Jocumsen’s 19-11 Has Young Aussie Out Front

By BassFan Staff

Every chance he gets, Carl Jocumsen talks about how competing on the Elite Series has been the realization of one of his lifelong dreams. Today, he got to put a check mark next to another of his goals: Leading an Elite Series event.

Jocumsen, the first Australian to compete on the Elite Series, bounced back from a miserable 104th-place finish at the St. Johns River with a 19-11 stringer that exceeded his two-day total from the season opener by more than a pound. A pair of kickers that weighed 7-03 and 6-09, respectively, anchored today’s bag.

“I never could have imagined seeing my name up at the top like that,” Jocumsen said. “Leading, even for a day, means so much to me. Coming from a little country town in Queensland, Australia and growing up watching (Kevin) VanDam and buying his books and watching the videos, being where I am at it’s almost too crazy to even think about it. It’s a special feeling right now.”

Despite the start of the event being delayed by weather, he chose to roll the dice and made the one hour, 45-minute boat ride to the Cooper River near Charleston, S.C. His decision paid off as the Aussie is more than 3 pounds ahead of 2nd-place Britt Myers, the lone South Carolina angler among the Top 12. Myers bagged 16-08 today.

Matt Herren caught 14-06, which was good enough for 3rd, while Keith Combs had 13-13 in 4th and Randall Tharp’s 13-10 put him in 5th.

While the tournament is only one day old, already some competitors are counting down the hours until it’s over. Not because they dislike the fishery or the people of Georgetown, S.C. – the consensus is it’s a great spot for an event. Their anxiety is based on this tournament ranking among the most challenging Elite Series events they’ve faced in some time, maybe ever.

The variables are seemingly endless, from how the tide cycles and a persistent, strong wind can impact certain areas where a lot of small fish reside to deciding whether to sacrifice essentially half a day by running to and from the Cooper in hopes to connecting with better than average fish there. It’s a classic case of high risk, high reward fishing.

“Normally, when I’m in the top 5, I’m out for blood, but I’ve been sitting here looking at the leaderboard and trying to figure what 50th place could be,” said Combs. “My goal is 6 pounds tomorrow and I’ll be happy to get out of here with a check.”

Here's a look at the Top 12 after day 1 of competition, with each angler’s deficit margin from Jocumsen indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Carl Jocumsen: 19-11
2. Britt Myers: 16-08 (3-03)
3. Matt Herren: 14-06 (5-05)
4. Keith Combs: 13-13 (5-14)
5. Randall Tharp: 13-11 (6-00)
6. Justin Lucas: 13-00 (6-11)
7. Brett Hite: 12-07 (7-04)
8. Dave Lefebre: 12-05 (7-06)
9. Bradley Roy: 11-11 (8-00)
10. Brent Ehrler: 11-06 (8-05)
11. Mark Menendez: 10-13 (8-14)
12 (tie). Randy Howell: 10-11 (9-00)
12 (tie). Brandon Coulter: 10-11 (9-00)

Just over half the field managed limits, but more than a third (39) had three or fewer fish in their bags. Among the eight who zeroed were former Classic winners Skeet Reese, Luke Clausen and Casey Ashley.

Kelly Jordon and John Murray weighed in one fish apiece, but both were 8-plus pounders and they have each angler inside the Top 50. Murray's 8-09 lunker weighed more than the limits caught by 20 other competitors. Rick Clunn, the winner of the season opener, is 77th after catching four fish for 5-14.

B.A.S.S. officials delayed blast-off by about 75 minutes this morning due to a strong line of thunderstorms that brought strong winds and lightning to the area around Georgetown. Once the front passed, skies cleared, but the winds were persistent.

The delay made the fishing window much smaller for those who opted to run to the Cooper. With little threat of another delay Friday morning, it’s anticipated a larger group of anglers will head southwest toward Charleston in an attempt to salvage their tournament in the Cooper.

Jocumsen Rolled the Dice

> Day 1: 5, 19-11

Jocumsen kicked off his Elite Series career last year with a 105th-place finish at the Sabine River, then followed it up with a 5th at Lake Guntersville. After his bomb at the St. Johns River, he’s in position to bounce back yet again.

He said he stopped for fuel on the way down and on the way back, but thinks he could get away with making just one pit stop Friday.

“I’m not going as far as some of the other guys,” he said.

He had roughly 3 hours to fish once he settled in to his area. He’d discovered it late in practice on Wednesday and got a half dozen bites, but it was a slow go Thursday morning.

“I got there and it was really windy,” he said. “It was blowing against the tide and there was weird stuff happening. I couldn’t get a grip on the casting angles I needed to be making.”

The first 90 minutes passed and he’d had only a couple “half-hearted bites” and he was starting to consider making a move. That’s when he got a bite from his biggest fish – a 7-03.

“Once you catch a fish like that, it anchors your mind into staying there,” he added. “I slowed way down after that and the bites started to come. I had seven bites in the next 90 minutes.”

He said all of the fish were caught “casting and winding,” but he thinks a variety of techniques could work in the area.

He’s convinced the potential reward in the Cooper is well worth the risk and long run.

“When you catch a fish over there, it’s a 2-pounder,” he said. “I felt like I could catch 12 to 13 pounds without getting a big bite and today I caught two of those.”

3rd: Herren Hopes New Trend Continues

> Day 1: 5, 14-06

During practice, Herren had no trouble piling up bites. The trouble was most of the fish were on the small side. Today, he encountered the opposite scenario – his bite total went down, but what did bite were better quality fish.

“This place is something else,” he said. “It shocked me today. I’m just going to go fishing tomorrow. I know I’ll have to adjust. The wind’s changing and the tide’s different. All I know how to do is put my head down and fish. I caught a 5 and a 4 today – that’s like winning the lottery twice in one day.”

He knows Friday will go a long way in determining who is on a consistent pattern and who may have gotten lucky today.

“Tomorrow will tell the story regarding consistency,” he said. “I have an idea on how to get a bite. If I can put it together again, we’ll know more then."

He opted to stay away from the Cooper, but he fears it could produce better stringers tomorrow as those heading that way will have more time than today.

“The crazy thing about tidal fish is you don’t know what they’re going to do tomorrow,” he added. “You think you do, but you don’t.”

4th: Combs Still Trying to Figure it Out

> Day 1: 5, 13-13

After a practice he termed an uphill battle, Combs had some things go his way this morning that gave his confidence a lift heading into tomorrow.

He caught four small fish at his first stop before finishing his limit with a 4-pounder. He culled three times the rest of the day.

“It took me 3 days of practicing playing it safe and it was my intention to find enough fish where if I made a gamble I had something to fall back on,” he said. “It took me 3 days to catch a limit, so today was just exceptional.

“I didn’t get enough bites in practice or today to have anything figured out. It’s just a put-your-head-down-and-fish sort of place.”

He stayed away from the Cooper during practice andhas no plans to head that way in the tournament. He bounced around four different areas and still did close to 90 miles worth of running. He said the tide cycle is crucial to where he’s fishing.

“Some areas just get completely blown out on a high tide,” he said, “or you’ll be fishing and there are so many targets that you don’t feel like you can catch one – there’s just too much to flip. I don’t understand the tide here. I’m just trying to stay around the areas where I had bites in practice. I just made the most of it today.”

5th: Tharp’s Confidence Got a Boost

> Day 1: 5, 13-11

The only thing Tharp was certain of today was how uncertain he was about getting a bite. After cycling through five rods early this morning, it was the sixth option that finally produced a keeper bass, and that’ll be the one he sticks with the rest of the way.

“I was so lucky,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get a bite all day. I can only catch them on one tide and I ran to the only place on the whole system that had that tide and I caught them.

“The delay killed me because it was about over when I got there, but the good thing is as the tournament progresses, the tides should get better and I’ll have a longer window. Tomorrow, I can put the trolling motor and for 5 hours have a good chance to get one.”

He also bypassed the Cooper in favor of more fishing time elsewhere.

“It’s one day at a time on a place this tough,” he said. “I know there are big ones here. I caught two today and that gives me a lot more confidence than I had going into it.”

6th: Lucas Wants to Survive

> Day 1: 5, 13-00

Lucas came to Winyah Bay fresh off an 8th-place finish at the Smith Lake Southern Open, but he was anything but relaxed or confident as he prepared to tackle a fishery he’d never seen before.

“I just want to survive,” he said. “I’ve never been more anxious or stressed about a tourney in my life than this one.”

He made that statement after catching a 13-pound bag on day 1 to secure a spot in the Top 10. His day went much better than he was expecting it to.

“I was honestly hoping for 8 or 9 pounds,” he said. “I got lucky and got a 4-pound bite. It was just a totally random, unexpected fish.”

He did not go to the Cooper, but the delay this morning forced him to rethink some his game plan as far as when to be where for certain tide conditions.

“I haven’t ruled (the Cooper) out,” he said. “I might go when the time is right, but I played it safe today. I want to make the Top 50 and not bomb. It’s important for me to catch fish and this is not a place I felt comfortable gambling like that.”

He thinks the water in the areas he fished may have dropped and that could be a product of the wind. He caught his fish casting today and found no sight-fishing opportunities, as he believes most of these fish are in pre-spawn mode.

“I’m just hoping to get five more bites tomorrow and make the Top 50,” he said.

59th: Avena Heading to Cooper

> Day 1: 5, 7-09

Adrian Avena is a big fan of tidal fishing and hopes to work his way into the Top 50 so he can get a shot at competing on a more favorable tide scenario over the weekend.

“I like fishing tidal places just because when you have low water it concentrates them,” he said. “You can run that low water and call your shot like running a pattern. We won’t have that tomorrow, but there are some fish spawning and when they’re doing that they’re not going to move with the tide as much.

“We have a lower tide coming on the weekend. We won’t have outgoing water, but we should have the bottom part and the start of the incoming tide on Saturday. I have to make it there first.”

He had planned to run to the Cooper, but the weather delay prompted him to fish elsewhere. He caught nine fish total, but felt like he was in too crowded of an area to be productive. Tomorrow, he’ll go back to his original plan.

“I’m going to top off my tank and run to the Cooper and put myself around better quality fish,” he said. “Today, I tried to force a couple areas and there were too many guys trying to fish the same fish. It was a grind locally so I’ll make the run tomorrow.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 109 anglers, 58 limits, 12 fours, 8 threes, 15 twos, 8 ones, 8 zeroes.

> Byron Velvick, who announced before the season that this would be his final year on the Elite Series, is not competing this week, knocking the field down to 109. He did not immediately respond to a message left for him.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., April 8 – Clear - 64°/42°
- Wind: From the WNW at 10 to 20 mph

> Sat., April 9 – Partly Cloudy - 60°/37°
- Wind: From the WNW at 15 to 25 mph

> Sun., April 10 – Clear - 61°/42°
- Wind: From the W at 10 to 15 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia – 5, 19-11 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 19-11

2. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 16-08 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 16-08

3. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 14-06 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 14-06

4. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 13-13 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 13-13

5. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 13-11 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 13-11

6. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 13-00 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 13-00

7. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 12-07 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 12-07

8. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 5, 12-05 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 12-05

9. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 11-11 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 11-11

10. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 11-06 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 11-06

11. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 10-13 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 10-13

12. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 10-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 10-11

13. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 4, 10-11 -- 98
Day 1: 4, 10-11

14. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 10-10 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 10-10

15. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 10-09 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 10-09

16. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 10-05 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 10-05

17. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 10-03 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 10-03

18. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 10-02 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 10-02

18. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 10-02 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 10-02

20. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 09-13 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 09-13

20. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 09-13 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 09-13

22. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 09-11 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 09-11

22. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 09-11 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 09-11

24. Jay Brainard -- Enid, OK -- 5, 09-07 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 09-07

24. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 09-07 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 09-07

24. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 09-07 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 09-07

27. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 09-05 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 09-05

28. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 09-04 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 09-04

28. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 09-04 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 09-04

28. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL -- 5, 09-04 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 09-04

28. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 09-04 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 09-04

32. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 09-01 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 09-01

33. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 09-00 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 09-00

34. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 5, 08-15 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 08-15

35. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 08-12 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 08-12

36. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 4, 08-11 -- 75
Day 1: 4, 08-11

36. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 4, 08-11 -- 75
Day 1: 4, 08-11

38. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 08-10 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 08-10

38. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 08-10 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 08-10

38. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 08-10 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 08-10

38. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 08-10 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 08-10

42. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 1, 08-09 -- 69
Day 1: 1, 08-09

43. Casey Scanlon -- Rocky Mount, MO -- 5, 08-08 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 08-08

44. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 5, 08-07 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 08-07

44. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 08-07 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 08-07

46. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 08-05 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 08-05

47. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 1, 08-05 -- 64
Day 1: 1, 08-05

48. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 08-04 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 08-04

49. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 3, 08-04 -- 62
Day 1: 3, 08-04

50. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 5, 08-02 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 08-02

51. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 08-00 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 08-00

51. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 08-00 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 08-00

53. Billy McCaghren Jr -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 07-14 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 07-14

54. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 3, 07-14 -- 57
Day 1: 3, 07-14

55. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 07-11 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 07-11

55. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 07-11 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 07-11

55. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 07-11 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 07-11

58. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 3, 07-10 -- 53
Day 1: 3, 07-10

59. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 07-09 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 07-09

60. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 07-07 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 07-07

60. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 07-07 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 07-07

60. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 07-07 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 07-07

63. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 07-03 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 07-03

63. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 07-03 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 07-03

65. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 3, 07-03 -- 46
Day 1: 3, 07-03

66. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 07-01 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 07-01

67. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 4, 07-01 -- 44
Day 1: 4, 07-01

68. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 2, 06-11 -- 43
Day 1: 2, 06-11

69. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 5, 06-10 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 06-10

70. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 4, 06-10 -- 41
Day 1: 4, 06-10

70. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 4, 06-10 -- 41
Day 1: 4, 06-10

72. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 4, 06-06 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 06-06

72. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 06-06 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 06-06

74. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL -- 4, 06-02 -- 37
Day 1: 4, 06-02

74. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 4, 06-02 -- 37
Day 1: 4, 06-02

76. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 4, 06-01 -- 35
Day 1: 4, 06-01

77. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 4, 05-14 -- 34
Day 1: 4, 05-14

78. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 3, 05-05 -- 33
Day 1: 3, 05-05

79. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 3, 05-04 -- 32
Day 1: 3, 05-04

80. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 2, 05-03 -- 31
Day 1: 2, 05-03

81. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 2, 04-11 -- 30
Day 1: 2, 04-11

82. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 3, 04-05 -- 29
Day 1: 3, 04-05

83. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 2, 04-01 -- 28
Day 1: 2, 04-01

84. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka, Japan -- 3, 03-15 -- 27
Day 1: 3, 03-15

85. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 2, 03-11 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 03-11

85. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 2, 03-11 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 03-11

85. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 2, 03-11 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 03-11

88. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 2, 03-09 -- 23
Day 1: 2, 03-09

89. Matt Reed Jr -- Madisonville, TX -- 1, 03-09 -- 22
Day 1: 1, 03-09

90. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 1, 03-06 -- 21
Day 1: 1, 03-06

91. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 2, 03-05 -- 20
Day 1: 2, 03-05

92. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 2, 03-00 -- 19
Day 1: 2, 03-00

93. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 2, 02-15 -- 18
Day 1: 2, 02-15

94. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 2, 02-13 -- 17
Day 1: 2, 02-13

95. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 2, 02-09 -- 16
Day 1: 2, 02-09

96. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 1, 02-06 -- 15
Day 1: 1, 02-06

97. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 2, 02-02 -- 14
Day 1: 2, 02-02

98. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 1, 01-13 -- 13
Day 1: 1, 01-13

99. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 1, 01-09 -- 12
Day 1: 1, 01-09

100. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 1, 01-06 -- 11
Day 1: 1, 01-06

101. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 2, 01-03 -- 10
Day 1: 2, 01-03

102. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

102. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

102. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

102. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT: 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

102. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

102. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

102. Fabian Rodriguez -- Ocean City, DE -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

102. Matt Vermilyea -- Perrysburg, OH -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00