Bassmaster Elite Series pro James Elam caught an 8-15 bag on Saturday to win the Grand Lake Bassmaster Central Open with a three-day total of 36-14. His margin of victory over the runner-up, former Elite competitor Casey Scanlon, was 10 ounces.
Elam caught most of his keepers on day 3 on a Carolina-rigged green-pumpkin plastic lizard and some on a Jackall Lures Pompadour topwater lure.
“I fished a lot of stuff,” he said. “I caught them off of four places and they were all full-time shad places that were in the mid-depth range.”
The spots were mostly flats with subtle breaks and brush. The fish were holding in two different ranges, either 5 to 7 feet deep or 10 to 15 feet.
“I caught fish all day, but only had the five keepers,” Elam said.
Scanlon weighed in a 9-02 limit on day 3 to finish 2nd with 36-4.
“I started off with three keepers in the first two hours and I got six or seven keeper bites,” he said. “But they just weren’t quality fish.”
Five anglers qualified for 2018 Elite Series by virtue of their point totals in the 2017 Central Opens. They are Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., with 534 points; Harvey Horne of Bella Vista, Ark., with 530 points; Hartsell with 528 points; Randy Sullivan of Breckenridge, Texas, with 516 points; and Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, with 516 points.
Here are the final numbers for the top 12:
1. James Elam: 36-14
2. Casey Scanlon: 36-04
3. Masayuki Matsushita: 35-07
4. Toby Hartsell: 34-10
5. Allan Nail: 33-10
6. Beau Branine: 32-03
7. Roy Hawk: 31-11
8. Harvey Horne: 31-05
9. Andy Ortega: 28-06
10. Jonathan Simon: 27-07
11. Dave Mansue: 27-05
12. Gary Clouse: 26-02
