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PALATKA, Fla. — Kelley Jaye knows the potential perils of fishing history, but doing so proved to be a wise decision Saturday as he took the Day 1 lead in the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River.
Kelley Jaye, of Dadeville, Ala., is leading after Day 1 of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River with 21 pounds, 7 ounces. Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
The Dadeville, Ala., pro, who is beginning his eighth-year on the Bassmaster Elite Series, brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 21 pounds, 7 ounces.
Last year, Jaye fished the St. Johns’ offshore structure and earned an 11th-place finish. Today, he figured the cold front that brought big winds and postponed the tournament’s scheduled start by two days likely stalled much of the spawning movement that seemed be happening prior to the weather.
That hunch sent him offshore again.
“I’m catching them in the same place as last year, doing the same thing,” said Jaye, who has eight career Top 10 finishes with B.A.S.S. “I think the days off helped because I have a lot of boats around me. Hopefully, all those boats will stay on the bank tomorrow and leave me alone.”
Jaye went directly to his spot from takeoff Saturday, as he knew the post-frontal day would bring the usual “bluebird” conditions — high pressure and lots of sunlight. The first few hours of his day proved most productive, with the fish cooperating better before the sun got high overhead.
“It happened kind of fast, I had all my fish before 10 a.m.,” Jaye said. “The bite slowed down, but they live here where I’m fishing. It’s a grind, just like last year. I’m only getting eight or nine bites a day, but they were good fish.
“Tomorrow, I’m just going to grind it out again and hope I get the right five bites.”
Jaye said he targeted 4 to 6 feet of water and caught his fish on a jerkbait. He kept the details guarded, but noted that he alternated between two colors specifically matched to various water colors he encountered.
Despite two days of fierce winds and a sharp decline in air temperature, Jaye said his spot, which measures about 300 yards long and 200 yards wide, held up well. He didn’t disclose his specific area, but he said its location helped keep the water temperature at a comfortable level.
“I caught them earlier this morning on the lower tide; I don’t know if they could see the bait better or what,” he said. “Then as the tide came up, the water started muddying up and the bite slowed down.”
Beefing up his jerkbaits by replacing the stock No. 5 lightwire trebles with No. 4 Owner treble hooks gave him more firepower. Still, Jaye said he had to take his time with each fish.
Anchoring Jaye’s bag was a 9-2 largemouth that leads the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week.
“My first fish was a 4 1/2 and then I caught that big one,” Jaye said. “When I caught those two big ones, I thought I was going to have a really big bag, based on what I’d caught in there in the past, but I’m pleased with what I had.”
Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, Conn., is in second place with 20-8. One of the few anglers who ran north (downriver) from the take-off site at Palatka City Dock and Boat Ramp, Mueller caught most of his fish on a swim jig.
Timing, he said, was the key to his success.
“I spent half my day looking for new stuff, because I knew I had to fish my area at the right time; meaning when the water got a little higher and the sun got higher,” Mueller said. “You’re going to have a slow start with the weather that we had.
“This morning, I knew I had to learn something and try to find something new, so I treated it like a practice day. Then I went into my area and, thankfully, got a couple of good bites. I had two good fish and three decent fish, but those two good ones anchored my weight today.”
Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, is in third place with 20 pounds. With the day’s chilly start quickly yielding to sunny, warming conditions, the seasoned pro trusted his experience.
He knew the weekend’s full moon, plus rising temperatures, would spur a spawning movement.
“I don’t normally bet on them coming, but I kind of bet on them coming; I just thought that was what was going to happen — the full moon is too strong this time of year,” Wendlandt said. “I caught fish scattered throughout the day. I’m not getting tons of bites.”
Wendlant said he stuck with flipping/pitching baits because that forced him to slow down and fish his area thoroughly. He was able to spot some beds in the shallow, low-tide scenario, but most of his catches were unseen fish.
Sunday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7:15 a.m. ET at Palatka City Dock and Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held at Palatka Riverfront Park at 3:15 p.m.
2020 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River Title Sponsor: AFTCO
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Garmin, HUK Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala
2020 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River Local Hosts: Putnam County Tourist Development Council and Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-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 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Alabama Resident Chris Lane Leaps Ahead in MLF Bass Pro Tour Season Opener
February 7, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Alabama resident Chris Lane finished day one of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole at the top of the SCORETRACKER® with 35-pounds, 12-ounces representing nine bass. Weather over recent days on Lake Eufuala played a factor in today’s competition as the excessive rain, wind, and lightning led to rising lake levels and muddy water conditions. Josh Bertrand finished in second with seven total bass weighing in at 26-pounds, six ounces. Brandon Coulter caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day, which weighed in at seven pounds, 14 ounces.
Chris Lane took an early lead in Period 1 by catching the first bass of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour at 8:09 a.m. local time. The Power-Pole pro had eight fish for 33 pounds, nine ounces – a more than four-pound average – at the conclusion of that first period. Despite a drought in Period 2 and only one fish in Period 3, Lane held his lead throughout the day. Included in his total were fish that weighed five pounds, 11 ounces and five pounds, 7 ounces, respectively.
“That was a great first period,” exclaimed Lane. “(In Period 3), I found an area late in the day with some clear water, and I made the mistake of not going there soon enough in the day. I look forward to getting back there (Sunday).”
32-year-old Josh Bertrand of moved from fifth place to end the day at second despite a slower start in Period 1 than others. His largest bass of the day weighed in at six pounds, 10 ounces and landed two others over four pounds. The Berkley pro who lives in Arizona didn’t know what to expect today and indicated that he hopes better weather in coming days may help hasten the pace of the game.
“We have some better weather coming so it might bust wide open,” said Bertrand, when asked about returning on Sunday to Lake Eufaula for his second Qualifying Day.
The Top Ten of Day One, Qualifying Group A finished as follows:
| Place | Angler | Total Weight | Total Fish | Largest Fish |
| 1 | Chris Lane | 35-12 | 9 | 5-11 |
| 2 | Josh Bertrand | 26-06 | 7 | 6-10 |
| 3 | Todd Faircloth | 25-13 | 6 | 5-08 |
| 4 | Bryan Thrift | 19-11 | 7 | 3-13 |
| 5 | Greg Hackney | 19-08 | 5 | 5-07 |
| 6 | Anthony Gagliardi | 19-08 | 4 | 6-04 |
| 7 | Brent Ehrler | 17-14 | 5 | 5-15 |
| 8 | Jeff Sprague | 17-08 | 6 | 3-13 |
| 9 | Brandon Coulter | 16-04 | 3 | 7-14 |
| 10 | Mark Rose | 14-08 | 5 | 3-14 |
For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.
The Qualifying Round continues Saturday with Group B, which includes Edwin Evers, 2019 Points Champion and REDCREST presented by Venmo Champion, fishing greats Kevin VanDam and Mike Iaconelli, as well as 2019 Major League Fishing (MLF) World Champion Jacob Wheeler and MLF Rookie David Dudley. The weather forecast calls for a slightly warmer day calling for a high of 57-degrees-Farenheit and scattered showers midday.
The day begins with launch 6-6:30 a.m. before lines-in at 7:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 10:30 a.m. Period 2 spans 10:45 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 1:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 4:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 4:15 – 5:15 p.m. as anglers return to the ramp.
Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
About the Bass Pro Tour:
The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. Each stage includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format, where every bass over a variable minimum weight, which is two pounds on Lake Eufaula for Stage One, toward a cumulative weight total for the day. Variable minimum weights are determined by fishery akin to a golf course handicap. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups of 40 to compete on days one and two respectively for the Shotgun Round. On days three and four, the Elimination Round culls the field based on a combined 2-day total weight from each angler’s Shotgun and Elimination Round. The top 20 anglers from each group in the Elimination Round (40 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines who will compete on that final day, the Championship Round, for the Stage title and $100,000.
Each of Eight Stages of the Bass Pro Tour have the following payout schedule: 1st $100,000; 2nd $42,000; 3rd $30,000; 4th$24,000; 5th $18,000; 6th $16,800; 7th $15,600; 8th $14,400; 9th $13,200; 10th $12,000; 11th – 40th $6,000; Big Bass Daily $1,000; Big Bass Overall $1,000.
In addition to the economic impact on a host community, Major League Fishing showcases the region through their award-winning, live and linear programming. Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and majorleaguefishing.com, totaling more than 325 hours of original programming. Fans can follow the fast-paced nature of the MLF format as it unfolds on the live leaderboard through “SCORETRACKER® updates.” Highlights from each Stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.
“MLF offers the strongest broadcast presence in the industry to fans and sponsors,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “And with these lakes planned for this coming Bass Pro Tour, we know 2020 will be our best year yet as we continue to capture a broad audience of both longtime fishing fans and those new to the sport, thanks to our fast-paced, fan-friendly format,”
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV.
In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, and Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.
For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Off Days – The Good and the Bad with Brandon Lester
The start of the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series season has been delayed this week here on the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida due to two a couple dreaded cancelled competition days. While “off days” aren’t exactly celebrated in this line of work, that doesn’t mean the glass isn’t half full.
Make no mistake; there are approximately zero Elite Series pros that want to have tournament days cancelled throughout their season. These guys are fishermen and they make their living on the water. But, pros like Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester know there is a good and a bad side to everything.
The Good – quality time with family and friends.
Lester, his wife Kimberly, and their daughters Shiloh & Leann have taken full advantage of the two “off days” this week. Spending precious time together and seeing what the area has to offer.
“We’ve been having a great time,” Lester said with a smile. “Yesterday I loaded them up in the Tundra and we drove to St. Augustine to see the Fountain of Youth and learn some history about that area. Then today we headed to Blue Springs State Park and the girls saw their first manatee up close! They had a ball.”
Lester stays impressively controlled whether he just landed a giant bass, is on camera for an interview, or is hanging out with fans. But he couldn’t hide his happiness when talking about the down time spent with his family the past two days. And that right there will always be far more important than any fishing tournament.
The Bad – the concern of losing touch with the fish and it’s mentally taxing.
While Lester’s girls have helped him find the good in a somewhat negative situation, the humble Tennessee native isn’t naïve enough to completely ignore the bad in having competition delayed.
“This is the first event of the year and we (the anglers) want to have a strong first event, for ourselves and for the fans,” Lester said. “There are a lot of emotions coming into the tournament season after a long time off and the very last thing I wanted was to not be fishing these first two days. With that being said, I definitely think B.A.S.S. made the right call.”
With a wind advisory being declared for the area and 40+ mph wind gusts being the norm over the past two days, there is no doubt the B.A.S.S. tournament staff made the right decision. Safety of the anglers, their marshals, and the B.A.S.S. camera crews on the water is paramount. Still, Lester would be lying if he said he wasn’t thinking about how the bass are changing.
“Man, this time of year bass are moving every single day,” Lester said as he looked over the St. Johns River. “Down here in Florida, they want to get up shallow and spawn. Things could literally be changing by the hour. We haven’t been on the water since Tuesday, so I absolutely worry about losing touch with the fish I found in practice.”
The good news for everyone is the wind is finally calming. The Elite Series competitors will have to deal with a major cold-front on the heels of this weather system, but with any luck they’ll be kicking off the 2020 season with a bang at the Palatka City Dock and Ramp tomorrow afternoon.
B.A.S.S. Cancels Day 2 of St. Johns Elite Event
PALATKA, Fla. — Once more, high winds have prompted B.A.S.S. officials to cancel the second day of competition on the St. Johns River. The wind advisory from the National Weather Service is calling for winds 20-30 m.p.h. with guests over 40, making the fishery unsafe for boaters.
The Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo will be open at 2 p.m. ET on Friday at Palatka Riverfront Park. Fans will be able to meet their favorite Elite Series pros for autographs, photos and to share stories.
Competition in the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River is expected to resume Saturday morning, when the field of 88 anglers launches at 7:15 a.m. ET from Palatka City Dock and Boat Ramp. Weigh-ins will be held at 3:30 p.m. ET at Palatka Riverfront Park. The full field will compete Saturday and Sunday.
The current plan is to complete the tournament on Monday, when anglers will fish a shortened competition day. Launch on Monday will be at 6:45 a.m. ET and the weigh-in will be held at 2:00 p.m. ET.
2020 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River Title Sponsor: AFTCO
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Garmin, HUK Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala
2020 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River Local Hosts: Putnam County Tourist Development Council and Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-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 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Zaldain Working Towards a Win
When day one of Bassmaster Elite Series competition on the St Johns River was called off this morning due to high and dangerous winds, most pro anglers took advantage of the “off-day” by resting. Some went fishing on non-tournament waters, others caught up on social media content, and plenty spent the day taking it easy. Not Chris Zaldain.
Around lunchtime I found last year’s Angler of the Year runner-up rocking a Carhartt t-shirt and a power drill in the boat yard. Fine-tuning his Humminbird electronics with service crewmembers before heading home to meticulously work on tackle.
“After nine years as a professional angler, I know my way around a toolbox,” Zaldain said with a laugh. “Equipment malfunctions are a reality of being a professional angler when you travel and push your equipment as much as we do. I’ve learned the best way to diagnose problems and give myself every possible minute of fishing time is to know my boat in and out; bow to stern.”
After watching Zaldain tinker for a few minutes, it was obvious he wasn’t embellishing. It turns out Zaldain has taken to rigging his own Skeeter Boat the past several years in order to be as knowledgeable as possible about his equipment. From his Yamaha Outboard to his Minn Kota trolling motor and every accessory in between, Zaldain is able to troubleshoot common issues so he can maximize his fishing time.
Paying attention to detail in all facets of fishing is partially what has helped Zaldain become the angler he is today. The California born pro who now resides in Texas had an absolutely red hot 2019 season. With three 2nd place Elite Series finishes, along with two more top 10s bookended by narrowly missing the Toyota Angler of the Year title.
But don’t expect Zaldain to revel in his past accomplishments, the freshly signed Carhartt sponsored pro has his sights set looking forward.
“What happened in 2019 is old news,” Zaldain explained. “Don’t get me wrong, it was an awesome year and I am extremely grateful for it, but it is in the history books. Now I feel like I’ve got to work twice as hard to put myself in a similar position at the end of this season. I need to come out hungrier.”
A harder working and hungrier Zaldain is a scary thought for his fellow Elite Series competitors. The trajectory of Zaldain’s career the past few years has been nothing short of impressive and he shows no signs of slowing down.
“This year the goal is some hardware,” Zaldain said. “I won’t lie, coming in 2nd four different times last year stung. This year I want to collect some trophies! An Elite Series championship or the Angler of the Year title would be incredible, but the Classic trophy outweighs them all for me. I already can’t wait for this year’s 50th Bassmaster Classic in Alabama. It’s going to be an awesome tournament.”
Whether or not Zaldain hoists a trophy overhead throughout the season won’t be due to a lack of effort. He works as hard as anyone both on and off the water, and maintains the right attitude while doing so. Tomorrow marks Zaldain’s first day back on the job for the 2020 season and the first step toward his yearlong goal.