Grove, Okla. – As day one weigh-in concluded, many of the Bassmaster Elite Series competitors had found out that the fishing at Grand Lake had been better than advertised. Many of the Elite Series pros realized that the shallow bite created by Grand Lake’s recent high water was good, however, fishing deep was going to be a better pattern to have a chance to dominate in Oklahoma at the Sooner Run presented by Longhorn.
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Kevin Van Dam has a penchant for dominating the best anglers in the world. After crushing a 21-pound, 8-ounce limit on the second day of the Sooner Run, he is in position to make a wire-to-wire run for his second Elite Series victory. The Kalamazoo, Mich. Pro’s two-day total of 43 pounds, 3 ounces puts him just ahead of rookie Marty Robinson. |
Robinson, the 36-year-old rookie from Landrum S.C, is the only other pro besides Van Dam to catch back-to-back 20-pound bags at the Sooner Run. His second day limit of 20 pounds, 5 ounces gave him a two-day total of 40 pounds, 5 ounces, and placed him within striking distance of the best angler in the world.
Edwin Evers, the 33-year-old pro also caught an impressive limit on day two. His 19-pound, 9-ounce limit kept the Mannsville, Okla. angler, who started the event as a favorite to win the Sooner Run in his home state, in reach of the title with 37 pounds, 13 ounces.
In fourth place is 2006 Bassmaster Classic Champion Boyd Duckett with 36 pounds, 13 ounces. The 47-year-old pro from Demopolis Ala. smashed a 19-pound, 6-ounce limit of bass on day two to leap into contention for his second straight top 12 cut; Duckett finished the Blue Ridge Brawl at Smith Mountain Lake in 6th place.
Lurking only three ounces behind Duckett in fifth place is Bella Vista, Ark. pro Mike McClelland with 37 pounds, 10 ounces. McClelland’s limit of 18 pounds, 11 ounces gave the 39-year-old a chance to do something no other Elite Series Angler has done, win two tournaments on the same body of water; McClelland won the 2006 version of the Sooner Run by nearly 14 pounds.
The rest of the top 12 shaped up like this:
6th Davy Hite 36-8
7th Matt Reed 35-4
8th Jeff Kriet 35-2
9th Scott Rook 35-1
10th Timmy Horton 34-13
Tied for 11th Todd Faircloth and Derek Remitz with 34-7
Two interesting side stories are that of the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Race, and the Toyota Rookie of the Year Race.
While Van Dam is leading the Sooner Run, current Angler of the Year points leader, Skeet Reese failed to make the cut and finished in 67th place. Reese entered the Sooner Run with a 113 point lead over Van Dam, who is a three time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. That lead will be erased on Sunday, and Van Dam, should in fact be in the lead.
Elite Series rookies, Derek Remitz and Casey Ashley entered the Sooner Run in a tie for the Toyota Rookie of the Year title with 1292 points. Remitz finds himself tied for 11th at the Sooner Run, while Ashley did not make the top 50 cut; he finished 60th. Remitz will regain his lead in the Rookie of the Year race.
For continuing coverage of the 2007 Bassmaster Elite Series Sooner Run at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake come back to BASS ZONE .com for leader interviews, photo galleries and more… Stay Tuned, because there really is Nothing Like Being There!
Van Dam continues to burn up the field, and the water
Although he had a limit early, Van Dam’s second day on Grand Lake started out with a twist. “Today I went to my best spot and there was another competitor sitting there who wasn’t there yesterday, so I was pretty shocked.” said Van Dam. “I went and found another place and caught them pretty good there. The thing that concerns me is that a lot of other competitors are fishing in the same areas and have been watching me catch them.”
Other competitors aren’t the only people watching Van Dam cull three pound bass. In what can only be described as a floating marina, the Van Dam nation was out in force. Throughout the day, the Michigan pro had a gallery of at least fifty boats watching him. “These are great bass fishing fans here at Grand. The gallery has been very courteous and I have never seen this many spectators except at the Bassmaster Classic and it’s not even the weekend yet.”
Van Dam has been fishing fast and burning gas. “It’s a lot of hard work.” he said. “There is a lot of down time and then little flurries and moments of excitement in between. It’s such a timing thing; you have to be at the right place at the right time.” |
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The strategy that KVD will take into the weekend is simple, “My strategy mainly is to go out and catch twenty pounds a day. If you can do that four days in a row, you’re going to be pretty hard to beat here.”
Robinson holds on to second
While KVD was fishing with a crowd of followers, Marty Robinson quietly put together another twenty pound bag. Fishing deep, the majority of Robinson’s key bites came between nine and eleven in the morning. The conditions are playing a key role in the South Carolina pro’s success. “When the wind blows, the gizzard shad come up shallow in the water column and the bass will feed on them. That’s when you get bit.” he said.
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Robinson caught his fish by alternating between deep water techniques. “My execution has been really good the past two days. I lost a few fish today, including a four pounder at the boat but it was simply because the fish wasn’t hooked up correctly and that’s going to happen sometimes and there’s nothing you can do about it.” |
Robinson said that he is planning on swinging for the fences right out of the gates Saturday morning. “I think I’m going to start fishing for the big bag early and working for big fish all day. Forget about getting a small limit and forget about fishing for keepers, I’m going for the win now.”
Evers jumps to third
With a day two limit of 19-9, Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers is covering water to find quality bites. Hitting over thirty spots throughout the day and utilizing three main baits, Evers is targeting fish that are spread out but aggressively feeding. “I was taking care of some business and a three pound bass came up and ate a bream right in front of me.” Said Evers. |
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Another key for Evers is his line size, which he matches based on the situation. “You don’t want a bait that will overwork the area.” Evers stressed. “I have three identical baits tied on with three different line sizes. You just want the bait to barely tick the bottom.”
Going into the weekend, Evers said the difference maker will be the ability to score at least one five pound bite a day. “I’m doing the right things to get a quality bite and I just have to hope it comes through for me.”
Duckett mixes it up
After a top twelve finish at Smith Mountain lake two weeks ago, Boyd Duckett continued his momentum by bringing a 19-6 limit to the scales. “I don’t really have anything fantastic.” said the reigning Classic champ. “I’m really mixing it up fishing some boat docks, throwing a crankbait, and then later in the day I’ve been fishing points.”
For the majority of the day, Duckett struggled to put a limit in the boat. With only three keepers in the well by noon, he watched Kelly Jordan, who was fishing nearby, catch two bass weighing six and four pounds. “I have areas where I can go catch a lot of keeper fish, but I waited it out for the quality bites and they came later in the day.”
Duckett said he plans on sticking with the same game plan tomorrow with some minor adjustments. “My deep bite kind of faded on me today. I don’t have that many shallow fish, so I need my deep fish to come back.”
McClelland finds the baitfish for fifth
Entering the tournament with questions about the quality of the deep bite, McClelland saw enough evidence that the fish were still “off the bank” to stay offshore the majority of cut day. His decision paid off with a solid 18-11 limit.
| The tournament favorite fished around fifteen areas and was surprised at the concentration of fish. “I had one area where I pulled up and probably caught ten keepers right
off the bat.” said McClelland. “Every time I caught fish there were big balls of gizzard shad around, so the baitfish are really important.”
With a strong bite, McClelland opted to save some fish for the weekend. “I left some of the fish when they were biting.” said McClelland. “I really started to feel like I was burning up fish that I might need tomorrow.” |
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Hite impressed
It’s difficult to find an angler who would have anything bad to say about a body of water that just surrendered a 19-1 limit, and Davy Hite was no exception. Rounding out the top six, Hite was pleased with his quality bites. “It’s really unbelievable when you are able to catch 19 pounds of post spawn fish. We’re talking about summertime fishing in the daytime, this is incredible.”
“I’ve been catching a lot of keeper fish, but you can’t fish for keepers here; you have to fish for big fish.” said Hite. “I’ve been fishing fifteen to twenty places and finding groups of bigger fish.”
The South Carolina pro believes that he will have to keep up his pace to remain competitive. “With these guys, you’re going to have to catch 20 pound sacks to make things happen.”
Twice the (bad) luck
Scott Rook, who enters Saturday in 9th place with 35-1, could have weighed in a monster limit if things had turned out differently. Fishing a crankbait, Rook hooked up with what he though was a huge bass. As it turned out, it was two big bass. As his catch neared the boat, Rook was shocked to see a six pound bass on the front treble hook and a four pound bass on the back treble hook.
“They were just laying on their sides right next to the boat. When I reached down to try and get them into the boat, the six pounder swam off to the right and the four pounder swam off to the left.” said Rook. “The six pound fish shook its head and pulled off, and the four pound fish came off right after that, so I lost both fish. That six would have really helped me.”
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DAY
TWO STANDINGS
| Place |
Pro
Angler |
Hometown,
State |
Day
One
(# WT) |
Day
Two
(# WT) |
Total
(# WT)
|
| 1 |
KEVIN
VANDAM |
KALAMAZOO,
MI |
5 21-11 |
5 21-8 |
10 43-3 |
| 2 |
MARTY
ROBINSON |
LANDRUM,
SC |
5 20-0 |
5 20-5 |
10 40-5 |
| 3 |
EDWIN
EVERS |
TALALA,
OK |
5 18-4 |
5 19-9 |
10 37-13 |
| 4 |
BOYD
DUCKETT |
DEMOPOLIS,
AL |
5 17-7 |
5 19-6 |
10 36-13 |
| 5 |
MIKE
MCCLELLAND |
BELLA
VISTA, AR |
5 17-15 |
5 18-11 |
10 36-10 |
| 6 |
DAVY
HITE |
NINETY
SIX, SC |
5 17-7 |
5 19-1 |
10 36-8 |
| 7 |
MATT
REED |
MADISONVILLE,
TX |
5 15-8 |
5 19-12 |
10 35-4 |
| 8 |
JEFF
KRIET |
ARDMORE,
OK |
5 19-0 |
5 16-2 |
10 35-2 |
| 9 |
SCOTT
ROOK |
LITTLE
ROCK, AR |
5 14-5 |
5 20-12 |
10 35-1 |
| 10 |
TIMMY
HORTON |
MUSCLE
SHOALS, AL |
5 18-6 |
5 16-7 |
10 34-13 |
| 11 |
TODD
FAIRCLOTH |
JASPER,
TX |
5 14-12 |
5 19-11 |
10 34-7 |
| 11 |
DEREK
REMITZ |
HEMPHILL,
TX |
5 19-1 |
5 15-6 |
10 34-7 |
| 13 |
KEVIN
SHORT |
MAYFLOWER,
AR |
5 17-10 |
5 16-12 |
10 34-6 |
| 14 |
KELLY
JORDON |
MINEOLA,
TX |
5 11-11 |
5 22-5 |
10 34-0 |
| 15 |
KENYON
HILL |
NORMAN,
OK |
5 15-5 |
5 18-6 |
10 33-11 |
| 15 |
BEN
MATSUBU |
HEMPHILL,
TX |
5 19-8 |
5 14-3 |
10 33-11 |
| 17 |
PETER
E THLIVEROS |
JACKSONVILLE,
FL |
5 16-4 |
5 17-3 |
10 33-7 |
| 18 |
TERRY
SCROGGINS |
SAN
MATEO, FL |
5 18-9 |
5 14-13 |
10 33-6 |
| 19 |
AARON
MARTENS |
LEEDS,
AL |
5 18-8 |
5 14-13 |
10 33-5 |
| 19 |
BILL
LOWEN |
NORTH
BEND, OH |
5 14-15 |
5 18-6 |
10 33-5 |
| 21 |
ALTON
JONES |
WACO,
TX |
5 15-0 |
5 18-1 |
10 33-1 |
| 22 |
BRADLEY
STRINGER |
HUNTINGTON,
TX |
5 14-5 |
5 18-4 |
10 32-9 |
| 23 |
MICHAEL
IACONELLI |
RUNNEMEDE,
NJ |
5 19-8 |
5 13-0 |
10 32-8 |
| 24 |
DENNY
BRAUER |
CAMDENTON,
MO |
5 16-6 |
5 14-12 |
10 31-2 |
| 25 |
ISHAMA
MONROE |
HUGHSON,
CA |
5 14-14 |
5 15-15 |
10 30-13 |
| 26 |
JASON
WILLIAMSON |
AIKEN,
SC |
5 12-7 |
5 18-2 |
10 30-9 |
| 27 |
FRANK
SCALISH |
CLEVELAND
HEIGHTS, OH |
5 13-11 |
5 16-10 |
10 30-5 |
| 28 |
KOTARO
KIRIYAMA |
MOODY,
AL |
5 14-9 |
5 15-10 |
10 30-3 |
| 28 |
JARED
LINTNER |
ARROYO
GRANDE, CA |
5 16-9 |
5 13-10 |
10 30-3 |
| 30 |
STEPHEN
BROWNING |
HOT
SPRINGS, AR |
5 16-15 |
5 13-3 |
10 30-2 |
| 31 |
DAVE
SMITH |
DEL
CITY, OK |
5 13-10 |
5 16-4 |
10 29-14 |
| 32 |
MARK
TYLER |
VIAN,
OK |
5 16-8 |
4 13-0 |
9 29-8 |
| 32 |
GLENN
DELONG |
BELLVILLE,
OH |
5 15-8 |
4 14-0 |
9 29-8 |
| 34 |
BYRON
VELVICK |
DEL
RIO, TX |
5 14-4 |
5 15-2 |
10 29-6 |
| 35 |
DARRIN
SCHWENKBECK |
VARYSBURG,
NY |
5 12-7 |
5 16-14 |
10 29-5 |
| 36 |
CHRIS
LANE |
WINTER
HAVEN, FL |
5 14-2 |
5 15-2 |
10 29-4 |
| 37 |
BRITT
MYERS |
LAKE
WYLIE, SC |
5 13-15 |
5 15-3 |
10 29-2 |
| 38 |
JIM
MURRAY |
ARABI,
GA |
5 16-13 |
5 12-2 |
10 28-15 |
| 38 |
MORIZO
SHIMIZU |
MURRIETA,
CA |
5 15-4 |
5 13-11 |
10 28-15 |
| 40 |
BRENT
CHAPMAN |
LAKE
QUIVIRA, KS |
5 13-0 |
5 15-12 |
10 28-12 |
| 41 |
TOMMY
BIFFLE |
WAGONER,
OK |
5 14-9 |
5 13-15 |
10 28-8 |
| 42 |
MARK
TUCKER |
SAINT
LOUIS, MO |
5 16-4 |
5 12-1 |
10 28-5 |
| 43 |
BERNIE
SCHULTZ |
GAINESVILLE,
FL |
5 14-8 |
5 13-11 |
10 28-3 |
| 44 |
JAMES
NIGGEMEYER |
VAN,
TX |
5 13-10 |
5 14-8 |
10 28-2 |
| 45 |
JIMMY
MASON |
ROGERSVILLE,
AL |
5 14-10 |
5 13-7 |
10 28-1 |
| 45 |
JEREMY
STARKS |
CHARLESTON,
WV |
5 15-11 |
5 12-6 |
10 28-1 |
| 47 |
SCOTT
CAMPBELL |
SPRINGFIELD,
MO |
5 17-13 |
5 9-14 |
10 27-11 |
| 48 |
GREG
HACKNEY |
GONZALES,
LA |
5 13-13 |
5 13-10 |
10 27-7 |
| 48 |
JOHN
CREWS |
SALEM,
VA |
5 15-4 |
5 12-3 |
10 27-7 |
| 50 |
RUSSELL
LANE |
PRATTVILLE,
AL |
5 12-14 |
5 14-5 |
10 27-3 |
| 51 |
JEFF
REYNOLDS |
IDABEL,
OK |
5 11-7 |
5 15-10 |
10 27-1 |
| 52 |
STEPHEN
KENNEDY |
AUBURN,
AL |
5 12-8 |
5 14-7 |
10 26-15 |
| 53 |
LEE
BAILEY |
BOAZ,
AL |
5 15-7 |
5 11-7 |
10 26-14 |
| 53 |
GRANT
GOLDBECK |
GAITHERSBURG,
MD |
5 15-14 |
5 11-0 |
10 26-14 |
| 55 |
JAMES
KENNEDY |
LACOMBE,
LA |
5 12-0 |
5 14-13 |
10 26-13 |
| 56 |
KEVIN
LANGILL |
TERRELL,
NC |
5 15-15 |
5 10-10 |
10 26-9 |
| 56 |
BRIAN
SNOWDEN |
REEDS
SPRING, MO |
5 13-0 |
5 13-9 |
10 26-9 |
| 58 |
JOHN
MURRAY |
PHOENIX,
AZ |
5 13-6 |
5 12-15 |
10 26-5 |
| 59 |
SHAW
E GRIGSBY, JR |
GAINESVILLE,
FL |
5 10-6 |
5 15-14 |
10 26-4 |
| 60 |
CASEY
ASHLEY |
DONALDS,
SC |
5 12-15 |
5 13-3 |
10 26-2 |
| 61 |
MARTY
STONE |
FAYETTEVILLE,
NC |
5 12-13 |
5 13-4 |
10 26-1 |
| 62 |
KEN
BRODEUR |
NIANTIC,
CT |
5 14-1 |
5 11-13 |
10 25-14 |
| 63 |
RANDY
HOWELL |
SPRINGVILLE,
AL |
5 17-12 |
4 8-0 |
9 25-12 |
| 64 |
MARK
MENENDEZ |
PADUCAH,
KY |
5 16-0 |
5 9-6 |
10 25-6 |
| 65 |
PETE
PONDS |
MADISON,
MS |
5 15-12 |
4 9-8 |
9 25-4 |
| 65 |
KEVIN
WIRTH |
CRESTWOOD,
KY |
5 12-1 |
5 13-3 |
10 25-4 |
| 67 |
SKEET
REESE |
AUBURN,
CA |
5 14-4 |
5 10-15 |
10 25-3 |
| 67 |
YUSUKE
MIYAZAKI |
MINEOLA,
TX |
5 10-14 |
5 14-5 |
10 25-3 |
| 69 |
GARY
KLEIN |
WEATHERFORD,
TX |
5 14-15 |
5 10-1 |
10 25-0 |
| 69 |
MATTHEW
SPHAR |
PAVILION,
NY |
5 11-8 |
5 13-8 |
10 25-0 |
| 71 |
TAKAHIRO
OMORI |
EMORY,
TX |
5 11-5 |
5 13-10 |
10 24-15 |
| 72 |
ZELL
ROWLAND |
MONTGOMERY,
TX |
5 12-12 |
5 12-0 |
10 24-12 |
| 73 |
GUY
EAKER |
CHERRYVILLE,
NC |
5 10-9 |
5 14-1 |
10 24-10 |
| 74 |
ERIC
NETHERY |
ACWORTH,
GA |
5 11-13 |
5 12-12 |
10 24-9 |
| 75 |
JASON
QUINN |
LAKE
WYLIE, SC |
5 13-0 |
5 11-7 |
10 24-7 |
| 75 |
MIKE
WURM |
HOT
SPRINGS, AR |
5 13-6 |
5 11-1 |
10 24-7 |
| 77 |
DAVID
WOLAK |
WAKE
FOREST, NC |
5 10-5 |
5 14-1 |
10 24-6 |
| 78 |
PRESTON
CLARK |
PALATKA,
FL |
5 14-15 |
5 9-5 |
10 24-4 |
| 78 |
DOC
MERKIN |
DOWNERS
GROVE, IL |
5 12-5 |
5 11-15 |
10 24-4 |
| 80 |
JAMES
CHARLESWORTH |
SAINT
CLOUD, FL |
5 14-11 |
5 9-5 |
10 24-0 |
| 81 |
BRADLEY
HALLMAN |
NORMAN,
OK |
5 14-1 |
5 9-14 |
10 23-15 |
| 82 |
GREG
GUTIERREZ |
RED
BLUFF, CA |
5 10-9 |
5 13-5 |
10 23-14 |
| 82 |
GERALD
SWINDLE |
WARRIOR,
AL |
5 13-6 |
5 10-8 |
10 23-14 |
| 84 |
JON
BONDY |
WINDSOR,
ON |
5 11-8 |
5 12-3 |
10 23-11 |
| 85 |
KURT
DOVE |
FAIRFAX,
VA |
5 9-13 |
5 13-11 |
10 23-8 |
| 86 |
RICK
ASH |
POTTSTOWN,
PA |
5 10-6 |
5 12-15 |
10 23-5 |
| 86 |
TERRY
BUTCHER |
TALALA,
OK |
5 12-15 |
5 10-6 |
10 23-5 |
| 88 |
ELTON
LUCE JR |
BROOKELAND,
TX |
3 7-5 |
5 15-14 |
8 23-3 |
| 89 |
RICK
MORRIS |
VIRGINIA
BEACH, VA |
5 16-7 |
2 6-5 |
7 22-12 |
| 90 |
DEAN
ROJAS |
GRAND
SALINE, TX |
5 11-12 |
5 10-13 |
10 22-9 |
| 91 |
PAUL
ELIAS |
LAUREL,
MS |
5 10-1 |
5 12-1 |
10 22-2 |
| 92 |
KEN
D COOK |
LAWTON,
OK |
5 13-1 |
5 8-15 |
10 22-0 |
| 93 |
CLIFF
PACE |
PETAL,
MS |
4 9-0 |
5 12-10 |
9 21-10 |
| 94 |
WILLIAM
SMITH |
SOMERSET,
KY |
5 10-9 |
5 10-11 |
10 21-4 |
| 95 |
FRED
ROUMBANIS |
AUBURN,
CA |
5 9-15 |
5 11-1 |
10 21-0 |
| 96 |
MARK
ROGERS |
NAPLES,
FL |
5 10-0 |
5 10-15 |
10 20-15 |
| 97 |
STEPHEN
DANIEL |
CLEWISTON,
FL |
5 10-13 |
4 9-15 |
9 20-12 |
| 98 |
JAMI
FRALICK |
MARTIN,
SD |
5 10-10 |
5 9-11 |
10 20-5 |
| 98 |
JEFF
CONNELLA |
BENTLEY,
LA |
5 10-14 |
5 9-7 |
10 20-5 |
| 100 |
CHARLIE
HARTLEY |
GROVE
CITY, OH |
5 9-6 |
5 10-7 |
10 19-13 |
| 101 |
RICK
CLUNN |
AVA,
MO |
3 6-7 |
5 12-5 |
8 18-12 |
| 102 |
CHARLIE
YOUNGERS |
GENEVA,
FL |
2 7-9 |
5 10-7 |
7 18-0 |
| 103 |
KEITH
PHILLIPS |
CALERA,
AL |
2 3-13 |
5 14-0 |
7 17-13 |
| 104 |
JIMMY
MIZE |
BEN
LOMOND, AR |
5 9-8 |
4 7-11 |
9 17-3 |
| 105 |
PAUL
HIROSKY |
GUYS
MILLS, PA |
5 11-2 |
3 5-5 |
8 16-7 |
| 106 |
RAY
SEDGWICK |
CROSS,
SC |
5 9-9 |
3 6-13 |
8 16-6 |
| 107 |
MATT
AMEDEO |
CLINTON,
OH |
4 7-15 |
3 6-13 |
7 14-12 |
| 108 |
BRYAN
HUDGINS |
ORANGE
PARK, FL |
5 9-0 |
0 0-0 |
5 9-0 |
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