Card’s 22-14 Seizes Top Spot At Ross Barnett

By BassFan Staff

Now the fun begins. Now we get to see what Ross Barnett Reservoir is really made of and if any of the Elite Series anglers who caught stringers that have them near the top of the day-1 leaderboard can back them up Friday.

The muddy waters of the The Rez surrendered four 20-pound stringers today under mostly stable conditions. Tennessee native Brandon Card, who missed the day-2 cut at Toledo Bend a few weeks ago by just 4 ounces, set the early pace today with a 22-14 stringer that was anchored by a 5-12 kicker and a 5-07 brute.

Floridian Bobby Lane was exactly 2 pounds back in 2nd. Mark Davis sacked 20-10 for 3rd, but shared water with Keith Poche, who’s 4th with 20-02.

Brandon Lester had a 7-02 kicker in his 19-15 stringer, which has him in 5th at a lake that was true to what most had suspected – it fished small. According to Lane, half of the top 10 fished within a half mile of each other today.

“Areas were small when we got here and now they’re getting smaller,” Cliff Crochet said on stage after weighing 11-05, which has him in the middle of the pack in 51st.

Just three pounds separates 34th (Mike Iaconelli) from 70th (Jamie Hartman).

Here's a look at the top 12 after the first day of competition, with deficit margin from Card indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Brandon Card: 22-14
2. Bobby Lane: 20-14 (2-00)
3. Mark Davis: 20-10 (2-04)
4. Keith Poche: 20-02 (2-12)
5. Brandon Lester: 19-15 (2-15)
6. Dustin Connell: 19-12 (3-02)
7. Dave Lefebre: 18-04 (4-10)
8. Brent Chapman: 18-01 (4-13)
9. Marty Robinson: 18-00 (4-14)
10. Brandon Coulter: 17-05 (5-09)
11. Mark Menendez: 17-00 (5-14)
12. Todd Faircloth: 16-11 (6-03)
12. Jared Lintner: 16-11 (6-03)

The conditions this morning were a bit of a change-up from what the field saw in practice. Clouds and leftover drizzle from a violent thunderstorm Wednesday night greeted the anglers and the fish were in their feeding mode right away. Water that was already murky and muddy got muddier – “You could’ve tracked a deer in the water I fished,” said Bill Lowen – but still, Ross Barnett churned out some impressive fish (at least seven 5-pounders) and stringers.

Ott DeFoe, who entered the event with an 11-point lead in the Angler of the Year standings, is 32nd after catching 13-03 today. He has a chance to add to his cushion as his closest competitors are hovering around the day-2 cut line. Jason Williamson, who was 2nd in points, is 49th with 11-06 and Jason Christie (3rd in points) is 53rd with 11-03.

The Rez wasn’t kind to everyone, though. Reigning AOY Gerald Swindle is mired in 97th with 6-01 (3 fish). Toledo Bend winner John Murray is 99th after catching 5-06 (3 fish) while Andy Montgomery, who was 4th in points, had just one fish for 1-11 and is 108th.

The wind is supposed to pick up Friday out of the south with overcast skies. It bears watching how much of an effect that’ll have as the field will be cut to the top 51 after day 2.

Card In Crowded Areas

> Day 1: 5, 22-14

Card admitted he was surprised to be the day-1 leader after the practice he had, but it seemed every move he made Thursday was the right one.

“It was a dream day as far as decision-making,” he said. “I’d make a move and catch one and everything worked out. It was crazy. Practice was a grind. It was really tough. I did have a few decent bites, but it was maybe one per day. I just went back to those areas and there was more of them around.”

The only drawback to those areas is he has plenty of company in all of them. That has him a bit concerned about what he can accomplish tomorrow.

“The problem is I’m fishing around people,” he said. “I don’t expect these guys to leave their only area on the whole lake where they feel like they can catch a fish. I can guarantee you all of those boats will be back and probably more. I’m not going to get too locked in. I have other areas where I got bit in practice, but they were not nearly the size I caught today.

“I don’t know how many fish are in the areas I’m fishing. I was surprised today and could be surprised tomorrow if more show up. At least I have several areas. If I had one area, I’d be scared.”

He caught his fish on a mix of baits today, but hopes to get more dialed in as the tournament progresses. He said having a variety of presentations is a must with so much fishing pressure concentrated in small areas.

“When you’re fishing around that many boats, you have to keep experimenting to see what will trick one into biting,” he said.

2nd: Lane Exceeded Expectations

> Day 1: 5, 20-14

Today went a lot better than Lane expected. Coming out of practice, he was aiming for a stringer in the teens and he’ll carry that same mindset into day 2.

“I wasn’t expecting 20-plus pounds,” he said. “It’s the same plan tomorrow. Anything in the teens I’ll be happy with it.”

He said he was around other competitors for the majority of the day and opted to bypass going to other spots because of other competitors in those areas.

“I feel good about what I’m doing,” he said. “I feel good about what I’m fishing and I can mix it up. It’s a big area.”

He said he caught roughly 15 keepers in excess of 3 pounds.

“The lake really showed out today,” he added. “There were some quality fish and bags weighed today.”

3rd: Davis Slowed Down

> Day 1: 5, 20-10

Davis said the most important thing he learned today was that slowing down and being thorough in an area is going to be a big key. That’s fine by him since he prefers a more methodical approach on the water.

“I think it’ll be different tomorrow,” he said. “You’re going to have to slow way down. That was the main lesson today. I like that anyway.”

If slowing down nets him another 20-pound bag, he’ll take it, but he knows it’s going to be a grind from here through Sunday.

“Just put your head down and grind. It’s had that feel since Monday," he said. "There’s a good population of fish here. It’s not chock full, but the negative is this place gets a lot of pressure. It’s the only sizable lake in the state and these fish are educated so it’s gonna be a grind.”

He said it was a little frustrating having to watch Poche get a flurry of good bites this morning. Davis did his share of damage on the spot as well, though, catching a 7-pound kicker and another 5-pounder there.

“I knew there were some quality fish there,” he said. “I didn’t know about 20. You never know in practice. I had some bites there.

“Those fish aren’t deep,” he added. “I wasn’t going to crowd him and he’d have done the same thing for me. Both of us were Power-Poles down. It’s tough. I’ve been in that situation a lot of times, but you can’t let it bother you. It’s a long ball game and I wound up catching some better ones.”

Davis said the spot is worth revisiting on Friday.

“I’m definitely going back,” he said. “It’s a big area. You just have to fish around and grind it out to catch ‘em. I have stuff I haven’t gone to. If you move, you wind up going behind someone, so I just stayed in that area.”

The highlight of Davis’ day came at his last spot with less than 10 minutes to go when he caught a 3 3/4-pound spotted bass to improve his weight.

4th: Poche Won The Race

> Day 1: 5, 20-02

Poche said he took off three spots after Davis this morning and navigated a couple short cuts en route to his starting spot, ultimately beating Davis there.

“I saw him in practice there and we both knew the fish were there,” he said. “We didn’t talk or anything. We were both doing our thing. It’s got some fish there and hopefully there’s enough to keep us going.”

He caught the majority of his weight (17 to 18 pounds) fairly early and then pulled off and started to search around.

“From practice to today, they’re doing different stuff every day,” he said. “I made some right calls on what to throw and focus on. It may be totally different tomorrow. They’re there, It’s a big, open-water place with sloughs and humps and ditches. They could be anywhere. I just got lucky that they were sitting on a little drop first thing today.”

He said the good start bolsters his confidence going into day 2.

“It’s definitely a great feeling,” he said. “I’m ecstatic. I didn’t expect this. I knew I’d found some good fish, but I didn’t know what was there.

“I’m definitely going to hit that same spot tomorrow,” he added. “If they’re not there, I’ll have to fish around and pick one up here and there. I have another thing working that I didn’t go to today. It’s a little off the beaten path and I think there’s maybe 15 or 16 pounds there. I may have to run to that. I feel good about having a back-up plan, but I’d love to catch ‘em where I caught ‘em today.”

5th: Lester Overcame Miscues

> Day 1: 5, 19-15

After landing his first two bites this morning, including the 7-02 kicker, Lester lost the next four. Rather than coming unglued, he kept his wits and put together a great stringer.

“They bit funny this morning,” he said. “After I got it together after losing those fish, they ate it better later on.”

It was largely a struggle, though, as he was in an area around other anglers most of the day.

“It’s not easy to get a bite,” he said. “You have to stay on top of your game because you never know when a good one will bite. It’s hard to stay focused when you’re not getting bites and have to capitalize when you do. After I lost those early it would’ve been easy to spin out. I stayed steady and slowed down and grinded it out.”

The kicker was the second fish he caught and served as the highlight of his day.

“I flipped off in a mat after just picking up my mat rod,” he said. “I got a bite and set the hook. I knew it was a good one because it pulled back down. The mat started to bulge and I pulled it to the top, but it got pinned under the top of the mat so I had to reach in there and it was like opening a Christmas present with all of the stuff. I just saw the big set of lips. It was pretty exciting.”

Like the others near the top of the standings, he plans to go back to where he had his best success on Friday.

“You have to go back,” he said. “I feel like you have to go back. I fished through that area twice and had 10 keeper bites. I didn’t catch ‘em all. I’ll try to expand tomorrow and do some other stuff, too.”

He’s not too worried about the effects of the wind as he was camped mostly in a backwater area. His only concern is the fish population in that area being impacted by the fishing pressure.

“The way I caught ‘em, it shouldn’t affect me,” he said. “Those fish will get depleted pretty quick. There were other guys fishing through and around there. It’s going be hard to back it up with another 20-pound day.”

9th: Robinson Had Quick Start

> Day 1: 5, 18-00

Marty Robinson was satisfied with his day-1 effort considering all the pre-tournament talk was about 12 pounds was going to be considered a decent stringer. He had a productive early portion of the day and then was able to slow down.

“I caught ‘em quick this morning,” he said. “I started in the right area and had a limit quick. That allows you to slow down and pick an area apart. I didn’t know how good or bad it was. Any time on day 1 you can get a limit quick you can dissect the area that you couldn’t in practice. I’ll take it and hope to do the same thing tomorrow.”

He’ll be back in the same area Friday, but isn’t sure what’s left.

“There were other boats milling around,” he said. “I’m not sure what the areas will have to offer. The weights may be down or the same.”

He tallied 13 keepers throughout the day, but said his morning flurry didn’t come around a shad spawn.

“There is a shad spawn early in the morning and the fish are more aggressive,” he said. “There are shad in the areas I’m fishing, but not they’re spawning heavily.”

85th: Schultz Stayed Put

> Day 1: 5, 8-09

Bernie Schultz wanted to leave his area, a place he didn’t even expect to be able to fish. He had other options, but he knew he’d probably be the second, third or even fourth angler to comb through his second spot if he left. So he stayed put.

“I didn’t have a good practice and Wednesday was the only day that showed some promise,” he said. “I got an early draw and went to an area I didn’t expect to fish. I don’t know if it was a bad thing, but I just never left it. I caught a limit and culled a few times, but I lost my best fish.”

Each time he was inclined to pick up and leave, he’d get another bite or catch one and before long, it was too late for him to spend any meaningful time elsewhere.

“Tomorrow, I won’t get that stretch, but maybe that’s a good thing,” he said. “I’ll have a longer day tomorrow so it’ll be easier to move around. I was just glad to have a limit today. I had two good ones on today and they pulled off.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 109 anglers, 76 limits,18 fours, 7 threes, 3 twos, 4 ones, 1 zero.

> Skylar Hamilton brought in one fish today, but it failed to meet the 14-inch length requirement and he was penalized 1 pound. Since it was his only fish, his weight for day 1 was negative-1-00.

> Jay Brainard is not competing this week so he could be home with wife Dalli Jo, who gave birth to the couple’s first child. David “Shooter” J. Brainard was born Tuesday and weighed 7 pounds, 9 1/2 ounces.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., April 28 – Overcast - 89°/72°
- Wind: From the S at 15 to 25 mph

> Sat., April 29 – Partly Cloudy, Rain Possible - 90°/74°
- Wind: From the SSE at 20 to 30 mph

> Sun., April 30 – Cloudy, Thunderstorms Likely - 77°/52°
- Wind: From the S at 20 to 30 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 22-14 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 22-14

2. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 20-14 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 20-14

3. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 20-10 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 20-10

4. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 20-02 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 20-02

5. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 19-15 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 19-15

6. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 5, 19-12 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 19-12

7. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 5, 18-04 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 18-04

8. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 18-01 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 18-01

9. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 18-00 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 18-00

10. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 17-05 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 17-05

11. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 17-00 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 17-00

12. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 16-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 16-11

12. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 16-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 16-11

14. Seth Feider -- Isle, MN -- 5, 16-04 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 16-04

15. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 15-15 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 15-15

16. Fred Roumbanis -- London, AR -- 5, 15-14 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 15-14

17. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 15-13 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 15-13

17. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 15-13 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 15-13

19. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-07 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 15-07

20. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 14-10 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 14-10

21. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 14-09 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 14-09

22. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 14-08 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 14-08

23. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 14-07 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 14-07

24. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL -- 5, 14-06 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 14-06

24. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 14-06 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 14-06

26. Darrell Ocamica -- New Plymouth, ID -- 5, 14-05 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 14-05

26. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 14-05 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 14-05

28. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 14-03 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 14-03

29. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 13-13 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 13-13

30. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 13-07 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 13-07

30. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 13-07 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 13-07

32. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 13-03 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 13-03

33. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 5, 13-01 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 13-01

34. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 13-00 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 13-00

35. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 5, 12-15 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 12-15

36. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 12-14 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 12-14

37. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 12-12 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-12

38. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 12-11 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 12-11

39. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 12-07 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 12-07

40. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 12-06 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 12-06

40. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 12-06 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 12-06

42. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 5, 12-05 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 12-05

43. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 12-04 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 12-04

44. Jesse Tacoronte -- Orlando, FL -- 5, 12-00 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 12-00

45. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 5, 11-13 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 11-13

46. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 11-11 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-11

46. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 11-11 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-11

48. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 11-08 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 11-08

49. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 11-06 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 11-06

49. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 11-06 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 11-06

51. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 11-05 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 11-05

51. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 11-05 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 11-05

53. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 11-03 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 11-03

53. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 11-03 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 11-03

55. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 11-01 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 11-01

55. Gary Klein -- Mingus, TX -- 5, 11-01 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 11-01

57. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 11-01 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 11-01

58. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 4, 11-00 -- 53
Day 1: 4, 11-00

58. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 4, 11-00 -- 53
Day 1: 4, 11-00

60. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 10-15 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 10-15

60. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 10-15 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 10-15

60. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 10-15 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 10-15

60. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 10-15 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 10-15

64. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 10-09 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 10-09

65. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 10-07 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 10-07

66. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 10-06 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 10-06

66. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 10-06 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 10-06

68. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 10-04 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 10-04

69. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 10-02 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 10-02

70. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 10-00 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 10-00

71. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 09-14 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 09-14

72. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX -- 4, 09-14 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 09-14

73. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, IN -- 3, 09-14 -- 38
Day 1: 3, 09-14

74. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 09-13 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 09-13

74. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 09-13 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 09-13

76. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 4, 09-10 -- 35
Day 1: 4, 09-10

77. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL -- 3, 09-10 -- 34
Day 1: 3, 09-10

78. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 4, 09-09 -- 33
Day 1: 4, 09-09

79. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 4, 09-08 -- 32
Day 1: 4, 09-08

80. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 4, 09-04 -- 31
Day 1: 4, 09-04

81. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 5, 09-01 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 09-01

82. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 4, 09-00 -- 29
Day 1: 4, 09-00

83. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 08-13 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 08-13

84. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 5, 08-11 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 08-11

85. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 08-09 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 08-09

86. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 4, 08-09 -- 25
Day 1: 4, 08-09

87. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 4, 08-05 -- 24
Day 1: 4, 08-05

88. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 08-03 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 08-03

89. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 4, 07-12 -- 22
Day 1: 4, 07-12

90. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 4, 07-11 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 07-11

91. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 4, 07-02 -- 20
Day 1: 4, 07-02

92. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 4, 06-15 -- 19
Day 1: 4, 06-15

92. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 4, 06-15 -- 19
Day 1: 4, 06-15

94. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 4, 06-14 -- 17
Day 1: 4, 06-14

95. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 4, 06-12 -- 16
Day 1: 4, 06-12

96. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 06-06 -- 15
Day 1: 4, 06-06

97. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 3, 06-01 -- 14
Day 1: 3, 06-01

98. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 3, 05-09 -- 13
Day 1: 3, 05-09

99. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 3, 05-06 -- 12
Day 1: 3, 05-06

99. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 3, 05-06 -- 12
Day 1: 3, 05-06

101. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 3, 04-10 -- 10
Day 1: 3, 04-10

102. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 2, 03-08 -- 9
Day 1: 2, 03-08

103. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka JAPAN -- 1, 03-04 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 03-04

104. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 2, 03-03 -- 7
Day 1: 2, 03-03

104. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 2, 03-03 -- 7
Day 1: 2, 03-03

106. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 1, 02-01 -- 5
Day 1: 1, 02-01

107. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 1, 01-13 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 01-13

108. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 1, 01-11 -- 3
Day 1: 1, 01-11

109. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 0, -1-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, -01-00