Ike Has Tough Day, But Lead Is Still Intact

By BassFan Staff

Mike Iaconelli had no explanation for why his weight fell off by 8 1/2 pounds on day 3 of the Lake Guntersville Bassmaster Elite Series in Alabama. On the positive side, his light sack only cost him about half of his lead.

"I wish I knew why it was so tough," he said after weighing a 16-07 stringer that improved his total to 69-08. "It might've had something to do with the wind shifting to the north or the little bit of high pressure we had.

"You can make a millions excuses, but there were still plenty of guys who caught 20-plus (pounds) today."

One of those was Skeet Reese, who sacked a day-best 25-01 to move up nine places into 2nd with 67-06. He'll begin the final day facing a deficit of 2-02.

Another 2 ounces back was veteran David Walker, whose 18-14 stringer gave him a 67-04 aggregate. Jason Christie, who's catching heavier bags each successive day, boxed 23-10 and moved up 10 places to 4th with 65-07.

Carl Jocumsen, the rookie from Australia whose popularity is growing with each appearance on the weigh-in stage, caught 18 pounds and slipped two places to 5th with 64-08.

"I think there's quite a few people in the Top 12 who could win this thing tomorrow," Christie said. "We haven't seen a 30-pound bag yet, but that could happen. Nobody would be too surprised."

Here are the totals for the anglers who'll compete on day 4 (red numbers in parentheses denote deficit margins from the leader):

1. Mike Iaconelli: 69-08
2. Skeet Reese: 67-06 (2-02)
3. David Walker: 67-04 (2-04)
4. Jason Christie: 65-07 (4-01)
5. Carl Jocumsen: 64-08 (5-00)
6. Derek Remitz: 64-08 (5-00)
7. Greg Vinson: 64-03 (5-05)
8. Byron Velvick: 63-10 (5-14)
9. Keith Combs: 62-15 (6-09)
10. Dean Rojas: 62-10 (6-14)
11. Chad Morgenthaler: 60-15 (8-09)
12. Brent Ehrler: 60-09 (8-15)

Post-frontal conditions ruled the skies on day 3 and the north wind was stiff. Many south-facing banks were inundated with mud and keeping a boat steady was a chore in water deeper than a few feet.

Alabama resident Greg Vinson had a superb day as his 24-02 sack pushed him up 13 places. Derek Remitz, another Alabamian, and Dean Rojas were the other Top-12 members who surpassed the 20-pound mark.

The weather should settle out for the final day – the forecast predicts partly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 79 degrees. The wind will return to a southerly orientation and should top out around 10 mph.

Big Bites Scarce for Ike

> Day 3: 5, 16-07 (15, 69-08)

Iaconelli described this event as a "strange" tournament.

"Every time I think I'm onto something, it goes away," he said. "Then I have to go figure them out again. I'm really hoping today was my survival day.

"I caught a few more keepers – I had 11 today and nine yesterday – but I only caught two of the 11 doing things I'd done the last 2 days. Everything else came on another new technique."

His bag was topped by a 5-pounder and he also had a pair of 3s. None of his other fish exceeded 2 1/2 pounds.

"It's not the kind of day you want to have on Guntersville, but I'm optimistic about tomorrow. It should be calmer and warmer with the wind going back to the south, and that actually excites me."

He's spent the entire tournament rotating through numerous spots in the mid-lake region, but won't hesitate to make a major move on day 4 if he feels it's necessary.

"I'm still mentally committed to this area, but at some point I might have to throw the white flag up if I want to have a chance to win. I'm going to have to be a realist. My intentions are to stay there the whole day, but if it's 10:30 and I've got 9 pounds, it'll be time to go."

3rd: Not as Many for Walker

> Day 3: 5, 18-14 (15, 67-04)

Like Iaconelli, Walker had his first sub-20-pound day. It cost him one position in the standings, but he's closer to the lead from a weight perspective.

"The fishing today was tougher in two aspects for me – I didn't get as many bites and I didn't get as many big bites," he said. "I kept doing the same things because, really, what else are you going to do. It'd been going so good that changing things drastically sounds a little bizarre."

He handled 10 keepers, including a 6 3/4-pounder that bit during the middle portion of the day. He's yet to lose a fish that would've helped him.

He's been bouncing around to a half-dozen places in the same creek. One particular area has repeatedly surrendered his biggest specimens.

"Obviously I'm going to go give that a try tomorrow. That being said, this is a big lake and it's full of fish, and to start thinking there's only one area where they are would be a mistake.

"I think I'm going to need 25 pounds to win. That's just the kind of place this is."

4th: Christie keeps Climbing

> Day 3: 5, 23-10 (15, 65-07)

Christie, who's always a guy to look out for when he's within reasonable striking distance of the lead on the final day, just keeps moving up the leaderboard. He'll start day 4 facing a deficit of 4 pounds.

"This tournament has been really random," he said. "I caught a few big ones in practice, but I really wasn't on anything special. I think you've just got to keep year head down and every now and then a big one will show up.

"It was kind of a struggle today – I didn't catch a lot of fish. I've got one place where the water moves in the morning and I had some bites, but I didn't connect with any of them. Then I've got another place where I can get bit later on."

He ended up boating 10 keepers, the biggest a 6-pounder.

"Tomorrow I'll just go fishing and put myself in places where I could potentially catch a big one."

5th: Jocumsen's Action was Early

> Day 3: 5, 18-00 (15, 64-08)

Jocumsen had all of his weight within the first 3 hours of the day.

"I had a little opportunity this morning to capitalize on, and I did, but after that it was tough," he said. "I felt all right with what I had and I went looking for areas to fish tomorrow.

"I had a couple places I couldn't fish because there were locals on it and they were doing exactly what I was doing."

All of the fish he caught on day 3 came on the jig pattern he'd established in practice. Four of the five in his massive 26-10 bag on Friday bit a swimbait during a 30-minute flurry when baitfish schooled up around his boat.

"I tried to find that again today, but it's a real timing thing. It has something to do with the wind direction and the way it pushes the bait in there. It just didn't happen."

He went through about 15 keepers, the biggest of which was a 4 1/2-pounder. He didn't lose anything.

"I'm just going to have fun tomorrow because I'm excited about being there more than anything. I'm going to try to keep an open mind.

"If I finish 12th, I'm still going to be the happiest man alive. I'll gamble a little and try to make something happen – maybe throw some big swimbaits and look for a little bit different bite."

18th: Lee Struggled Early

> Day 3: 5, 15-07 (15, 57-15)

After averaging more than 21 pounds over the first 2 days, rookie Matt Lee came in with a much lighter bag and dropped out of the Top 12 (he started the day in 10th).

"I think more than the wind, it was the (boat) pressure, being Saturday," said Lee, who rents a house with his brother, Jordan, that sits just 2 miles from the launch. "I fished for 2 hours on my best place and didn't catch any. I caught everything I weighed on the back end of the day."

A 5 1/4-pounder was the biggest of the nine keepers he caught. He was forced to weigh in a fish that was under 3 pounds on each day.

"I'm just super-pumped to have a good tournament here."

He fished areas that had isolated patches of grass and threw a half-ounce bladed jig.

"My best place was only about a half-acre and it had a lot of stumps. To get one to bite, you pretty much had to bump it in the mouth."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 45 limits, 2 fours, 2 threes, 1 two.

> Chris Zaldain made a big move up the standings sheet with a 22-pound sack on day 2, but gave back most of that ground with a three-fish haul on day 3. To read his competition recap, click here to visit Pro View Reports.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., April 12 – Partly Cloudy - 79°/63°
- Wind: From the SE at 10 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 15, 69-08 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 28-02 -- Day 2: 5, 24-15 -- Day 3: 5, 16-07

2. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 15, 67-06 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 24-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-06 -- Day 3: 5, 25-01

3. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 15, 67-04 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 23-01 -- Day 2: 5, 25-05 -- Day 3: 5, 18-14

4. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 15, 65-07 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 20-07 -- Day 2: 5, 21-06 -- Day 3: 5, 23-10

5. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 15, 64-08 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 19-14 -- Day 2: 5, 26-10 -- Day 3: 5, 18-00

6. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 15, 64-08 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 19-11 -- Day 2: 5, 24-00 -- Day 3: 5, 20-13

7. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 15, 64-03 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 23-11 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06 -- Day 3: 5, 24-02

8. Byron Velvick -- Boerne, TX -- 15, 63-10 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 18-13 -- Day 2: 5, 26-06 -- Day 3: 5, 18-07

9. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 15, 62-15 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 23-00 -- Day 2: 5, 20-06 -- Day 3: 5, 19-09

10. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 15, 62-10 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 22-02 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02 -- Day 3: 5, 20-06

11. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 15, 60-15 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 16-10 -- Day 2: 5, 24-08 -- Day 3: 5, 19-13

12. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 15, 60-09 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 23-08 -- Day 2: 5, 20-05 -- Day 3: 5, 16-12

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.

13. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 15, 60-04 -- 88 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-02 -- Day 2: 5, 26-08 -- Day 3: 5, 16-10

14. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 15, 59-15 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 23-05 -- Day 2: 5, 19-07 -- Day 3: 5, 17-03

15. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 15, 59-02 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 21-02 -- Day 3: 5, 22-12

16. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 15, 58-11 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-04 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07 -- Day 3: 5, 20-00

17. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 14, 58-02 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 19-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04 -- Day 3: 5, 21-07

18. Matt Lee -- Auburn , AL -- 15, 57-15 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 23-15 -- Day 2: 5, 18-09 -- Day 3: 5, 15-07

19. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 15, 57-11 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 22-04 -- Day 2: 5, 18-13 -- Day 3: 5, 16-10

20. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 15, 57-11 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-06 -- Day 2: 5, 20-10 -- Day 3: 5, 19-11

21. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 15, 57-08 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08 -- Day 3: 5, 20-04

22. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 15, 56-13 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-04 -- Day 2: 5, 21-04 -- Day 3: 5, 18-05

23. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 15, 55-10 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 23-00 -- Day 3: 5, 17-04

24. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 15, 55-08 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 22-03 -- Day 2: 5, 19-12 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09

25. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 14, 55-06 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 26-01 -- Day 2: 4, 15-09 -- Day 3: 5, 13-12

26. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 15, 54-14 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12 -- Day 3: 5, 19-14

27. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 15, 54-13 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-11 -- Day 3: 5, 16-01

28. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 54-09 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-10 -- Day 3: 5, 15-08

29. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 15, 54-09 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 18-12 -- Day 3: 5, 19-14

30. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 53-05 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-06 -- Day 3: 5, 18-09

31. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 15, 53-03 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-00 -- Day 3: 5, 13-03

32. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 15, 53-01 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 25-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-08

33. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 15, 52-13 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-04 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04 -- Day 3: 5, 11-05

34. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 15, 52-08 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01 -- Day 3: 5, 16-00

35. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 15, 52-07 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-07 -- Day 3: 5, 15-10

36. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 15, 51-10 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 24-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00 -- Day 3: 5, 13-06

37. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 15, 51-05 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 22-01 -- Day 3: 5, 11-15

38. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 15, 51-02 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-15 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03

39. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 15, 50-12 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 23-00 -- Day 3: 5, 14-15

40. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 15, 50-01 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 17-03 -- Day 3: 5, 14-02

41. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 15, 50-00 -- 60 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 23-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02 -- Day 3: 5, 10-12

42. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 15, 49-12 -- 59 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05 -- Day 3: 5, 14-14

43. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 15, 49-02 -- 58 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 19-06 -- Day 3: 5, 13-05

44. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 15, 48-00 -- 57 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00 -- Day 3: 5, 13-00

45. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 15, 47-06 -- 56 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 17-05 -- Day 3: 5, 12-04

46. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 15, 46-07 -- 55 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09 -- Day 3: 5, 11-10

47. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 15, 46-04 -- 54 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15 -- Day 3: 5, 10-15

48. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 14, 44-12 -- 53 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-03 -- Day 3: 4, 08-01

49. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 12, 44-00 -- 52 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 5, 25-08 -- Day 3: 2, 06-11

50. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 13, 44-00 -- 51 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-05 -- Day 2: 5, 22-00 -- Day 3: 3, 05-11

51. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 13, 41-00 -- 50 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 19-07 -- Day 3: 3, 06-00

52. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 12, 40-02 -- 49 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04 -- Day 3: 2, 05-09

53. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 35-07 -- 48 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-07 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00