29-11 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 3 06-01
46. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 14 28-14 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 4 06-08
47. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 12 27-05 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 2 02-10
48. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 12 26-15 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 09-07 Day 3: 2 03-04
49. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 11 24-14 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 1 01-03
50. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 11 24-08 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 1 01-06
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 91 508 1176-04
2 79 490 1151-06
3 38 223 544-04
———————————-
208 1221 2871-14
By: Helen White, Bassmaster
