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Chris Lane moves to first in Class, Chapman moves up to 14th
February 25, 2012 - SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, La. — Tick-tock. Chris Lane says he’s got a sort of inner clock that starts to tick when everything is in sync and working for him. If ever he’s heard that wonderful sound, it was Saturday at the Bassmaster Classic on the Red River.
The Guntersville, Ala., pro took the lead by bringing 19 pounds, 4 ounces, to the scales Saturday — the day’s heaviest weight — for a two-day total of 35-8. He jumped from sixth place, and eased past Greg Vinson of Wetumpka, Ala., by 1 pound. Vinson again took the runner-up seat, just as he had on Friday when he trailed leader Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., by a mere ounce.
Poche dropped to 10th place after bringing in 11-8 Saturday, a sharp difference from the 17-13 that took him to the lead the first day.
Alton Jones, the 2008 Bassmaster Classic champ, jumped from 16th place into third place. From Woodway, Texas, Jones made his second-day charge with a 17-14 sack. His two-day total was 31-11.
In fourth place was Chris Lane’s brother, Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., who had 30-12 over two days. Fifth was Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., just 5 ounces behind with 30-7.
The field was cut to the top 25 anglers for Sunday’s competition for the $500,000 first prize and prestigious Classic crown.
Chris Lane said he changed locations, line size, lures, weights — almost everything for Saturday’s round. He chose his new spot and made a commitment to not abandon it until he had given it at least a two-hour chance to produce. He had to work it for over an hour and a half before he got his first fish of about 2 1/2 pounds.
“I stayed focused. I had confidence the decision I had made was right. I stuck it out,” Lane said.
But once the area heated up, it was game on for Lane.
“Catching that fish sat me down, sunk me in and told me it was time to get to work,” he said.
Lane’s been living by a philosophy that he says has changed his fishing and his life. He’s ceased to listen to what others tell him he should or shouldn’t do. He’s learned to trust his instincts.
“It’s like a clock that was broken starts to tick again,” Lane said. “I seem to be at a place now where my clock is working.”
Lane completed the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series season ranked 12th in points. He followed that by winning the first Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open of the 2012 season, which was on the Harris Chain in his native Florida in late January.
For Vinson, a 4-pounder in the final minutes of Saturday’s fishing time guaranteed he’d be in direct contention for the Classic crown on Sunday. The big bass gave him a cull that boosted his weight by about 1 1/2 pounds, he said.
“I had pretty much resigned myself to accepting that the weight I had would be it for the day,” said Vinson, who, like Chris Lane, is competing in his second world championship of bass fishing.
Also like Lane, Vinson had to sweat it out in slick, sunny conditions, a marked difference from the first day of competition under cloudy skies and in a brisk wind. But the overnight drop in air temperatures Friday wasn’t enough to spoil much for any of the 49 Classic competitors on Saturday. Most are fishing in backwaters where the bass are either in pre-spawn mode or actually on the beds.
Vinson worked his backwater area hard on Saturday. One of the bass in his day’s bag was a fish he’d tried for Friday.
“When I got back to the spot and made a cast to it, I saw it make a boil — just like it did yesterday — but it came to eat my bait, and I ended up catching it,” Vinson said.
For Jones, access to his backwater was dicey. The water’s he’s fishing is so skinny that he was in danger of being stuck when the water level dropped slightly while he was in the backwater.
“An inch makes a difference,” he said.
He said he made an adjustment for the second day out that made all the difference. He didn’t change areas, but his presentation.
“Once I figured out how to catch the big ones, it was an ‘ah-ha!’ — but it was mid to late morning before that happened,” Jones said.
He came out early to be sure he was okay on his time. The move paid off when he caught a 3-pounder in his secondary spot.
“That gave me another really nice cull late in the day. It was one of those days when everything worked. I felt really blessed out there today,” he said.
That was about 10 a.m., when he caught a 4-pounder. He was able to duplicate his pattern, even when moving to another area to leave some bass for Sunday.
The anglers will leave Red River South Marina at 7 a.m. Sunday. They’ll bring their catches to CenturyLink Center, where doors will open for fans at 3 p.m.
2012 Bassmaster Classic Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2012 Bassmaster Classic Supporting Sponsor: Carhartt
2012 Bassmaster Classic 2/24-2/26
Red River, Shreveport/Bossier City, LA.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 35-08 0 Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 19-04
2. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 34-08 0 Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 16-12
3. Alton Jones Woodway, TX 10 31-11 0 Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 17-14
4. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 10 30-12 0 Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 14-08
5. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 30-07 0 Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 14-04
6. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 10 30-03 0 Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 13-10
7. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 29-10 0 Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 14-13
8. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 29-09 0 Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 15-11
9. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 29-06 0 Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 12-14
10. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 29-05 0 Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 11-08
11. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 28-10 0 Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 15-01
12. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 28-09 0 Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 17-14
13. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 28-05 0 Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 18-12
14. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 27-08 0 Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 15-10
15. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 27-07 0 Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 11-01
16. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 10 27-04 0 Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 12-12
17. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 26-06 0 Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 12-14
18. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 24-15 0 Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 13-15
19. Josh Polfer Nampa, ID 10 24-04 0 Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 13-01
20. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 9 24-04 0 Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 5 15-05
21. Chris Price Church Hill, MD 10 24-01 0 Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 13-10
22. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 23-15 0 Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 12-12
23. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 8 23-15 0 Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 3 09-00
24. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 23-13 0 Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 09-14
25. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 23-12 0 Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 09-14
26. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 10 23-12 0 Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 13-05
27. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 22-10 0 Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 12-04
28. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 9 22-02 0 Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 4 13-06
29. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 21-15 0 Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 09-07
30. John Crews Salem, VA 10 21-13 0 Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 09-14
31. Andrew Upshaw Hemphill, TX 10 20-01 0 Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 07-09
32. Fletcher Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 10 19-13 0 Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 09-10
33. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 7 19-07 0 Day 1: 2 06-00 Day 2: 5 13-07
34. Matt McCoy Indianapolis, IN 6 19-05 0 Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 5 17-07
35. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 8 18-13 0 Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 5 12-05
36. Allan Glasgow Ashville, AL 10 18-09 0 Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 07-10
37. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 9 18-08 0 Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 4 06-09
38. Randy Howell Springville, AL 8 18-02 0 Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 3 06-07
39. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 8 18-01 0 Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 3 03-09
40. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 16-07 0 Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 06-13
41. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 7 16-01 0 Day 1: 2 05-07 Day 2: 5 10-10
42. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 8 15-12 0 Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 3 05-02
43. Kelly Pratt Williamsburg, VA 6 13-05 0 Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 5 11-08
44. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 4 11-13 0 Day 1: 3 08-13 Day 2: 1 03-00
45. Tom Jessop Dalhart, TX 6 11-05 0 Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 1 00-14
46. Casey D Ashley Donalds, SC 5 09-06 0 Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 4 07-11
47. John Diaco Rochester, NH 5 08-13 0 Day 1: 4 06-12 Day 2: 1 02-01
48. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 3 05-15 0 Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 05-15
49. Shaw E Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 2 04-05 0 Day 1: 2 04-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 38 213 545-00
2 37 215 549-00
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75 428 1094-00
February 16, 2012
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Bassmaster Classic 2012: Condition Red
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — “I’ll know when I get there.”
That’s what several Bassmaster Classic qualifiers had to say about Red River conditions and how the weather might or might not dictate the bite for the Feb. 24-26 Bassmaster Classic out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
None of the 49 Classic qualifiers have been on the river lately, because it’s been off limits for more than two months. That will change Friday, the first of four days of practice. But until they start looking and/or casting, what Classic anglers can surmise about the Red stems from past knowledge and long-distance reconnaissance.
It’s a safe bet that the majority have been tracking weather trends and river levels for weeks. Most anglers’ ideal conditions would be moderate air and water temperatures, Goldilocks water levels (not too high and not too low) and a moderate rate of water flow. And that’s been the Red over the past few days.
But the river is famous for turning wild. That’s what makes competition there so tough, especially at the Classic, in which the prestige, visibility and $500,000 first-place prize create extra pressure on anglers.
A hard rain, for example, can quickly muddy the main channel. A swift and high main river swollen from upriver deluges can push stained water into the normally more clear and productive backwaters. Under such conditions, the big and mighty Red River suddenly seems to shrink, said Classic qualifier Todd Faircloth, who can drive two hours from his Texas home and be on the river.
“What high, muddy water does is concentrate everybody, because there’s a smaller percentage of fishable water,” said Faircloth, who competed in the first Classic on the Red River three years ago, finishing 35th.
Conversely, in a dry spell, some backwater areas can drop and be inaccessible by boat if they don’t disappear altogether.
Like most Classic qualifiers, Alabamian Aaron Martens would not like to find extremely low water when he arrives back in Louisiana.
When he scouted in December, low water was what he saw. “It was impossible or very difficult to get to any of the stuff we fished before (in 2009),” he reported. “At normal pool, fishing should be decent. I’m not sure what it is now; I’ll look at it when I get there.”
He’s hoping the South’s moderate winter temperatures will continue. Not so much for his comfort — although he’d take it, he said — but because he’s found that Red River bass tend to bite better in warmer weather.
He has not been tracking upriver or local rainfall closely.
“When I get there, I’ll check the river flow. Mostly, though, just seeing the river is going tell me the most,” said Martens, who was ninth in the 2009 Classic.
Brent Chapman from Lake Quivira, Kan., is hot off a Feb. 12 fish-off win in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open in Texas. Like other Classic qualifiers, he is expecting a backwater bite in tight quarters.
“It’s a great fishery, but it tends to fish small,” said Chapman, who finished 27th in the 2009 Classic. “You have to expect to fish around several other boats.”
Edwin Evers has not been back to the Red since Classic 2009, in which he finished fifth. At home in Talala, Okla., he tracked Red River water levels. Lower water would definitely create a crowded backwater contest, he said.
“Low water will put a whole lot more boats in those areas, and it will fish a lot smaller than it did when we were there before,” he said.
Like other anglers, Evers will evaluate the Red when he sees it again. But under any given river condition, he expects the weights to be tight.
“It’s just that type of fishery,” he said. “There’s really no hidden, secret area that somebody can use to blow this thing out. Every ounce is going to count.”
Evers noted that given extremely low water, some competitor might decide to run a shallow-draft aluminum boat or a jet boat into a skinny backwater,” but that angler will not be him. He planned to leave his aluminum rig at home. He said no condition would be likely to tempt him to give up the advantages of his fully equipped fiberglass rig.
Faircloth is of the same mind; he said going to aluminum is not an option for him.
So what does Mother Nature have planned in northwestern Louisiana come Classic time? On Feb. 16, the National Weather Service seven-day forecast pegged daily highs in the 60s and nighttime lows in the 40s, with mainly cloudy skies and rain showers through Feb. 22. The 10-day Weather Channel forecast shows that the first competition day, Feb. 24, will be under sunny, clear skies with a high of 70 and low of 48 degrees.
As to water level, according to the National Weather Service’s hydrologic statement of Feb. 15, the Red’s readings have been falling. The flood stage at Shreveport is 30 feet; the river on Feb. 15 was 18.4. For the start of practice Feb. 17, the water level prediction was at 17 feet. Normal at Shreveport is 17.72 feet. By Monday, Feb. 20, the date of the farthest-out prediction, the level was expected to be steady at 17 feet.
Fog reduced visibility in the Shreveport area to a quarter mile as recently as today in the early morning hours. Fog isn’t just a driving nuisance, it can change an entire Classic game. Fog over water can delay a morning start, as it did last year at the New Orleans Classic. This year, for any angler counting on having enough time to lock down into the Red River’s lower pools, a shortened competition day won’t work.
Given all the possibilities, will the weather be a ruling factor in Classic No. 42? Until a crystal ball appears, as Faircloth put it: “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens when we get there.”
2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: BoatUS Angler, BOOYAH Bait Company, Lowrance, Luck “E” Strike, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ramada
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