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Gross Hobbles To Day 1 Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Champlain
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — This time last month, Buddy Gross was struggling to walk after suffering a freak ankle injury while horseback riding.
His right ankle is still grotesquely swollen, but it didn’t slow him down on the water Thursday as he caught five bass that weighed 21 pounds, 13 ounces to take the opening-round lead in the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain.
Buddy Gross, of Chickamauga, Ga., is leading after Day 1 of the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain with 21 pounds, 13 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
“I made some good calls today,” said Gross, who weighed in four largemouth and one smallmouth. “I hit some stuff that I’d hit before and managed to catch a few.
“I had two smallmouth in my bag for the biggest part of my day, but I stopped on one more spot on the way in and caught another 4-pound largemouth to cull one of those fish.”
With three days left before the tournament is done, Gross didn’t go into specifics about where and how he was catching either species. But he did say he only hit about three of the 30 places he found to fish for largemouth during practice.
He had all but one of the bass he weighed in by noon.
“I’ve got a bunch of stuff left to fish, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good,” said Gross, who picked up his first career Elite Series victory last year on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula. “They weren’t there like I expected them to be for most of practice, but they seem to be showing up now.
“If I can make it to Saturday when the sun is supposed to come out, I think it could be really good.”
As for the injured right ankle that dogged him during a 52nd-place finish at last month’s Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on Lake Ray Roberts, Gross said it is just a matter of being careful.
“If I hit it just wrong in the boat, it still sends a sharp pain,” he said. “It’s still swollen really badly. I know I need to see a specialist, but right now I just want to fish.”
Gross holds less than a 1-pound lead over second-place pro Bryan Schmitt of Maryland (21-11) and third-place angler Randy Pierson of California (21-0).
Unlike Gross who focused mainly on largemouth, Schmitt targeted smallmouth most of the day. But he switched occasionally to largemouth when he was near the right type of habitat, and it was a decision that paid big dividends.
“I sampled a bunch of stuff I thought I could get a bite on early,” Schmitt said. “Some of it worked, some didn’t. Then about 11 o’clock, I ran some new stuff and caught a couple of big smallmouth and a couple of big largemouth.
“I probably caught 20 or so fish, but a lot of small ones.”
Schmitt said he fished roughly half the areas he identified as good possibilities in practice. Then with a good limit already in his livewell, he spent about an hour idling and looking for new water before weigh-in.
While he admitted 4-pound-plus largemouth are hard to come by on Champlain, he said the talk that 4-plus smallmouth are hard to find is false.
“I caught three of them today, and I don’t even know what I’m doing,” Schmitt said. “There’s a lot more big smallmouth in here than largemouth.”
Pierson, the 2018 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship winner, weighed in all largemouth, but that wasn’t necessarily his plan. He spent his day targeting smallmouth and then switching tactics when he saw something he said looked “largemouthy.”
“I’m pretty much throwing four baits,” Pierson said. “I’m throwing a Senko, a drop shot, a River2Sea S-Waver and a River2Sea Rover. It was just a matter of bouncing around through smallmouth stuff and moving shallow when things looked right for largemouth.
“Everything just went exactly right. It was a special day.”
Nine anglers caught more than 20 pounds of bass Thursday, and Minnesota pro Seth Feider barely missed that benchmark, finishing in 10th place with 19-11.
That total was more than enough to help Feider maintain his lead in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. The Minnesota pro, who was visibly nervous for the first 30 minutes on Bassmaster LIVE, has 693 points, while Oklahoma pro Jason Christie (627) and South Carolina pro Patrick Walters (622) trail distantly behind him.
“I feel a lot better now than I did this morning,” Feider said. “I scrapped my plan to fish for smallmouth right away. I gave it maybe an hour and just wasn’t feeling it.”
That’s when he switched to flipping for largemouth.
“When I decided to go flip milfoil, I caught one the first five minutes,” he said. “It wasn’t a big one, about 3 1/2 pounds. But at that point, I knew I was gonna do it the rest of the day and that made me feel a lot better.”
Oklahoma pro Dale Hightower took in the lead in the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass with a 5-15.
Competition will resume Friday with takeoff scheduled for 7 a.m. ET from Plattsburgh City Marina. Weigh-in will be held back at the marina at 3 p.m.
After Friday’s round, only the Top 45 pros will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.
Live coverage for each day of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.
The Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain is being hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partner: AFTCO
2021 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain Local Hosts: City of Plattsburgh, Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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), TV show, radio show, 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, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
2021 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain 7/8-7/11
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh NY.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 5 21-13 100
Day 1: 5 21-13
2. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 21-11 99
Day 1: 5 21-11
3. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 5 21-00 98
Day 1: 5 21-00
4. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 20-11 97
Day 1: 5 20-11
5. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 5 20-07 96
Day 1: 5 20-07
6. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 20-05 95
Day 1: 5 20-05
6. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 20-05 95
Day 1: 5 20-05
8. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 20-03 93
Day 1: 5 20-03
9. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 20-01 92
Day 1: 5 20-01
10. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 19-11 91
Day 1: 5 19-11
11. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 19-10 90
Day 1: 5 19-10
12. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 19-08 89
Day 1: 5 19-08
13. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 19-06 88
Day 1: 5 19-06
13. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 5 19-06 88
Day 1: 5 19-06
15. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 19-05 86
Day 1: 5 19-05
15. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 19-05 86
Day 1: 5 19-05
15. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 19-05 86
Day 1: 5 19-05
18. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 19-01 83
Day 1: 5 19-01
19. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 18-15 82
Day 1: 5 18-15
19. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 18-15 82
Day 1: 5 18-15
21. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 18-14 80
Day 1: 5 18-14
22. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 18-11 79
Day 1: 5 18-11
23. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 18-09 78
Day 1: 5 18-09
23. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 18-09 78
Day 1: 5 18-09
25. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 18-08 76
Day 1: 5 18-08
25. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 18-08 76
Day 1: 5 18-08
27. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 18-05 74
Day 1: 5 18-05
28. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 18-04 73
Day 1: 5 18-04
29. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 18-03 72
Day 1: 5 18-03
30. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 18-02 71
Day 1: 5 18-02
30. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 18-02 71
Day 1: 5 18-02
30. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 18-02 71
Day 1: 5 18-02
33. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 18-01 68
Day 1: 5 18-01
33. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 18-01 68
Day 1: 5 18-01
35. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 18-00 66
Day 1: 5 18-00
35. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 5 18-00 66
Day 1: 5 18-00
37. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 5 17-12 64
Day 1: 5 17-12
38. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
38. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
38. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
38. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
42. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
42. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
42. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
42. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
46. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 17-08 55
Day 1: 5 17-08
47. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 17-07 54
Day 1: 5 17-07
48. John Cox Debary, FL 5 17-06 53
Day 1: 5 17-06
48. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 5 17-06 53
Day 1: 5 17-06
50. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 17-04 51
Day 1: 5 17-04
51. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
51. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
51. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
51. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
55. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 17-02 46
Day 1: 5 17-02
55. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 17-02 46
Day 1: 5 17-02
57. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 17-01 44
Day 1: 5 17-01
58. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 16-14 43
Day 1: 5 16-14
59. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 16-12 42
Day 1: 5 16-12
59. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 16-12 42
Day 1: 5 16-12
59. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 16-12 42
Day 1: 5 16-12
62. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 5 16-11 39
Day 1: 5 16-11
62. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 5 16-11 39
Day 1: 5 16-11
62. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 16-11 39
Day 1: 5 16-11
65. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 16-09 36
Day 1: 5 16-09
65. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 16-09 36
Day 1: 5 16-09
65. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 16-09 36
Day 1: 5 16-09
68. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 16-08 33
Day 1: 5 16-08
69. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 16-06 32
Day 1: 5 16-06
70. Mike Huff London, KY 5 16-05 31
Day 1: 5 16-05
71. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 16-04 30
Day 1: 5 16-04
72. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 16-03 29
Day 1: 5 16-03
73. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 16-02 28
Day 1: 5 16-02
73. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 16-02 28
Day 1: 5 16-02
75. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 15-15 26
Day 1: 5 15-15
76. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 15-13 25
Day 1: 5 15-13
76. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 15-13 25
Day 1: 5 15-13
78. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 5 15-08 23
Day 1: 5 15-08
79. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 15-03 22
Day 1: 5 15-03
80. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 15-02 21
Day 1: 5 15-02
80. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 15-02 21
Day 1: 5 15-02
82. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 14-14 19
Day 1: 5 14-14
83. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 14-13 18
Day 1: 5 14-13
83. Rob Digh Denver, NC 5 14-13 18
Day 1: 5 14-13
83. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 14-13 18
Day 1: 5 14-13
86. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 14-10 15
Day 1: 5 14-10
87. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 14-07 14
Day 1: 5 14-07
88. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 14-01 13
Day 1: 5 14-01
89. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 13-14 12
Day 1: 5 13-14
90. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 13-12 11
Day 1: 5 13-12
91. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 13-07 10
Day 1: 5 13-07
91. Bryan New Belmont, NC 5 13-07 10
Day 1: 5 13-07
93. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 12-14 8
Day 1: 5 12-14
94. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 12-02 7
Day 1: 5 12-02
95. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 2 05-01 6
Day 1: 2 05-01
———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 05-15 $1,0000.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 94 472 1633-14
———————————-
94 472 1633-14
The post Gross Hobbles To Day 1 Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Champlain appeared first on Bass365.com.
Zaldain Knows Smallmouth Love Pink
Chartreuse, green pumpkin, red craw, sexy shad, and black-blue will probably always be the top sellers on bass fishing’s menu of popular lure colors, but every once in a while, a special shade sneaks in and appeals to the appetites of the finicky finned critters we chase.
Pink is one of those – especially anytime clearwater and smallmouth bass are involved like here at Lake Champlain — and Carhartt-Yamaha pro Chris Zaldain is very aware of that.
“Yup, everybody knows I’m going to have a Magdraft swimbait tied on everywhere we go, but this is one body of water where the pink version can be a player,” grins Zaldain.
Interestingly, other than putting pink in his starting line-up, when it comes to basic swimbait strategy, Zaldain doesn’t treat this northern body of water near the Canadian border much different than the famous swimbait waters of the Southern U.S. such as Guntersville or Lake Fork.
In fact, his primary goal Thursday to begin competition was to find schools of the biggest alewife baitfish that swim in this massive body of water on the New York-Vermont border.
Seagulls and other diving birds often provide a hot tip on where to find the bait, but for Zaldain, the key is finding jumbo sized bait. “Big bass eat big baits. Some of the best fish I caught in practice were coughing up 6” long alewives, so that’s what I’m trying to match with this 6” swimbait.”
Classic thinking for the always classy San Jose, California native who now calls Fort Worth, Texas home. Go big or go home. And this week, don’t be afraid to put some pink in the mix.
The post Zaldain Knows Smallmouth Love Pink appeared first on Bass365.com.
Champlain Elite: Lobster Mac and Cheese, Please
Pros may not be able to count on the nomadic smallmouth bass they found in practice staying put at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on massive Lake Champlain, but when you’re in the Northeastern United States, you can always count on great food.
Caleb Sumrall has already secured a great plate of beef tips from “99 Restaurants’, And Mark Menendez’s local buddy supplied him some awesome mac and cheese, Now the two consummate pros just have to figure out how to catch bass well above the three-pound mark.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing this week?
Sumrall: There’s a ton of fish in this lake, but catching 4-pounders is the big challenge. And that’s the size you’ll need to separate yourself from the pack.
Menendez: I think the biggest challenge is managing your run distance – not getting mentally spun out on whether to make the long run south to Ticonderoga, or for example, Rouses Point way up north.
Q: What do you like most about Champlain?
Sumrall: The simple fact there are so many bass in this lake.
Menendez: I’ll be really honest, I’ve been fishing professionally for 30 years, and this lake and I have never really gotten along well. So, I’m just trying to do well enough this week to persevere my chances of making the 2022 Bassmaster Classic.
Q: What percentage of the fish weighed-in the next four days will be smallmouth versus largemouth?
Sumrall: I’ll say 75% smallmouth, and 25% largemouth.
Menendez: 70% smallmouth, 30% largemouth.
Q: What three lures can fans expect to see the pros throw a lot this week?
Sumrall: Drop shot, Topwater, and a small swimbait.
Menendez: Jerkbait, Dropshot, and a Ned rig.
The post Champlain Elite: Lobster Mac and Cheese, Please appeared first on Bass365.com.
What a Fun Week!
Major League Fishing Pro Cody Meyer had a great week at Stage 5 of the Bass Pro Tour on the St. Lawrence River. Find out how Cody caught them and take a look at the tackle he used.
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Mike Iaconelli and The Ike Foundation® Announce Pro Am Event and Scholarship Winners
July 6, 2021, Pittsgrove, NJ. The Ike Foundation® recently held its 6th Annual Ike’s Celebrity Pro-Am Bass Tournament on the Chesapeake Bay in North East Maryland. Anglers from all over the region came out to support The Ike Foundation® and their mission to get more kids fishing and in the outdoors. The day was an astounding success. The top five winners all had bags of over 17lbs. The winning bag of 17.9lbs was a father-daughter team of Mark Shafer and Sam Flynn from Williamstown, NJ. They took home a brand new BassCat boat with a Yamaha outboard motor as well as lots of other prizes generously donated by sponsors of The Ike Foundation®. Those sponsors include Flambeau, Abu Garcia, Mystery Tackle Box, Spike-It, RS Nets, The Bass University, Lowrance, Rod Warrior, RAM Mounts, Tackle Warehouse, Gerber Gear, TH Marine, Power-Pole and Rapala.
Ike Foundation® Celebrity Pro-Am Bass Tournament Winners and Weights:
- Mark Shafer/Sam Flynn-17.9lbs
- Mark Snyder/Donald Bridy-17.15lbs with the tie-breaking lunker of 5.5lbs
- Reno Regalbuto/Troy Polhamus-17.12lbs
- Michael Powers/Paul Badders-17.10lb
The post Mike Iaconelli and The Ike Foundation® Announce Pro Am Event and Scholarship Winners appeared first on Bass365.com.