Lane Snatches Early Lead, KVD Right Behind

It's no real surprise that an angler caught a sack that weighed nearly 30 pounds on day 1 of the Kentucky Lake Bassmaster Elite Series. After all, a lot of big fish swim there.

It was a bit of a surprise, though, that the top bag was brought in by a self-proclaimed "bank-beater" from Florida – a guy who'd never fared well there as a pro.

Bobby Lane had visited Kentucky and neighboring Lake Barkley twice before in his tour-level career – once on the Elite Series and once on the FLW Tour. He'd left without a paycheck on both occasions.

That likely won't be the case this time around. His 29-14 opening-day stringer put him atop the field on a day when the lakes lived up to their stellar reputation.

Kevin VanDam, the winner at Kentucky last year and the current leader in the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year (AOY) race, boated 28-11 and trailed the leader by a little more than a pound. He said he ran around a lot today, but fished differently than he did during last year's event.

The sizzling Byron Velvick caught 27-06 and settled into 3rd. He logged exactly one Top 12 in his first 3 seasons on the Elite Series, but now is in pursuit of his third straight such honor.

Russ Lane, who entered the event 36th in the points and thus right on the Classic bubble, weighed 26-02 and sat in 4th. Rick Morris, in the midst of a lackluster season in which he's finished in the 60s or 70s in four of the five events thus far, rounded out the Top 5 with 26-00.

Here's how the current Top 12 shakes out (red numbers in parentheses indicate deficit margin from leader:

1. Bobby Lane: 29-14
2. Kevin VanDam: 28-11 (1-03)
3. Byron Velvick: 27-06 (2-08)
4. Russ Lane: 26-02 (3-12)
5. Rick Morris: 26-00 (3-14)
6. Skeet Reese: 25-15 (3-15)
7. Jeff Connella: 24-04 (5-10)
8. Shaw Grigsby: 24-03 (5-11)
9. (tie) Fred Roumbanis: 23-07 (6-07)
9. (tie) Jeff Kriet: 23-07 (6-07)
11. Mike Iaconelli: 23-03 (6-11)
12. Cliff Pace: 23-01 (6-13)

Overall weights were higher than many anticipated as anglers finally got the opportunity to see what kind of quality their best areas held. Many still had to wade through a bunch of smaller fish to put together a limit, but more than 70% of the field brought in at least 15 pounds.

VanDam and Skeet Reese (6th, 25-15) appear to be set for a skirmish that could have big AOY implications – VanDam came in with a 5-point lead. Alton Jones, who's No. 3 on that list, caught 21-05 and is in 23rd place.

The day opened under partly cloudy skies, but some thunderstorms moved in during the latter part and gave the field a thorough drenching. The Tennessee Valley Authority also pulled some current this afternoon, which many competitors welcomed.

Tomorrow's forecast for the Paris, Tenn. area calls for more showers with a high temperature of 71 degrees. Wind will be out of the north/northeast to 10 mph.

The field will be cut to the Top 50 after tomorrow's weigh-in. Only the Top 12 will advance to Saturday, and the winner will be determined by highest 4-day weight.

Two Brutes Lifted Lane

Lane had a good practice and was confident heading into day 1, but his bag was bigger than he'd anticipated courtesy of a fish that went an ounce shy of 8 pounds and another that was about 7.

"I wasn't expecting this much, but I thought I could catch more than 20 pounds," he said. "Those big bites are what makes big bags. I was fortunate to get them all in the boat, because in practice I had some big ones that jumped and spit the hook."

He worked a couple of different patterns and did a substantial amount of running – he burned 48 gallons of gas. He caught eight keepers and had all of his weight by 10:30.

He's primarily known for his shallow-water prowess, but showed today that he can catch them from deeper water, too.

"The real reason I succeeded today was because of my Humminbird (depthfinder) and the Navionics chip. They make it so easy for a guy like me who's not an expert at ledge-fishing to catch them out there. It was real easy to read and everything was perfect."

"After that I went around and looked at some old stuff and some new stuff. I caught 3 1/2-pounders on two other areas that I hadn't been to since the first day of practice, so that didn't hurt my feelings at all.

"I've got a few other fish located, but they don't seem to be as big. I'll shoot for 20 pounds tomorrow and then see where the weights are and try to figure out what it's going to take to win this thing."

2nd: VanDam's Fortunes Changed

VanDam said he had a lackluster practice, but things fell into place for him today.

"I caught some big ones that I hadn't been able to catch in practice," he said. "I think I know how to fish this lake, but it hadn't been happening for me. Today, things worked out. I was really surprised by my weight."

He said he's fishing deep and covering a great deal of water, and thinks he'll have to keep moving in order to stay near the top of the leaderboard. He isn't much concerned with what the weather might do.

"These fish are pretty well set into their summer pattern. I think the only thing that could make it challenging is wind, and it's not supposed to blow very hard.

"I was just glad to have a good day, and I'll keep going out there and trying to see what I can do."

3rd: Velvick Overcame Issues

Velvick caught a huge bag despite missing the first hour and a half of the day due to mechanical issues. After launching, he had to get a tow back in from a friend of Tim Horton's who was going out to watch Horton fish, and the service crew got him back in action quickly.

"I had a good practice and a great pre-practice and I kind of knew I was on some great fish," he said. "Then when I broke down and had to get towed, I was freaking out a little bit because I'd had so much optimism. I lost that real important morning bite.

"When I got back out I started off slow, but things got better as the day progressed and I got into a groove."

He ended up working through more than 20 keepers, including two that weighed more than 6 pounds.

"I really feel good about my chances to do well in this tournament. I don't think I've even scratched the surface of what I've got."

4th: Lane on a Pattern

Russ Lane (no relation to Bobby) hit several schools that he'd discovered in practice and kept culling his way up.

"At every one of those places I caught them on the exact same type of deal," he said. "It's not often you get to fish an (offshore) tournament and run a pattern, so I'm pretty excited about tomorrow.

"I had a pretty good practice and I've got quite a few schools now. I noticed that on two or three of the ones I'd found, other guys got on them and they caught them pretty good, too. But there were a few others that I didn't hit that I could see, and I don't think anybody touched them."

He caught a solid keeper at his first stop, and then moved and boated a 7 1/2-pounder. He boated about 20 keepers on the day and lost one that he estimated at about 5 pounds.

"Two of the fish I weighed in I barely skin-hooked and I could've easily lost both of them."

5th: Morris Caught the Max

Morris was thrilled with his day, but had doubts about whether he can come in that heavy again.

"I think I'm going to have a good tournament, but I don't know with what some of those other guys are on," he said. "With 26 pounds, I think I pretty much maxed out.

"I figure on a good day I can catch 24 to 25, but I don't see 29. Maybe 24 or 25 a day will work, though."

His biggest fish was a 6-pounder that he caught on a crankbait, and it barely made it to the boat.

"It had one barb of the back treble in its side. When it jumped like a marlin 50 feet away from me, I said there was no way I was going to land that fish. But I just played it as easy as I could, and I landed it.

"I had four big bites today and I landed every one of them. My goal tomorrow is to make sure I catch 20 pounds – I want to stay up there in the Top 12."

7th: Connella Backed Off

Louisiana's Jeff Connella is 67th in the points, but he's pursuing his second Top 12 in the last three events.

"I thought I could catch 20 pounds, but I didn't think I'd do quite this good," he said. "I caught a lot of good, solid fish. I really kind of eased up, thinking I should save some for tomorrow, but maybe I should've kept on going after them."

He had a limit by 7:30 and said his observer had him down for catching exactly 100 fish on the day. About 15 of those were keepers and the biggest was a 6-pounder.

"I'm just fishing like a lot of other guys – I started out cranking shellbeds, and then I got my biggest one on a V&M 11-inch worm. I caught three off an area at about noon, and I'll probably start there tomorrow."

93rd: No Room for Duckett

Boyd Duckett found only three schools of quality fish during practice and couldn't get at any of them today – there was always another angler there when he pulled up. He weighed just 10-09.

One of those places was the area in which Bobby Lane spent the day.

"I went by there four times and he was there every time," he said. "I was thinking, Geez, Bobby, give it a break. You're killing me here.

"But now I know why he sat there all day and I don't blame him."

He'll probably start practice over again tomorrow.

"There's still some points out there that could be valuable for the Classic (he's 27th in the AOY race), and if I could pull it up to 65th, that'd be huge. I'll just go fishing and try to stay out of everybody's way, and maybe I'll find something."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 98 anglers, 93 limits, 1 four. 2 threes, 2 twos.

> Lane said his bag was the third-best of his pro career behind a 38-pound sack at Falcon and a 34-pound stringer from Toho.

> Velvick caught one of his best fish on his second-to-last cast. He got hung up on his final cast and headed for the launch a bit early when it appeared as if weather conditions might worsen.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the remaining tournament days.

> Thurs., June 4 - Showers - 71°/54°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 10 mph

> Fri., June 5 - Sunny - 79°/56°
- Wind: From the N at 10 mph

> Sat., June 6 - Partly Cloudy - 84°/65°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 5 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 29-14 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 29-14

2. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 28-11 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 28-11

3. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 27-06 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 27-06

4. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 26-02 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 26-02

5. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 5, 26-00 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 26-00

6. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 25-15 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 25-15

7. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, LA -- 5, 24-04 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 24-04

8. Shaw E Grigsby -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 24-03 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 24-03

9. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 5, 23-07 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 23-07

10. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 23-07 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 23-07

11. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, NJ -- 5, 23-03 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 23-03

12. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 23-01 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 23-01

13. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 5, 23-00 -- 251
Day 1: 5, 23-00

14. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5 22-06 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 22-06

15. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 5, 22-03 -- 245
Day 1: 5, 22-03

16. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 22-00 -- 243
Day 1: 5, 22-00

17. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 22-00 -- 241
Day 1: 5, 22-00

18. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 21-14 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 21-14

19. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka JAPAN -- 5, 21-11 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 21-11

20. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, AR -- 5, 21-10 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 21-10

21. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 21-09 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 21-09

22. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 21-08 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 21-08

23. Alton Jones -- Waco, TX -- 5, 21-05 -- 229
Day 1: 5, 21-05

24. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 21-00 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 21-00

25. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 20-13 -- 225
Day 1: 5, 20-13

26. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 20-11 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 20-11

27. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, TX -- 5, 20-10 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 20-10

28. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 20-04 -- 219
Day 1: 5, 20-04

29. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 20-03 -- 217
Day 1: 5, 20-03

30. Peter E Thliveros -- St Augustine, FL -- 5, 20-03 -- 215
Day 1: 5, 20-03

31. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 20-01 -- 213
Day 1: 5, 20-01

32. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 19-12 -- 211
Day 1: 5, 19-12

33. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 19-08 -- 209
Day 1: 5, 19-08

34. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 5, 19-07 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 19-07

35. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, MD -- 5, 19-04 -- 205
Day 1: 5, 19-04

36. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 19-01 -- 203
Day 1: 5, 19-01

37. Billy Mccaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 18-13 -- 201
Day 1: 5, 18-13

38. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, NC -- 5, 18-13 -- 199
Day 1: 5, 18-13

39. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 18-09 -- 197
Day 1: 5, 18-09

40. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 18-09 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 18-09

41. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 5, 18-08 -- 193
Day 1: 5, 18-08

42. Jason Quinn -- York, SC -- 5, 18-07 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 18-07

43. Clark Reehm -- Russellville, AR -- 5, 18-07 -- 189
Day 1: 5, 18-07

44. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 5, 18-03 -- 187
Day 1: 5, 18-03

45. Mark Tyler -- Vian, OK -- 5, 18-02 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 18-02

46. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 18-01 -- 183
Day 1: 5, 18-01

47. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 17-15 -- 181
Day 1: 5, 17-15

48. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 17-12 -- 179
Day 1: 5, 17-12

49. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville, NC -- 5, 17-12 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 17-12

49. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, KY -- 5, 17-12 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 17-12

51. Jim Murray -- Arabi, GA -- 5, 17-10 -- 173
Day 1: 5, 17-10

52. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 17-09 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 17-09

52. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 17-09 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 17-09

54. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, OK -- 5, 17-08 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 17-08

55. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 17-07 -- 165
Day 1: 5, 17-07

56. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 5, 17-05 -- 163
Day 1: 5, 17-05

57. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 17-04 -- 161
Day 1: 5, 17-04

57. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 5, 17-04 -- 161
Day 1: 5, 17-04

59. Vince Fulks -- Purcell, OK -- 5, 16-15 -- 157
Day 1: 5, 16-15

60. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 16-13 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 16-13

61. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 16-09 -- 153
Day 1: 5, 16-09

62. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 16-08 -- 151
Day 1: 5, 16-08

63. Brian Clark -- Haltom City, TX -- 5, 15-14 -- 149
Day 1: 5, 15-14

63. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 5, 15-14 -- 149
Day 1: 5, 15-14

65. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 5, 15-11 -- 145
Day 1: 5, 15-11

66. Chris Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 15-09 -- 143
Day 1: 5, 15-09

67. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 15-08 -- 141
Day 1: 5, 15-08

68. Pat Golden -- High Point, NC -- 5, 15-04 -- 139
Day 1: 5, 15-04

68. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 15-04 -- 139
Day 1: 5, 15-04

70. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 15-03 -- 135
Day 1: 5, 15-03

71. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, SC -- 5, 14-13 -- 133
Day 1: 5, 14-13

72. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 14-09 -- 131
Day 1: 5, 14-09

73. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 5, 14-07 -- 129
Day 1: 5, 14-07

74. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 13-14 -- 127
Day 1: 5, 13-14

75. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 5, 13-13 -- 125
Day 1: 5, 13-13

76. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 13-12 -- 123
Day 1: 5, 13-12

77. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 13-11 -- 121
Day 1: 5, 13-11

78. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, NC -- 5, 13-05 -- 119
Day 1: 5, 13-05

79. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 5, 12-13 -- 117
Day 1: 5, 12-13

80. Mark Burgess -- Norton, MA -- 5, 12-10 -- 115
Day 1: 5, 12-10

80. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5 12-10 -- 115
Day 1: 5, 12-10

82. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 5, 12-08 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 12-08

82. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, MO -- 5, 12-08 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 12-08

82. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, WV -- 5, 12-08 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 12-08

85. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, OK -- 5, 12-07 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 12-07

86. Matthew Sphar -- Pavilion, NY -- 5, 12-01 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 12-01

87. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 12-00 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 12-00

88. Ken D Cook -- Lawton, OK -- 5, 11-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 11-11

88. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, OH -- 5, 11-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 11-11

90. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 11-04 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 11-04

91. Elton Luce Jr. -- Brookeland, TX -- 5, 11-01 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 11-01

92. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 4, 10-12 -- 91
Day 1: 4, 10-12

93. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 5, 10-09 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 10-09

94. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 3, 09-15 -- 87
Day 1: 3, 09-15

95. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 09-11 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 09-11

96. Luke Gritter -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 3, 06-13 -- 83
Day 1: 3, 06-13

97. Brent Broderick -- Oregonia, OH -- 2, 04-15 -- 81
Day 1: 2, 04-15

98. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, MO -- 2, 04-08 -- 79
Day 1: 2, 04-08

Big Bass

Day 1: Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fla. -- 7-15