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UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Who could be happy after not catching a limit in what is likely the most important bass tournament of your career?

Greg Hackney.

Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

He was grinning ear-to-ear Saturday after weighing four bass instead of the allowed five in the third round of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake. But those four were solid largemouth bass that tipped the scales at 17-11. It was enough to keep a 10-ounce lead over his biggest threat, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas.

“The lead’s the lead,” quipped the pro from Gonzales, La., who also led on Day 2. “I’m happy.”

In the three days of the four-day event, Faircloth had 60-7 to Hackney’s 61-1.

Part of Hackney’s elation stemmed from knowing he still held the lead in the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) points race. After Saturday, Hackney had 15 points on reigning AOY Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., and 17 points on none other than the same guy also hot after the Cayuga trophy, Faircloth.

Hackney has never been this close to capturing the AOY title, which will be awarded next month when the Elite Series season wraps up in Michigan. Only twice before did he have a shot. He came closest in his rookie Elite year, 2004, when he finished in second place, three points behind AOY winner Gerald Swindle.

Closest to the two Cayuga leaders was Chris Zaldain of San Jose, Calif. Climbing from sixth place into third, Zaldain posted a three-day tally of 56-4. He trailed Faircloth by 4-13.

Fourth place was taken by Jacob Powroznik of Port Haywood, Va., at 55-11. In fifth place was first-day leader Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, with 54-7.

The field was cut to 12 for Sunday’s competition for a first prize of $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

Hackney’s third round on Cayuga Lake began just right. By 9 a.m., he had pulled four bass out of relatively deep water. In the third bite of a flipping flurry, he connected for a split second with a fifth bass. He said he reacted too fast and ripped the bait away from the fish.

Happy Hackney wasn’t allowing that “lost” bass to haunt him.

“Naw, I’m not worried about that,” he said. “I’m right back where I want to be, so I can’t complain. I could say ‘shoulda coulda woulda,’ but the lead is what it’s all about.”

Wind was Hackney’s nemesis Saturday on Cayuga. “The wind just pretty much blew my area out,” he said. Whitecap rollers caused the submerged grass to twist and wave. That spooked the bass out of the grass, he said.

“Then it (the wind) just got so bad out there, I couldn’t fish, so I moved up and started fishing shallow, but just couldn’t get bit shallow,” he said.

If the wind blows again in Sunday’s final round, he has a more protected place down the lake he hasn’t tapped into, he said.

Faircloth has been Mr. Consistency over three days with weights of 20-2 on Day 1, 20-2 on Day 2 and 20-3 on Saturday.

“I had another good morning. We leaned on them pretty hard,” he said.

By “we,” Faircloth meant Zaldain. As they have for three days, the two are sharing a honey hole, working it within casting distance of each other.

“I don’t know if there’s anything left there or not,” Faircloth said. “I’ve got a backup (for Sunday), and was able to cull one of my smaller ones off of it. But I don’t know that it has the potential for a win.”

Faircloth said he’s mainly using three Strike King lures: a 5XD crankbait, a Rage Cut-R and a Rage Shellcracker soft plastic flipping bait. He’s working them along the grasslines.

A five-time Bassmaster Elite Series winner and 12-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, Faircloth is trying for his first AOY title. He’s come close several times.

Zaldain said he’s fishing differently than Faircloth in the water they’re sharing.

“I’m fishing ‘off’ a little bit,” Zaldain said. “He (Faircloth) is fishing more of the big-line stuff, with bigger-type worms, and I’m using the finesse approach, picking up fish behind him. I’m totally respecting his water; he’s respecting mine.”

Zaldain said he’s also going deeper (about 22 feet, he said) with a drop shot rig. Cloud cover dictated his choice, shallow or deep.

“When it’s cloudy early in the morning, I have to catch them out deep,” he said.

Faircloth, Hackney and many others in the Elite field now know they have one of 50 berths wrapped up for the $900,000 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, Sept. 18-21 on Bays de Noc out of Escanaba, Mich. There, 29 Bassmaster Classic entries for the 2015 event will be finalized. Several more Elite pros below the 29-cut will also make it into the 2015 world championship due to double-qualifiers.

And, when the Michigan event ends the Elite season, the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be crowned. The AOY will take $100,000 of the $900,000 total purse.

Hackney’s 23-1 bag of Day 2 held as the top contender for the Berkley Heavyweight award of $500.

Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., caught Saturday’s the largest bass. A 6-4, it helped him into Sunday’s finals in 10th place.

In the event’s Carhartt Big Bass competition, the 6-6 largemouth caught by Powroznik on Day 1 continued to lead for the bonus of up to $1,500.

The A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake continues Sunday at Frontenac Park, 26 Chapel St., Union Springs, N.Y. The 12 finalists will leave the docks beginning at 6:15 a.m.

Beginning right after the morning launch, fans can sign up for free rides in Triton, Skeeter and Nitro boats powered by Mercury or Yamaha engines.

Also at Frontenac Park, the Bassmaster Elite Series Expo and Fish Cayuga Festival will open at noon. On tap are live music; food and merchandise vendors; the Berkley Experience trailer; and merchandise, games, prizes and fishing tips offered by A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt, Toyota, Minn Kota, Booyah, Shimano, Livingston Lures and many others.

The final weigh-in will begin at 3:15 p.m.

All Bassmaster events are free.

Hosting the Elite Series at Cayuga are www.FingerLakesTravelNY.com, www.ILoveNY.com, www.TourCayuga.com, and the Union Springs Chamber of Commerce.

The Bassmasters TV show on ESPN2 will feature the Cayuga event on Sunday, Sept. 7, in the 2:30-3:30 p.m. time slot.

All times are Eastern.

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 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite Series at Cayuga Lake 8/21-8/24
Cayuga Lake, Union Springs NY.
Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 14 61-01 100 $500.00
Day 1: 5 20-05 Day 2: 5 23-01 Day 3: 4 17-11
2. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 60-07 99
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 20-03
3. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 15 56-04 98
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 21-08 Day 3: 5 19-00
4. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 55-11 97
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 18-10 Day 3: 5 16-13
5. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 15 54-07 96
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 17-08
6. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 15 54-04 95
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 17-13
7. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 53-12 94
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 19-06 Day 3: 5 17-06
8. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 52-12 93
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 19-05 Day 3: 5 13-11
9. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 51-07 92
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 17-00
10. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 51-07 91
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 18-10
11. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 14 51-06 90
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 4 15-04 Day 3: 5 19-01
12. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 15 51-04 89
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 5 12-00
13. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 48-15 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 5 15-05
14. David Walker Sevierville, TN 15 48-03 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 15-06
15. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 48-02 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 19-04
16. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 15 48-00 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 10-15
17. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 48-00 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 14-11
18. Casey Scanlon Lanexa, KS 15 47-15 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 10-12
19. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 47-12 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 15-03 Day 3: 5 17-08
20. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 15 47-11 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 17-09
21. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 15 47-05 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 11-13
22. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 15 46-14 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 12-14
23. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 46-12 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 15-07
24. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 15 46-10 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 15-09
25. Randall Tharp Port Saint Joe, FL 15 45-11 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 16-06
26. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 45-10 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 15-10
27. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 15 45-06 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 14-01
28. Randy Howell Springville, AL 15 45-04 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 12-11
29. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 44-10 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 16-09
30. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 15 44-10 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 15-05
31. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 44-09 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 14-04
32. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 15 44-09 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 13-13
33. James Elam Tulsa, OK 15 44-00 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 13-09
34. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 15 43-13 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 14-13
35. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 15 43-10 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 5 11-02
36. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 15 43-04 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 11-09
37. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 43-03 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 5 13-06
38. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 15 42-04 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 09-11 Day 3: 5 13-10
39. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 15 42-04 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 14-01
40. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 41-14 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 09-06
41. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 15 41-14 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-14 Day 3: 5 11-08
42. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 15 41-03 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 12-07
43. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 41-02 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 12-07
44. Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, NC 15 40-12 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 10-14
45. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 13 40-01 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 3 07-12 Day 3: 5 11-14
46. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 15 39-13 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 11-00
47. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 14 39-05 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 4 09-08
48. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 15 38-06 53 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 5 09-02
49. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 15 38-05 52 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 09-14
50. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 38-01 51 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 08-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 99 516 1442-12
2 97 512 1404-15
3 48 248 710-10
———————————-
244 1276 3558-05

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. (Aug. 22) — Two consistent days of competition have pro angler Mike McClelland closing in on the leaders at the Bassmaster Elite event on Cayuga Lake and possibly his second win of the season.

Bringing in a heavy stringer of 17 pounds, 12 ounces Thursday and another solid bag of 15 pounds, 14 ounces Friday, the Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat Elite angler sits 15th on the Bassmaster leaderboard. His total weight of 33 pounds, 10 ounces has him only 1 pound, 14 ounces behind the championship Sunday mark.

“This is one of those tournaments where there is a lot of fish in the lake, but little fish aren’t going to make a difference,” McClelland said. “A minimum of 12 to 13 pounds a day isn’t going to be good enough to stay competitive.

“Looking back to the first day, I feel frustrated that I didn’t grind a little harder on some of my areas. I fished through them one time and caught some decent-sized fish. I took what I had thought was going to be sufficient. Unfortunately, the fish were biting a lot better yesterday and I probably could have brought in a lot more than I did. That was probably my best chance of bringing in a 20-pound bag.”

In search of that big bag, McClelland will launch from Frontenac Park at 6:15 a.m. ET with the other remaining Elite Series anglers. He will return for weigh-in at 3:15 p.m. to see if he made the final cut.

“I made the decision yesterday to not revisit my areas because I didn’t feel like I had enough spots to just beat on them,” McClelland said. “Tomorrow I’m going to take a different approach than I have the first two days. My plan is to get in an area, and if they’re biting I’m going to stay and catch as many as I possibly can before moving on. Hopefully, that means I can bring in a 20-pound bag tomorrow at weigh-in.”

Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat angler Mike McClelland advanced to Saturday’s round after bringing his two-day weight total to 33 pounds, 10 ounces on Friday.

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. (Aug. 22) — Fueled by determination this weekend, pro angler David Walker put himself in great contention near the top of the leaderboard to make the first cut at the Bassmaster Elite event at Cayuga Lake.

The Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat angler culled to a competitive 18 pounds, 11 ounces on the first day of Elite Series competition, and after a slow start on Day 2, he caught another solid bag of 14 pounds, 2 ounces. Bringing in a two-day total of 32 pounds, 13 ounces landed Walker in the 17th spot, knocking on the door of making the final 12.

“I got a few big stringers today, just not as many as I did yesterday,” Walker said. “I think that had a lot to do with the weather. We had a lot of sunny, slick conditions making the fish a little harder to catch. I was fishing a lot of moving baits, but those just weren’t working for me like I wanted this morning.

“Good news is I still managed to scramble around and get 14 pounds. When I had my first 11 pounds this morning, I caught two three-pounders right away almost back to back. I caught another two-pounder, which filled my limit, and right then I felt like the weight of the world had lifted off my shoulders. Up to that point I was stressing about getting a limit, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

Walker will launch from Frontenac Park at 6:15 a.m. ET hoping to bring in enough at weigh-in at 3:15 p.m. to break the top 12 and make it to championship Sunday.

While Walker would love to bring home his first Elite Series win of the season, he has a bigger goal in mind: Gain points in the Angler of the Year standings. After struggling the past couple of weeks, a strong first two days on Cayuga Lake has moved him into the 24th spot in the standings, 70 points ahead of the cut mark.

“Right now I’m a lot more relaxed about this weekend than when it started,” Walker said. “When you’re fishing the first two days a lot can go wrong that can cause you to fall and really put you behind. However, fishing the third day you have a safety net, you can’t fall out of the money.

“Tomorrow I will feel a lot more relaxed about it, not nearly as tense as I was the past two days. To be honest with you, I don’t want to have a bad day tomorrow either because of the point factor. If I can have a solid finish in the teens or maybe have a really big day and make the final cut, it will be a much bigger points day than if I finish further down.
“Gaining points right now is really the important thing, and I feel like I got that accomplished by making the first cut. I really put myself in a bind the past few tournaments and I had to fight my way out of it. I’m really glad that I did.”

Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat angler David Walker caught 14 pounds, 2 ounces on Friday to advance to Saturday’s round with a two-day total of 32 pounds, 13 ounces.

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Give the man some grass, and he feels right at home.
That’s grass, as in aquatic vegetation, and crystal clear Cayuga Lake is loaded with it.

“Deep, clear water with grass is by far my favorite way to fish,” said Greg Hackney, the pro angler from Gonzales, La., who took the lead Friday in the second round of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake out of Union Springs, N.Y.

Hackney weighed the day’s heaviest bag of bass — 23 pounds, 1 ounce — to rise into the lead from fourth place. His two-day total was 43-6.

“Grassmaster” No. 2 on Friday was Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas.

“Anytime we go to a lake that has grass in it, my confidence soars,” said Faircloth, who climbed from seventh place into second place with twin weights of 20-2 for a running total of 40-4. He trails Hackney by 3-2.

Coincidentally, Hackney and Faircloth currently occupy first and second place, respectively, in the season’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. After Friday’s round, they were 17 points apart.

Thus what promises to be a double-pronged and intense one-on-one began to brew Friday.

If Hackney stumbles on Day 3, Faircloth could catch up in points as well as in the Cayuga event, the final full-field tournament of the Elite season. If Faircloth falters, Hackney could end up not only the Cayuga champ, but feel very secure in the AOY lead he’s had since Aug. 10.

The Hackney-Faircloth square-off wasn’t the only drama at Cayuga Lake Friday. Only 50 anglers of the 106-man field made the cut to advance to Saturday. That sent 56 Elite pros home for the season.

Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark., wasn’t one of them. He turned in 19-14 Friday to jump into third place from ninth place. His two-day total was 39-4.

Fourth place was claimed by Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., at 39-1. And for the second day in a row, Jacob Powroznik, the Elite Series rookie who won the fourth event of the 2014 season, settled into fifth place. From Port Haywood, Va., Powroznik posted 38-14 over two days.

First-day leader Brandon Palaniuk of Hayden, Idaho, fell to ninth place after posting 16-5 — respectable, but not the 20-pound-plus weight he needed to stay in control.

Hackney, who had never fished Cayuga Lake before practice began last Monday, immediately keyed in on Cayuga’s grassy habitat. By Friday, he was rolling with it.

“It was a monster day. I had four of my fish this morning in the first hour,” he said. Adding another soon, he replaced several of those for larger bass as the day progressed. His last cull was at 2:30, he said.

But fishing Cayuga has not been easy.

“It’s kind of a grind for me. I’m not catching a lot of fish. I’ve just been fortunate enough that when I get a bite, it’s typically 3 pounds or bigger,” he said.

Like Hackney, Faircloth had never been fishing on Cayuga Lake before last Monday. But his gut told him he could pick apart the grassy lake’s bass fishing secrets much like he does on Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn, the two reservoirs closest to his Texas home.

“I’ve got one really good spot,” Faircloth said. “I found out today that I’m sharing it with another guy. He fished it late yesterday, and I fished it early yesterday. We both left it at 8 o’clock this morning.”

Faircloth said he culled two more times after he left the stretch of water that proved so productive.

“But by 9:30, 10 o’clock, it was over for me as far as upgrading,” he said.

Faircloth is a five-time Bassmaster Elite Series winner and 12-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier. He’s come close, but he has not won a Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.

The 50 anglers in Saturday’s round will attempt to be one of the 12 who will compete on Sunday for the first prize of $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

Besides a win, the goal of all pros still in the Cayuga event is to earn enough points to be one of 50 who qualify for the $900,000 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, Sept. 18-21 on Bays de Noc out of Escanaba, Mich. That’s where they’ll have a chance at securing a Bassmaster Classic berth if they didn’t earn one by winning an event.

When the Michigan event wraps up the Elite season, the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be crowned and handed $100,000 of the $900,000 total purse.

Although points are posted after each day’s competition, AOY standings are not official until the end of the tournament.

Hackney won the $500 Livingston Lures Leader Award for heading up the field on the second day. His big bag of 23-1 became the frontrunner for the Berkley Heavyweight award of $500.

With his 6-6 largemouth of Day 1, Powroznik continued to hold the reins in the event’s Carhartt Big Bass competition for a bonus of up to $1,500.

The A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake continues Saturday at Frontenac Park, 26 Chapel St., Union Springs, N.Y. The pros will leave the docks beginning at 6:15 a.m. Start time for the weigh-in is 3:15 p.m.

The Bassmaster Elite Series Expo and Fish Cayuga Festival will continue through Sunday at Frontenac Park. On tap are live music, food and merchandise vendors, and products and services of Elite Series sponsors.

Highlights of the Expo include the screening of the newest Costa GeoBASS film preceding Saturday’s weigh-in; free demo boat rides beginning right after the morning launch in Triton, Skeeter and Nitro boats powered by Mercury or Yamaha engines; the Berkley Experience trailer; and merchandise, games and prizes offered by Carhartt, Toyota, Minn Kota, Shimano, Livingston Lures and many others.

All Bassmaster events are free.

Hosting the Elite Series at Cayuga are www.FingerLakesTravelNY.com, www.ILoveNY.com, www.TourCayuga.com, and the Union Springs Chamber of Commerce.

The Bassmasters TV show on ESPN2 will feature the Cayuga event on Sunday, Sept. 27, in the 2:30-3:30 p.m. time slot.

All times are Eastern.

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.

Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

Round two of the James River Rayovac is in the books and Bryan Schmitt leads the field going into the final round on a very tricky tidal fishery. Schmitt posted another impressive 5 bass limit that weighed 18-10 for a two (also the heaviest limit and day 2 big fish 7-05lbs) day total of 37-07. Kelly Pratt holds onto the second place spot with 10 bass that weighed 35-02 and day one leader Wayne Vaughn slipped to third posting a total weight of 33-04. See the video of Schmitt here.