Jones, Elam, Palaniuk Set Early Pace With 23-Plus

By BassFan Staff

Alton Jones made a serious run at winning the Lake St. Clair Bassmaster Elite Series in 2013 before eventually falling two places short. The veteran Texan appears bent on making another final-day appearance in Michigan as he led a trio of anglers who caught stringers in excess of 23 pounds on day 1 of the regular-season finale.

"I had 1 good day of practice and 2 bad days, and the nice thing about that was it made my decision easy about where to go," said Jones, whose opening-day stringer registered 23-10. "You never know you're going to catch a bag like that, but I stuck a couple of quality fish in practice and shook off some others that felt like they were the right size.

"Sure enough, they were."

Less than a half-pound back were James Elam (23-07), an Oklahoman who's staging a strong finish to his third pro season, and perennial brown-fish wrecker Brandon Palaniuk of Idaho (23-04).

Brandon Lester and Casey Scanlon were tied for the 4th spot with 21-10, which left them 2 pounds off the pace.

Here's a look at the initial Top 12, with deficit margins from the leader indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Alton Jones: 23-10
2. James Elam: 23-07 (0-03)
3. Brandon Palaniuk: 23-04 (0-06)
4. (tie) Brandon Lester: 21-10 (2-00)
4. (tie) Casey Scanlon: 21-10 (2-00)
6. Micah Frazier: 20-08 (3-02)
7. Jonathon VanDam: 20-06 (3-04)
8. Todd Faircloth: 20-01 (3-09)
9. J. Todd Tucker: 19-14 (3-12)
10. Matt Herren: 19-05 (4-05)
11. (tie) Charlie Hartley: 19-03 (4-07)
11. (tie) Greg Vinson: 19-03 (4-07)

The day-1 conditions were less than ideal for catching smallmouths in the Great Lakes region as clouds kept the sun hidden for most of the day. Nonetheless, the weights fell right about where they were expected to as the 50th-place competitor (Justin Lucas) caught 16-04.

Angler of the Year (AOY) leader Aaron Martens sacked 18-05 and sat in 24th as he looks to extend his already substantial advantage in the points race heading into next month's AOY Championship event in Wisconsin. Among the Top 5, only Jacob Powroznik (17th with 18-11) gained any ground on him today, and Powroznik began the event facing a 96-point deficit.

The leaders were mostly tight-lipped about how and where they're fishing, but several conceded they were making long runs from the launch in the Detroit suburb of Harrison Township.

Weather-wise, day 2 should be a bit brighter as the forecast predicts partly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 77 degrees and winds out of the south to 7 mph.

The 107-angler field will be reduced to the Top 50 after Friday's weigh-in, and then to the Top 12 after Saturday's festivities. The winner will be determined Sunday based on cumulative weight.

One Spot Produced for Jones

> Day 1: 5, 23-10

The five fish Jones brought to the scale all came from one location. The biggest weighed 5-10 and two others were in the 5-pound class.

"The big ones moved on me a little bit since practice," he said. "The place where I thought I was going to whack them, I caught little ones. Fortunately they didn't move far.

"I wouldn't be surprised if I have to relocate them again tomorrow. The wind here creates its own current and it changes where the bait is and where the (bass) are most comfortable sitting. They're going to be where it's easiest for them to eat."

He went through 15 keepers and had all of this weight by 10 o'clock.

"I missed a bite or two, but I never actually hooked one and lost it so I was pleased that I fished very clean. Anytime you're fighting big smallmouth there's a risk of them coming off.

"I do have some other stuff I haven't touched. It's probably not worth 23 pounds, but the high teens to maybe 20 is possible in a couple other places. The downside is I wasn't near them today and I don't know if other people fished them, but at least I know I have a plan B and C if I have to resort to them."

2nd: Elam was Done Early

> Day 1: 5, 23-07

Elam had his entire bag by after fishing for less than 2 hours. He handled six keepers and brought two 5-pounders and three that were over 4 to the scale.

"I thought it would be pretty dumb to just sit there and keep catching 4 1/2-pounders when this is a 4-day tournament," he said. "I also had a 5 1/2 jump off and four other fish pull off – I think because of the (low) light conditions early, they weren't getting the bait really well.

"You're going to lose some of these fish, though, because they're so big and so mean. You just hope you can get enough bites so you don't go away heartbroken."

He hung around the place after he quit fishing to see if anyone else showed up, and one of the other leaders eventually did.

"He caught three good ones in his first three drops, so they're there. He'll be back tomorrow, but we should be the only two in there.

"(Sharing water) might hurt me because I feel like I have a shot to win. With two guys hammering it like that, I don't know how long it'll hold up."

3rd: Palaniuk in Familiar Mode

> Day 2: 5, 23-04

Palaniuk's stringer contained the biggest fish of the day – a 6-03 bruiser. He said he caught his fish today in the same manner he did when he won the St. Lawrence River event in 2013, which consisted of dropshotting a Berkley Twitchtail Minnow.

"I really didn't have that good of a practice," he said. "I had one decent day when I caught some big ones, but I didn't catch a lot of them. I've learned with smallmouth, though, if you catch one or two big ones from a place, they'll usually leave.

"I just had a few areas where I felt like I could get those 4-plus-pound bites, so I concentrated on those. I got on some places at the right time and put things together."

He's sharing his best place with one other angler.

"He also caught them today, but we talked about it and I think we'll work together well. I think the fish are there to win, but it'll depend on how we go about it."

4th: Lester Went Up the River

> Day 1: 5, 21-10

Lester traveled up the St. Clair River and came back with a strong bag that included a 5 1/2-pounder.

"I had a decent practice, but I didn't catch a lot of size," he said. "I had one spot where I caught two 5-pounders (on Wednesday) and that's where all my weight came from today. It's kind of like a big-fish deal.

"There's one other guy fishing it and he caught a pretty decent sack, but I don't think we hurt it that much. It's current-related and it should replenish – when they're on a spot like that, they're there to feed."

He lost his first bite of the day, which might've given him an additional half-pound.

"I got a little anxious and I was rushing, and when it got up to the boat it made one last run and broke me off. It would've been nice to have that one, but it wasn't devastating. Hopefully it won't mean much in the grand scheme of things."

6th: Slow Process for Frazier

> Day 1: 5, 20-08

Frazier needs a solid showing this week after a 101st-place bomb at the Chesapeake Bay dropped him from 16th to 34 in the points race. It took him most of the day to compile stringer.

"I knew good fish were around there, but I didn't know how easy they'd be to catch, and they weren't real easy," he said. "The bites were random. I caught a bunch of little ones early on, then I slowly culled up."

He stayed in St. Clair and said the majority of the 15 keepers he boated were 2-pounders. The five he took to the scale were all around 4 and he didn't lose any that would've helped him.

"I know the fish are there, but you can go forever between bites. There's a few other guys there and everybody caught bags in the upper teens. I think it might get better if we get some sunlight."

103rd: Just 3 for DeFoe

Ott DeFoe made the long trip north to Lake Huron and came back with just one fish. He picked up his other two keepers – both largemouths – upon his return to St. Clair.

"The time I spent up there (in practice), I didn't get a lot of bites, but I got enough," he said. "I didn't see any way that this would happen. Other guys were catching them up there, but I couldn't get bit.

"It was one of those days where it just wasn't meant to be and it wasn't going to happen for me no matter what."

He's not sure which direction he'll go on day 2.

"I'm tempted to go back (to Huron) because that's where my best bites in practice came from, but I also might take a ride to Erie. I've got to try to salvage some points.

"On the first day of practice I got eight or 10 bites and I thought I understood what was going on up there. Apparently I didn't."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 107 anglers, 97 limits, 4 fours, 3 threes, 3 ones.

> Brent Chapman, Mark Menendez, Carl Jocumsen, Brent Ehrler, Davy Hite and Gerald Swindle all finished among the Top 13 in the previous event at the Chesapeake Bay. None of those six were higher than 92nd after day 1 at St. Clair.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Aug. 28 – Partly Cloudy - 77°/62°
- Wind: From the S at 7 mph

> Sat., Aug. 29 – Scattered T-Storms - 81°/66°
- Wind: From the SSE at 13 mph

> Sun., Aug. 30 – Partly Cloudy - 83°/64°
- Wind: From the SW at 9 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 23-10 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 23-10

2. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 23-07 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 23-07

3. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 23-04 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 23-04

4. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 21-10 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 21-10

4. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 5, 21-10 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 21-10

6. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 20-08 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 20-08

7. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 20-06 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 20-06

8. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 20-01 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 20-01

9. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 5, 19-14 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 19-14

10. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 19-05 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 19-05

11. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 5, 19-03 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 19-03

11. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 19-03 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 19-03

13. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 5, 18-15 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 18-15

14. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 18-14 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 18-14

15. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 18-13 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 18-13

16. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 5, 18-12 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 18-12

17. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 18-11 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 18-11

17. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 18-11 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 18-11

17. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 18-11 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 18-11

17. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 18-11 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 18-11

21. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 18-07 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 18-07

21. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 18-07 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 18-07

21. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 5, 18-07 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 18-07

24. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 18-05 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 18-05

25. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 18-04 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 18-04

26. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 18-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 18-03

26. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 18-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 18-03

26. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 18-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 18-03

29. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 18-02 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 18-02

30. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 17-13 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 17-13

31. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 17-12 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 17-12

32. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 17-11 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 17-11

33. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 5, 17-10 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 17-10

33. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 17-10 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 17-10

35. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 17-09 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 17-09

36. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 17-08 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 17-08

36. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 17-08 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 17-08

38. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 17-07 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 17-07

39. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 17-05 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 17-05

39. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 17-05 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 17-05

41. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 17-01 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 17-01

41. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 17-01 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 17-01

43. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 16-14 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 16-14

43. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 16-14 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 16-14

45. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 16-13 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 16-13

46. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 16-12 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 16-12

46. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 5, 16-12 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 16-12

48. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 16-05 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 16-05

48. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 5, 16-05 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 16-05

50. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-04 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 16-04

51. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 16-00 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 16-00

52. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 15-14 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 15-14

53. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-13 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 15-13

53. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 15-13 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 15-13

55. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 15-11 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 15-11

55. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 5, 15-11 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 15-11

57. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 15-10 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 15-10

58. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 15-07 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 15-07

59. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 15-06 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 15-06

60. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 15-05 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 15-05

61. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 15-02 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 15-02

61. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-02 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 15-02

63. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 5, 15-01 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 15-01

63. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 15-01 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 15-01

65. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 5, 15-00 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 15-00

66. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 14-14 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 14-14

67. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 14-12 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 14-12

68. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 14-06 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 14-06

68. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 14-06 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 14-06

68. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 5, 14-06 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 14-06

71. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 14-05 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 14-05

72. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 14-03 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 14-03

73. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 13-13 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 13-13

74. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 13-12 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 13-12

75. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 13-11 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 13-11

76. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 13-10 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 13-10

77. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 13-09 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 13-09

78. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 13-06 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 13-06

78. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 13-06 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 13-06

78. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 13-06 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 13-06

81. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 5, 13-03 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 13-03

82. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 5, 13-00 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 13-00

82. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 13-00 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 13-00

82. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 13-00 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 13-00

85. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 12-15 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 12-15

86. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 4, 12-11 -- 15
Day 1: 4, 12-11

87. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 12-07 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 12-07

88. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 5, 12-02 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 12-02

89. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 12-01 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 12-01

90. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 11-13 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 11-13

91. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 11-10 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 11-10

92. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 11-09 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 11-09

93. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 11-08 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 11-08

94. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 5, 11-07 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 11-07

95. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 4, 11-07 -- 6
Day 1: 4, 11-07

96. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 11-05 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 11-05

97. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 11-00 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 11-00

98. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 10-10 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 10-10

99. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 09-14 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 09-14

100. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 3, 08-13 -- 1
Day 1: 3, 08-13

101. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 4, 07-12 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 07-12

101. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 4, 07-12 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 07-12

103. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 3, 07-02 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 07-02

104. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 3, 06-05 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 06-05

105. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 1, 03-07 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 03-07

106. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 1, 02-08 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 02-08

107. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 1, 02-00 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 02-00