Wiggins Still Out In Front By Ounces

By BassFan Staff

Jesse Wiggins whacked another 16-14 limit of Cherokee Lake smallmouth bass on day 3 to maintain the lead in the first Bassmaster Elite Series tournament of 2017. At this point he leads the tournament, the Angler of the Year and the Rookie of the Year races, and is the only man qualified for both the 2017 and 2018 Bassmaster Classics (both by virtue of Southern Open wins).

Only 13 ounces separate Wiggins from fellow rookie Jamie Hartman, who moved up to 2nd behind a 17-09 bag, trading places with Jacob Wheeler, who slipped to 3rd after weighing 17-01. Seth Feider maintained his hold on 4th with five smallmouths that checked in at 16-13. Josh Bertrand jumped from 12th to 5th behind a sack holding a 17-09 limit.

Former Classic champion Mike Iaconelli hauled in the day’s biggest bag, 18 pounds even, to vault into the Top 12 and give himself another day to fish.

Following are the totals for the 12 anglers who will fish tomorrow for the win (deficit margins from the leader are denoted by red numbers in parentheses):

1. Jesse Wiggins: 52-13
2. Jamie Hartman: 52-00 (0-13)
3. Jacob Wheeler: 51-10 (1-03)
4. Seth Feider: 50-08 (2-05)
5. Josh Bertrand: 49-01 (3-12)
6. (tie) Mike Iaconelli: 48-04 (4-09)
7. (tie) David Mullins: 48-04 (4-09)
8. Randall Tharp: 48-00 (4-13)
9. Ott DeFoe: 47-04 (5-09)
10. Paul Mueller: 47-00 (5-13)
11. Matt Herren: 46-07 (6-06)
12. Brandon Palaniuk: 46-03 (6-10)

Along with Iaconelli (21st to 6th), Mueller (27th to 10th) and Herren (16th to 11th) earned another day on the water. Local Skylar Hamilton (8th to 22nd), along with Brian Snowden (10th to 29th) and Marty Robinson (11th to 38th), dropped out of the Top 12.

The Elite Series moved into somewhat uncharted waters today as Jacob Wheeler experienced battery issues in his boat and was allowed to board the boat of friend and first-year pro Dustin Connell. The pair fished the rest of the day together, at times seeming like two buddies playing a video game as they watched the depthfinder screens and dropped baits on a large school of bass, talking and laughing. Wheeler already had his limit, and culled up after boarding Connell’s boat.

According to B.A.S.S., the rules allow for one competitor to pick up another and continue to fish in this situation. It has happened at least once before, in 2013 at Falcon Lake, when Keith Combs abandoned his disabled rig and finished his limit while fishing from Clark Reehm's boat.

Heavy cloud cover and some breezes ruled the day, and the temperature climbed to 61 degrees. The forecast is warmer still tomorrow, though rain will move in for the final round.

The winner will be determined Sunday by highest 4-day weight.

Wiggins Whacked 'Em Again

> Day 3: 5, 16-14 (15, 52-13)

Wiggins put on an early-morning show for a large contingent of spectator boats, stashing a limit in short order under cloudy skies with a light breeze. As has occurred for 3 days in a row now, his fish bit consistently until around 11 a.m., when the bite slowed.

Wiggins has fished the same place every day, which apparently is a local community hole, and has no plans to change tomorrow.

“It was exactly the same, a struggle after 10-11 a.m.,” he said. “I have no idea why. There’s a depression where the shad are, just a hole in a pocket. The shad move out later in the day and the bass slow down.

“Tomorrow I’ll stay if they’ll bite, but if they don’t I’ll go looking for something else,” he added. “I think I’ll need 18 pounds or more tomorrow to win it. I wish 16-17 would be enough, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable unless I had 25.

“I’ve fished the same bait every day so far, and I hope they don’t get tired of it,” he continued. “Maybe there are more moving in – I hope so. I know there’s another five and I hope they’re big.”

2nd: Hartman Hanging Tough

> Day 3: 5, 17-09 (15, 52-00)

Hartman joins Wiggins as the dynamic duo of rookies making big waves in their first Elite Series event. Unlike Wiggins, though, Hartman struggled to bring in a limit today.

“It was really tough today,” he said. “It was a very slow morning and I only had three fish for a long time. I even went up to some largemouth water to see if they had turned on shallow. I threw a prototype (Riot Baits) Minima jig and got a bite, but broke off on the hookset even with that heavy line. It was a good one too, and he jumped twice near the boat trying to shake the lure.

“Then I went back to my best area and finally caught my limit,” he added. “The fourth one was at 1:15 p.m., and the last one – a big one – was at 1:30. I only caught eight total today. It was extremely nerve-wracking.

“The first two days I caught them early and went scouting for more, but didn’t find any. The two places I have are big areas and I hope they’ll replenish some. I’m throwing a custom drop-head made by I-1 Baits and it’s doing what I need it to do.

“My areas are getting beat up and I’m running out of fish,” he continued. “My main area is drying up and I’m not on a lot. It’s supposed to blow a little tomorrow, so that should help. They just didn’t bite today when it got slick. I hope there’s enough left that’ll bite to keep me in good shape.”

3rd: Wheeler Upgrades in Connell’s Boat

> Day 3: 5, 17-01 (15, 51-10)

When Wheeler’s lithium batteries went completely dead, he had a limit weighing 13 or 14 pounds. He realized he needed help and called B.A.S.S. tournament director Trip Weldon, who concurred that the rules allowed him to fish with another competitor if he could find someone willing to share a boat.

Enter good friend Connell. “I can’t express enough gratitude to Dustin,” Wheeler said. “That was huge. I have a core group of friends out here and we each have each other’s backs.

“I’d lost about an hour of fishing by the time I got in Connell’s boat,” he noted. “We went back to a place I’d just graphed that was loaded. I caught one about 3 3/4 pounds to cull up, then he caught one, then I broke one off, then lost one, and they kind of shut down.

“Then we went to a spot I’d been saving for a while, and he caught a keeper and I caught a 4-pounder,” he added. “That one gave me a good opportunity for tomorrow. If I can get another like that and get up to 18 or 19 pounds, I have a shot.”

That 4-01 turned out to be the big bass of the day.

Wheeler mentioned that a lot of places have dried up, with he and others fishing them, but he still expects to have a good day tomorrow.

“It doesn’t matter if it rains or whatever, I’ll be out there doing what I do,” he said. “This is a game of ounces, so I always have a chance. I’ll just keep movin’ and groovin’.”

4th: Feider Finds More

> Day 3: 5, 16-13 (15, 50-08)

“Today was not what I expected,” Feider confided. “I struggled hard this morning. I finally got two, and was on the verge of going largemouth fishing. Then some seagulls started bombing and I went over there and I got five or six fish and finished my limit.

“I saw more bait shallow today than I have so far this week,” he noted.

Shallow is relative, however. He’s catching fish from 25 to 40 feet deep, sometimes on the same spot over the course of the day.

“It seems like the deeper they were, the bigger they were, at least on the first day,” he added. “The second day they moved up shallower. Today they were mostly around 30 feet.”

He’s been sharing areas with other competitors, but that should ease tomorrow with only 12 boats. Unfortunately, some of the other leaders are also fishing nearby.

“I’ve seen Mueller and Wheeler some, but we’re all good,” he said. “The locals have been very respectful as well. Some places they come in and fish once you leave, but they’re not doing that here.”

5th: Bertrand Better than Expected

> Day 3: 5, 17-09 (15, 49-01)

Bertrand bagged his best limit of the tournament on day 3.

“It ended up better than I expected today,” he said. “Every day I’ve had to find new fish. I’m not on a solid spot or pattern.”

This morning he got a good one early and then just went fishing.

“I found a big group of them in the afternoon and caught them good for about 2 hours,” he said. “It’s a deep-water spot with bait, which is the key.”

He’s fishing a 3-inch Berkley Gulp! minnow on a 3/8-ounce lead-head.

“Sometimes they’ll smoke it, other times they’re very picky. You can fish for them a while, but then you might have to go find more active fish. I’d rather fish than run around, and I think that Gulp! gets those smallmouths over the edge and they’ll go ahead and bite.”

He thinks the forecast of clouds and wind for the final day will likely help, and he plans to start on the spot he finished on today.

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 51 anglers, 33 limits, 5 fours, 7 threes, 2 twos, 2 ones, 2 zeroes.

> Connell had a great line on Bassmaster LIVE today. After watching Wheeler catch two big ones while fishing side-by-side with him on his front deck, and breaking off two himself, he said, “If you can’t tie a knot, tie a lot.”

> The home states of the Top 5 span the United States: Alabama, New York, Indiana, Minnesota and Arizona.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., Feb. 12 – Showers - 67°/32°
- Wind: From the W at 14 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 15, 52-13 -- 110 -- $500
Day 1: 5, 19-01 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14 -- Day 3: 5, 16-14

2. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 15, 52-00 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-13 -- Day 3: 5, 17-09

3. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, IN -- 15, 51-10 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15 -- Day 3: 5, 17-01

4. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 15, 50-08 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 18-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01 -- Day 3: 5, 16-13

5. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 15, 49-01 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 16-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 17-09

6. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 15, 48-04 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-04 -- Day 3: 5, 18-00

7. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 15, 48-04 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14 -- Day 3: 5, 14-10

8. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 15, 48-00 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 20-11 -- Day 3: 5, 15-01

9. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 15, 47-04 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14 -- Day 3: 5, 15-04

10. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 15, 47-00 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12 -- Day 3: 5, 17-15

11. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 15, 46-07 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02 -- Day 3: 5, 15-10

12. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 15, 46-03 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04 -- Day 3: 5, 13-12

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

13. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 15, 45-12 -- 98 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10 -- Day 3: 5, 15-03

14. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 15, 45-04 -- 97 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06 -- Day 3: 5, 16-05

15. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 15, 44-13 -- 96 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03

16. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 14, 44-11 -- 95 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 4, 10-04 -- Day 3: 5, 16-15

17. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 15, 43-11 -- 94 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-07 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02 -- Day 3: 5, 13-02

18. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 15, 43-09 -- 93 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09 -- Day 3: 5, 12-15

19. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 15, 43-06 -- 92 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 15-02

20. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 43-03 -- 91 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 15-06 -- Day 3: 5, 16-06

21. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 15, 43-03 -- 90 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08 -- Day 3: 5, 14-02

22. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 14, 42-15 -- 89 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15 -- Day 3: 4, 10-09

23. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 15, 42-08 -- 88 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04 -- Day 3: 5, 11-02

24. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 15, 42-03 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08 -- Day 3: 5, 12-07

25. Alton Jones Jr. -- Lorena, TX -- 15, 41-10 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13 -- Day 3: 5, 16-05

26. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 41-06 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09 -- Day 3: 5, 13-03

27. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 41-05 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11 -- Day 3: 5, 13-00

28. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 15, 41-03 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03 -- Day 3: 5, 13-15

29. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 14, 40-15 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13 -- Day 3: 4, 09-01

30. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 15, 40-15 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06 -- Day 3: 5, 13-14

31. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 13, 40-09 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12 -- Day 3: 3, 09-09

32. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 13, 40-06 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01 -- Day 3: 5, 15-02

33. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 13, 39-13 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 09-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-07 -- Day 3: 5, 12-08

34. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 14, 39-10 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03 -- Day 3: 4, 10-00

35. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 14, 39-10 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 4, 10-02 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03

36. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 14, 39-06 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 4, 09-15 -- Day 3: 5, 12-09

37. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 13, 39-05 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-10 -- Day 3: 3, 08-03

38. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 13, 38-13 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01 -- Day 3: 3, 07-01

39. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 14, 36-09 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 09-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01 -- Day 3: 5, 11-02

40. Mark Daniels Jr. -- Tuskegee, AL -- 14, 36-00 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-01 -- Day 3: 4, 10-05

41. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 14, 35-10 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14 -- Day 3: 4, 09-14

42. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 13, 35-05 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-05 -- Day 3: 3, 05-14

43. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 13, 33-04 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09 -- Day 3: 3, 06-01

44. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 32-14 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-07 -- Day 2: 2, 06-00 -- Day 3: 3, 07-07

45. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 11, 32-07 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06 -- Day 3: 2, 07-05

46. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 12, 32-02 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 2, 03-12

47. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 11, 31-14 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09 -- Day 3: 1, 02-01

48. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 12, 31-06 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 4, 10-13 -- Day 3: 3, 05-15

49. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 10, 29-05 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00

50. Darrell Ocamica -- New Plymouth, ID -- 11, 28-05 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04 -- Day 3: 1, 02-07

51. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 10, 28-02 -- 60 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00