Duckett Leads Bassmaster Debut On The Delaware

PHILADELPHIA — So, do black bass live in the Delaware River?

Oh, boy, do they. Boyd Duckett showed how those bass can be caught when the four-day Bassmaster Elite Series event on the Delaware River kicked off Thursday out of Philadelphia for the first time in Bassmaster history.

Bringing in a limit of five largemouth bass that weighed 16 pounds, 14 ounces — a respectable total anywhere during midsummer — Duckett of Guntersville, Ala., led the field of 106 pros, each after the event’s first prize of $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

Duckett — the 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion — posted a hefty lead over Morizo Shimizu of Osaka, Japan, who took second place with 12-2.

Third place after one day was claimed by James Elam of Tulsa, Okla., with 11-12. Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark., had 11-6 for fourth place. Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., had 11-5 for fifth place.

Those five pros on top of the leaderboard all weighed five-fish limits, unlike many others in the field.

Knowing well after two and a half days of practice time that Delaware River bass were going to present one of the Elite season’s biggest challenges, Duckett made a key decision: go for the big bass during the river’s just-right tidal conditions, taking the chance that he would not end up with five in the box.

“I found a couple of deals that work a little better to get a bigger bite,” he said. “I’m throwing bigger baits. There’s no guarantee you’ll get five bites in a day here. At least if you get them, I want them to be bigger ones.”

Duckett said that toward the end of the day, he had a limit, but the smallest, a 2-pounder, was bugging him.

“I was like, ‘Oh, if I could just cull this one.’ Then finally I got my sixth bite, and it was a 3 1/2. I knew I had about all the river was going to put out for the day,” he said.

The five he weighed looked like cookie-cutter bass. The largest was 3-13.

Duckett said he’s working the main river as well as backwater areas, always trying to follow the tides.

Shimizu said he caught four of his five bass within one midmorning hour. When the action shut down, he moved to one of his secondary spots, but nothing worked for him there. He returned to the place that gave up the quartet. And there he landed his fifth largemouth of the day.

It was a stellar day after a very slow practice, he said.

“I say, ‘Never give up,’” he said, repeating what is not only a Michael Iaconelli mantra, but what has been Shimizu’s slogan for 15 or 16 years, he said.

Elam, with 11-12 worth of largemouth for third place, said he was learning how to work with the massive tide swing of the Delaware. The water drops 7 feet at low tide.

“I saw one place today in the morning (at low tide), where I caught a fish later. I thought I could pull up at high tide there and get bit,” he said. “I spent my practice time trying to figure out how to run the tides and the windows when the fish would be biting.”

The largest bass of the day, a 4-3, was caught by Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn., making him the frontrunner for the event’s Carhartt Big Bass award of up to $1,500.

Duckett leads the event’s competition for the Berkley Heavyweight award of $500 for the tournament’s largest bag of bass.

Philadelphia native son Iaconelli produced a limit of bass that weighed 9-2. It was good for 21st place. Now living in Pittsgrove, N.J., the Elite pro received a resounding vote of confidence from the crowd: “Ike, Ike, Ike, Ike,” they chanted.

Another hometown notable took the stage Thursday: Mayor Michael Nutter made an appearance to welcome the Elite Series to Philadelphia.

The full field will return to the river Friday for the second round. They’ll take off from the Frankford Arsenal Boat Launch (5701 Tacony St.) at 6:15 a.m., and then weigh their catches on stage at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (211 S. Columbus Blvd.) beginning at 3:15 p.m.

Fans are invited to watch the takeoff and weigh-ins all week through Sunday. There’s no admission charge to attend.

Other free Bassmaster activities at Penn’s Landing include boat rides Friday, Saturday and Sunday in new Nitro, Triton and Skeeter rigs powered by Mercury and Yamaha engines. Fans can sign up for the demo rides at the Nitro, Triton and Yamaha booths.

The Bassmaster Elite Expo, which features local exhibits as well as those of Elite Series sponsors, will open Saturday at noon, and again at noon on Sunday. Free Expo activities include the screening of the newest Costa GeoBASS film on Saturday preceding the weigh-in.

The hosts of the event are Philadelphia Sports Congress, Visit Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers & Outdoors Program. The local media partners for this event are 6ABC TV and 92.5 XTU radio.

The Delaware River event will be featured on The Bassmasters on ESPN2 on Aug. 24 and 31 from 8 to 9 a.m. ET.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Booyah, Carhartt, Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Plano, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Series at Delaware River 8/7-8/10
Delaware River, Philadelphia  PA.
Standings Day 1

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts  

1.  Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL         5  16-14  100
Day 1: 5   16-14
2.  Morizo Shimizu         Osaka JAPAN              5  12-02   99
Day 1: 5   12-02
3.  James Elam             Tulsa, OK                5  11-12   98
Day 1: 5   11-12
4.  Kevin Short            Mayflower, AR            5  11-06   97
Day 1: 5   11-06
5.  Fred Roumbanis         Bixby, OK                5  11-05   96
Day 1: 5   11-05
6.  Chad Pipkens           Holt, MI                 5  11-04   95
Day 1: 5   11-04
7.  Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           5  11-01   94
Day 1: 5   11-01
8.  Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR          5  10-15   93
Day 1: 5   10-15
9.  Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL         5  10-09   92
Day 1: 5   10-09
10. Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX               4  10-05   91
Day 1: 4   10-05
11. Kotaro Kiriyama        Moody, AL                5  10-04   90
Day 1: 5   10-04
12. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC           4  09-14   89
Day 1: 4   09-14
13. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5  09-13   88
Day 1: 5   09-13
14. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK            5  09-12   87
Day 1: 5   09-12
14. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL         5  09-12   87
Day 1: 5   09-12
16. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               4  09-12   85
Day 1: 4   09-12
17. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC              4  09-06   84
Day 1: 4   09-06
18. Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA          5  09-04   83
Day 1: 5   09-04
19. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                  4  09-03   82
Day 1: 4   09-03
20. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL            3  09-03   81
Day 1: 3   09-03
21. Michael Iaconelli      Pittsgrove, NJ          5  09-02   80
Day 1: 5   09-02
21. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC           5  09-02   80
Day 1: 5   09-02
23. Kevin Hawk             Guntersville, AL         5  08-15   78
Day 1: 5   08-15
24. Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN            4  08-15   77
Day 1: 4   08-15
25. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5  08-13   76
Day 1: 5   08-13
26. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX               4  08-10   75
Day 1: 4   08-10
27. Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA        5  08-09   74
Day 1: 5   08-09
28. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ     3  08-01   73
Day 1: 3   08-01
29. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO         5  08-00   72
Day 1: 5   08-00
30. Derek Remitz           Grant, AL                3  07-15   71
Day 1: 3   07-15
31. Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL                3  07-12   70
Day 1: 3   07-12
32. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA               4  07-09   69
Day 1: 4   07-09
33. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX               4  07-08   68
Day 1: 4   07-08
34. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH     5  07-06   67
Day 1: 5   07-06
35. Kenyon Hill            Norman, OK               4  07-06   66
Day 1: 4   07-06
36. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS               3  07-05   65
Day 1: 3   07-05
37. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX               4  07-04   64
Day 1: 4   07-04
38. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, AL              4  07-03   63
Day 1: 4   07-03
39. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ              5  07-02   62
Day 1: 5   07-02
40. Bobby Lane             Lakeland, FL             4  06-14   61
Day 1: 4   06-14
41. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC                3  06-14   60
Day 1: 3   06-14
42. Brandon Card           Caryville, TN            2  06-14   59
Day 1: 2   06-14
43. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK              3  06-11   58
Day 1: 3   06-11
44. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL             2  06-10   57
Day 1: 2   06-10
45. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK               4  06-09   56
Day 1: 4   06-09
46. Randy Howell           Springville, AL          5  06-08   55
Day 1: 5   06-08
47. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR          3  06-07   54
Day 1: 3   06-07
48. Mike Kernan            Wylie, TX                4  06-04   53
Day 1: 4   06-04
49. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         3  06-04   52
Day 1: 3   06-04
50. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          4  05-14   51
Day 1: 4   05-14
51. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA              3  05-13   50
Day 1: 3   05-13
52. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL              3  05-08   49
Day 1: 3   05-08
53. Matt Reed              Madisonville, TX         4  05-06   48
Day 1: 4   05-06
54. Zell Rowland           Montgomery, TX           3  05-03   47
Day 1: 3   05-03
55. Brandon Palaniuk       Hayden, ID               2  05-02   46
Day 1: 2   05-02
56. Tracy Adams            Wilkesboro, NC           3  04-13   45
Day 1: 3   04-13
57. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            4  04-08   44
Day 1: 4   04-08
58. Scott Ashmore          Broken Arrow, OK         2  04-05   43
Day 1: 2   04-05
59. Nate Wellman           Newaygo, MI              3  04-04   42
Day 1: 3   04-04
60. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL          3  04-02   41
Day 1: 3   04-02
61. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               2  04-01   40
Day 1: 2   04-01
61. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA         2  04-01   40
Day 1: 2   04-01
61. Randall Tharp          Port Saint Joe, FL       2  04-01   40
Day 1: 2   04-01
64. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA             2  04-00   37
Day 1: 2   04-00
64. Jared Miller           Norman, OK               2  04-00   37
Day 1: 2   04-00
64. John Murray            Phoenix, AZ              2  04-00   37
Day 1: 2   04-00
67. Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR            2  03-12   34
Day 1: 2   03-12
67. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL             2  03-12   34
Day 1: 2   03-12
69. Billy McCaghren        Mayflower, AR            3  03-10   32
Day 1: 3   03-10
70. Chad Morgenthaler      Coulterville, IL         2  03-09   31
Day 1: 2   03-09
71. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX                2  03-08   30
Day 1: 2   03-08
72. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA          2  03-03   29
Day 1: 2   03-03
73. Boo Woods              Oneida, KY               3  03-02   28
Day 1: 3   03-02
74. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL            2  02-15   27
Day 1: 2   02-15
75. Grant Goldbeck         Boerne, TX               1  02-15   26
Day 1: 1   02-15
75. Jeremy Starks          Scott Depot, WV          1  02-15   26
Day 1: 1   02-15
77. Joel Baker             Talala, OK               2  02-11   24
Day 1: 2   02-11
78. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  1  02-11   23
Day 1: 1   02-11
79. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS         2  02-10   22
Day 1: 2   02-10
79. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY            2  02-10   22
Day 1: 2   02-10
81. Dennis Tietje          Roanoke, LA              2  02-07   20
Day 1: 2   02-07
82. Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL        2  02-06   19
Day 1: 2   02-06
83. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ              1  02-06   18
Day 1: 1   02-06
83. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC                1  02-06   18
Day 1: 1   02-06
85. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA             2  02-05   16
Day 1: 2   02-05
86. Trevor Romans          Plano, TX                1  02-05   15
Day 1: 1   02-05
87. David Walker           Sevierville, TN          1  02-02   14
Day 1: 1   02-02
88. Casey Scanlon          Lanexa, KS               1  02-01   13
Day 1: 1   02-01
89. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX          1  02-00   12
Day 1: 1   02-00
90. Chris Zaldain          San Jose, CA             1  01-12   11
Day 1: 1   01-12
91. Glenn Browne           Ocala, FL                1  01-08   10
Day 1: 1   01-08
91. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC           1  01-08   10
Day 1: 1   01-08
91. Pete Ponds             Madison, MS              1  01-08   10
Day 1: 1   01-08
94. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            1  01-06    7
Day 1: 1   01-06
94. Joseph Sancho          New Windsor, NY          1  01-06    7
Day 1: 1   01-06
96. Kelly Jordon           Palestine, TX            1  01-05    5
Day 1: 1   01-05
97. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC               1  01-03    4
Day 1: 1   01-03
97. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR          1  01-03    4
Day 1: 1   01-03
99. Kurt Dove              Del Rio, TX              1  01-01    2
Day 1: 1   01-01
99. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL           1  01-01    2
Day 1: 1   01-01
101. Charlie Hartley        Grove City, OH           0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
101. Jamie Horton           Centerville, AL          0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
101. Michael Simonton       Fremont, OH              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
101. David Smith            Del City, OK             0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
101. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI            0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
101. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI            0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        23       302       590-07
———————————-
23       302       590-07