By nature, fishermen can be storytellers, and the top-shelf professional anglers who make up the Bassmaster Elite Series are no exception. Before the tournament began, the vast majority of the 108-angler field claimed the three official practice days were very unproductive — if not downright difficult.
It’s standard procedure for tournament anglers to hold their cards close to their chest, especially during the days leading up to official competition. However, practice was certainly difficult for some at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake.
Reality or a well-played bluff, all but eight anglers weighed five-fish limits of bass during the first round of competition on Wheeler. In all seriousness, effectively and consistently catching bass immediately following the spawn can be a difficult prospect as the fish are in need of recuperation. And, that is exactly what the anglers are faced with in in northwestern Alabama.
John Crews of Salem, Va., admittedly struggled to find the size bass he felt were necessary to win this tournament. Crews managed to do very well, however, weighing a limit of bass totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces and taking the first-day lead.
“The fishing has been tough on Wheeler this week,” Crews said. “I was able to develop a couple of patterns that I thought might be productive, but I was pretty surprised to catch the quality of bass I did today.”
This is the time of year when an exciting morning bite typically occurs, but for Crews his day started out pretty slow.
“I was able to put together a limit after about an hour and a half this morning,” he said. “But it was slower than I expected. Fortunately, I found better bites later in the morning, which helped me cull out some smaller fish. I didn’t catch a bass during the afternoon that would have helped my cause. That means I need to be very productive during the morning hours on Friday.”
Crews believes bass are continuing to move into his area, which makes him confident that he can keep on the right fish during Friday’s second round of competition.
The 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic Champion Casey Ashley said he went dam to dam on Wheeler in search of the competitive pattern with few results. Regardless of his struggle, Ashley still managed to catch an impressive limit of bass on Thursday that weighed 19-12, which was good enough for second place.
“I really didn’t know what to expect after a tough practice — I know a lot of guys said they struggled, but I actually did, until today,” Ashley said, who weighed the day’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass, a 6-14 largemouth. “I was hoping to catch 13 to 14 pounds, but catching that big one really helped push me up the leaderboard.” If that bass remains the heaviest of tournament, he’ll earn an extra $1,500.
Ashley said he caught a mixed bag of bass today. Three smallmouths and two largemouth bass made up his limit, which is not uncommon in this region of the Tennessee River.
Pennsylvania angler Dave Lefebre will be leaving the dock on Friday morning in third place after capitalizing on a good pattern that produced 18-12.
“I caught some good fish today, but I struggled, like everybody else, during practice,” Lefebre said. “Earlier in the week, I had a couple of bites in the area I fished today. But, I wasn’t able to produce a pattern anywhere else, so I’m pretty much stuck with one place — although it really surprised me today.”
Lefebre has nothing to fall back on and is committed to one specific location for the remainder of the tournament. One positive, he said, is that he is fishing by himself, and believes his spot is capable of producing more solid limits of bass as the tournament advances.
After Day 1, the remaining Top 10 anglers include: Brandon Lester in fourth with 18-11, Kevin VanDam in fifth with 18-7, Josh Bertrand in sixth with 18-1, James Elam in seventh with 17-14, Boyd Ducket in eighth with 17-4, Davy Hite in ninth with 17-1 and Edwin Evers in 10th with 16-15.
A full field of 108 anglers will fish again during Friday’s second round, and will be cut to the Top 50 for Saturday’s semi-final round, with only the Top 12 advancing to Championship Sunday.
Daily takeoffs are scheduled for 6:15 a.m. ET at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur, Ala., with weigh-ins scheduled at the same location each afternoon at 3:15 p.m.
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Shell Rotella, Shimano, Academy Sports + Outdoors, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, Power-Pole, Rapala
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, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, 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 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake 4/28-5/1
Wheeler Lake, Decatur AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 20-07 110
Day 1: 5 20-07
2. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 19-12 109
Day 1: 5 19-12
3. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 5 18-12 108
Day 1: 5 18-12
4. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 18-11 107
Day 1: 5 18-11
5. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 18-07 106
Day 1: 5 18-07
6. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 5 18-01 105
Day 1: 5 18-01
7. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 17-14 104
Day 1: 5 17-14
8. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 5 17-04 103
Day 1: 5 17-04
9. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 17-01 102
Day 1: 5 17-01
10. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 16-15 101
Day 1: 5 16-15
11. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 16-08 100
Day 1: 5 16-08
12. David Williams Newton, NC 5 16-07 99
Day 1: 5 16-07
13. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 16-07 98
Day 1: 5 16-07
14. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 16-02 97
Day 1: 5 16-02
15. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 16-01 96
Day 1: 5 16-01
15. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 16-01 96
Day 1: 5 16-01
17. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 5 15-15 94
Day 1: 5 15-15
18. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 5 15-11 93
Day 1: 5 15-11
19. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 15-08 92
Day 1: 5 15-08
20. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 15-07 91
Day 1: 5 15-07
21. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 15-06 90
Day 1: 5 15-06
21. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 15-06 90
Day 1: 5 15-06
23. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 15-05 88
Day 1: 5 15-05
23. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 15-05 88
Day 1: 5 15-05
25. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 15-05 86
Day 1: 5 15-05
26. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 14-14 85
Day 1: 5 14-14
27. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 5 14-08 84
Day 1: 5 14-08
28. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 5 14-08 83
Day 1: 5 14-08
29. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 14-07 82
Day 1: 5 14-07
30. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 14-06 81
Day 1: 5 14-06
30. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 14-06 81
Day 1: 5 14-06
32. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 14-04 79
Day 1: 5 14-04
33. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 14-04 78
Day 1: 5 14-04
34. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 14-02 77
Day 1: 5 14-02
35. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 5 13-15 76
Day 1: 5 13-15
36. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 13-15 75
Day 1: 5 13-15
37. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 13-14 74
Day 1: 5 13-14
38. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 13-13 73
Day 1: 5 13-13
39. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 13-10 72
Day 1: 5 13-10
40. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 5 13-10 71
Day 1: 5 13-10
41. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 13-08 70
Day 1: 5 13-08
41. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 13-08 70
Day 1: 5 13-08
43. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 13-05 68
Day 1: 5 13-05
44. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 13-04 67
Day 1: 5 13-04
45. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 13-03 66
Day 1: 5 13-03
46. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 13-01 65
Day 1: 5 13-01
47. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 13-00 64
Day 1: 5 13-00
48. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 12-14 63
Day 1: 5 12-14
48. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 12-14 63
Day 1: 5 12-14
50. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 12-12 61
Day 1: 5 12-12
51. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 12-08 60
Day 1: 5 12-08
52. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 12-07 59
Day 1: 5 12-07
53. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 12-02 58
Day 1: 5 12-02
54. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 12-00 57
Day 1: 5 12-00
55. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 11-12 56
Day 1: 5 11-12
56. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 11-11 55
Day 1: 5 11-11
57. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 5 11-10 54
Day 1: 5 11-10
57. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 5 11-10 54
Day 1: 5 11-10
57. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 11-10 54
Day 1: 5 11-10
60. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 11-07 51
Day 1: 5 11-07
61. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 11-06 50
Day 1: 5 11-06
62. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 11-03 49
Day 1: 5 11-03
63. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 11-02 48
Day 1: 5 11-02
64. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 11-02 47
Day 1: 5 11-02
64. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 5 11-02 47
Day 1: 5 11-02
66. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 11-00 45
Day 1: 5 11-00
67. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 5 10-15 44
Day 1: 5 10-15
68. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 5 10-13 43
Day 1: 5 10-13
69. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 5 10-10 42
Day 1: 5 10-10
70. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 5 10-09 41
Day 1: 5 10-09
71. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 10-08 40
Day 1: 5 10-08
72. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 10-07 39
Day 1: 5 10-07
73. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 5 10-03 38
Day 1: 5 10-03
74. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 5 10-01 37
Day 1: 5 10-01
75. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 10-00 36
Day 1: 5 10-00
76. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 09-15 35
Day 1: 5 09-15
77. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 09-14 34
Day 1: 5 09-14
78. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 09-10 33
Day 1: 5 09-10
78. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 09-10 33
Day 1: 5 09-10
80. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 09-06 31
Day 1: 5 09-06
81. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 09-04 30
Day 1: 5 09-04
82. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 09-03 29
Day 1: 5 09-03
82. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 5 09-03 29
Day 1: 5 09-03
84. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 5 09-01 27
Day 1: 5 09-01
85. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 08-14 26
Day 1: 5 08-14
85. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 08-14 26
Day 1: 5 08-14
87. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 5 08-09 24
Day 1: 5 08-09
88. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 5 08-07 23
Day 1: 5 08-07
88. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, DE 5 08-07 23
Day 1: 5 08-07
90. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 5 08-05 21
Day 1: 5 08-05
91. John Murray Spring City, TN 5 08-04 20
Day 1: 5 08-04
92. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 4 08-02 19
Day 1: 4 08-02
93. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 08-01 18
Day 1: 5 08-01
94. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 4 07-15 17
Day 1: 4 07-15
95. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 07-11 16
Day 1: 5 07-11
95. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 5 07-11 16
Day 1: 5 07-11
97. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 07-08 14
Day 1: 5 07-08
98. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 4 07-08 13
Day 1: 4 07-08
99. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 07-07 12
Day 1: 5 07-07
99. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 07-07 12
Day 1: 5 07-07
99. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 07-07 12
Day 1: 5 07-07
102. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 07-00 9
Day 1: 5 07-00
103. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 4 07-00 8
Day 1: 4 07-00
104. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 06-12 7
Day 1: 5 06-12
105. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 4 05-12 6
Day 1: 4 05-12
106. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 3 04-11 5
Day 1: 3 04-11
107. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 4 03-12 4
Day 1: 4 03-12
108. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 2 03-09 3
Day 1: 2 03-09
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 100 529 1304-00
———————————-
100 529 1304-00
By: Helen White, Bassmaster
