Forrest Wood Cup 2011 Day 1: Scott Martin Leads with Big Bag!

The Forest Wood Cup is a huge party!
(Photo: FLW)

By Luigi De Rose
Scott Martin takes Day 1 of the FLW, Forrest L. Wood Cup Championship. Held on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas, anglers were met with heavy rains and cooler temps on the first day. Practice for the Cup was under clear skies and triple digit temps. If the weather changes again after this front, the leader board might shake violently.

TOP 10
1 MARTIN, SCOTT 19-02 (5)    
2 CHRISTIE, JASON 18-01 (5)    
3 COULTER, BRANDON 18-00 (5)     
4 YELAS, JAY 17-05 (5)    
5 THARP, RANDALL 16-00 (5)  
6 LUCAS, JUSTIN 14-14 (5)    
7 STRELIC, JON 14-12 (5)    
8 WHEELER, JACOB 14-10 (5)    
9 ROSE, MARK 14-09 (5)    
10 MEYER, CODY 14-02 (5)    

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Denny Wins!

Missouri’s Denny Brauer closes on 17th Bassmaster win


Jun 12, 2011
BASS Press Release

Denny's 17th Bassmaster Win!
(Photos: Jamer Overstreet BASS)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Leading for three days, Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., closed on the Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive on Sunday with 52 pounds, 2 ounces, posting a winning margin of over 7 pounds.
Brauer had a 10-plus-pound lead going into the final round, an insurance policy he didn’t need. Adding 7-5 on the fourth and final day, the legend of the sport clinched a wire-to-wire victory.
His prize was $100,000 and a berth in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., was the pro who went after Brauer hardest in the final hours of the Diamond Drive. But Martens, third after Saturday’s competition, weighed 10-11 Sunday for 45-1 overall and second place.

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Denny Domination

Denny Brauer Remains the Leader after Day 3

By Deb Johnson
BASS Press Release

Brauer Still on Top.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — If they’re honest about it, most bass pros would have to admit they’ve learned from Denny Brauer. Saturday, the famed pro from Camdenton, Mo., schooled some of the best in the business by keeping his lead for the third day in the Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive.
Brauer’s catch of 10 pounds, 12 ounces, fended off the changing lineup of fellow Elite pros who have been doing their best all week to wreck Brauer’s chance at a 17th Bassmaster victory. But with 44-13 over three days, Brauer stayed 10-2 ahead of Saturday’s frontline challenger, John Murray of Phoenix, Ariz., who ended his day in second place with 34-11.
Only the top 12 anglers after three days made it to Sunday’s final round. They will compete for $100,000, a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth, and points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.
Murray, among others in the Top 12, said he was resigned to fishing for second place on Sunday. But Brauer, a pro who has captured the sport’s most coveted titles — Bassmaster Classic champ and Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year — still was not convinced that a 10-pound lead was enough to win no matter what Day Four brought.

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Mid Day Up-Date

By Luigi De Rose

On any river that has commercial barge traffic or electric generation, Saturday is always a different day. River traffic and water flow changes dramatically due to so many people not working on the weekends and a decrease in electrical energy demands. What all this means to the fisherman is that the current created by barge traffic or water flowing through turbines, is less and the bass reposition. If the current tapers off to a dribble expect the bite to die. 

According to bassmaster.com, the mid-day report's unofficial weights looks like this:
standing/name/fish/day 3 weigth/total
1 Denny Brauer 3 6-00 40-01
2 John Murray 4 10-09 33-12
3 Aaron Martens 5 12-00 33-06
4 Jonathan VanDam 5 16-00 31-10
5 Ish Monroe 5 10-08 31-07
6 Gerald Swindle 5 10-00 30-11
7 Billy McCaghren 2 3-12 28-03
8 Kevin VanDam 1 2-00 27-11
9 Timmy Horton 5 13-05 27-01
10 Keith Combs 3 5-00 24-10
11 Greg Vinsom 2 3-04 24-09
12 Takahiro Omori 1 2-01 24-07
13 Clark Rheem 2 3-03 23-15
14 Ben Parker 4 8-11 23-10
15 Randy Howell 3 5-13 23-09

Another factor is the locks. Yesterday, 5 anglers arrived late to the ramp due to delays with the locks and all suffered a late penalty. If one of the leaders comes in late today and their day's weight has deductions, the leader board can change in a hurry. Jonathan Van Dam is a great example of how one good day on the Arkansas River will change everything. On day 1 he scored a big ZERO and on day 2 his five fish limit weighted 15-10 lifting him into the Top 50. It appears he is doing well again and has leaped into the Top 10.
Stay tuned!

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 2: Denny Brauer In Total Command!

By Luigi De Rose


Denny Brauer's monster 19 pound plus bag puts him in the lead. KVD in second nearly 10 pounds behind. The final cut, to make the top 50, weight was just about 12 pounds. Kevin Van Dam has taken over the lead for the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. He is in position to claim his 4th consecutive AOY title.

The Top 5
place/name/fish/weight
1 Dennis Brauer 10 34- 1
2 Kevin VanDam 10 25-11
3 Billy McCaghren 9 24- 7
4 John Murray 10 23- 3
5 Takahiro Omori 10 22- 6
Stay tuned!

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 2: Mid Day Up-Date

Reports from Bassmaster.com
This is an unofficial leader board based on what bassmaster's writers have witnessed. Remember, this a river with many anglers using locks to reach distant areas. One delay and a top weight can be zeroed if the angler arrives late to the ramp. Locks are always a gamble especially if a barge wants to finish work quickly on a Friday afternoon before everyone leaves for the weekend. Barge traffic always get preference before tournament boats. Hopefully, no one will falter due to busy locks. 

1:15 p.m.

Place	Angler	Fish	Day Two	Total
1	Denny Brauer	5	12-01	26-11
2	Kevin VanDam	5	9-08	22-04
3	Takahiro Omori	4	11-00	21-05
4	Aaron Martens	5	10-04	20-12
5	Gerald Swindle	5	12-00	20-04
6	Randy Howell	5	9-06	18-12
7	Brent Chapman	4	8-12	18-05
8	Todd Faircloth	4	11-00	18-00
9	Greg Vinson	3	7-00	17-06
10	Ish Monroe	2	2-12	17-04
11	Mark Davis	3	8-08	17-02
12	Jason Williamson	2	6-00	17-00

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 1: Brauer Battles to Top

Denny Brauer Leads Day 1
By Deb Johnson
(BASS Press Release)

Jun 9, 2011

Vetran Brauer with a solid limit to take 1st.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For the second time of the Bassmaster Elite Series season, bass fishing legend Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., took the lead on the first day.
And on what was arguably the toughest first day of any event in the 2011 Elite season, Brauer’s 14 pounds, 10 ounces of Arkansas River bass was just enough to command the top spot in the Diamond Drive on Thursday. He was 2 ounces ahead of Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., in second place with 14-8, and more than a pound in front of Keith Poche of Troy, Ala., third with 13-8.
In fourth place was the only pro from Arkansas to slip into the top five. Billy McCaghren of Mayflower brought in 13-3, managing 3 ounces more than Shaw Grigsby, who won the season opener on the Harris Chain of Lakes in his home state of Florida. In sixth was Michigan’s Kevin VanDam, who had 12-12.