Clausen, Clark Locked In Huge Sack Duel, Evers 3rd

One's young, but already a champion. The other's a relatively unknown stick, but a rising force. Both are locked

in battle atop the day 1 standings of the Bassmaster Classic at Florida's West Lake Toho. Washington's Luke Clausen, the former FLW Tour Championship champ, currently leads with a monster 29-06 sack. That's the heaviest 1-day weight in Classic history.

But right behind him is Florida's Preston Clark with 29-01. Clark broke a record himself. His 11-10 toad today is the largest bass caught in Classic history.

Both are more than 5 pounds ahead of 3rd-place Edwin Evers of Oklahoma, who weighed 23-10.

Kentucky's Kevin Wirth is 4th with 22-05, and veteran Rick Clunn is 5th with 20-12.

Here's a look at the rest of the Top 10:

6. Davy Hite: 20-09
7. Jeff Kriet: 20-03
8. Larry Nixon: 19-08
9. Ish Monroe: 19-02
10: Ron Shuffield: 18-15

Conditions changed today. A front did move through last night as forecast, and temperatures were a little cooler, with cloudy skies and 15 mph winds. That was a big factor in how the day played out.

Clausen and Clark are doing different things. Both are working spawning areas, but Clark is bed-fishing and Clausen is blind-fishing worms, as Wirth probably is. Evers is tight-lipped, but he's not a known bed-fisherman, so he's probably fishing a moving bait. Clunn bed-fished a little and threw spinnerbaits.

In other words, you can catch them just about any way here, and no one technique is dominant. That said, the sight-fishing did suffer today with the winds and clouds, but the full-on post-spawn bite hasn't developed yet.

The tournament is extremely tight. The 5-pound-plus lead that Clausen and Clark have over Evers isn't much, considering Toho's potential, and only 3 1/2 pounds separates 3rd from 7th.

A look at the Top 10 reveals another dynamic: young vs. old. You have the young guns like Clausen, Clark and Monroe side-by-side with old-guard fixtures like Clunn, Nixon and Shuffield. In the case of Clausen, Nixon and Shuffield, this could be their last Classic. They're fishing only FLW Outdoors events this season.

Only one angler didn't weigh a limit today: Mike Iaconelli. Because of what appeared to be a livewell issue, he threw a tirade in the boat, destroyed the stern running light and as a result had his day 1 weight DQd. More on that below.

Clausen Working Slow

When Clausen won the FLW Tour Championship in 2004, he did it with patience and a worm. He's fishing slow here too, and throwing plastics. He's not bed-fishing, but is working through a spawning area.

He bite was happening on both Toho and Kissimmee. He caught 16 keepers and his biggest was a 7-07, backed up with a few 5s.

"I'm fishing for fish that are getting on beds or are in spawning areas, but I can't see them," he said. "I figured out a pattern in practice that seems to be working in my areas. But not all of the areas have quality fish."

About his technique, he said: "I'm fishing Mann's HardNose plastics. I don't know how many fish I have left. I definitely don't think I can go and catch another 29 pounds. There's going to be a lot of local pressure tomorrow."

A change to a south wind is also predicted. "I may have to adjust," he noted. "I had another pattern I was planning to use today, but I pulled into an area, had some bites, caught a limit pretty quickly then started expanding that rather than doing what I planned to do.

"A south wind would actually be better for me, but I'm just taking this as it goes. I'll go out tomorrow and try to catch as many as I can."

He noted the prior experience of winning a major championship isn't a factor here yet. "I'm not really nervous, but I wasn't in the (FLW championship) either. We're only 1 day in. A lot of wrenches could get thrown into this deal."

2nd: Clark Surprised x 3

Clark's first surprise this week was finding out his wife was pregnant – with triplets. His next surprise was catching the biggest bass ever weighed in in a Bassmaster Classic, an 11-10. His third was boating 29-01 today. Let's take the last one first.

"Oh yeah, I'm happy," he said. "I was hoping to catch 15 pounds today. I thought I could catch 15, and if I got lucky and had a big fish I could have close to 20. I didn't expect 29."

He was sight-fishing close on Toho (he "maybe burned a gallon of gas"), exactly what he planned to start out doing. "But with this weather I thought it would probably over with by noon," he said. "And right at 12:00 it was like you turned a switch. They were gone. I was fortunate I had all my fish by 10:00."

He might hit a few sight-fish tomorrow morning, but he mostly plans on running down to Kissimmee and "completely changing patterns." He wants at least 15, with a good bite maybe 20. "I started out saying it would take 60 to win, and I'm going to stick with that." If so, he's got a good start. He just needs two more solid days here.

And he can use the money. "I found out my wife was pregnant last week, and found out it was triplets in practice this week," he said. "So I have to win. I've been trying to tell all the guys and get the sympathy factor going for me, but with all these big bags weighed in, it's not working for me."

> He had 14 or 15 keepers today, and couldn't get one 9-pounder to bite.

> He was in 4th place after day 1 at last year's Classic, and doesn't want to drop off like he did last year.

> In one of many coot close calls today, his boat smacked one and it flew over the heads of him and his observer.

3rd: Big Relief for Evers

Edwin Evers has consistently fared poorly in Florida and hasn't done well in most of his five previous Classic appearances. So his 23-10 today took a good-sized monkey off his back.

"It's just a big relief to catch them here finally," he said. When asked if it was his best day ever in this state, he responded, "Without a doubt."

He locked down to Kissimmee and Cypress, but was understandably tight-lipped about his pattern. "I'm using plastics – I can say that much."

He caught "seven or eight" keepers on the day, and the biggest weighed 8-15. He also lost one that he said was between 6 and 9. "It was in the late afternoon, and it had some shoulders."

He's confident that his pattern will work in other areas besides his primary spot. "I went and did it in places I'd never been to, and I had the bites there too."

Evers is a man of few words, but seems confident about tomorrow.

4th: Wirth Gets Bonus

Wirth took off this morning thinking he could catch 15 pounds. Instead, he hauled in 22-05. His best was a 5-pounder and he caught 25 keepers.

"I feel good," he said. "My goal was 15 pounds when I left the ramp, and I figured I'd need around 50 pounds to win. I knew if I could have a couple of 15-pound days, I could hang in there, then another 20 pounds would get me up to 50.

"So the 20 pounds today was a bonus. I got it early."

He culled several fish in the 3-pound range. "I think I'm in good shape," he added. "I feel comfortable. I think I can run some patterns and stuff. But tomorrow's a whole other day. I think the wind's the big key. I'd rather have more sun, but wind's the real big key."

He broke off two that could have helped him. "I did everything I was supposed to do. It was just a freakish deal. They broke off on the hookset. I'd been retying regularly. I don't know, the line could have had a nick.

"But when you catch 25 keepers and only miss a few, that's a pretty good ratio."

5th: Milestone for Clunn

Clunn is in his 30th Classic (he's won four), and he said today was one for the ages. His 20-12 bag put him in 5th place.

"I probably enjoyed this more than any first day of a Classic I've ever had," he said. "I fished a lot better than I had anticipated. Except for a half-day, I hadn't fished at all since September and I was afraid my body wouldn't react well and that I wouldn't be mentally in tune with what the fish were doing.

"My body feels great, my casting has been good and my decisions so far have been good."

He had a revelation that even longtime BassFans might not have known: A spinnerbait is his favorite bait. Today he caught the biggest blade fish of his career – a 10-10.

"Everybody thinks my favorite is a crankbait, but it's always been a spinnerbait," he said. "To catch my biggest fish ever on one just added to the day."

He sight-fished for only the second time in his career (he also did it at the Smith Bassmaster Elite 50 last year) and "caught my first four or five off of beds." As he transitioned between spots, he threw a Gambler Cane Toad and a spinnerbait. The big one hit on one of those moves.

He has no intention to fish conservatively tomorrow. "That's the worst mistake I could make," he said. "I know where I could go to catch 8 or 10 pounds and make the cut, but that would take too much time and I'd lose too much ground on the leaders. Sometimes to win, you have to take some chances and push the envelope."

6th: Hite Within Reach

Hite's won a Classic before (1999) and he's well in the hunt here. He caught about 20 keepers today and whacked a 7-11 en route to his 20-09 sack. He's fishing Kissimmee, but declined to discuss his pattern.

"I feel good about it," he said of his weight. "I know a lot of guys caught big bags today, and you need to do that to stay in the hunt. I'm within reach."

He's not sure if he'll need to change tomorrow. "That really depends on the weather," he said. "Today was different than anything we'd seen this week or in pre-practice last week. I tried to fish all around — both Toho and Kissimmee – to get a feel for where the areas are that have the variety of vegetation I'm fishing."

Along with his 7-11 he also caught a 6-pounder. "That 6 was a truck, and that 7-11 was a freight train," he said. "I set my drag tight and used heavy line, but I had to mash the button on that bigger fish. It pulled so hard I thought something was going to break."

> When Hite wins, he usually wins by coming from behind, not by leading.

7th: Kriet Caught 'Em Good

Okalhoma's Jeff Kriet said he caught about 25 keepers en route to his 20-03 bag. His only regret was he lost a big one.

He had a 6-pounder hooked "right through the nostril," but decided to move to the back of the boat to attempt to land it. The fish got caught up in his prop and broke off.

"I fished great with the exception of one real big mess-up," he said. "I was just pitching a worm around some isolated cover. In Florida, it's more about the area than it is the pattern."

He came into the tournament with great confidence, and day 1 measured up to his high expectations. "It seems that when you think you're going to win, you never do, but I've felt good about this tournament all along," he said. "I thought I was going to catch them today. I've got four or five areas that've got them in there, and I only made one pass through my good stuff today."

His biggest fish was a 5-pounder. "When you're in an area with a lot of 4s and 5s, there's got to be an 8 or a 10 in there somewhere," he noted. "I'm pretty confident that I can get a big bite."

> He had some trouble with his boat this morning, but a replacement was brought out to him and he'll use it for the rest of the tournament.

> He said he saw a huge bass attempt to eat a blackbird that landed on a mat. "It was an awesome sight."

8th: Good Day for Nixon

Larry Nixon, fishing his 25th Classic, had a dozen keepers for 19-08 today and is in 8th. His biggest was close to 6 pounds. Surprisingly, he was a little disappointed. "I really thought I had 20-21 pounds, but the heads are so big they fool you when you catch them," he said. "But I'm satisfied with it."

He feels good about his chances to win. "I just don't think the guys who sight-fished today can do it again tomorrow," he said. "There's not enough good fish moving up, and a bunch of good sight-fishermen didn't catch them.

"I felt like the spawn was nearly over when I started pre-fishing, but I knew someone would find 2-3 big ones to catch a big sack."

> He wouldn't say what lake he was fishing, but did say he was dead-sticking a Berkley Power Bait and was "hunting and pecking."

9th: Monroe Expected More

Ish Monroe wasn't entirely satisfied with his 19-02 bag. "It was okay, but I'm expecting more out of myself," he said. "I have the potential to catch 25-pound bags. But the way the weather was today, the big fish just aren't biting."

He flipped a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in Kissimmee, but plans to change locations tomorrow. "I have so many spots that I want to run, and I'm fishing a pretty distinct pattern," he said. "I have places where I think there are several 7-plus pounders."

He caught "15 to 20 keepers." He didn't break any fish off, and only a couple came unbuttoned. "The second one felt like a pretty good fish," he noted.

He thinks he's still in the hunt. "I'm roughly where I wanted to be after the first day," he said. "I figure it's going to take 20 pounds a day, so maybe I can get 20 tomorrow and 21 on Sunday. Then if I get beat with 60 pounds, I get beat."

10th: Shuffield's Day Bittersweet

The good part of Ron Shuffield's day was he caught enough to make the Top 10. The bad part was he lost two large fish – one that he estimated at over 9 pounds and another over 5.

"It was better than I expected, but it's a little disappointing to have a couple of good fish like that get off," he said. "But you can't catch them all in that heavy stuff. I'll do the same thing tomorrow and hope I can do it again. I figure it'll take 32 or 33 pounds to make the (Top 25) cut, so I'll need about 14."

He locked down to Kissimmee early, but then came back to Toho and caught his best fish of the day (5-12). He alternated between two baits – a Gambler Ugly Otter and a 7-inch Gambler ribbontail worm. He has two colors of each: junebug and Bowen's silver.

> He said he heard a huge eruption this morning and turned to see a 10-foot alligator with a large duck between its jaws. "It was just snapping and biting and chewing with that duck in its mouth and it finally got it down. By the time we got up to where it was, there were feathers floating all over the surface."

11th: Hackney Only Caught 5

Greg Hackney had nine bites today, but only got 5 in the boat – and two were 12-inchers. The others ranged from the high 6s to 7 (for 18-09 total), so obviously he's on something.

"I really like what I'm doing," he said. "I really like the area. It has the potential to hold 35 pounds, but they didn't bite. I'd been getting 25 bites a day, and today I got nine."

Asked if he panicked at any point about weighing a limit, he said: "Yeah. I was fixing to downsize and catch a limit, but about an hour and 20 minutes before I got ready to go, I made a little color change. I lost a 7, caught another 5, caught another keeper and finished my limit. I didn't have to downsize.

"Some places you have to fish to catch a limit, and I didn't want to fish like that."

He's flipping, and figures he needs 30 pounds tomorrow. "My goal today was at least 20, but I didn't quite do it. I thought coming into it, 60 pounds would win it. But I think with the front, if it stays like this, it may be more than that. Maybe 65. So I'm behind now."

> Going against popular wisdom, Hackney stuck a bunch of fish in practice. Why? "I wanted to know if they were post or pre, and I only caught one that was pre-spawn. That's another reason I didn't sight fish today," he said. "I didn't think that many were coming. I didn't think that (this tournament would be) dictated by sight-fishing."

> So far he's had zero equipment problems, and if that keeps up it will be a first for him at a Classic. "I'm probably more laid back in this Classic than any other I've been in before," he said. "It's almost like I don't care." He said he didn't know why he felt that way.

12th: Morris Power-Fishing

Virginia's Rick Morris is fishing his third Classic, and his first since 1998. He qualified through the Bassmaster Opens, and with 18-07 is in decent position here. He fished Kissimmee, where he caught 15 keepers – the biggest close to 6 pounds.

"I'm power-fishing a War Eagle spinnerbait," he said. "The wind helped me. I caught most of my weight by 11:00, then it kind of slowed down."

He's "pretty happy" with his weight. "I thought I could catch 15 to 20 pounds." And he might have. "I had a giant come up on (his spinnerbait). I slammed down and didn't get him hooked. Other than that, everything went perfect.

"The most important thing today was to make sure you didn't lose the Classic," he added. "You can't win the Classic on the first day, but you can lose it. So 18 pounds is definitely still in the hunt.

"I could go out and catch 25 tomorrow, and the other guys could drop down. This is Florida, and there's giants out there. I'm sure some guys caught them on beds today, and there'll be less bed-fish tomorrow, especially since it's the second day of the front."

13th: Rook Worming

Scott Rook's 17-02 limit came out of Kissimmee and Toho. He worked through 20 keepers and caught a 5-pounder.

"I'm throwing a weightless worm," he said. "I'm catching them real shallow in 10 or 11 inches of water. I'm not sight-fishing. I'm blind-casting."

His day was "pretty good" but he did lose a few fish. "I lost the same fish twice," he said. "I set the hook, got it up and it came off. I re-rigged and the same fish bit again, and it came off again. It was 5 pounds and I'll go back to it tomorrow." He also lost a 3-pounder later.

He thought he needed 20 pounds and feels he's in the hunt. "I'm still in there – that's the main thing."

14th: Rojas Got Late Save

Dean Rojas still holds the BASS record for heaviest 5-bass limit, which he set here in 2001. He had a lot of eyes on him today and struggled early, but whacked a good one with a few minutes left that pushed him up.

His 17-00 sack included his last-minute 5 1/2 and he caught 12 keepers on the day.

"I was sight-fishing and throwing Kermit (a Spro BronzEye frog)," he said. "The weather's definitely a factor. I had a lot of bed-fish going that I never even went to. I couldn't see them. But I found more and feel pretty good about tomorrow."

He noted his late fish was actually a fish he started on. "I couldn't see it – there were waves crashing on it. I went back with 5 minutes to go, threw a white lizard up and I saw this big, black thing. I threw at her twice and hooked her on the third cast.

"There was 2 1/2 minutes to go and I checked-in the boat with 25 seconds left.

"Overall my day was fair," he added. "I'm not satisfied, but I'm still in it. Anything can happen."

14th: Menendez Just Happy

Mark Menendez had a good weight today – 17-00 for 14th – but boated just 5 keepers. His biggest was an 8-08.

"I'm real happy with it," he said. "I've got an area where if I can get 5 bites, it'll be a 30-pound string. There aren't any little fish living in this area. They're pre-spawn and post-spawn, and I have to cover a lot of water. It is a pain in the neck to fish, just nasty to fish."

Later in the day he "figured out a zone the big fish may be in. I got a big fish there, and then an hour later I caught a 5-pounder."

He revealed that he's fishing Toho with a Strike King SG Toad and a "big" Strike King spinnerbait.

"I have nothing to lose and everything to gain here," he noted. "It's just a bonus to catch a bass in this tournament. Just over a year ago I was getting pretty close to looking at the back side of daisies. It was a year ago last Saturday I went to the hospital (for near-fatal viral meningitis).

"It's just a treat to be here. I'm as excited to be at this tournament as I was my first Classic. And the way I made it – I won the first (Southern Open) tournament, and I was in a tie (with Texas' Matt Reed) for the final spot to get (into the Classic). That was the only negative. I tied with Matt and I know how he felt."

> ESPN TV had a heart monitor on Menendez apparently as an experiment. He said: "When I caught that 8-pounder, I pegged it. It was a fantastic bite. It sounded like he jumped off a diving board on it. The last thing hanging onto the boat were my toenails on my carpet."

16th: Coble Got Wet

Jeff Coble, who got into the Classic when he won the recent ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series Championship, took a dip in Toho as he reached for a 9-pounder that came unhooked right at the boat. "I had to swim to the back of the boat to get back in," he said. "After that I was wet all day."

He caught his 16-15 bag by casting a Texas-rigged worm to isolated grass clumps. He landed 25 keepers and his biggest fish weighed about 5 pounds.

The loss of the hawg not only made for an uncomfortable day, but the thinks it also cost him any chance of winning the tournament. "When the winner pushes up that trophy on Sunday, he won't have lost any fish that significant," he said.

17th: Tucker Struggled Early

Mark Tucker didn't catch a keeper all morning, but he had a hot afternoon that ended with a huge bang. He caught a 9-12 on his final cast of the day and finished with 16-12.

"My day was crappy for the first 5 hours, but it got a lot better toward the end," he said.

He ended up catching 9 keepers, all on a Team Supreme Peter T's Classic spinnerbait. He started the day with a Zoom Horny Toad and a Zoom bobbertail worm, but had no success.

"I stayed with that pattern until about 1:00, but then I had to change it up," he said.

18th: Stone Hand-Landed

Marty Stone wasn't sure what he had in practice, but he found out today. He caught 12 keepers – the biggest was 6 1/2 – and he weighed 16-10.

About his big fish, he said: "That was the one that got me in trouble. It's a great fish story. I hadn't had anything good like this happen in a long time.

"I set the hook in heavy reeds, and the wind started blowing me over the reeds. I wound up straight up on the fish. It exploded, goes under the boat and I throw my rod down to grab the line. As I reached for the line, it broke. So I threw my fist in the fish's mouth and threw it in the boat."

The fish got him in "trouble" because he stuck with the area. "I caught that fish on Toho. I had found some fish in Kissimmee. I had all the plans of fishing Toho for 2 hours, then leaving. I went all day in that area without getting another bite like that.

"Looking back, I regret not going to Kissimmee."

He noted a big factor in his catch today was the new Tru-Tungsten T-Rig. "I'm down to my last one. It doesn't interfere with the hookset. That rig's a bad dude."

19th: Reese Throwing Moving Baits

Skeet Reese caught just five fish today and weighed them all. His 15-08 limit included a 5-pounder.

He fished moving baits in Kissimmee. "I fished pretty much all topwaters, spinnerbaits — all moving stuff. I pulled into one spot at about 9:00 and caught a 5-pounder pretty quick, then another, then missed one about 6.

"I had her on for a second, flipped into the same spot and caught a 2 1/2-pounder. I wasn't happy. But at that point in time I figured the game was on. I had a whole lot of water in that area that I thought was good water.

"I thought I'd whack 'em, but that was pretty much the end of it. My problem was I could never slow down. I fished fast all day long."

He thinks he needs a 20-pound day tomorrow to stay in contention.

> He experienced equipment problems today that could have been averted had he packed a simple tool. "My steering cable jumped off track on my trolling motor. I had to fix that thing about 10 or 15 times today. I had more than one choice word at multiple times. It frustrated me, and cost me probably a half-hour of fishing time. In my own boat I always have a full toolbox. All I needed was a screwdriver to fix it and didn't have it."

20th: No Big Ones for Biffle

Tommy Biffle locked up to Kissimmee, then fished his way back down through Hatchineha to Toho. He was less than thrilled with his 15-05 bag that put him in 20th place.

"I'm pretty disappointed," he said. "I just didn't get the big bites in the areas where I'd caught caught really big ones (in practice). I saw a guy shiner-fishing catch one over 8, so I know they're in there."

He caught two of his fish on a topwater lure and flipped up the other three. He caught "seven or eight" keepers and didn't lose any quality fish.

He'd like to be a bit closer to the top, but thinks he's still in the hunt. "You're never out of it down here," he said.

> He said the funniest thing he saw today was four boats wedged into the front row of the lock to Kissimmee. One of them was Wirth's. "I know Wirth floored it a couple of times trying to get out of there. It took them a couple of minutes to get the whole thing unstuck."

21st: Martens Looked and Threw

Aaron Martens was a favorite heading into competition. He finished 2nd in the last three Classics he's fished and is known as a strong sight-fisherman.

He did some sight-fishing today, and threw some reaction baits. But it didn't go as planned. The wind and clouds messed up his sight-bite. He caught nine keepers and weighed 15-01.

"I was looking for at least 20, and my goal was 25," he said. "I was looking at them. Without seeing them, it was tough. You might call it sight-fishing, but it was more like getting frustrated. And I threw reaction baits for 3 or 4 hours."

He whacked a 5-pounder with 20 minutes to go that helped a lot.

About his day overall, he said: "I fished well. I fished right. I made a few spot errors, and maybe approached some of my spots wrong. But I'm not out of it."

21st: Cochran's C-

George Cochran had 21 keepers today on Toho, the biggest of which was a 5 1/2. He's tied for 21st with 15-01.

"If I was grading it A through F, I'd say it was a C-minus," he said. "I caught one good fish and lost another one just like it about 10 minutes later."

He noted that he "had a 20-pound stringer one day of practice. "I thought I could catch 20 pounds today. Twenty pounds a day and you'd be in the hunt. I'm not out of it with 15 pounds, but I feel like I can catch 22 or 25 tomorrow. I really believe you have to be in the Top 6 or 7 going into the last day to have a chance to win."

> He's throwing a worm in holes in the grass. What kind of worm? "Rubber" (laughs).

> His big fish today came out of the water to eat his worm. "I pitched my worm on a blade of grass, and was twitching it to get it to fall off, and the 5 1/2-pounder came up and got it."

23rd: Morgenthaler Upbeat

Chad Morgenthaler was optimistic about his 14-08 sack. "If this ends up being my worst day, I still have a shot at winning this thing," he said. "One or two good bites a day – that's what it'll take."

He caught 20 keepers, but his biggest was only 3 1/2 pounds. He flip-flopped between flipping mats and throwing Wave Worms Tiki Sticks.

All of his weigh-in fish bit the Tiki Stick. "My mat fish just did not go today," he said. "It was a little disappointing, and I think it was due to the weather. I needed some sunshine."

He stayed in Toho today, but will take a crack at some fish in Kissimmee tomorrow. "I could get another 14 up here, but that's not going to do it. I need to go a little more for broke now and I'll lean on the Tiki Stick a little bit longer."

24th: Moore Went Down and Back

Andre Moore fished Toho, then locked down to Kissimme, then came back to Toho. He ended up with 14-06.

"I tried to sight-fish, but it was kind of hard (because of the wind)," he said. "I couldn't see much."

He spent his day pitching a 10-inch worm made by his own company (Reaction Innovations) to arrowheads. "It wasn't bad, I just didn't get any big bites," he said. "Hopefully there'll be some big ones back in there tomorrow. I'll be pretty lucky to make the cut."

> He said he had a bit of boat trouble – his cranking batteries wouldn't turn over his engine. He figures he lost about an hour of fishing time before he got them replaced. He said he also encountered some locals who tried to catch his fish. "Every time I'd leave a spot, they'd go right over there and fish it," he said.

25th: VanDam Mad (uh, oh)

Kevin VanDam had little to say about his day because he was mad. Mad like he was after day 1 at the 2001 Classic. Mad like he was after day 1 of last year's Classic. Seeing a pattern here?

His 14-02 "isn't good here," he said. "I made a few mistakes." Like what? "I saw a couple eat my bait, jerked too hard and broke my line (17-pound-test)."

He caught somewhere more than 10 but less than 20 keepers on Kissimmee, the biggest of which was about 4 pounds. "I didn't catch them too well until late," he said. "I caught them pretty good late."

He's mostly flipping, a little sight-fishing but "the water is too dirty down there." He noted that he'd "rather blind-fish for them."

Overall "I'm upset with myself, really," he said. "I had a chance to have a solid day. You have to be solid all 3 days here. I got 14 and could've had 20. I'm not happy." But he feels "real good about tomorrow, about what (he) saw. I'm not giving up."

Iaconelli DQd Under Sportsmanship Rule

For the second time in a Classic, Iaconelli had a day's weight DQd. The first time was 2004, when he fished an off-limits area on day 2. The story was much different today. Here's how it went down. (Note that he left the weigh-in without addressing the press, so events are described from a videotape recorded by ESPN cameras.)

Ike had several fish in the well, maybe four. He opened the lids and checked them, and at least some were floating. It's unclear whether the livewell malfunctioned, or if he forgot to turn on the circulation (remember that he is fishing in an unfamiliar boat because BASS supplies all boats to Classic competitors).

When he saw the dead fish, he appeared to panic. He swore, tried feverishly to resuscitate the bass and then proceeded to destroy the rear running light on the boat. He appeared to throw the running light, to which an American flag was tied, in the water.

He called a BASS official and asked if he was allowed to cull dead or near-dead fish. Weldon's response was not audible on the tape. Iaconelli then ended the call and threw what appeared to be one fish overboard.

Iaconelli weighed in near last, and after the weigh-in concluded, Weldon made his ruling. "Mike Iaconelli's weight for today has been disqualified," Weldon said.

"In the tournament briefing, all anglers were told we send them fishing under the 2005 Citgo Bassmaster Tour and Elite Series rules," Weldon said. He then said he DQd Iaconelli under BASS Rule 6 (Sportsmanship). The applicable part of Rule 6 states, "Competitors in BASS tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification."

Section ii of Rule 6 also states: "Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters. Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters and courtesy, shall be reason for disqualification."

Weldon then added: "We had a videotape of the incident when Mike, in our opinion, broke our sportsmanship rule. He destroyed a piece of safety equipment (the rear running light)" and "used some very profane language in front of spectators."

Weldon was clear the DQ did not stem from Iaconelli possibly culling a dead fish, which is a violation of Florida fishing regulations and is thus a violation of BASS rules, which require that anglers obey all local and state laws. Weldon said, "I was not there, and if that fish moves one time, you can release it. I was not there, so I don't know."

It was pointed out that the running light Iaconelli destroyed had an American flag on it. Weldon noted: "We live in the greatest country in the world and people have a right to do what they want to do. But we have to protect our sport, and sportsmanship made us come to our decision."

> Iaconelli's boat was a Triton provided by BASS. Under BASS's new rules, he's responsible for damage to the boat. BASS Rule 25 (BASS Sponsor Boats) states, "When using BASS sponsor boats, anglers are responsible for physical care of the boat. Damage to the boat which is determined by the tournament director to be excessive or wanton shall result in the angler being responsible for all costs of repair."

Notable

> Day 1 stats -- 51 anglers, 49 limits, one zero (DQ).

> The previous big-bass record for the Classic was an 8-09 caught by Ricky Green at Alabama's Lake Guntersville in 1976.

> Each of Clausen's and Clark's bags more than doubled VanDam's total winning weight from last year's Classic in Pittsburgh.

> Although Clausen now holds the 1-day Classic weight record, the Top 4 today all surpassed the old mark: 21-08 set by Paul Elias at Lake Logan Martin in 1993.

> The field will be cut to the Top 25 after tomorrow.

> BassFan News is brought to you by Rapala.

Weather Forecast

Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the remaining tournament days. Note the big drop in temperature, rain and strong wind predicted for Sunday.

Sat., Feb. 25 – Mostly Cloudy – 80°/64°
> Wind: From the S/SE at 13 mph

Sun., Feb. 26 – A.M. Rain – 67°/46°
> Wind: From the N at 17 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Luke Clausen -- Spokane Valley, Wash. -- 5, 29-06

2. Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 29-01

3. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 5, 23-10

4. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 5, 22-05

5. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 5, 20-12

6. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 5, 20-09

7. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 5, 20-03

8. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ark. -- 5, 19-08

9. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 5, 19-02

10. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ark. -- 5, 18-15

11. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 5, 18-09
12. Rick Morris -- Lanexa, Va. -- 5, 18-07
13. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 5, 17-02
14. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 5, 17-00
14. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu, Ariz. -- 5, 17-00
16. Jeff Coble -- Manson, N.C. -- 5, 16-15
17. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 5, 16-12
18. Marty Stone -- Linden, N.C. -- 5, 16-10
19. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 15-08
20. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 5, 15-05
21. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 15-01
21. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Calif. -- 5, 15-01
23. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Ill. -- 5, 14-08
24. Andre Moore -- Alabaster, Ala. -- 5, 14-06
25. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 5, 14-02
26. Joe Conway -- Colorado Springs, Colo -- 5, 14-01
27. Bob Soley -- Trenton, N.J. -- 5, 13-15
28. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Texas -- 5, 13-03
29. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, Okla. -- 5, 12-10
30. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 5, 12-03
30. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 5, 12-03
30. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 5, 12-03
33. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 5, 11-15
34. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 5, 11-13
35. James Kennedy -- Lacombe, La. -- 5, 11-03
36. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Calif. -- 5, 10-15
37. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 10-14
38. Jimmy Johnson -- La Crosse, Wisc. -- 5, 10-03
39. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 5, 9-15
40. Chad Brauer -- Osage Beach, Mo. -- 5, 9-12
41. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tenn. -- 5, 9-11
42. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 5, 9-07
43. Dave Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa. -- 5, 9-05
44. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 5, 8-14
45. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 5, 8-10
45. Gerald Swindle -- Hayden, Ala. -- 5, 8-10
47. Anre' De Villiers -- Goodwood, South Africa -- 5, 7-09
48. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 7-04
49. Stacey D King -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 5, 5-12
50. Joel St. Germain -- Cumberland, R.I. -- 2, 4-09
51. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 0, 0-00 (DQ)

Big Bass

Day 1: Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fl -- 11-10 -- $1,000