Ike Pops 15 Pounds To Take Delaware Lead

By BassFan Staff

Mike Iaconelli figured it would take an average of approximately 12 pounds per day to win the Delaware River Bassmaster Elite Series. After a big day 2, he's right on that pace and sits atop the leaderboard.

The Philadelphia native, who has far more experience on the tough tidal fishery than most of his competitors, caught a 15-01 sack to give himself a 24-03 total at the midway point. He has a 14-ounce edge on Boyd Duckett, whose 6-07 stringer was about 10 1/2 pounds lighter than the one he'd boxed the previous day.

"It was a much better day for me," Iaconelli said. "I had six bites all day yesterday, and today I had 15.

"The main thing for me today was my timing was better. That's the whole thing here – you have to be in the right spot with the right tide. I've got some low-tide places, some that I call mid-tide places and some where I need high water just to get to them."

Morizo Shimizu sacked 10-04 on day 2 and was 3rd with 22-06. Bill Lowen, one of the circuit's top moving-water anglers, weighed 10-12 and moved up three places to 4th with 21-13.

John Crews, one of Iaconelli's road roommates who's bunking with the leader this week, caught 11-14 to round out the Top 5 with 21-11.

Here's a look at the Top 12 at the halfway juncture (red numbers in parentheses denote deficit margins from the leader):

1. Mike Iaconelli: 24-03
2. Boyd Duckett: 23-05 (0-14)
3. Morizo Shimizu: 22-06 (1-13)
4. Bill Lowen: 21-13 (2-06)
5. John Crews: 21-11 (2-08)
6. Kevin Short: 21-07 (2-12)
7. Scott Rook: 20-12 (3-07)
8. Todd Faircloth: 20-05 (3-14)
9. Shaw Grigsby: 19-01 (5-02)
10. Matt Herren: 18-09 (5-10)
11. Andy Montgomery: 18-09 (5-10)
12. Chad Pipkens: 18-06 (5-13)

Grigsby moved up 51 places with a 14-15 bag and Herren (11-14) climbed 34 slots. They joined Iaconelli, Crews and Faircloth (up from 26th with 11-11) as newcomers to the Top 12.

That quintet supplanted James Elam (3rd to 15th, 6-05), Fred Roumbanis (5th to 20th, 4-01), Chris Lane (9th to 16th, 7-00), Byron Velvick (10th to 13th, 7-15) and Kota Kiriyama (11th to 37th, 2-10).

There'll be a new leader in the Angler of the Year race when the event concludes as current pace-setter Mark Davis boated just three keepers over 2 days to finish 80th. Defending points champion Aaron Martens (22nd in the tournament), Greg Hackney (44th), Keith Combs (18th) and Faircloth are all candidates to replace him.

It was another rough day for Kevin VanDam as he weighed a lone 3 1/2 pounder and finished 97th after zeroing on day 1. It's easily his lowest placement in the 9-year history of the circuit except for a disqualification in 2006.

The seven-time Angler of the Year who's competed in every Bassmaster Classic since 1991 (and won four of them) will fall well below the mark in the points standings where the cutoff for the 2015 event at Lake Hartwell will eventually fall. That number will settle out in the mid-30s once the double-qualifiers are factored in and VanDam is currently 43rd.

VanDam's nephew, Jonathon, and Dave Smith blanked on both days of the event.

Competitors will experience more pleasant summer weather on day 3 as WeatherChannel.com predicts sunny skies, a high temperature of 87 and a northerly breeze that shouldn't exceed 5 mph.

The field, which was reduced from 106 to 50 after the day-2 weigh-in, will be cut to the Top 12 after day 3, with the winner determined Sunday based on highest 4-day weight.

Ike Moving A Lot

> Day 2: 5, 15-01 (10, 24-03)

Iaconelli said he made casts in about 40 places today – down from 50 on day 1.

"I threw some new ones in and eliminated some, and I'll probably throw some more new ones in tomorrow," he said. "Staying around that 40 number is important to me – that's what the goal is.

"Yesterday it felt like I was behind the whole day and it just kept compounding itself. It seemed like I was 10 or 20 minutes off in the morning and then it was 30 by mid-day, and then at the end of the day I was an hour from where I wanted to be."

His spots are spread out over a stretch of river that extends for nearly 50 miles.

"I really wish they were all within 5 miles of each other because all that driving eats up a lot of fishing time."

His stringer was topped by a 4-pounder and the smallest fish he took to the scale weighed 2 1/4. He said he'd be content with any sack weighing more than 10 pounds on day 3.

"There's going to be increased boat pressure and not just spectators. It's Saturday, it's a nice summer day and everything up to those big ocean-going yachts will be out there, so who knows what to expect. A lot of boat traffic and waves can mess up the fishing real fast.

"Ten to 12 pounds will be my target weight. Anytime you catch that on the Delaware River in the summer, that's a great bag."

2nd: Missed Bites Cost Duckett

> Day 2: 3, 6-07 (8, 23-05)

Duckett, who's working a couple of offshore grass areas, got three bites in excess of 3 pounds each. Unfortunately, he landed only one of them.

"I'm around some big ones, but it can be an hour to an hour and a half between bites," he said. "It's a tough deal, but those are the only places I know.

"I won't need a whole lot tomorrow to make the 12-cut, but to have a chance of winning I'll have to catch them. I'll just go beat on those bigger fish and see if I can get five, and it'll either happen or it won't. Six or 7 pounds isn't going to do me a lot of good (in terms of winning).

"I don't have what Ike has – he's got a hundred places and I've got two," he continued. "That's all I could find in 2 1/2 days of practice."

His biggest fish on day 2 weighed nearly 4 pounds, but the other two he took to the scale were barely keepers.

"I let quite a bit of weight get away. I didn't totally crash and burn, but I'm way more likely to run out of fish than Ike is – I needed that cushion.

"Tomorrow's going to have to be a good day and I'm going to have to put them all in the boat."

4th: Lowen's Time Getting Shorter

> Day 2: 5, 10-12 (10, 21-13)

The outgoing tide is considered best of catching fish at the Delaware, but Lowen's program is just the opposite. That's a bit of a problem because competitors are seeing less and less of the incoming with each passing day.

"It's been pretty much the same thing both days," he said. "Waiting on that tide is nerve-wracking. Most of my bites are coming in the afternoon.

He went through seven keepers on day 2, the best of which was a 4-pounder. He's not running far from the launch and is sharing water with several anglers.

"I'm going to look at the tide charts and see what else I might be able to do. I need to figure out something to catch them on the outgoing because the incoming's getting so late in the day now."

5th: Better Quality for Crews

> Day 2: 5, 11-14 (10, 21-11)

Crews caught fewer fish than on day 1, but was aided by one real good bit.

"I had one that was almost 4 pounds today, which helped," he said. "It was just a grind. I don't know this place well enough to just run around and pick one off here and there and wherever I want.

"I hit a lot of stuff and there were some places today where I felt I should get bit and didn't. Then there was one place where I'd gotten a bite in practice that I thought was just a so-so area and I caught two there."

He'd like to figure out which tide is best for that particular area.

"They might bite on other tides, too, so I'm not sure if I should gamble and go at a different time and see what happens or wait and time it for when I got the two bites today. It's not like it was fast and furious there – I fished there for a little over an hour."

Another limit of any size is his goal for day 3.

"I'm taking it one step at a time and I have to make it to Sunday before I can worry about trying to win. I think 28 pounds will make the Top 12 and if I can put five in the boat, I should have that.

"You have to fish real hard here to get five bites a day and you can't really complain about what size they are. The average size of the fish is bigger than I thought it was going to be, but I thought there'd be more fish."

37th: Kiriyama got Stranded

> Day 2: 2, 2-10 (7, 12-14)

After weighing a 10-pound limit the previous day, Kiriyama managed just two small keepers on day 2.

"I did the same thing I did yesterday, but I never had any bites where I caught those fish," he said. "I don't think there's a lot of fish to begin with in this river. For a tidal river, you'd think there'd be a few more fish."

He had just four bites and missed two of them. He spent about 4 hours in a small backwater when the tide left him stranded.

"I was able to fish a little, but it was a very small place," he said.

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 106 anglers, 16 limits (7 fewer than day 1), 14 fours, 25 threes, 21 twos, 20 ones, 10 zeroes (four more than day 1).

> Brent Chapman caught just three fish over 2 days and finished in 89th place and he departed the event having no idea what he should've done differently. To read his competition wrap-up, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., Aug. 9 – Sunny - 87°/70°
- Wind: From the N at 4 mph

> Sun., Aug. 10 – Mostly Sunny - 87°/68°
- Wind: From the ESE at 8 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Michael Iaconelli -- Pittsgrove, NJ -- 10, 24-03 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 09-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

2. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 8, 23-05 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 3, 06-07

3. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 10, 22-06 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-04

4. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 21-13 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 11-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

5. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 10, 21-11 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 09-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14

6. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 21-07 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01

7. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 20-12 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13

8. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 9, 20-05 -- 93
Day 1: 4, 08-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11

9. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 8, 19-01 -- 92
Day 1: 3, 04-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

10. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 7, 18-09 -- 91
Day 1: 2, 06-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

11. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 8, 18-09 -- 90
Day 1: 4, 09-14 -- Day 2: 4, 08-11

12. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 9, 18-06 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 4, 07-02

13. Byron Velvick -- Boerne, TX -- 9, 18-04 -- 88
Day 1: 4, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15

14. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 9, 18-02 -- 87
Day 1: 4, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03

15. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 9, 18-01 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 4, 06-05

16. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 8, 17-09 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 3, 07-00

17. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 8, 17-08 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 09-12 -- Day 2: 3, 07-12

18. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 9, 16-06 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 08-13 -- Day 2: 4, 07-09

19. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 16-02 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 06-14

20. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 8, 15-06 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 3, 04-01

21. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 8, 15-06 -- 80
Day 1: 4, 06-09 -- Day 2: 4, 08-13

22. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 6, 15-05 -- 79
Day 1: 3, 07-12 -- Day 2: 3, 07-09

23. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 8, 15-00 -- 78
Day 1: 3, 05-03 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13

24. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 8, 15-00 -- 77
Day 1: 3, 07-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-01

25. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 8, 15-00 -- 76
Day 1: 4, 07-06 -- Day 2: 4, 07-10

26. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 7, 14-12 -- 75
Day 1: 2, 04-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11

27. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 9, 14-05 -- 74
Day 1: 4, 07-09 -- Day 2: 5, 06-12

28. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 6, 14-04 -- 73
Day 1: 4, 09-06 -- Day 2: 2, 04-14

29. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 9, 14-01 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 08-00 -- Day 2: 4, 06-01

30. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 7, 14-00 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 09-02 -- Day 2: 2, 04-14

31. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 7, 14-00 -- 70
Day 1: 4, 06-14 -- Day 2: 3, 07-02

32. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 13-14 -- 69
Day 1: 3, 09-03 -- Day 2: 2, 04-11

33. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 6, 13-07 -- 68
Day 1: 4, 09-12 -- Day 2: 2, 03-11

34. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 8, 13-03 -- 67
Day 1: 4, 05-14 -- Day 2: 4, 07-05

35. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 8, 12-15 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 3, 04-00

36. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 6, 12-15 -- 65
Day 1: 3, 06-11 -- Day 2: 3, 06-04

37. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 7, 12-14 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 2, 02-10

38. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 12-07 -- 63
Day 1: 2, 04-01 -- Day 2: 3, 08-06

39. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 7, 12-07 -- 62
Day 1: 4, 07-04 -- Day 2: 3, 05-03

40. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 8, 12-07 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 07-02 -- Day 2: 3, 05-05

41. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 7, 12-03 -- 60
Day 1: 3, 05-13 -- Day 2: 4, 06-06

42. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 7, 12-01 -- 59
Day 1: 3, 06-07 -- Day 2: 4, 05-10

43. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 7, 12-00 -- 58
Day 1: 4, 07-03 -- Day 2: 3, 04-13

44. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 6, 11-15 -- 57
Day 1: 2, 04-00 -- Day 2: 4, 07-15

45. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 11-11 -- 56
Day 1: 3, 06-04 -- Day 2: 2, 05-07

46. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 6, 11-09 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 09-12 -- Day 2: 1, 01-13

47. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 11-07 -- 54
Day 1: 3, 08-01 -- Day 2: 2, 03-06

48. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 5, 11-03 -- 53
Day 1: 2, 05-02 -- Day 2: 3, 06-01

49. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 6, 11-02 -- 52
Day 1: 4, 07-08 -- Day 2: 2, 03-10

50. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 11-00 -- 51
Day 1: 4, 09-03 -- Day 2: 1, 01-13

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.

51. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 6, 10-08 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 1, 01-15

52. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 6, 10-06 -- 49
Day 1: 2, 03-08 -- Day 2: 4, 06-14

53. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 6, 10-01 -- 48
Day 1: 4, 06-04 -- Day 2: 2, 03-13

54. Boo Woods -- Oneida, KY -- 6, 10-00 -- 47
Day 1: 3, 03-02 -- Day 2: 3, 06-14

55. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 4, 09-10 -- 46
Day 1: 3, 07-05 -- Day 2: 1, 02-05

56. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 7, 08-13 -- 45
Day 1: 4, 04-08 -- Day 2: 3, 04-05

57. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 4, 08-12 -- 44
Day 1: 2, 06-14 -- Day 2: 2, 01-14

58. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 08-09 -- 43
Day 1: 3, 03-10 -- Day 2: 2, 04-15

59. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, NC -- 4, 08-06 -- 42
Day 1: 3, 04-13 -- Day 2: 1, 03-09

60. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 08-04 -- 41
Day 1: 2, 04-00 -- Day 2: 3, 04-04

61. Joel Baker -- Talala, OK -- 5, 08-01 -- 40
Day 1: 2, 02-11 -- Day 2: 3, 05-06

62. Randall Tharp -- Port Saint Joe, FL -- 5, 07-14 -- 39
Day 1: 2, 04-01 -- Day 2: 3, 03-13

63. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 07-10 -- 38
Day 1: 1, 01-03 -- Day 2: 4, 06-07

64. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 07-06 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 07-06 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

65. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 5, 07-05 -- 36
Day 1: 2, 02-07 -- Day 2: 3, 04-14

66. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, AL -- 4, 07-04 -- 35
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 4, 07-04

67. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 4, 07-04 -- 34
Day 1: 1, 01-12 -- Day 2: 3, 05-08

68. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 07-04 -- 33
Day 1: 2, 02-10 -- Day 2: 3, 04-10

69. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 3, 07-01 -- 32
Day 1: 1, 01-08 -- Day 2: 2, 05-09

70. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 07-01 -- 31
Day 1: 2, 02-06 -- Day 2: 3, 04-11

71. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 4, 07-00 -- 30
Day 1: 1, 02-06 -- Day 2: 3, 04-10

72. Jeremy Starks -- Scott Depot, WV -- 3, 06-15 -- 29
Day 1: 1, 02-15 -- Day 2: 2, 04-00

73. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 3, 06-14 -- 28
Day 1: 3, 06-14 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

74. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 4, 06-14 -- 27
Day 1: 3, 05-08 -- Day 2: 1, 01-06

75. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 4, 06-11 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 03-09 -- Day 2: 2, 03-02

76. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 06-08 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 06-08 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

77. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 3, 06-07 -- 24
Day 1: 1, 02-01 -- Day 2: 2, 04-06

78. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 06-06 -- 23
Day 1: 4, 05-06 -- Day 2: 1, 01-00

79. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 3, 06-00 -- 22
Day 1: 2, 03-03 -- Day 2: 1, 02-13

80. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 3, 05-09 -- 21
Day 1: 2, 03-12 -- Day 2: 1, 01-13

81. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 4, 05-09 -- 20
Day 1: 2, 02-15 -- Day 2: 2, 02-10

82. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 3, 05-06 -- 19
Day 1: 2, 03-12 -- Day 2: 1, 01-10

83. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 4, 05-04 -- 18
Day 1: 3, 04-04 -- Day 2: 1, 01-00

84. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, FL -- 3, 05-00 -- 17
Day 1: 1, 01-08 -- Day 2: 2, 03-08

85. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 3, 05-00 -- 16
Day 1: 1, 02-00 -- Day 2: 2, 03-00

86. Kelly Jordon -- Palestine, TX -- 4, 04-15 -- 15
Day 1: 1, 01-05 -- Day 2: 3, 03-10

87. Trevor Romans -- Plano, TX -- 2, 04-15 -- 14
Day 1: 1, 02-05 -- Day 2: 1, 02-10

88. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 4, 04-14 -- 13
Day 1: 1, 01-06 -- Day 2: 3, 03-08

89. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 3, 04-06 -- 12
Day 1: 2, 02-10 -- Day 2: 1, 01-12

90. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 2, 04-05 -- 11
Day 1: 2, 04-05 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

91. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 3, 04-05 -- 10
Day 1: 2, 02-05 -- Day 2: 1, 02-00

92. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 3, 04-04 -- 9
Day 1: 1, 01-08 -- Day 2: 2, 02-12

93. Grant Goldbeck -- Boerne, TX -- 2, 04-01 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 02-15 -- Day 2: 1, 01-02

94. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 3, 04-00 -- 7
Day 1: 2, 04-00 -- Day 2: 1, 00-00

95. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 3, 03-11 -- 6
Day 1: 1, 01-03 -- Day 2: 2, 02-08

96. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 2, 03-09 -- 5
Day 1: 1, 01-06 -- Day 2: 1, 02-03

97. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 1, 03-06 -- 4
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 1, 03-06

98. Michael Simonton -- Fremont, OH -- 2, 03-00 -- 3
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 2, 03-00

99. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 2, 02-13 -- 2
Day 1: 1, 01-01 -- Day 2: 1, 01-12

100. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 1, 02-11 -- 1
Day 1: 1, 02-11 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

101. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 1, 02-06 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 02-06 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

102. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 1, 02-02 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 02-02 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

103. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 1, 01-12 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 1, 01-12

104. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 1, 01-01 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 01-01 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

105. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

105. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00