Aaron Martens said he’s exhausted after averaging only four hours of sleep a night since the tournament began, and he’s lost at least four good-size bass this week.
But through it all, he’s put himself in position to score a rare wire-to-wire victory at the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Chesapeake Bay.
Martens caught five bass that weighed 16 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday and held onto his lead for the third straight day with a total of 48-13.
After entering Saturday’s semifinal round with a lead of only 11 ounces, Martens will begin Championship Sunday with nearly a 5-pound cushion over Indiana angler Bill Lowen (43-14). Alabamians Russ Lane (41-12) and Gerald Swindle (39-15) are next, followed by South Carolina pro Davy Hite (39-13).
“I was panicking a little bit today, all day until the end,” said Martens, who stretched his lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings to 69 points over Justin Lucas. “Every day has been like that. It was a nerve-racking day, to say the least.”
Martens caught two “good fish” (any bass weighing 3 pounds or better is considered “good” in this event) early and then pushed closer to a limit with one that weighed only about a pound. Then he lost four heavy bass before finally putting his fourth fish in the boat.
“That makes you kind of jittery,” Martens said. “But once I caught another one, I settled down and started thinking again.”
The razor-sharp barnacles that have been such a problem for the anglers who are fishing dock pilings this week were to blame for some of Martens’ Saturday mishaps. He said he might switch to a bigger line size or even a bigger bait Sunday, but sometimes it’s just can’t be avoided.
“It’s hard to make decisions in the moment when you have a fish yanking on your line,” Martens said. “You want to set the hook hard, but sometimes that just won’t work in these conditions.
“Every day, I try to figure it out a little better. I’ll probably go up on the line I’m using from 10-pound to 12-or 14-pound.”
Though a 5-pound cushion seems comfortable for a professional angler who has been as consistent as Martens this week, he said he plans to make changes Sunday if the fish don’t cooperate during the first couple of hours. One reason he’s nervous is the consistency of Lowen, who weighed 15-11 Saturday after catching 15-13 Friday.
Lowen said the key to his consistency has been his ability to catch fish on any tide.
“I found a little deal with a boat-lane ditch that’s a little deeper than everything else, and it’s got milfoil on it that’s matted out,” Lowen said. “At high tide, I can catch them over that.
“The area is full of bait, and it’s got stripers and catfish. It’s the cycle of life that’s going on in there. I’m just going through there and picking off the bass I can catch.”
After catching 10 keepers Saturday, Lowen believes there are still plenty of fish in his area.
“I bounced around a lot in there today, just trying to find new areas and let some areas rest for tomorrow,” Lowen said. “I haven’t had any real big bites in there, but hopefully we can get them tomorrow.”
The two Alabama anglers in the Top 5 have also been consistent during a week of fishing when five-bass limits have been hard for many to find.
Lane, who caught 14-15 Friday and 14-13 Saturday, said he’s been fishing an area he found during practice. It’s helped that he’s been fishing it all alone.
“I started off strong and caught them steady all day,” Lane said. “I probably caught 20 fish today. I don’t know if there are any giants in there, like I’m going to need to win, but I think there’s definitely the potential for another 14- or 15-pound bag.
“I’ve got it all to myself. I haven’t seen another boat in there all week.”
Swindle caught 14-12 Saturday — his biggest catch of the week — and credited his success to “not thinking too much.”
“When it comes to running the tides and figuring out the tides, I just don’t have time for it,” Swindle said. “That stuff gets in people’s heads. If you were in a place where there was a good pattern you could run, it would be different. But here, there’s just too much dead water in between the good areas.”
So he’s just been fishing anything that looks good.
“I just quit thinking about it,” Swindle said. “If a tree’s sticking up, I flip it. If a tree’s under water, I flip over it.”
The other anglers in the final Top 12 were Chad Pipkens (39-8), Carl Jocumsen (37-15), Greg Hackney (37-9), Brent Chapman (37-9), Mark Menendez (36-3), Andy Montgomery (35-14) and Bernie Schultz (35-9).
The Elite anglers will take off at 6:15 a.m. Sunday from Anchor Marina and North East Community Park. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3 p.m. with a $100,000 first-place prize on the line.
The Elite Series Expo will have B.A.S.S. sponsor representatives onsite throughout the weekend with activities, games and prizes for attendees. All of the family-friendly activities planned throughout the weekend are free and open to the public.
Cecil County’s Summerfest will also be underway with live music, arts and crafts vendors, family-fun activities and a kids’ zone.
Bass fishing fans can follow the action Sunday on Bassmaster website, including live video coverage of the leaders.
2015 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, GoPro, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2015 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: A.R.E. Accessories, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Huk Performance Fishing, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
About B.A.S.S
. B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. 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 presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, 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.
2015 HUK Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Chesapeake Bay 8/13-8/16
Chesapeake Bay, Cecil County MD.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 48-13 100 $500.00
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 16-05
2. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 43-14 99
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 15-11
3. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 15 41-12 98
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 14-13
4. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 39-15 97
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 5 14-12
5. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 15 39-13 96
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 13-01
6. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 13 39-08 95
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 3 07-11
7. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 11 37-15 94
Day 1: 4 14-07 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 2 06-03
8. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 13 37-09 93
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 3 07-04
9. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 15 37-09 92
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 11-00 Day 3: 5 14-10
10. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 14 36-03 91
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 4 12-06 Day 3: 5 13-10
11. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 15 35-14 90
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 09-09 Day 3: 5 12-01
12. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 11 35-09 89
Day 1: 4 10-11 Day 2: 4 14-12 Day 3: 3 10-02
13. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 13 35-00 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 3 07-12
14. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 11 34-09 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 4 12-09 Day 3: 2 05-07
15. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 13 33-13 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 3 05-11
16. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 33-06 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 05-13 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 15-04
17. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 13 33-04 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 15-00
18. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 12 33-00 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 09-08 Day 2: 4 07-09 Day 3: 5 15-15
19. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 11 33-00 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 1 02-06 Day 3: 5 15-11
20. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 32-05 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 14-02
21. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 10 32-00 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 5 16-14
22. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 12 31-07 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-12 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 10-09
23. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 30-15 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 11-12 Day 3: 5 08-13
24. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 14 30-12 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 4 06-09 Day 3: 5 13-07
25. David Walker Sevierville, TN 11 30-08 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 12-10
26. Randy Howell Springville, AL 10 30-07 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 3 08-07 Day 3: 2 06-15
27. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 14 30-04 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 4 07-12 Day 3: 5 12-05
28. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 13 29-14 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 3 04-02 Day 3: 5 13-15
29. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 15 29-13 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 09-07 Day 3: 5 10-07
30. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 12 29-03 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 3 06-13
31. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 28-09 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 12-05
32. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 12 28-01 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 3 05-07 Day 3: 4 10-12
33. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 15 27-15 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 06-01 Day 3: 5 08-03
34. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 15 26-15 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 08-00
35. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 15 26-14 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 07-08
36. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 12 26-12 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 3 04-00 Day 3: 4 10-03
37. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 12 24-15 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 2 04-06
38. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 8 24-14 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 2 07-10 Day 3: 1 02-02
39. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 9 24-11 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 07-09 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 1 02-11
40. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 11 24-01 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 4 07-04 Day 3: 2 05-01
41. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 11 23-15 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-11 Day 2: 4 07-05 Day 3: 3 06-15
42. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 23-14 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 4 08-09 Day 3: 2 05-02
43. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 23-06 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 5 09-15 Day 3: 5 07-05
44. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 12 22-12 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 06-13 Day 3: 2 03-10
45. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 11 21-15 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 05-12 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 3 05-08
46. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 21-00 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-14 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 2 04-14
47. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 20-13 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-12 Day 2: 5 07-09 Day 3: 5 05-08
48. David Smith Del City, OK 9 20-05 53 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 3 05-00 Day 3: 1 03-02
49. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 19-15 52 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 04-13 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 1 00-13
50. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 6 17-02 51 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 1 02-02 Day 3: 0 00-00
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 43 338 783-01
2 36 330 760-02
3 27 187 467-13
———————————-
106 855 2011-00
By: Helen White, Bassmaster
