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Livingston lures pro Jacob Powroznik finished up in 32nd place at this weeks Elite Series event on Table Rock.

Farm to Feet pro Andy Montgomery talks about his Table Rock event.

BRANSON, Mo. — Everyone’s saying Mark Davis is on fire.
Indeed he is. Friday he fanned that flame by taking the lead on the second day of the April 3-6 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite on Table Rock Lake.

Inferno, anyone?

Davis moved up from second place by adding another 15 pounds, 3 ounces to his first-day weight of 18-8. The Mount Ida, Ark., pro’s two-day tally was 33 pounds, 11 ounces.

If Davis, who already owns three Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles, goes on to win Sunday, he would cement his early lead in the race for the 2014 AOY title. He earned the AOY lead by finishing in third place in each of the first two Elite events of the season.

“It’s been really, really hard to keep it going, but so far, so good,” said Davis, who also owns a Bassmaster Classic title from 1995.

Several pros in the Bassmaster Elite Series field still have a lot of say about Davis taking the title at “The Rock.” Chris Lane is one. Winner of the St. Johns River Bassmaster Elite tournament two weeks ago, Lane moved from third place into second with 33-1, just 10 ounces behind Davis.

Aaron Martens, 2013 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, is another. The first-day leader, Martens ended the second round in third place at 33-0, just 11 ounces in back of Davis.

The list of immediate threats to Davis is longer. Trailing Davis by 1-7 was an old hand on Table Rock, Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark. McClelland moved up from 12th place into fourth with 32-4. Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., who was tied for fourth place after Day 1, slipped into fifth place on the second day with 30-13.

But Evers is only 2-14 behind first place. And only 9-0 separates Davis from the last man into Friday’s 50-cut, Yusuke Miyazaki at 24-11.

The Top 50 move into Saturday’s third round. Sunday, only the Top 12 will compete for the first prize of $100,000 and a win-you’re-in entry in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

Davis said the key to his success over the past two days has been a technique and the lure he’s using to execute that technique.

He’s also playing a numbers game. He said he’s increasing his odds of catching larger bass simply by catching a lot of fish.

“I’m getting 60, 70, 80 bites a day. The law of averages will carry you — even though you can start to doubt yourself on that at times. You get enough bites on a lake like this, you’ll come up with a little better grade of fish,” he said.

His five-bass limit of 15-3 contained four largemouth bass, including a 4-pounder, and one spotted bass. But Davis was hooking into smallmouth too.

“With the technique I’m using, you’ll catch a smallmouth one cast, a spot the next, and a largemouth on the next,” he said.

Lane took second place by producing a limit Friday of one spotted bass, three largemouth and one smallmouth. They weighed 14-12.

“I’m not going through the numbers like other people are,” said Lane, who is working banks, “just fishing.”

Lane said he is targeting larger bass by using a red colored crankbait. He boated just eight or nine keepers Friday, he said.

“I caught two bigger ones early, but it was a grind after that,” he said. “The cold didn’t seem to bother them.”

Martens said that unlike Thursday, he did not go after largemouth Friday. In his bag of 14-5 were two smallmouth and three spotted bass.

He also went to different water Friday. But an 8-pounder did not appear for him as one did on Thursday, which had helped him to the lead.

A rainy cold front Thursday evening followed Friday by lower temperatures, wind and near-bluebird skies didn’t affect the bite of the prespawn bass on Table Rock, said McClelland, who weighed five largemouth that went 16-14.

“The water warmed up so much earlier this week, it would have to get cold and stay cold for three or four days to slow these fish down again. Once these fish decide to go to the bank, it won’t get cold enough to send them back,” he said.

The largest bass of the day was 6-10 caught by Cliff Pirch of Payson, Ariz. But Martens’ 8-0 of Thursday held on as the top candidate for the Carhartt Big Bass award of up to $1,500.

Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., produced the largest sack of the day, a 19-10. He became the front-runner for the event’s Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500.

The 50 Elite pros who made the cut will return Saturday to Table Rock Lake for the third round. The takeoff will be at 6:30 a.m. at State Park Marina (300 State Park Marina Drive, Branson, MO 65616).

Saturday and Sunday the weigh-ins will be at the Bass Pro Shops location at Branson Landing in Branson. Weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m. CT. At the same location, the Bassmaster Elite Series Expo will open at noon. Among the activities are free demo rides in Nitro, Triton and Skeeter boats powered by Yamaha and Mercury engines.

There’s no admission charge for any Bassmaster event.

ESPN2 will air coverage of the Table Rock event on The Bassmasters TV show Sunday, April 20 at 8 a.m. ET.

Local Host: Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, www.bransonchamber.com.

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.

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Media Contact: Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, dprecht@bassmaster.com or Helen Northcutt, 205-313-0944, hnorthcutt@bassmaster.com.

2014 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Table Rock Lake  4/3-4/6
Table Rock Lake, Branson  MO.
Standings Day 2

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

1.  Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR           10  33-11  100     $500.00
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   15-03
2.  Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL        10  33-01   99
Day 1: 5   18-05     Day 2: 5   14-12
3.  Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL               10  33-00   98
Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   14-05
4.  Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR         10  32-04   97
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   16-14
5.  Edwin Evers            Talala, OK              10  30-13   96
Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 5   13-09
6.  Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            10  30-10   95
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   14-10
7.  Brandon Palaniuk       Hayden, ID              10  30-07   94
Day 1: 5   16-13     Day 2: 5   13-10
8.  Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA       10  30-05   93
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   17-15
9.  Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL       10  29-13   92
Day 1: 5   11-07     Day 2: 5   18-06
10. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC          10  29-08   91
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   14-06
11. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS              10  29-07   90
Day 1: 5   14-08     Day 2: 5   14-15
12. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  29-00   89
Day 1: 5   09-06     Day 2: 5   19-10
13. Morizo Shimizu         Osaka JAPAN             10  28-15   88
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   16-06
14. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              10  28-14   87
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   12-14
15. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK             10  28-14   86
Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 5   14-04
16. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC               10  28-10   85
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   15-08
17. Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN           10  28-02   84
Day 1: 5   11-00     Day 2: 5   17-02
18. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           10  27-14   83
Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   12-05
19. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH    10  27-13   82
Day 1: 5   16-08     Day 2: 5   11-05
20. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  27-13   81
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   14-13
21. Bobby Lane             Lakeland, FL            10  27-10   80
Day 1: 5   14-08     Day 2: 5   13-02
22. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX              10  27-08   79
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   15-03
23. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS        10  27-04   78
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   13-02
24. Billy McCaghren        Mayflower, AR           10  27-02   77
Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   12-07
25. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           10  26-13   76
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   15-01
26. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         10  26-12   75
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   14-08
27. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, AL             10  26-10   74
Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 5   14-09
28. Kurt Dove              Del Rio, TX             10  26-10   73
Day 1: 5   13-14     Day 2: 5   12-12
29. Kevin Hawk             Guntersville, AL        10  26-09   72
Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   16-03
29. Chad Morgenthaler      Coulterville, IL        10  26-09   72
Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   16-03
31. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  26-08   70
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   14-03
32. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                 10  26-06   69
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   15-03
33. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL           10  26-03   68
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 5   15-02
34. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                 10  26-03   67
Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 5   11-09
35. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA        10  26-02   66
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   14-02
36. Casey Scanlon          Lanexa, KS              10  26-01   65
Day 1: 5   13-14     Day 2: 5   12-03
37. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI           10  26-00   64
Day 1: 5   14-00     Day 2: 5   12-00
38. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC             10  26-00   63
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   13-10
39. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX         10  25-15   62
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   11-12
40. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR          9  25-09   61
Day 1: 4   10-13     Day 2: 5   14-12
41. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  25-08   60
Day 1: 5   11-06     Day 2: 5   14-02
42. Kelly Jordon           Palestine, TX           10  25-03   59
Day 1: 5   10-05     Day 2: 5   14-14
43. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  25-02   58
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   14-07
44. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  25-02   57
Day 1: 5   13-12     Day 2: 5   11-06
45. Randy Howell           Springville, AL         10  25-02   56
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   12-12
46. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA         10  24-15   55
Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 5   13-04
47. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  24-14   54
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   12-15
48. Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR         10  24-13   53
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   11-09
49. Chad Pipkens           Holt, MI                10  24-12   52
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 5   13-11
50. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX               9  24-11   51
Day 1: 4   13-01     Day 2: 5   11-10
51. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI           10  24-10   50
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   11-08
52. Glenn Browne           Ocala, FL               10  24-09   49
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   12-13
53. Fred Roumbanis         Bixby, OK               10  24-09   48
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   12-07
54. Derek Remitz           Grant, AL               10  24-08   47
Day 1: 5   13-07     Day 2: 5   11-01
55. Jared Miller           Norman, OK               9  24-06   46
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 4   08-06
56. Matt Herren            Trussville, AL          10  24-06   45
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   13-03
57. Matt Reed              Madisonville, TX        10  24-06   44
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   11-07
58. Randall Tharp          Port Saint Joe, FL      10  24-04   43
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   10-11
59. James Elam             Tulsa, OK               10  24-01   42
Day 1: 5   12-07     Day 2: 5   11-10
60. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC              10  24-00   41
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   11-14
61. Jeremy Starks          Scott Depot, WV         10  23-15   40
Day 1: 5   09-15     Day 2: 5   14-00
62. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX               10  23-12   39
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   12-15
63. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA             10  23-11   38
Day 1: 5   09-14     Day 2: 5   13-13
64. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL           10  23-05   37
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   11-00
65. Kevin Short            Mayflower, AR           10  23-03   36
Day 1: 5   12-07     Day 2: 5   10-12
66. Boo Woods              Oneida, KY              10  23-01   35
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   11-03
67. David Walker           Sevierville, TN         10  23-01   34
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   11-13
68. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL        10  22-14   33
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   09-15
69. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               8  22-13   32
Day 1: 3   05-14     Day 2: 5   16-15
70. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL          10  22-12   31
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   12-02
71. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC          10  22-12   30
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   10-14
72. Jamie Horton           Centerville, AL          8  22-11   29
Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 3   05-07
73. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, OK             10  22-09   28
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   09-06
74. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA            10  22-09   27
Day 1: 5   10-02     Day 2: 5   12-07
75. Brandon Card           Caryville, TN           10  22-08   26
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   11-11
76. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC           9  22-07   25
Day 1: 4   08-09     Day 2: 5   13-14
77. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY           10  22-06   24
Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 5   11-01
78. Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA          9  22-00   23
Day 1: 4   09-10     Day 2: 5   12-06
79. BJ Haseotes            Centerville, MA         10  21-14   22
Day 1: 5   09-08     Day 2: 5   12-06
80. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  21-14   21
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 5   10-06
81. Dennis Tietje          Roanoke, LA             10  21-13   20
Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   11-06
82. Charlie Hartley        Grove City, OH          10  21-11   19
Day 1: 5   11-00     Day 2: 5   10-11
83. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL         10  21-10   18
Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   11-03
84. Tracy Adams            Wilkesboro, NC          10  21-10   17
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 5   10-09
85. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX               9  21-09   16
Day 1: 4   08-00     Day 2: 5   13-09
86. John Murray            Phoenix, AZ             10  21-09   15
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   10-14
87. Scott Ashmore          Broken Arrow, OK        10  21-05   14
Day 1: 5   11-09     Day 2: 5   09-12
88. Kenyon Hill            Norman, OK              10  21-05   13
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   10-06
89. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  21-05   12
Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 5   10-13
90. Zell Rowland           Montgomery, TX          10  21-03   11
Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   10-05
91. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ             10  20-15   10
Day 1: 5   11-00     Day 2: 5   09-15
92. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL            10  20-14    9
Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   10-08
93. Joel Baker             Talala, OK               9  20-10    8
Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 4   10-15
94. Chris Zaldain          San Jose, CA            10  20-10    7
Day 1: 5   10-01     Day 2: 5   10-09
95. Joseph Sancho          New Windsor, NY         10  20-01    6
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   09-02
96. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC               10  20-01    5
Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   09-08
97. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ    10  19-12    4
Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 5   10-11
98. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL        10  19-08    3
Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   09-02
99. Kotaro Kiriyama        Moody, AL                9  18-15    2
Day 1: 4   07-14     Day 2: 5   11-01
100. Pete Ponds             Madison, MS              7  17-02    1
Day 1: 4   07-13     Day 2: 3   09-05
101. Mike Kernan            Wylie, TX                9  16-13    0
Day 1: 5   09-00     Day 2: 4   07-13
102. Michael Simonton       Fremont, OH              7  16-02    0
Day 1: 2   03-13     Day 2: 5   12-05
103. Trevor Romans          Plano, TX                8  16-00    0
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 3   05-06
104. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ              6  15-14    0
Day 1: 5   13-07     Day 2: 1   02-07
105. David Smith            Del City, OK             8  15-09    0
Day 1: 5   09-14     Day 2: 3   05-11
106. Nate Wellman           Newaygo, MI              6  14-12    0
Day 1: 3   05-12     Day 2: 3   09-00
107. Grant Goldbeck         Boerne, TX               6  14-10    0
Day 1: 3   06-14     Day 2: 3   07-12
108. Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX               7  14-06    0
Day 1: 2   04-08     Day 2: 5   09-14
——————————

After B.A.S.S. officials purposely hurried through weigh-in to outpace another dangerous fast approaching storm, Elite Series pros Britt Myers, Gerald Swindle and Terry Scroggins rushed to prepare tackle and watch the weather radar together at a house they’re sharing near Blue Eye, MO along Table Rock’s shoreline.

As much as discussion centered on the importance of getting one good bite to separate yourself from the super-tight pack of 10 to 13-pound limits, wise minds were on the weather.

Rightfully so, because while Myers, Swindle and Scroggins chewed on the cheeseburgers that Gerald’s wife LeAnn grilled for them, warm, humid, 75-degree air was violently being replaced by the 40-degree air and gusty north breezes that are greeting them on Day Two at Table Rock.

“Is the weather gonna hurt you or help you tomorrow?’” was the $100,000 question posed by emcee Dave Mercer at one point during the Day One weigh-in, and frankly it may be the single most important factor that affects anglers of all levels, no matter the entry fee they pay or even the species they pursue.

“Rain, hail, wind, heavy clouds, lightning, and sunshine – oh, it was a great day for fishing,” quipped Swindle sarcastically before graciously offering advice on how anglers need to adapt to ever changing weather conditions that are so prevalent at this time of year.

When Warm Air is Replaced by Much Colder Temps: “No matter if the air temp is rising or falling, you better be paying attention to the wind direction,” says Swindle. “In other words, if it’s gusting from the north instead of the south, plan on fishing the shoreline opposite of what you did the day before,” says the Quantum pro. “Way too many anglers make the mistake of going right back to the same stretch of shoreline they caught ‘em on yesterday – and if the wind ain’t there – you’re probably not going to catch ‘em.”

Swindle adds that the presence of wind is absolutely critical to getting bit on clear water lakes like Table Rock.

Clouds versus Sun:  “When clouds are replaced by sun, you need to be making tighter casts,” says Swindle. “Sun is going to push bass tighter to the bluff wall, tighter to the boat dock, tighter to that boulder, tighter to that laydown – and you better be making casts that are precise enough to put your lure in those tight places because the bass are far less likely to run out and chase a lackadaisical cast like you might have scored with under clouds the previous day.”

When the wind stops blowing:  While Swindle warns to chase the wind, especially on a clear water reservoir, sometimes there’s very little wind to chase, and that’s when his roommate Scroggins reaches for a spinning reel. “If it slicks off, you’d better be picking up that shaky head, drop shot or stuffing a ¼ ounce shaky head inside a tube or Gitzit,” says Scroggins, who recently launched his own cooking blog on Bassmaster.com.

What to do when storms bring lightning and super high winds: Britt Myers still speaks with a tone of fear and humility from memories of high wind waves that once took away his bravado and outboard motor. “The winds got so big at a BFL tournament I fished years ago on Santee Cooper that the pounding jerked my outboard off the boat. It was hanging by the cables,” recounted a humble Myers.

“You wanna fish like a pro? – Then use the common sense the Good Lord gave you and seek shelter when huge winds and lightning roll in,” says Swindle adamantly. “I’d sure hate to get killed by lightning on Friday, knowing that I had a chance to go fishing Saturday and Sunday.”