2016 BASS Elite St. Johns River Day 3: Rick Clunn Smashes Monster Limit to Take Lead!

Clunn Stuns with 31-07 lb limit!                              

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

By 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.

Legendary angler Rick Clunn shows the crowd that he
still has his magic.  (Photo: BASS)

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.

2016 BASS Elite St. John's River Day 2: Hackney in Command.

Sight Fishing a Grind as Topwaters Tempt.

By Brian Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

With most of the field sight fishing for spawning bass, Louisiana pro Greg Hackney took a slightly different approach during Friday’s second round of the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels.

Hackney mixing blind casting and sight fishing.
(Photo: BASS)

By daring to be a little different, Hackney caught a five-bass limit that weighed 18 pounds, 1 ounce and jumped into the overall lead with a two-day total of 39-6. Florida pro and local favorite Terry Scroggins is second with 38-8, followed by Alabamian Jordan Lee with 38-7 and South Carolina angler Marty Robinson with 38-5.

“I’m fishing spawning fish for sure,” Hackney said. “I’m not necessarily looking at all of them, but I know they’re bedding or guarding fry or something.

“I caught a couple of rats (small fish) that I was looking at. But I caught all of the good ones just fishing.”

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sabine River Day 1: Chris Lane Claims Lead with 15 lb Limit

Lots of limits despite foggy start.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

ORANGE, Texas -- With many areas flooded and the tide playing havoc with others, Alabama angler Chris Lane figured he would have a one-hour window to make a big score during Thursday’s opening round of the Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River Presented by STARK Cultural Venues.

He was right – and he made the most of it, bringing in five bass that weighed 15 pounds, 10 ounces to claim the opening-round lead after the launch was delayed nearly two hours by fog. Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is a close second with 15-2, followed by Aaron Martens (13-14), Shaw Grigsby (13-4) and 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Greg Hackney (12-9).

Chris found magic hour to claim first. (Photo: BASS)

Lane, who caught all of his fish from 2 feet of water or less, said that one magic hour when the tide was just right proved to be his best ever on the Sabine.

“With tidal water, there are times to really capitalize,” said Lane, who finished 22^nd in the 2013 Elite Series event on the Sabine. “Those windows are very short. But when you find what really works on a certain fishery during that hour window that you have, you can really put some good fish in the boat.”

Lane already had a limit before his magic hour began, but he culled his three smallest fish for his three biggest of the day during that window.

2014 BASSFest Day 3: Lead is Jacob Wheeler's Again!

Wheeler's lead reduced to ounces. 

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

DAYTON, Tenn. — Last June in a major tournament on Chickamauga, Jacob Wheeler finished in 92nd place.

He’s a fast learner. Thursday he led the June 11-15 Bassmaster BASSfest competition on the same fishery. Saturday, he did it again.

Jacob explains that the heat, fishing pressure
 and party boats are making fishing difficult.
(Photo: BASS)

“When it’s your time, it’s your time. I put that out there on the line here. If you’re meant to win, it’s going to happen,” he said near the start of the event.

So far, so good. Wheeler, who’s won one Forrest Wood Cup and placed second in another, started BASSfest strong in seventh place. By the second day, he had a 6-pound, 12-ounce lead after weighing an eye-popping 29-13.

In Saturday’s third go at Chickamauga Lake’s bass, apparently it was still the 23-year-old’s time. With a catch of 16-2 and total of 68-5, he was able to hold the lead— but not by much.

Enter Matt Herren. The Ashville, Ala., Bassmaster Elite Series pro helped whittle Wheeler’s lead to 1 pound, 1 ounce by posting 23-6. Herren bumped up from fourth into second place at 67-4.

Elite pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., was in third place with 61-4, more than 7 pounds behind the leader. Two other Elite anglers rounded out the Top 5: Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., fourth place at 58-7; and Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla., in fifth place at 56-4.

Those five led the 12 finalists who made it to Championship Sunday.

Elite Stars Remember Sandy Hook

By Luigi De Rose

Fishing is a family sport. That often doesn't shine through during major bass tournaments but it did during the first Bassmaster Elite tournament of 2013. In a true act of respect, humility and empathy many Elite anglers dawned green coloured tournament jerseys to reflect the school colour of Sandy Hook.  Sandy Hook elementary school was the site of a deadly mass murder that took the life of almost thirty people, many of them young, grade 1 students. Even though the focus was on catching bass along the Sabine River, Elite anglers knew they needed to honour the memory of the innocent.  Here are a few who did.

Kevin  Van Dam 

Alton Jones

Terry Scroggins

Bassmaster Elite Power Pole Citrus Slam Day 3: Alton Still On Top

Jones's Still on Top Even as Weights Shrink. 

Power- Pole Citrus Slam

St. Johns River Palatka, Fla. March 17-20 
By Luigi De Rose
           

Alton Jones praying to catch one on Saturday.
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

Overall, the weight decreased across the board for most anglers. Even with the Super Moon, anglers had a difficult time on Day 3 of the Bassmaster Elite Power-Pole Citrus Slam tournament on the St. John's River in Florida. The majority of anglers are sight fishing in two primary areas of the St. John's river. Lake George, a spring fed section that is famous for gin clear water and Rodman Pool, an extension of a defunked cross Florida barge system which is home to heavy vegetation and stump fields. Each area is world class but the anglers have been picking each spot clean of spawners. Also, the water level is quite low making these shallow bass even less torrent of fisherman and their baits.   

Interestingly, the last 20 or so anglers to weigh-in all had hefty sacks of fish. Steve Kennedy bested them all with a 26-0 bag today. He had a pair of 8 pounders, the largest weighed 8-12 good enough to win big bass honours today. While on stage, Kennedy explained that he only saw these two big bass today and caught both of them. He might be sand bagging. If he isn't it will make Sunday very suspenseful. 

Edwin Evers, who complained of missing some key fish in the closing minutes of Day 2 did very well today and leaped into second. On the back of a 19-04 bag, he is only 2-09 off the lead. Maybe the five pound fish he missed yesterday bit today. If Evers or Kennedy continue to produce on the Sunday, Alton Jones might not be able to hold on for a forth day in a row.

Bassmaster Elite Power Pole Citrus Slam Day 2: Alton Still in Control

Jones Continues to Lead After Two Days.

Power- Pole Citrus Slam

St. Johns River Palatka, Fla. March 17-20 
By Luigi De Rose
           
Day 2

Alton working his magic.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Consistency has been the name of the game on the St. John's River. Florida and spawning fishing are always a crap shoot. The sighfisherman have continued to dominate and capitalize on landing the big ones. KVD had the day's largest bass at 9-5.  Many also brought in a good kicker bass and that has made the difference between placing within the top 50.  Last weekend's champion Shaw Grigsby's day 2 catch of 29-08 on the Harris Chain of Lakes would be good enough to rank him 16th here. The fishing has been difficult and anglers have really had to work hard to catch them.

Expect some better catches tomorrow after the field is cut in half. The decrease in boat traffic will greatly influence the bass. Less motors and fewer lures means less spooky bass. Many on Lake George really were fishing boat to boat within the weed flats.

Saturday might be better than today. There is a likelihood of more spawners coming to the beds. Edwin Ever's expressed his disappointment of losing two different 5 pound class bass minutes before weigh-in. Edwin already had one beast and two extra five pounders would have launched him straight to the top on this tight tournament.  He wasn't the only one to realize Saturday might result in better catches. Often, seeing new spawners late in the day is a precursor to what will happen tomorrow.

We'll have to wait and see. 

Results 
                                    day 1    day 2       total
1 Alton Jones             5 26- 9 5 22-13 10 49- 6
2 J Todd Tucker         5 20- 8 5 21- 5 10 41-13
3 Terry Scroggins      5 17- 3 5 22-13 10 40- 0
4 Edwin Evers             5 16- 8 5 22- 5 10 38-13
5 Billy McCaghren     5 20-11 5 15-11 10 36- 6
6 Kevin VanDam        5 17- 3 5 17-13 10 35- 0
7 Keith Combs            5 19- 8 5 14- 9 10 34- 1
8 Todd Faircloth         5 23-10 5 10- 5 10 33-15
9 Casey Ashley          5 20- 9 5 12- 3 10 32-12
10 Jared Lintner          5 20- 9 5 11- 9 10 32- 2
11 Brent Chapman      5 25- 4 5 6-14 10 32- 2
12 Fred Roumbanis    5 15-10 5 16- 3 10 31-13
13 Kelly Jordon          5 15-10 5 16- 1 10 31-11
14 John Crews            5 21- 3 5 10- 3 10 31- 6
15 Cliff Crochet          5 13-11 5 16- 2 10 29-13
16 Timmy Horton       5 22- 4 5 6-11 10 28-15
17 Bobby Lane           5 18- 4 5 10- 9 10 28-13
18 Greg Vinson           5 14- 4 5 14- 6 10 28-10
19 Dustin Wilks         5 18- 7 5 9- 5 10 27-12
20 Russell Parrish      5 12- 7 5 15- 0 10 27- 7
21 David Walker        5 11-14 5 15- 9 10 27- 7
22 Gary Klein              5 16-14 5 10- 1 10 26-15
23 Dean Rojas            5 16- 7 5 10- 0 10 26- 7
24 Clark Reehm          5 20-10 3 5- 8 8 26- 2
25 Paul Elias               5 18- 4 5 7-13 10 26- 1