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Greg Vinson works himself into Bassmaster Elite Series lead again
Kansan Casey Scalon three ounces behind in second

Greg Vinson of Wetumpka, Ala., top photo, holds onto the lead on Day 2 of the Bassmaster Elite Series Ramada Quest with a two-day total of 30-5. Bottom photo, Casey Scanlon of Lenexa, Kan., is close behind in second with 30-2. Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

April 20, 2013 - BULL SHOALS, Ark. — After a biting-cold Saturday morning running his boat on Bull Shoals Lake, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Vinson could well have been running a line in his head from an old children’s verse: “Saturday’s child works hard for a living.”

It didn’t help that the fishing was hard, too, on Saturday, the second day of the Ramada Quest.

“I can’t tell you what a grind it was. The bite was really slow,” Vinson said on stage after he weighed in 13 pounds, 8 ounces.

He finished his work day with a two-day total of 30-5 and the Ramada Quest lead for the second consecutive day, but by only 3 ounces ahead, instead of the 1-pound lead he had Friday. The angler right behind him was Casey Scanlon of Lenexa, Kan., with 30-2.

How hard was Vinson’s day?

“To put it in perspective, at 12 o’clock I had four fish that might have weighed 6 pounds,” said Vinson, who’s from Wetumpka, Ala. “I had two keeper largemouth and two keeper spots. That was really working on my mind. At that point of the day, I was thinking about just making the Top 50.”

Vinson turned it around when he hit on a key adjustment — which he wasn’t about to share.

“I caught a 4, a 3 and a 2 1/2 in the last couple of hours. And I caught them a little bit differently than the way I caught them yesterday. At that point I was excited about saving the day — but I was a little upset with myself for not making that adjustment sooner.”

The 4-pounder was “barely hooked,” and he had to play the fish with patience and precision.

“At the time I still had two spots in the livewell, and I knew what a difference that fish would make,” he said. “I was so nervous the whole time I fought that fish. I’ve never taken so long to land a fish, but I knew it was important to take it slow. It felt like 30 minutes, but was probably only a couple of minutes.”

The lack of wind and spotty water color within the one area Vinson was working forced him to make the crucial adjustment.

“The least amount of wind makes all the difference for me,” he said.

The Alabama pro ended up with a five-fish limit of largemouth after he landed his final largemouth of the day with 15 minutes of fishing time remaining. At about 2 1/2 pounds, it allowed him to cull his one remaining spotted bass.

“That was huge,” he said. “It was the difference between leading and not leading.”

Vinson’s job isn’t over. With two more days of Quest competition remaining, Vinson has Scanlon to worry about. Scanlon brought in 15-5 Saturday to bump up his two-day total to 30-2. He climbed from seventh place into second.

Vinson

Scanlon said he’s caught his limits early two days in a row. He went through 30 keepers Saturday (and about 25 or so Friday) before he was satisfied with what he had swimming in his boat’s livewell.

“Both days I’ve quit fishing the ‘good stuff’ at about 10 o’clock,” he said. “I ran some new patterns and figured out one more that’s pretty easy to catch keepers, but it’s probably worth only 13 pounds.”

His fish are prespawners, he said. They’re in deep, clear water, he said, and he’s making long casts to prevent spooking them.

Also on Vinson’s heels was Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss. Pace ended his Saturday competition 7 ounces behind Vinson. The 2013 Bassmaster Classic champion, Pace weighed 14-12 for 29-14 over two days. Pace held in third place, which is the same as his first-day finish.

“[In] these clear lakes, it’s so important to fish the conditions of the day,” Pace said.

“Today I had to slow down and pick things apart, be very methodical,” he said.

Fourth place was taken over by Terry Scroggins, who inched up from sixth place with 29-9. In fifth place was Pete Ponds of Madison, Miss., with 28-6. Ponds made a clean break from a first-day tie with two other anglers at 18th place.

The pros are after a first prize of $100,000 and an instant-in for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. They’re also are earning points toward a Classic qualification. The top pro in points at the end of the eight-event regular season will win the coveted Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.

Vinson won the $500 Livingston Leader Award Saturday. A Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsor, Livingston Lures offers the award to the angler with the Day 2 lead.

The largest bass of the day was weighed by Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., but at 5-4, it wasn’t enough to tumble Kentucky pro Bradley Roy’s 5-6 of Friday. Roy remained in line for the Quest’s Carhartt Big Bass prize of $1,000 plus a $500 bonus if the angler was wearing Carhartt apparel.

Vinson’s Day 1 bag of 16-13 remained the frontrunner after two days for the event’s Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500.

The Ramada Quest continues Sunday with the Top 50 who made the Day 2 cut. The field will whittle down to the Top 12 for the $100,000 championship round on Monday, one day later than usual in a four-day Elite event because the planned start on Thursday shifted to Friday when severe weather hammered northern Arkansas.

2013 Ramada Quest 4/19-4/22
Bull Shoals Lake, Bull Shoals AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts

1. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 30-05 100
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 13-08
2. Casey Scanlon Lenexa, KS 10 30-02 99
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 15-05
3. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 29-14 98
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 14-12
4. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 29-09 97
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 14-11
5. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 10 28-06 96
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 14-11
6. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 28-04 95
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 14-01
7. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 10 28-00 94
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 14-00
8. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 27-13 93
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 13-05
9. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 10 27-11 92
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 14-06
10. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 10 27-09 91
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 13-09
11. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 27-01 90
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 15-08
12. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 26-11 89
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 10-14
13. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 10 26-08 88
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 13-11
14. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 26-07 87
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 11-08
15. Jeremy Starks Scott Depot, WV 10 26-06 86
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 12-03
16. Casey D Ashley Donalds, SC 10 26-03 85
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-06
17. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 26-02 84
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 13-06
18. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 25-12 83
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 13-04
19. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 25-11 82
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-00
20. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 25-10 81
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 12-08
21. BJ Haseotes Centerville, MA 10 25-07 80
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 11-10
22. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 10 25-06 79
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 13-00
23. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 25-05 78
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 13-03
24. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 10 24-14 77
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 11-03
25. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 24-11 76
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 13-02
26. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 24-10 75
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 11-07
27. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 24-08 74
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 13-00
28. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 24-02 73
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 09-09
29. Shaw E Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 24-02 72
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 11-13
30. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 24-01 71
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 10-02
31. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 24-01 70
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 12-12
32. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 24-00 69
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 13-13
33. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 10 24-00 68
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 10-11
34. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 23-12 67
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 12-02
35. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 10 23-12 66
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 11-13
36. Randy Howell Springville, AL 10 23-09 65
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 08-10
37. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 10 23-07 64
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 13-10
38. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 23-06 63
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 09-13
39. Hank Cherry Maiden, NC 10 23-06 62
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 11-09
40. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 23-02 61
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 09-06
41. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 10 23-02 60
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 11-14
42. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 10 23-01 59
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 11-05
43. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 22-14 58
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 11-07
44. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 10 22-11 57
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 11-02
45. Matt Greenblatt Port St Lucie, FL 10 22-09 56
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 09-00
46. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 10 22-08 55
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 10-03
47. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 22-07 54
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 09-05
48. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 22-06 53
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 10-12
49. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 22-05 52
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 10-01
50. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 10 22-05 51
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 10-06
51. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 10 22-01 50
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 10-01
52. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 22-01 49
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 10-06
53. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 10 21-11 48
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 11-05
54. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 8 21-09 47
Day 1: 3 12-11 Day 2: 5 08-14
55. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 10 21-09 46
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 09-12
56. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 21-04 45
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 10-00
57. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 21-02 44
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 08-11
58. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 10 21-02 43
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 09-14
59. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 9 20-13 42
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 4 08-06
60. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 10 20-12 41
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-15
61. Michael Simonton Fremont, OH 8 20-07 40
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 3 07-08
62. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 20-07 39
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 11-03
63. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 20-06 38
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 09-02
64. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 9 20-05 37
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 4 08-01
65. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 20-03 36
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 09-04
66. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 20-02 35
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 11-06
67. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 9 19-15 34
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 4 07-08
68. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 9 19-12 33
Day 1: 4 07-11 Day 2: 5 12-01
69. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 9 19-07 32
Day 1: 4 08-08 Day 2: 5 10-15
70. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 9 19-03 31
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 4 09-10
71. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 10 19-01 30
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 11-03
72. Jared Miller Norman, OK 10 18-14 29
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 11-05
73. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 18-06 28
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 09-11
74. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 8 18-00 27
Day 1: 3 07-13 Day 2: 5 10-03
75. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 10 18-00 26
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 09-04
76. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 17-15 25
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 08-15
77. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 9 17-02 24
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 4 06-02
78. John Crews Salem, VA 10 17-01 23
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 08-02
79. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 8 16-10 22
Day 1: 3 06-03 Day 2: 5 10-07
80. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 8 16-10 21
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 3 06-05
81. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 7 16-09 20
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 5 13-01
82. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 8 16-07 19
Day 1: 3 07-01 Day 2: 5 09-06
83. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 7 16-00 18
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 2 05-03
84. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 10 16-00 17
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 06-12
85. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 7 15-08 16
Day 1: 2 06-14 Day 2: 5 08-10
86. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 15-08 15
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 07-03
87. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, SC 7 15-03 14
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 2 04-07
88. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 7 15-00 13
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 2 03-05
89. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 6 14-09 12
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 1 01-07
90. Fletcher Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 7 14-09 11
Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 5 09-08
91. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 9 14-01 10
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 4 05-00
92. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 6 13-14 9
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 3 06-08
93. Grant Goldbeck Boerne, TX 6 13-04 8
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 5 12-03
94. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 7 13-04 7
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 2 03-15
95. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 12-14 6
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 3 07-11
96. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 12-09 5
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 4 11-01
97. Chip Porche Bixby, OK 6 09-01 4
Day 1: 3 05-03 Day 2: 3 03-14
98. David Smith Del City, OK 5 08-12 3
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 3 04-11
99. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 6 07-15 2
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 1 01-03
100. Clark Reehm Shreveport, LA 3 06-05 1
Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 1 02-07
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 84 460 1097-14
2 80 457 1021-01
----------------------------------
164 917 2118-15

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