Pirch Sacks 19-04 To Move To Forefront On Day 2

By BassFan Staff

Bassmaster Elite Series anglers are certainly showing out in their states of residence (or birth) on the circuit's first Western swing in 5 years. A week after a quintet of California natives swept the Top 5 positions at the Sacramento River, two Arizonans are dueling atop the leaderboard at Lake Havasu.

Clifford Pirch, perhaps the premier desert-lake angler in the world at the moment, moved into the lead Friday as he caught a day-best 19-04 stringer to push his total to 36-12 at the midway point. John Murray, who likely could've claimed that distinction in a previous era, is his closest pursuer with 35-09 in the wake of a 16-01 haul.

Day-1 leader Edwin Evers caught 14-01 and dropped to 3rd with 34-08. Matt Herren slipped one position to 4th with a 33-00 aggregate after catching a 14-07 sack.

Brandon Palaniuk rounded out the Top 5 after catching a stout 18-08 for a 32-14 total.

Here are the totals for the current Top 12, with red numbers in parentheses indicating deficit margin from the leader:

1. Clifford Pirch: 36-12
2. John Murray: 35-09 (1-03)
3. Edwin Evers: 34-08 (2-04)
4. Matt Herren: 33-00 (3-12)
5. Brandon Palaniuk: 32-14 (3-14)
6. Chris Lane: 32-09 (4-03)
7. Randy Howell: 32-04 (4-08)
8. Josh Bertrand: 32-02 (4-10)
9. Kelly Jordon: 31-15 (4-13)
10. Randall Tharp: 31-13 (4-15)
11. Aaron Martens: 31-10 (5-02)
12. Shaw Grigsby: 31-06 (5-06)

The ferocious wind of day 1 calmed down considerably, but it wasn't anything resembling a normal weather day for early May in Arizona. The air temperature barely crept into the 70s and the sky was gray throughout, and there were even periods of light rain on some parts of the lake.

A warming trend will begin Saturday, with the high temperature expected to reach a still-pleasant 83. It's forecast to jump another 10 degrees or so on Sunday.

Palaniuk (41 places), Lane (24), Howell (21) and Martens (22) all made big moves to reach the Top 12. The other newcomer was Bertrand, who became the third Arizona resident among that contingent.

Kevin VanDam took the biggest tumble, falling from 10th to 58th (and out of the event) after weighing just three fish for 9-02. Others who exited, but stayed inside the cut to the Top 52, were Mike Kernan (5th to 14th with 13-00 on day 2), Bobby Lane (7th to 24th, 12-04), Stephen Browning (tied for 11th to 31st, 12-13), Alton Jones (tied for 11th to 28th, 12-14) and Greg Vinson (tied for 11th to 49th, 10-13).

Only the Top 12 will survive Saturday's cut, with the winner determined Sunday based on highest cumulative weight.

Pirch Ditched the Crowd

> Day 2: 5, 19-04 (10, 36-12)

Pirch had a lot more company on his starting area today than he did on day 1. Losing four of his first five bites added to his frustration and led to a move that eventually paid off.

"I finally just left because it go so dang crowded," he said. "I went somewhere else and fortunately I ran into a couple of good ones."

He ended up catching more than a dozen keepers, including a 4 1/2-pounder. He's employing a finesse technique with spinning gear.

"I'm mostly fishing places where I got bit in practice, but it doesn't hurt to have some areas where I've fished before. It's nice to have some experience on the lake to fall back on."

He thinks he'll need to catch an average of at least 17 pounds a day over the weekend to remain in the top spot.

"The overall weights will probably fall a little bit, but what matters is what the top guys are catching. That's going to be the difference."

2nd: Murray will Welcome Traffic

> Day 2: 5, 16-01 (10, 35-09)

The warmer weather is sure to bring hundreds of recreation boaters onto the water for the weekend, and Murray has no issue with that.

"I usually like boats on the lake because they get the water moving," he said. “You’ll start hearing the boats fire up about 10 o’clock, and that’s when the fish turn on. The boats spook the shad and all the other baitfish, and the bass start biting. Until you start hearing the big boats start, it won’t get right.”

He said he fished pretty much the same way on Friday that he did on day 1. He tried some other things once he was comfortable that he had enough weight to make the cut, but didn't discover anything too promising.

"What I'm doing is the right program. I've just got to commit to it. The ones I'm fishing for are big enough – I've just got to get enough of them."

He boated 10 keepers, including one that exceeded 4 pounds. He farmed one that was about 4 1/2.

"That's the first one I've lost so I can't really complain."

3rd: Evers' Execution Lacking

> Day 2: 5, 14-01 (10, 34-08)

Evers' weight was off by almost 6 1/2 pounds from day 1.

"I didn't get quite as many bites, but the big thing was I lost some key bites," he said. "That's something that happens, though – it's the nature of the beast. I did a few different things (than on day 1), but they didn't help me, for the most part."

His sack was headed up by a 4 1/2-pounder.

"I feel pretty confident (about the weekend). I just need to get five good bites and land them and I'll be fine. I don't think I need to change anything.

"There'll be less boats on the water tomorrow, so I don't see the weights dropping a lot. I'll probably need two 17- to 18-pound stringers to stay in the hunt."

4th: Herren's Timing was Off

> Day 2: 5, 14-07 (10, 33-00)

Herren didn't catch a lot on day 2 until the wind kicked up a bit in the afternoon.

"It's been kind of weird, man," he said. "I'm catching a few fish and I think I'm doing the right thing, but today I just didn't get a lot of good bites and I think a lot of it was my timing wasn't right. I went to some new water and tried to expand on what I did yesterday, but I kind of felt like I got out of whack.

"In every real clear reservoir I've ever fished, the fish are fickle. They're predominantly sight-feeders and it really helps when you get a little wind. It wasn't blowing much this morning and I really struggled. Then when it got to blowing in the afternoon, the bite got better for me."

A 4-pounder was the biggest of the 10 keepers he handled.

"I did have one smallmouth in my bag today and I may fish for them hard tomorrow because I know where they're at. The problem is they're hard to catch. But I see them in the course of fishing for largemouth and I know eight or nine places that have them. That might be the deal."

103rd: Combs Befuddled

> Day 2: 4, 9-04 (9, 17-08)

Keith Combs came into the event at No. 5 in the Angler of the Year race, but he'll take a precipitous fall after his worst-ever Elite finish.

"I've been thinking about what went wrong and I really don't know," he said. "I guess it's really just all on me. I was on a pretty good cranking bite in practice and that's what I fished yesterday, but I didn't get bit at all and I had to bail on that. I caught everything I had finesse-fishing in the last 30 minutes.

"Today I decided to go upriver and just flip and see if I could make something happen. I kept the flipping stick in my hand all day and just went to work, but I didn't catch them."

At least he has the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in 2 weeks to look forward to. He's the two-time defending champion of that event and has won it three times overall.

"I'm definitely ready to forget about Havasu and move on to that."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 112 anglers, 96 limits (3 more than day 1), 5 fours, 7 threes, 1 two, 1 one, 2 zeroes (2 more than day 1).

> Brent Chapman and Chris Zaldain both missed the cut, finishing in 71st and 80th place, respectively. Chapman underestimated the weight it would take to make the initial cut and Zaldain was hindered by two big bites that got away on day 1. To read their competition recaps, click here to visit BassFan Pro View Reports.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., May 9 – Sunny - 83°/64°
- Wind: From the SW at 7 mph

> Sun., May 10 – Sunny - 92°/67°
- Wind: From the WNW at 9 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 36-12 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 19-04

2. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 10, 35-09 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01

3. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 34-08 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 20-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01

4. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 10, 33-00 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 18-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07

5. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 32-14 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08

6. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 32-09 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04

7. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 10, 32-04 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 15-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-13

8. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 10, 32-02 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 16-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15

9. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 10, 31-15 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 17-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

10. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 10, 31-13 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10

11. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 31-10 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06

12. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 31-06 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 17-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

13. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 10, 31-03 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01

14. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 10, 31-02 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00

15. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 31-00 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

16. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 10, 30-12 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08

17. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 10, 30-09 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00

18. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 30-08 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 16-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05

19. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 30-08 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12

20. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 30-06 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04

21. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 10, 30-03 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05

22. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 30-03 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 15-10

23. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 10, 30-02 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

24. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 30-01 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04

25. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 30-01 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

26. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 29-13 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

27. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 29-09 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-03

28. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 10, 29-09 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14

29. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 10, 29-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02

30. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 10, 29-09 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

31. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 29-08 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13

32. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 10, 29-06 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 16-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01

33. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 10, 29-05 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09

34. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 10, 29-03 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

35. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 10, 29-01 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10

36. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 29-00 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-07

37. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 10, 29-00 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

38. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 10, 28-15 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-03

39. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 28-12 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

40. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 28-10 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12

41. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 10, 28-08 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13

42. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 10, 28-05 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15

43. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 28-03 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10

44. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 10, 28-03 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09

45. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 28-02 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00

46. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 10, 27-12 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 16-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04

47. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 10, 27-12 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07

48. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 27-09 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

49. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 10, 27-08 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-13

50. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 27-08 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

51. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Japan -- 9, 27-07 -- 50
Day 1: 4, 11-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

52. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 27-07 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08

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

53. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 10, 27-06 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15

54. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 27-04 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12

55. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 27-00 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

56. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 26-15 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04

57. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 10, 26-10 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

58. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 8, 26-08 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 17-06 -- Day 2: 3, 09-02

59. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 10, 26-01 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 08-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13

60. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 10, 26-01 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

61. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 26-01 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-02

62. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 10, 25-14 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

63. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 25-12 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 16-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-08

64. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 10, 25-12 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06

65. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 10, 25-08 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14

66. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 25-06 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01

67. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 10, 25-04 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

68. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 25-02 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

69. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 24-15 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09

70. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 10, 24-15 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

71. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 24-14 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00

72. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 8, 24-13 -- 29
Day 1: 3, 06-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-13

73. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 24-05 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00

74. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 24-04 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

75. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 23-15 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09

76. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 10, 23-14 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12

77. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 8, 23-11 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 3, 08-02

78. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 10, 23-11 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

79. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 10, 23-11 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09

80. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 9, 23-07 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 08-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09

81. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 9, 23-04 -- 20
Day 1: 4, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03

82. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 10, 23-04 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-05

83. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 10, 23-03 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10

84. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 8, 22-15 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 3, 10-08

85. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 9, 22-14 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 4, 10-02

86. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 10, 22-13 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-08

87. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 22-13 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11

88. Byron Velvick -- Boenre, TX -- 8, 22-06 -- 13
Day 1: 3, 06-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01

89. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 10, 22-06 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07

90. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 8, 22-05 -- 11
Day 1: 3, 07-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00

91. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 9, 21-10 -- 10
Day 1: 4, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

92. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 10, 21-01 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 10-10 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07

93. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 9, 20-14 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 4, 09-15

94. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 20-12 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07

95. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 8, 20-05 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 3, 07-13

96. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 8, 19-13 -- 5
Day 1: 3, 07-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

97. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 7, 19-10 -- 4
Day 1: 2, 04-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08

98. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 6, 19-07 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 1, 03-11

99. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 8, 19-02 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 3, 06-09

100. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 8, 19-01 -- 1
Day 1: 3, 07-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

101. Matt Lee -- Auburn , AL -- 8, 18-11 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 06-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

102. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 9, 18-07 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 4, 08-14

103. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 9, 17-08 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 08-04 -- Day 2: 4, 09-04

104. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 7, 16-12 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 05-08 -- Day 2: 4, 11-04

105. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 9, 16-10 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 08-06 -- Day 2: 5, 08-04

106. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 7, 15-12 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 05-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

107. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 6, 14-08 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-08 -- Day 2: 2, 05-00

108. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 8, 14-07 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 04-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12

109. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 13-09 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

110. Stephen Longobardi -- Northford, CT -- 5, 12-14 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 03-15 -- Day 2: 3, 08-15

111. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 6, 12-06 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 05-11 -- Day 2: 3, 06-11

112. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 2, 03-03 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 03-03 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00