VanDam Dominates With 40, Leads Cut By 12-10 Margin

Today at the Lewisville Bassmaster Elite 50, Kevin VanDam retained control. He brought in a stout 15-14 limit, which gave him 40-00 total and a 12-10 lead. Out of the seven Elite 50s ever held, this is the third time he's led on cut day. His limit today wasn't as spectacular as yesterday's, but in fact, it was the fourth heaviest of the tournament. He weighed the heaviest limit and the big bass both days – one of which was a lake record. In other words, he was untouchable.

Mike Iaconelli is 2nd with a 2-day, 10-bass total of 27-06. The distance between him and VanDam no longer matters, since weights are zeroed tomorrow morning. Edwin Evers is 3rd with 10 for 27-01, followed by Kenyon Hill in 4th with 10 for 26-03. The reigning BASS Angler of the Year Aaron Martens made his second consecutive Top 12 cut, and is 5th with 10 for 26-01.

The rest of the Top 12 who will fish tomorrow are:

6. Gerald Swindle: 10, 25-10
7. Dustin Wilks: 10, 25-07
8. Randy Howell: 10, 25-04
9. Kevin Wirth: 10, 25-02
10. Luke Clausen: 10, 24-12
11. Brian Snowden: 10, 24-10
12. Larry Nixon: 10, 24-05

Just missing the Top 12 cut was the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion Takahiro Omori (10, 23-06). He finished only 15 ounces out.

Tomorrow the Top 12 will fish the six-hole course that has been off-limits for fishing until now. It's comprised of the western arm of the lake upstream from the I-35E bridge, and is very different from the mostly bare and featureless main lake used for days 1 and 2.

The Top 6 will carry their weights over from Friday (day 3) and fish Saturday for the win.

VanDominator

Mark Davis may be Mr. E50, but VanDam's sniffing around that title too. VanDam's 2-day, 10-fish, 40-pound sack is the highest qualifying weight produced in any of the seven E50s held so far. He didn't catch any monsters today, but his limit of 15-14 was the top weight nevertheless. His 12-10 lead is the biggest gap since Mark Davis led by 11-01 at the Tenn-Tom last year.

Yesterday he didn't want to say how he caught his fish, but today he bared all. "I caught every fish today on a Strike King 3X Finesse Worm in several colors of green," he said. "I fished them on a 3/16-ounce Bite-Me Tackle jighead. They're made in northern Indiana, and the owner is a guru of jigheads. He makes the best you can get – all sorts of custom combinations. I caught the 11-13 yesterday on it too."

He had the big fish again today – a 5-10. It was one of 13 keepers he landed. "I was fishing the deepest, clearest water I could find, which was at the riprap along the dam," he said. "The key was really the worm. That (3X) plastic is really soft and has a great action. It floats, so the jighead would hold the worm on the bottom, but the tail would stand straight up and flutter. It's a deadly combination."

The reason he didn't mind talking about how he caught his fish is that the hole course is "totally different. It's the main tributary for the lake and has dirtier water and a lot of timber.

"Now I need a whole new plan," he said.

Hill Camped Out

Kenyon Hill made a big jump from 23rd into the Top 12 cut on the strength of his 14-12 limit today. The catch boosted his total to 26-03 and he made the cut in 4th. His was the second-heaviest limit of the day.

"I just camped out on a point all day," he said. "I caught a limit there yesterday, and I noticed several other competitors caught fish off it too. So today I just went there and stayed.

"I caught most of my fish yesterday on a Carolina-rigged Zoom lizard, but today most of them hit a homemade crankbait. They just loaded up on it and it got heavy – the same way they took it yesterday." He caught around 10 keepers today – the biggest was 4 pounds.

The crankbait is one he made himself. "Initially I designed it to fish in wood cover about 4 to 6 feet deep, where square-lipped baits couldn't go. I caught fish in 2 to 5 feet of water today on the point where rocks were a key feature."

He plans to keep doing what he's been doing when he starts the hole course tomorrow. "It has a lot of nice rocky points," he noted. "I'll concentrate on that since it's what got me here."

Martens Mixed it Up

Martens said he fished a jighead worm, a Zoom Fluke and a Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap crankbait to catch his fish the last 2 days. Today's limit of 13-10 moved him from one place out of the Top 12 into 5th with 26-01. "I caught six keepers yesterday and 10 today," he said. "The bite was tougher today.

"My starting spot (yesterday) stunk. It was a bridge that I caught a 16- to 20-pound limit off of the last day of practice. I spent half the day there yesterday and then left. On my second spot I caught six keepers and jumped off two 3-pounders back to back. I thought I messed up my chances for a Top 12 then, but I think I caught them today.

"I started on that point today and got one fish in an hour," he noted. "Then I fished around and got three more keepers in the next 3 or 4 hours. After that I went back and got five more on the point.

"I was fishing a 6-inch Roboworm on the jighead – just shaking and dragging it real slow. I think if I had fished it yesterday like I did today I would have had a better weight."

Wilks Wondering What's Next

Dustin Wilks made his second consecutive Top 12 cut today. He caught a 12-05 limit that gave him a 2-day total of 25-07 and moved him up one spot to 7th. By coincidence, that's the same position he was in after day 2 at the Dardanelle E50.

"It's a pretty simple thing that I didn't see anyone else doing," he said of his technique. "I caught 12 or 15 keepers today, and the biggest was about 3 pounds. Those are hard to come by.

"All day I was culling up an ounce at a time," he added. "That takes a lot of time out of your day, and you never know if it's worth it, since you might need that ounce, or you might be better off making another cast or two instead of taking the time to cull."

He noted a comical incident that occurred yesterday (Wednesday). "I hooked a 4-pounder on a Glamour Shad jig. It wrapped the line around a big old log about 8 feet long and 200 pounds. I managed to lift the whole thing into the boat, laying on my back, and getting mud and trash and algae all over the place.

"That fish was flopping around the base of the log where the roots were. I don't know how it stayed hooked, but that fish got me in the Top 12 cut."

He described the hole course as "totally different from the rest of the lake. It has a steeper shoreline and a lot more cover and options – everything but weeds."

He also noted: "But some of it is real muddy, so I don't know how that will play. In the rest of the lake there was a fish on anything that looked good. In the hole course there's a lot more that looks good, so I don't think there will be fish on everything.

"I'll probably have 15 rods on the deck, and have to figure it out as I go. That's hard to do. You might just start putting things together in one hole, and then have to move, and the next hole may be totally different."

He guessed 14 to 15 pounds per day – 28 to 30 pounds total – will be the winning weight.

Wirth Dragging Points

Kevin Wirth caught a 12-14 limit today that moved him into the Top 12 in 9th place with 25-02 total. He was 14th yesterday.

"I caught every fish the last 2 days on a 6-inch Berkley Power Lizard that I fished on a Carolina rig on main-lake points in less than 5 feet of water," he said. "I caught 21 keepers yesterday, but only 10 today.

"My best numbers spot yesterday didn't have any fish on it today, and I don't know why."

Both days he fished 30 to 40 spots, and tried to hit them at a time when the fish were active. "I fished humps and short points outside spawning grounds. I rotated around and hit some eight to 10 times a day trying to get the timing right."

Tomorrow he starts in hole 5. "The first three holes I'll fish have three variants of water, so that should set me up good for the rest of the day. I found eight or nine places where I might duplicate what I did on the main lake, but in three holes I'll have to find a makeshift pattern that's completely different."

Clausen Climbing

Luke Clausen has had a pretty tough season on both the Bassmaster and FLW tours this year, and was 30th in the E50 points coming to Lewisville. He managed to turn around his tailspin and make the Top 12 cut in 10th today, with a limit of 12 pounds to give him 24-12 total.

"The points are heavily weighted at the top, so this will move me up some," he said. "But I probably need a Top 12 and a Top 6 at these last two events to make the Top 10 in the E50 points to qualify for the Classic."

He said the best thing he had going in practice here was skipping a swimbait under docks, but that fell apart on the first day of the tournament. "I got a few on it yesterday, but I caught most of them on a Mann's finesse jig," he noted.

"I fished around shallow tire reefs, and got several off one that went to the bank. I was pitching it to the holes.

"I also caught some behind docks inside of the giant marinas, where the water was 4 to 8 feet deep."

He noted that the hole course has a lot of standing timber in the back and rocks out front. "I'll probably throw a shallow crankbait like the (Mann's) 4-minus in back and the finesse jig in front. I saw a few brushpiles on the graph, so I'll fish those too."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 50 anglers, 38 limits, 5 4s, 3 2s, 3 1s, 1 zero (2% of the field zeroed).

> Apparently VanDam jinxed Davy Hite. He commented yesterday about how he and Hite have both been making the Top 12 cut since they started rooming together. Today Hite dropped from 9th to 17th.

> VanDam said he will probably file the paperwork to have yesterday's big fish officially certified as a lake record. "It would be pretty neat. Everybody wants me to do it – the fisheries people, the local fishermen. It would be good for the fishery, so I think I'll do it."

> Ish Monroe today recorded the only zero of the event.

Weather Forecast

Hot and muggy conditions continue for the Top 12. Here's the forecast from the Weather Channel.

Fri., June 3 - PM T-Storms - 83°/71°
> Wind: From the S at 13 mph

Sat., June 4 - Partly Cloudy - 89°/72°
> Wind: From the S at 15 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 10, 40-00 -- 310
Day 1: 5, 24-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14
2. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 10, 27-06 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00
3. Edwin Evers -- Mannsville, Okla. -- 10, 27-01 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01
4. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 10, 26-03 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12
5. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 10, 26-01 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10
6. Gerald Swindle -- Hayden, Ala. -- 10, 25-10 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15
7. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, N.C. -- 10, 25-07 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-05
8. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 10, 25-04 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 9-04
9. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 10, 25-02 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14
10. Luke Clausen -- Spokane Valley, Wash. -- 10, 24-12 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00
11. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 10, 24-10 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10
12. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ark. -- 10, 24-05 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not be fishing tomorrow.

13. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 10, 23-06 -- 251 -- $5,700
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00
14. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 10, 22-09 -- 248 -- $5,550
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00
14. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 10, 22-09 -- 248 -- $5,550
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-01
16. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, Texas -- 10, 22-05 -- 243 -- $5,500
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 9-09
17. Davy Hite -- Prosperity, S.C. -- 10, 22-03 -- 241 -- $5,500
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 9-02
18. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 10, 21-10 -- 239 -- $5,500
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 5, 9-15
19. David Wharton -- Sam Rayburn, Texas -- 9, 21-08 -- 237 -- $5,500
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 4, 9-09
20. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Ill. -- 10, 21-04 -- 235 -- $5,300
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 7-13
20. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 10, 21-04 -- 235 -- $5,300
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 8-10
22. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 10, 20-09 -- 231 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 9-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07
23. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 10, 20-06 -- 229 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 9-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10
24. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 10, 20-03 -- 227 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 8-02
25. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 10, 20-01 -- 225 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 9-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-00
25. Stacey D King -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 10, 20-01 -- 225 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 9-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10
27. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 10, 19-15 -- 221 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 5, 8-03
27. Roland Martin -- Naples, Fla. -- 9, 19-15 -- 221 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 4, 8-06
29. Jeff Reynolds -- Platter, Okla. -- 10, 19-06 -- 217 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 9-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06
29. David Fritts -- Lexington, N.C. -- 10, 19-06 -- 217 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 9-11 -- Day 2: 5, 9-11
31. Bud Pruitt -- Spring, Texas -- 10, 18-13 -- 213 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 8-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00
32. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 10, 18-07 -- 211 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 7-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10
33. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Calif. -- 10, 18-04 -- 209 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 8-08 -- Day 2: 5, 9-12
34. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 10, 18-01 -- 207 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 9-03 -- Day 2: 5, 8-14
35. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 9, 17-12 -- 205 -- $5,200
Day 1: 5, 10-10 -- Day 2: 4, 7-02
36. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 9, 17-09 -- 203 -- $5,100
Day 1: 4, 7-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09
37. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Texas -- 9, 16-15 -- 201 -- $5,100
Day 1: 4, 7-13 -- Day 2: 5, 9-02
38. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ark. -- 7, 16-14 -- 199 -- $5,100
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 2, 5-01
39. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 10, 16-12 -- 197 -- $5,100
Day 1: 5, 8-11 -- Day 2: 5, 8-01
40. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 10, 16-06 -- 195 -- $5,100
Day 1: 5, 9-00 -- Day 2: 5, 7-06
41. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 9, 15-10 -- 193 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 8-13 -- Day 2: 4, 6-13
42. Jim Bitter -- Fruitland Park, Fla. -- 7, 15-02 -- 191 -- $5,000
Day 1: 2, 5-07 -- Day 2: 5, 9-11
43. Marty Stone -- Linden, N.C. -- 6, 14-12 -- 189 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 1, 1-07
44. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ark. -- 8, 14-05 -- 187 -- $5,000
Day 1: 3, 6-01 -- Day 2: 5, 8-04
45. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 6, 11-13 -- 185 -- $5,000
Day 1: 4, 8-00 -- Day 2: 2, 3-13
46. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo. -- 7, 10-09 -- 183 -- $5,000
Day 1: 3, 4-14 -- Day 2: 4, 5-11
47. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 7, 9-11 -- 181 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 7-01 -- Day 2: 2, 2-10
48. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 4, 8-08 -- 179 -- $5,000
Day 1: 4, 8-08 -- Day 2: 0, 0-00
49. Dave Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa. -- 4, 5-06 -- 177 -- $5,000
Day 1: 3, 4-07 -- Day 2: 1, 0-15
50. Mark Tyler -- Scottsdale, Ariz. -- 3, 3-10 -- 175 -- $5,000
Day 1: 1, 2-01 -- Day 2: 1, 1-09

Big Bass

> Day 2: Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 5-10 -- $1,000
> Day 1: Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 11-13 -- $1,000