Only 10 20-Pound Bags
Tyler On Top, But Remitz Right There Again

Photo: ESPN Outdoors A fish that weighed nearly 10 1/2 pounds pushed Mark Tyler into the lead on day 1 of the California Delta Bassmaster Elite Series.

Ex-Californian Mark Tyler caught a 10-06 hawg that anchored his day-best 23-15 bag. That gave him a 10-ounce lead over Alabama rookie Derek Remitz, who won the opener at Lake Amistad earlier this month. He boated an 8-02 pig en route to a 23-05 stringer.

Kansas' Brent Chapman and Oklahoma's Jeff Reynolds both caught 7-05 hawgs to grab the Nos. 3 and 4 slots with 22-12 and 22-11, respectively. Florida's Bernie Schultz rounded out the Top 5 with 22-10.

Here's a look at the rest of the current Top 12:

6. Jared Lintner: 21-00
7. Stephen Browning: 20-13
8. Rick Morris: 20-07
9. Chris Lane: 20-04
10. Aaron Martens: 20-01
11. Glenn DeLong: 19-12
12. Bill Lowen: 19-11

The 30- to 40-mph winds that slammed the Delta on Wednesday turned a lot of anglers' best spots into chocolate milk and shut down the big fish that reside in those locales. A quarter of the field weighed in bags that weren't as big as Tyler's toad.

On the flip side, a few anglers who were on a power-fishing pattern bemoaned the lack of wind they'd had throughout practice. The glass-calm surface, they reasoned, kept their fish under the protection of heavy cover and out of range of their baits.

Delta veterans said things should improve tomorrow, though. Some of the mud will have dissipated and the cold front that arrived early in the week will be one day further into the past. That means more fish should move toward the bank.

The really good news for the vast majority of the field is that they're within 10 pounds of 12th place, and thus, few are out of contention on a venue that's home to a large population of individual fish of that size. Only one went to the scales today, so the rest are still out there somewhere.

Tomorrow's weather forecast calls for the type of conditions this part of the country is famous for in early spring – clear skies, a high temperature near 80 degrees and just a wisp of a breeze.

All 108 anglers will fish again tomorrow, but the field will be cut to the Top 50 after the weigh-in. They'll battle for spots in the Top 12 who'll fish Sunday, and the winner will be determined by the highest combined weight over 4 days.

Tyler Connects Again

Tyler caught the biggest fish in BASS history – a 14-09 behemoth – right here 8 years ago. Throw in his long history of strong finishes on the Delta, and it was no real shocker that he brought in the largest fish and heftiest sack today.

"I caught more than I expected to," he said. "You never expect to get a 10-pounder, and that one brought my average back up.

"I'd actually been struggling to get solid numbers of 4- and 5-pounders, and I knew I was going to need a big bite. I could use one of those every day."

He flipped and pitched soft plastics all day and caught eight keepers. He had nothing in his livewell at 10:00, but started getting quality bites once the tide turned in his favor.

"The lack of wind really helped me. It allowed me to move around real quietly and get into position for accurate flips and pitches."

His local knowledge allowed him to avoid places that he knew would be muddy in the wake of the wind. "I altered my route and ruled out a lot of areas."

The big one bit at about 12:30.

"It came when I needed it, because I had to (be back to the launch) by 2:50 and I had a pretty long run. It did what 10-pounders do, which is fight, and a couple of other competitors got to see me catch it."

He hopes to catch at least 17 pounds tomorrow.

"I'd like to average 20 pounds a day. Anything over that will depend on more big bites."

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Tyler said local knowledge helped – he adjusted his route to avoid overly muddied areas.

Remitz did nothing to hurt his chances of going 2-for-2 in Elite Series events.

"I went out hoping to catch 13 to 15 pounds," he said. "I just kind of went fishing and found some bigger ones.

"I was just fishing the grass out in the middle of flats. I caught my better fish in different areas (than in practice). I basically went pre-fishing again."

He caught about a dozen keepers for the day and the 8-02 was the second in that succession. He had a limit by 9:30 and culled three times throughout the remainder of the day.

"It wasn't fast and furious by any means. It was pretty tough out there today, but things just worked out."

His goal for day 2 is at least 15 pounds.

"I'll start out in some of the same areas and maybe try to find some new stuff. I'd like to come in with that much to secure my spot in the cut."

3rd: No Crowd for Chapman

Chapman found some quality fish in a slough during practice and expected to have plenty of company when he went back to them today. But the only other angler there was Kevin VanDam, who didn't do nearly as much damage to the place (he's 30th with 15-12).

"I felt my chances were pretty good to catch a solid bag," Chapman said. "The bite was really slow this morning, but then it picked up this afternoon."

His second fish of the day was the 7-05.

"That gave me the confidence to stay in that little area that I fished most of the day. There's definitely a lot of fish in there."

He wouldn't feel too badly if he had to settle for a few pounds less tomorrow.

"The main thing is making it to Saturday, and I shouldn't need a whole lot to do that. I'd feel pretty good with about 18 pounds.

"I'll just go out and do the best I can and hope I get a couple of those big bites."

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Red-hot rookie Derek Remitz had a limit that included an 8-02 by 9:30.

Reynolds had consistent action throughout the day and went through 12 keepers to compile his 22-11 bag.

"It was a little more than what I expected," he said. "I caught a few on a Senko and a few flipping.

"I had a limit in about 2 hours and I continued to catch them for the rest of the day. Late in the day, I caught some sight-fishing. Three (that I weighed in) came off the beds."

He spotted a couple of big spawners that he couldn't get to today. He hopes they're still in the same locations.

"I have to get very low tide to see them, and today it didn't get low enough during tournament hours. One of them is over 10 (pounds) and the other one's about 9. I'll go back to them if the water falls low enough."

He'd be happy with 15 pounds tomorrow.

"I'll probably fish some new water. One of my places I didn't go to today because I was afraid it'd got beaten up with mud.

"I think it will clear back up, but I was pretty sure it'd take more than 1 day."

5th: Roomie Aids Schultz

Bernie Schultz had a mediocre practice, so he was pleasantly surprised by his 22-10 bag.

"I had maybe 13 or 14 pounds on 1 (practice) day, but the others I really struggled," he said. "I did find one small spot where I thought there was some quality. I went back there today, and sure enough, I caught a 6-pounder."

His roommate, Mark Tucker, gave him a boost in the afternoon. They were both fishing the same general area, but Tucker was in an earlier flight, so on his way out he gave Schultz a tip that resulted in three weigh-in fish.

"I didn't have the place figured out as well as he did, and he helped me out. He basically just told me to spread out and expand the pattern.

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Three of Jeff Reynolds' weigh-in fish came off the spawning beds.

He caught fish on four different baits – a Yamamoto jig, a Senko, a Rapala DT 6 crankbait and a lipless crank.

"I'll keep throwing a lot of different things at them. It's going to take a combination of everything because I don't know what they'll bite at a given time."

He'll shoot for 17 pounds on day 2.

"That would be outstanding. I didn't expect to crack 20 today – I was stunned."

85th: Mud Blinded Phillips

Keith Phillips, a 2nd-year pro from Alabama, was one of 25 anglers who failed to exceed 10 pounds. He's currently 85th with 9-10.

"I had eight fish sitting behind a dock that I was checking on every day, and they were biting every day," he said. "Today I couldn't see them.

"I also had some flipping fish going on in the same area. I don't know what went wrong with them, but I couldn't get on them."

He'll check on the spawners near the dock tomorrow to discover whether the water's cleared enough to see them. If it hasn't, he'll be forced to try something else.

"I had multiple patterns going, and I felt confident I could catch 15 to 18 pounds in the first hour of the tournament. The wind just blasted everything."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 108 anglers, 96 limits, 3 fours, 5 threes, 2 twos, 1 one, 1 zero.

> Tyler said he doesn't have a backup pattern. "I'm fishing to my strength and doing what I need to do. I'll let it play out."

> Chapman rigged up a big flipping bait on a big hook toward the end of the day in a quest for one more big bite. He got action on it, but not the type he was hoping for. "I got two quick bites right in a row, but they were both 2-pounders."

> Reynolds has discovered the primary difficulty with sight-fishing on the Delta. "You really don't have enough time to do it (due to the changing tides). There's a lot of fish up, but you have to know exactly where they are or just get lucky and stumble across them."

> California's Ish Monroe, one of the pre-tournament favorites, currently occupies the 50th-place cut position with 13-12. The next 20 anglers are all within 2 pounds of him.

> Edwin Evers had his day-1 catch disqualified because he was nearly an hour late returning to the launch (he said the clock on his electronics unit was running an hour behind). He reportedly had a bag that weighed more than 20 pounds.

Weather Forecast

Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the remaining tournament days:

> Fri, March 23 – Sunny – 79°/49°
- Wind: From the W at 8 mph

> Sat, March 24 – Partly Cloudy – 76°/49°
- Wind: From the W/SW at 11 mph

> Sun, March 25 – Mostly Cloudy – 72°/47°
- Wind: From the W/SW at 9 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Mark Tyler -- Vian, Okla. -- 5, 23-15 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 23-15
2. Derek Remitz -- Madison, Ala. -- 5, 23-05 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 23-05
3. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 5, 22-12 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 22-12
4. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, Okla. -- 5, 22-11 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 22-11
5. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 22-10 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 22-10
6. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Calif. -- 5, 21-00 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 21-00
7. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 20-13 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 20-13
8. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, Va. -- 5, 20-07 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 20-07
9. Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, Fla. -- 5, 20-04 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 20-04
10. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 5, 20-01 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 20-01
11. Glenn Delong -- Bellville, Ohio -- 5, 19-12 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 19-12
12. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, Ohio -- 5, 19-11 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 19-11
13. Marty Robinson -- Landrum, S.C. -- 5, 19-01 -- 251
Day 1: 5, 19-01
14. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 5, 19-00 -- 246
Day 1: 5, 19-00
14. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 5, 19-00 -- 246
Day 1: 5, 19-00
16. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 5, 18-12 -- 243
Day 1: 5, 18-12
17. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 5, 18-04 -- 241
Day 1: 5, 18-04
18. Bryan Hudgins -- Orange Park, Fla. -- 5, 18-01 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 18-01
19. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 17-10 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 17-10
20. James Kennedy -- Lacombe, La. -- 5, 17-08 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 17-08
21. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 5, 17-05 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 17-05
22. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 5, 17-00 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 17-00
23. Lee Bailey -- Boaz, Ala. -- 5, 16-15 -- 229
Day 1: 5, 16-15
24. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, La. -- 5, 16-13 -- 226
Day 1: 5, 16-13
24. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 5, 16-13 -- 226
Day 1: 5, 16-13
26. James Charlesworth -- Saint Cloud, Fla. -- 5, 16-11 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 16-11
27. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 5, 16-05 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 16-05
28. Matt Amedeo -- Clinton, Ohio -- 5, 16-04 -- 219
Day 1: 5, 16-04
29. Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 16-00 -- 217
Day 1: 5, 16-00
30. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 5, 15-12 -- 215
Day 1: 5, 15-12
31. Matthew Sphar -- Pavilion, N.Y. -- 5, 15-10 -- 213
Day 1: 5, 15-10
32. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 15-07 -- 211
Day 1: 5, 15-07
33. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, W.Va. -- 5, 15-06 -- 209
Day 1: 5, 15-06
34. Ken D Cook -- Lawton, Okla. -- 5, 15-03 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 15-03
35. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Okla. -- 5, 14-15 -- 205
Day 1: 5, 14-15
36. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 5, 14-14 -- 203
Day 1: 5, 14-14
37. Kevin Langill -- Terrell, N.C. -- 5, 14-11 -- 201
Day 1: 5, 14-11
38. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 5, 14-08 -- 199
Day 1: 5, 14-08
39. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, Mo. -- 5, 14-06 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 14-06
39. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 5, 14-06 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 14-06
39. Fred Roumbanis -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 14-06 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 14-06
42. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 5, 14-03 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 14-03
43. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 5, 14-02 -- 189
Day 1: 5, 14-02
44. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, S.C. -- 5, 14-01 -- 184
Day 1: 5, 14-01
44. Kurt Dove -- Fairfax, Va. -- 5, 14-01 -- 184
Day 1: 5, 14-01
44. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 5, 14-01 -- 184
Day 1: 5, 14-01
44. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 5, 14-01 -- 184
Day 1: 5, 14-01
48. Ken Brodeur -- Niantic, Conn. -- 5, 13-14 -- 179
Day 1: 5, 13-14
49. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 13-13 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 13-13
50. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 5, 13-12 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 13-12
51. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 5, 13-11 -- 172
Day 1: 5, 13-11
51. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 5, 13-11 -- 172
Day 1: 5, 13-11
53. Ray Sedgwick -- Cross, S.C. -- 5, 13-08 -- 169
Day 1: 5, 13-08
54. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, S.C. -- 5, 13-07 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 13-07
55. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 5, 13-04 -- 164
Day 1: 5, 13-04
55. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 5, 13-04 -- 164
Day 1: 5, 13-04
57. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, Ala. -- 5, 12-15 -- 161
Day 1: 5, 12-15
58. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas -- 5, 12-12 -- 158
Day 1: 5, 12-12
58. Elton Luce Jr -- Brookeland, Texas -- 5, 12-12 -- 158
Day 1: 5, 12-12
60. Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Silver Spring, Md. -- 5, 12-11 -- 154
Day 1: 5, 12-11
60. Morizo Shimizu -- Murrieta, Calif. -- 5, 12-11 -- 154
Day 1: 5, 12-11
62. Rick Ash -- Pottstown, Pa. -- 5, 12-10 -- 150
Day 1: 5, 12-10
62. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Texas -- 5, 12-10 -- 150
Day 1: 5, 12-10
64. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, Texas -- 5, 12-09 -- 147
Day 1: 5, 12-09
65. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Ala. -- 5, 12-06 -- 145
Day 1: 5, 12-06
66. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, Ohio -- 5, 12-03 -- 143
Day 1: 5, 12-03
67. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville , N.C. -- 5, 12-01 -- 141
Day 1: 5, 12-01
68. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Miss. -- 5, 12-00 -- 139
Day 1: 5, 12-00
69. Paul Hirosky -- Guys Mills, Pa. -- 5, 11-15 -- 137
Day 1: 5, 11-15
70. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 5, 11-13 -- 135
Day 1: 5, 11-13
71. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 11-11 -- 133
Day 1: 5, 11-11
72. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 5, 11-10 -- 130
Day 1: 5, 11-10
72. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 5, 11-10 -- 130
Day 1: 5, 11-10
74. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, N.C. -- 5, 11-08 -- 126
Day 1: 5, 11-08
74. Charlie Youngers -- Geneva, Fla. -- 5, 11-08 -- 126
Day 1: 5, 11-08
76. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 5, 11-05 -- 122
Day 1: 5, 11-05
76. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Texas -- 5, 11-05 -- 122
Day 1: 5, 11-05
78. Eric Nethery -- Acworth, Ga. -- 5, 11-04 -- 119
Day 1: 5, 11-04
79. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, Texas -- 3, 11-03 -- 117
Day 1: 3, 11-03
80. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo. -- 5, 11-02 -- 115
Day 1: 5, 11-02
81. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, Ala. -- 5, 11-00 -- 113
Day 1: 5, 11-00
82. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 5, 10-08 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 10-08
83. Ben Matsubu -- Hemphill, Texas -- 5, 10-00 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 10-00
84. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 5, 9-13 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 9-13
85. Keith Phillips -- Calera, Ala. -- 5, 9-10 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 9-10
86. John Murray -- Phoenix, Ariz. -- 5, 9-08 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 9-08
87. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, Ala. -- 5, 9-07 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 9-07
88. Dave Smith -- Del City, Okla. -- 5, 9-02 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 9-02
89. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville , Fla. -- 5, 9-00 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 9-00
90. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 5, 8-11 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 8-11
91. Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D. -- 5, 8-09 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 8-09
92. Frank Scalish -- Cleveland Heights, Ohi -- 5, 8-05 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 8-05
93. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, S.C. -- 5, 7-13 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 7-13
94. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 5, 7-12 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 7-12
95. William Smith -- Somerset, Ky. -- 5, 7-09 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 7-09
96. Steve Daniel -- Clewiston, Fla. -- 4, 7-06 -- 83
Day 1: 4, 7-06
97. Doc Merkin -- Downers Grove, Ill. -- 3, 7-05 -- 81
Day 1: 3, 7-05
98. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, Fla. -- 4, 6-08 -- 79
Day 1: 4, 6-08
99. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, Md. -- 5, 6-07 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 6-07
100. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, S.C. -- 3, 6-03 -- 76
Day 1: 3, 6-03
101. Bradley Stringer -- Huntington, Texas -- 3, 6-01 -- 75
Day 1: 3, 6-01
102. Jimmy Mason -- Rogersville, Ala. -- 5, 6-00 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 6-00
103. Mark Rogers -- Naples, Fla. -- 2, 5-10 -- 73
Day 1: 2, 5-10
104. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 4, 4-14 -- 72
Day 1: 4, 4-14
105. Jim Murray -- Arabi, Ga. -- 3, 4-13 -- 71
Day 1: 3, 4-13
106. Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla. -- 2, 2-15 -- 70
Day 1: 2, 2-15
107. Jon Bondy -- Windsor, Canada -- 1, 0-12 -- 69
Day 1: 1, 0-12
108. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 0-00

Big Bass

Day 1: Mark Tyler -- Vian, Okla. -- 10-06 -- $1,000