Dozens of anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series joined an already-giant crowd of spectators Saturday afternoon to watch Rick Clunn weigh in his Day 3 catch.
They sensed something special was about to happen — and they were right.
The 69-year-old Missouri angler, who has fished more than 400 events with B.A.S.S., proved he still has plenty of fight left with an eye-popping five-bass limit that weighed 31 pounds, 7 ounces. The tournament-best catch pushed Clunn’s three-day total to 62-15 and lifted him from 31st place into the lead in the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels.
Clunn, a four-time winner of the Bassmaster Classic and a 14-time champion on the B.A.S.S. circuit, said it was one of the better rounds of tournament fishing he’s ever had.
“It was just one of those days that was magical,” Clunn said. “This is the third-largest five-fish limit I’ve ever weighed in. Everything went right. Every fish that bit, I caught.”
Clunn said he had known all week that the fishery had the potential to produce a big bag. As it turned out, he needed two bags to carry in his monumental catch — one of which was carried up the walkway from the boat dock by fellow Elite Series angler Skeet Reese.
It was a change in the weather that Clunn said made all the difference.
“I knew how to catch the big ones, but I also knew I had to have the wind and the rain to catch them,” he said. “I had it today, and I caught all of the big ones in about an hour.
“When the wind shifted and really started to blow, I knew I could probably catch them — and I did.”
With the weigh-in winding down, Clunn waited to remove his fish from his livewell until his family could make it in from the airport. His young son, Sage, helped him sack the fish and accompanied him onto the weigh-in platform.
“To him, all of my accomplishments are purely in the history books,” said Clunn, who hasn’t won a B.A.S.S. event since the 2002 Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas. “I wanted him to witness the catch. Hearing about it later is just not the same.”
Despite going into the final day with a 6-pound lead, Clunn said anything can happen on a fishery full of big bass that are right in the middle of the spring spawning run. He expects a hard charge from second-place angler Greg Hackney (56-15), third-place angler Justin Lucas (56-3) and the rest of the Top 12 anglers who qualified for Sunday’s championship round.
Hackney said he has fished three different areas each day of the event so far and plans to fish a fourth new area Sunday. His Saturday catch of 17-9 was anchored by a 7-10 largemouth.
“That biggest fish would get on the bed and wouldn’t stay,” Hackney said. “I was probably a little too close when I first set up.”
So Hackney left the fish, moved down the shoreline and came back a few minutes later.
“The fish would get up on the bed and sit if I wasn’t there,” Hackney said. “I was worried about it a little bit when I came back because the wind was blowing so hard that I couldn’t tell if she was there or not. But as soon as I got the bait right the first time, she bit.”
Lucas caught 19-9 Saturday to put himself in position for his second career B.A.S.S. win with a three-day total of 56-3, while Florida pro Terry Scroggins stayed in contention with a Saturday catch of 16-11 that pushed his overall mark to 55-3.
But all of the buzz after the weigh-in was about Clunn — and he used the moment to inspire.
“Never accept that all of your best moments are in your past,” Clunn said. “Most of us go through a peak period. But when you start to lose that, you start to wonder.
“Maybe I don’t have as many great moments ahead, but I still have great moments to look forward to.”
Sunday’s take-off will be at 7:15 a.m. ET from Palatka City Dock, with weigh-ins set for 3:30 p.m. at Palatka Riverfront Park. The winning angler will receive $100,000.
The local host for the event is the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Toyota, Berkley
2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, Academy Sports + Outdoors, A.R.E. Truck Caps
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 Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/17-3/20
St. Johns River, Palatka FL.
PROFESSIONAL Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 15 62-15 110
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 31-07
2. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 56-15 109 $500.00
Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 17-09
3. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 56-03 108
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 22-13 Day 3: 5 19-09
4. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 15 55-03 107
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 21-10 Day 3: 5 16-11
5. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 15 55-00 106
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 23-01 Day 3: 5 21-03
6. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 15 54-13 105
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 23-09
7. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 15 54-13 104
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 20-13 Day 3: 5 18-14
8. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 15 54-12 103
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 16-07
9. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 54-04 102
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 23-03
10. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 15 53-08 101
Day 1: 5 22-15 Day 2: 5 09-14 Day 3: 5 20-11
11. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 15 51-02 100
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 12-11
12. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 15 49-12 99
Day 1: 5 22-10 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 14-10
13. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 49-11 98 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 11-12
14. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 49-00 97 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 19-14
15. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 15 48-14 96 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 19-02
16. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 48-12 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-05 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 15-05
17. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 15 48-10 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 16-10
18. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 48-05 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 08-01 Day 3: 5 19-04
19. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 48-00 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 10-14
20. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 47-15 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 12-10
21. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 47-10 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 14-09
22. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 47-09 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 14-10
23. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 15 47-07 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 16-00
24. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 15 47-04 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 5 15-12
25. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 15 47-01 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 11-03
26. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 13 46-15 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 3 09-14
27. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 46-15 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 10-10
28. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 15 46-13 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 15-10
29. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 15 46-01 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 07-14
30. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 15 45-13 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 5 14-02
31. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 45-07 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 09-01 Day 3: 5 15-13
32. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 45-07 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 15-01
33. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 15 45-06 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 14-11
34. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 15 45-01 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 11-10 Day 3: 5 11-13
35. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 45-00 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 12-11
36. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 15 44-14 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 16-02
37. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 44-11 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 13-08
38. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 15 44-09 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 14-11
39. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 15 44-07 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 13-09
40. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 42-12 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 5 08-04
41. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 42-07 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 11-00
42. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 15 42-03 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 12-03
43. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 42-02 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 08-15
44. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 41-09 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 09-14
45. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 15 40-12 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 06-13
46. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 13 40-11 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-14 Day 2: 3 06-02 Day 3: 5 11-11
47. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 15 40-09 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 07-14 Day 3: 5 11-05
48. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 13 40-04 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 3 05-15
49. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 15 39-02 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 10-00
50. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 14 37-01 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 4 05-00
51. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 12 32-07 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 08-11 Day 3: 2 03-11
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 109 547 1656-09
2 96 520 1339-06
3 47 247 724-13
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252 1314 3720-12
By: Helen White, Bassmaster
