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Velvick Extends Lead, Searching for first Bassmaster Elite Series Victory at California’s Clear Lake
March 20, 2010 - Clear Lake continues to be kind to Byron Velvick as the West Coast transplant, who now resides in Del Rio , Texas , inched closer to his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory Saturday on the big-bass factory. Velvick held the throttle down at the Golden State Shootout, building his three-day total to 75 pounds, 8 ounces, enough to open up a near 6-plus pound margin.
While other competitors threaten Velvick – Bill Lowen brought 24-2 to the scales, enough for 69-9 and second place – he won’t budge. In fact, he brought in Saturday’s biggest limit at 24-8. It’s been well documented that Velvick set the BASS’ three-day heaviest tournament weight here 10 years ago with 83 pounds, 5 ounces. But that was before the swimbait revolution and Velvick noted that the fish have become more intelligent and it’s taken its toll on the 45-year-old.
“Man, I’m sore,” said Velvick, who scored consecutive Bassmaster Classic qualifications the past two seasons. “I’ve just gotten beat up. My arm is so sore. But this feels great to be in a position to win. My career has progressed nicely the past couple of years and I’m super-excited.”
Much has been made of Velvick’s versatility this week and that has certainly helped his cause. But he is sticking with his bread-and-butter, the swimbait, for roughly 80 percent of the time.
He has been plagued by slow mornings – he only had three bites four hours into the tournament – but has been able to capitalize on the majority of the big bites. He said he knows the area so well that he can almost anticipate when the “dead zone” will occur. Considering that, he said he wouldn’t hesitate to explore new water Sunday if things slow down to a halt.
“The big ones live in my primary area,” said Velvick. “But it’s a constant battle. Should I stay or should I go? Still, I know that if I get the right five bites in my primary area, I should win the tournament.”
Conversely, Velvick can also anticipate when he is going to entice a big bite. He says the bigger fish are stacked a bit deeper and he has failed to cash in on one big bite each day.
Stepping back and taking a look at the tangibles, it would be easy to assume Velvick should win the tournament. After all, he has been consistent, absolutely dominant on the fishery and has a sizable lead. But there is always an X-factor.
With warming conditions and bluebird skies dominating the event, sight fishing could be prime for Sunday. And though that could be hit-or-miss for many in the field, the threat exists and was in the back of Velvick’s mind.
Although Lowen of North Bend, Ohio, continues to tote big limits to the scales, he has yet to gain ground on Velvick. He did, however, leapfrog Randy Howell to jump into second. Lowell has been working a staging area where the fish run through before they funnel into the river.
He was able to consistently entice bites in his primary area but he lamented the fact that he wasn’t able to drill down on a smaller, more-defined spot that was occupied by another competitor. He was able to hit the spot early – landing a 5- and 6-pounder – but it was rendered useless the rest of the day. With that competitor making the top-12 cut, Lowen might have to manage without it.
And questions still remain whether Lowen’s area can withstand the crazy pressure it has been subjected to over three tournament days. Guy Eaker of Cherryville , N.C. , in third, has been one of a few competitors who have sat on it through the tournament.
“I don’t know how much that spot can take,” said Lowen, 35. “I do think that I figured a little deal out later in the day though. It’s something the fish haven’t seen and I’m going to try it out Sunday.”
While the spot is chock full of 5- and 6- pounders, Lowen wasn’t sure it had the potential to yield a big bite that Clear Lake is famous for.
With Lowen and Eaker sharing the same spot, they have also been connected in the standings. Each has managed to move up one spot and Eaker, with 68-4, was third and within striking distance for his second BASS victory.
The 70-year-old Eaker has been fishing BASS tournaments for 30-plus years and has gone nearly 150 tournaments without a victory.
“I might not have the accomplishments that some of the other guys who started with me have,” said Eaker, a 10-time Classic qualifier. “But I guarantee you no one has had as much fun as I have.”
Slipping from second to fourth was Randy Howell of Springville , Ala. , with 67-4. In fifth was 19-year-old Bradley Roy of Lancaster , Ky. , with 64-2. Only the top-12 competitors moved on to Sunday. Notables in the cutline included 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion Boyd Duckett (ninth) and Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif. (11th). The full standings can be found below.
DAY 3 GOLDEN STATE SHOOTOUT STANDINGS
2010 Lakeport , CA 3/18-3/21
Clear Lake , Lakeport CA .
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Byron Velvick Del Rio , TX 15 75-08 315
Day 1: 5 29-00 Day 2: 5 22-00 Day 3: 5 24-08
2. Bill Lowen North Bend , OH 15 69-09 295
Day 1: 5 22-14 Day 2: 5 22-09 Day 3: 5 24-02
3. Guy Eaker Cherryville , NC 15 68-04 290
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 22-06 Day 3: 5 24-00
4. Randy Howell Springville , AL 15 67-04 285
Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 23-07 Day 3: 5 20-10
5. Bradley Roy Lancaster , KY 15 64-02 280
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 22-01 Day 3: 5 22-09
6. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 15 62-12 276
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 5 22-12
7. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande , CA 15 62-08 272
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 21-06
8. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 15 61-15 268
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 21-12
9. Boyd Duckett Demopolis , AL 15 61-11 264
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 20-14 Day 3: 5 22-15
10. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 15 61-05 260
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 21-03 Day 3: 5 22-12
11. Skeet Reese Auburn , CA 15 60-02 257
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 18-12 Day 3: 5 21-02
12. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 15 58-15 254
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 5 20-10
13. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 15 58-04 251
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 19-05 Day 3: 5 20-12
14. Dave Wolak Wake Forest , NC 15 57-11 248
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 23-14
15. Pat Golden High Point , NC 15 57-07 245
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 19-10
16. Greg Hackney Gonzales , LA 15 56-10 243
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 5 17-12
17. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg , MD 15 56-06 241
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 5 16-15
18. Matt Greenblatt Palm Beach Gardens, FL 15 56-03 239
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 19-10
19. Kevin Wirth Crestwood , KY 15 55-15 237
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 20-13 Day 3: 5 20-13
20. Kelly Jordon Mineola , TX 15 55-14 235
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 19-15
21. Denny Brauer Camdenton , MO 15 55-12 233
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 20-00
22. Bobby Lane Lakeland , FL 15 55-08 231
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 24-13 Day 3: 5 14-08
23. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 55-08 229
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 19-09
24. Greg Vinson Wetumpka , AL 13 55-00 227
Day 1: 3 13-01 Day 2: 5 22-07 Day 3: 5 19-08
25. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 54-15 225
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 19-05 Day 3: 5 17-09
26. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 15 54-07 223
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 5 20-05
27. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira , KS 15 54-04 221
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 17-11
28. Clark Reehm Russellville , AR 15 53-12 219
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 15-06
29. Marty Stone Fayetteville , NC 13 53-12 217
Day 1: 3 12-01 Day 2: 5 20-15 Day 3: 5 20-12
30. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 15 53-08 215
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 19-00
31. Mike McClelland Bella Vista , AR 15 53-04 213
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 19-09
32. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City , AZ 15 53-01 211
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 16-11
33. Jeff Kriet Ardmore , OK 15 52-12 209
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 14-08
34. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 52-12 207
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 5 17-12
35. Gary Klein Weatherford , TX 15 52-07 205
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 16-13
36. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 15 52-02 203
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 15-06
37. Takahiro Omori Emory , TX 15 52-01 201
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 18-03
38. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 51-15 199
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 17-15
39. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 51-10 197
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 16-15
40. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 15 51-10 195
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 17-03
41. Derek Remitz Grant , AL 15 50-09 193
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 18-10 Day 3: 5 15-15
42. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville , FL 15 50-08 191
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 17-12
43. Bernie Schultz Gainesville , FL 15 50-04 189
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 16-03
44. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 14 49-12 187
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 4 13-12
45. Keith Poche Troy , AL 15 48-10 185
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 5 15-00
46. Jami Fralick Martin , SD 12 43-10 183
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 4 15-05 Day 3: 3 10-04
47. Mark Menendez Paducah , KY 11 37-01 181
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 1 03-14
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 416 1429-12
2 75 425 1496-09
3 44 228 876-06
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191 1069 3802-11
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