Rookie Ashley Aces Day 1, Ponds 2nd, McClelland 3rd

The Bassmaster Elite Series is now in more familiar territory – Georgia and South Carolina, as opposed to California and Mexico. What's surprising is how the migration has brought a bunch of unfamiliar faces to the top of the leaderboard.

Eight of the Top 10 are currently 30th or worse in the

Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race. Maybe that's a sign of things to come – a settling out after the sight-sack parade that started the season.

It happened last year, when anglers who burst out early faded to a mere afterthought by mid-season.

But that's just one of the storylines to emerge at today's event. The other is the current leader Casey Ashley, a rookie from nearby Donalds, S.C., who stuck 22-06 today.

Immediately behind him is Pete Ponds, who seems to have some momentum after a rare Top 12 at Clear Lake. He caught 21-01 and trails by 1-05.

In 3rd is jig specialist Mike McClelland with a 20-09 limit that puts him 1-13 off the lead pace.

The 4th-place spot currently belongs to sophomore Chris Lane with 20-06, and Florida rookie Bryan Hudgins rounds out the Top 5 with 19-11.

How's that for a new look?

Here's the current Top 12, followed by their total weight, and distance from leader in red:

1. Casey Ashley: 22-06
2. Pete Ponds: 21-01 1-05
3. Mike McClelland: 20-09 1-13
4. Chris Lane: 20-06 2-00
5. Bryan Hudgins: 19-11 2-11
6. Edwin Evers: 18-11 3-11
7. Jeff Reynolds: 17-08 4-14
8. Randy Howell: 16-14 5-08
9. John Crews: 16-09 5-13
10. Aaron Martens: 16-07 5-15
11. Jason Quinn: 16-00 6-06
12. Jon Bondy: 15-11 6-11

And for the record, here's the same Top 12, followed by their current AOY standing:

1. Casey Ashley: 28th
2. Pete Ponds: 54th
3. Mike McClelland: 30th
4. Chris Lane: 37th
5. Bryan Hudgins: 40th
6. Edwin Evers: 58th
7. Jeff Reynolds: 36th
8. Randy Howell: 56th
9. John Crews: 33rd
10. Aaron Martens: 14th
11. Jason Quinn: 85th
12. Jon Bondy: 107th

How did the "heavy hitters" fare today? Here's the current Top 12 in the AOY race, followed by their day-1 standing:

1. Skeet Reese: 46th
2. Kevin VanDam: 82nd
3. Jared Lintner: 17th
4. Steve Kennedy: 86th
5. Derek Remitz: 13th
6. Fred Roumbanis: 40th
7. Brent Chapman: 41st
8. Mark Tyler: 63rd
9. Jeff Kriet: 53rd
10. Stephen Browning: 56th
11. Greg Gutierrez: 95th
12. Ish Monroe: 54th

That's a heck of a lot of "ouch."

Conditions were warm, calm, and sunny today, with a light south wind at times.

The field seems mixed on its approach. Some are fishing slow and picking areas apart, others are moving fast. Some are flipping up in the river, others are finessing main-lake stuff nearer the dam.

The morning bite seems to be the key right now. BASS did release the field 10 minutes early this morning, reportedly to help maximize prime time. And the morning bite should become even more important the next 3 days as conditions remain calm and sunny, and fishing pressure increases.

The weights are fairly spread out, with lots of 15s, 14s, 13s and so on. And things should settle out tomorrow, when those who caught 20 pounds today will have to average in what they catch tomorrow. If history is a guide, the day-2 big weights should tend more toward the 17- and 18-pound size, since the largest, most aggressive fish were likely caught today.

That means a 17-pound average looks strong to win this 4-day event.

Ashley Surprised

Ashley thought he was good for about 15 pounds today, but he caught a 6-12 and a 5, which put the oomph in his bag.

His day was considerably better than fellow rookie and Clarks expert Jason Williamson, who ended the day in 46th.

"I feel real good," Ashley said. "I never could have guessed I'd catch that much."

He ran around a bunch today, but caught the bulk of his sack in the upper lake this morning, which is a 30-mile run from the launch. Later in the day, he culled one out in the lower end. He feels his stuff is pretty strong. He said it's replenishing – key in a 4-day tournament – and he's also got a lot of historical areas he hasn't touched yet.

The fish aren't in those areas yet, he noted, but they should be soon. "They're coming. These few days of sunshine are going to bring them on. I just need to go out fishing, keep an open mind, and not concentrate on one place.

"I know it's just a matter of time. I guess that's one thing where my local knowledge is in my advantage."

About tomorrow, he said: "I don't feel I can catch 22 pounds. I got lucky to get those bites. But I feel pretty good about catching 14 or 15 tomorrow. I believe if you can catch 15 pounds a day, you'll be high up in the standings."

2nd: Ponds Hopes To Duplicate

Ponds caught a little over 21 pounds today, and his bag included a 6-08.

He finished 76th at Amistad, 74th at the Delta, then 11th at Clear Lake. With his 2nd-place standing today, he's clearly on the upswing.

He's stumbled before after a strong day 1, but he thinks the stuff he's on is good enough to go the distance.

"I'm feeling great – I just need to maintain it," he said. "I've got to hold that. I've done well on the first day before and struggled after that. But this particular time I feel pretty strong.

"There's plenty of fish where I am, as long as nobody comes in on me. I left my fish fairly early today, and I should have plenty left over."

He noted he's got two or three spots, but only one holds the larger fish. And he feels he's doing something a little different than most others. "Anytime you can get off by yourself doing something a little unusual, you have a little bit of an advantage.

"This is new water – I've never been to these places (the last 2 years)," he added. "I ran into a little bit of a pattern when I was pre-fishing. I didn't know what was there – I couldn't really check it because I didn't want to stick any of them. You just don't ever know until you go back."

He's "hopeful" that he can duplicate his weight tomorrow. His biggest question is how hard he should hit his best spot tomorrow, provided the big fish are still there.

"No spot is going to hold up for 4 days," he said.

And about his bait, he noted: "One of my buddies, Sam Rush from Jackson, Miss., gave me a lure before we left Amistad. I only have one, so I'm throwing it on 20-pound Vicious line to keep from losing it."

3rd: McClelland Surprised Too

No shock here, McCelland's throwing a Jewel jig. But like Ashley, he was surprised by his weight.

"I'm pleased – I exceeded what I thought I could do based on my practice," he said. "I didn't set the hook in practice at all, so it's better than I expected. I thought 12 or 15 pounds would be a good day.

"These fish are pretty predictable when the bluebacks (herring) get up," he added. "A lot of fish are in the same places they should be, but the bluebacks aren't there, so they're not feeding real well."

He caught two over 6, plus a couple of 4-pounders. And although it seems the lake wouldn't suit his strengths – it's not feature-intensive, like his Ozarks home waters –he said it actually does. And that's one of the big reasons he's got the jig going.

He noted: "It sets up a lot like Grand did, except shallower. I'm being pretty specific in what I'm targeting. I'm still looking for deep-water access close to the stuff I'm fishing.

"The fact that the fish aren't schooling is working to my benefit. You have to slow down and really fish for them pretty hard. You can't just go on high and look for schoolers."

About tomorrow, he said: "If the conditions are right, I think I can get close to what I got today. I really believe 13 to 15 pounds is going to be a good bag. We had a south wind today for an hour or two that really helped me.

"If conditions get right again tomorrow with a little wind to position the fish, the opportunity's there to catch another 20-pound bag."

4th: Lane Went to School

Chris Lane's a part of the famous Florida fishing clan that includes his brother Bobby, an FLW Tour pro. Chris, of course, traveled the BASS route.

After a mediocre rookie season and 61st-place points finish, he's off to a little better start this year (he's 37th in the points). But he's still a spot behind the Bassmaster Classic cutoff.

If he can at least match his weight tomorrow, he should climb significantly in the points. He's not as much worried about matching it, though. He's looking to upgrade.

"I left those fish early," he said. "I figured out what the bigger fish were wanting. I caught a real quick limit on a Meano – a new double-headed spinning jig from Gambler. Those schoolers pound it. So I'm not too worried about catching a limit."

Supposedly, schooling activity is rare right now – the fish are still in their post-spawn transition. But he noted he's actually creating the schooling activity.

"It's something that just came to me today," he said. "Everytime I got to this area, they'd start schooling. I was actually making them school by what I was doing. That kind of surprised me and hopefully it'll work tomorrow."

He caught a bag of 4- to 4 1/2-pounders. About his current position, he said: "I feel great. I just focused on my strengths and went with that."

5th: Hudgins Looking for 15

Hudgins, a rookie, said he "feels great" about his 19-11 limit that included a 7 1/2-pounder. He also weighed a 4-pound spot, which is a rarity at Clarks, and his co-angler weighed two spots (a 4 and a 3).

"Coming in, I knew it was going to be really tough, and I sort of put all my stuff together but didn't know what I had," he said. "Everything gelled and worked out good.

"I think if I can catch 15 pounds tomorrow I'd be in the hunt to lead the tournament. It's so hard to duplicate a big sack on this lake this time of year. A lot of us might be coming in with 6 or 7 pounds. The big bite makes such a difference – especially this time of year when the fishing's like it is."

He noted he's fishing water that's "a little colder, trying to find some spawning fish that were pushed back a bit."

14th: Scalish Catches 15 (Again)

Ohio's Frank Scalish was left holding a broom after the first three events. He used it to sweep out the area beneath the basement of the Elite Series points standings (he entered the tournament at 102nd).

He did the same thing today that he did in each of the first three events – he caught around 15 pounds. But that's strong for Clarks, whereas it was junk at Amistad, the Delta and Clear lake.

"I guess I have to go to a place where nobody can catch 100 pounds to do well," he said. "Seriously though, I'm happy. This fishing is really tough, and they're emaciated when you catch them.

"I found a little post-spawn pattern way out in the main lake," he added. "I hope it holds up. I lost three big fish this morning, or I would have had closer to 20 pounds. It was in the first hour of the morning. By this afternoon, I couldn't buy a bite."

Does this mark the beginning of a turnaround? "The same thing happened to me last year," he noted. "I struggled in the first three, then started making money after that. I'd kind of like to come out of the box swinging once in a while.

"I still have to catch fish tomorrow to get a check. The bite's getting better by the minute though."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 107 anglers, 84 limits, 9 fours, 9 threes, 4 twos, 1 zero.

> Ashley is currently 3rd in the BassFan Rookie of the Year race – the only race of its kind in the sport that measures true rookies from both major leagues. To view the full standings, click here.

> Dean Rojas, in 18th with 14-08, said he lost a 9-pounder today.

> Brent Chapman's father Ron is fishing the event as a co-angler. He's currently 26th with 5-14 (son Brent is 41st with 11-05 in the pro division).

> Tommy Biffle's 36th with 11-15. Will he pick up a spinning rod? "I'm close," he said. "Real close."

> BassFan Big Stick John Murray caught 10-01 and is currently the last man inside the Top 50 cut. That's the most he's ever caught here. For his day 1 report, click here to go On Tour With The BassFan Big Sticks.

> Kevin VanDam only weighed four fish today. He's 82nd with 7-11. "It's a big reality check today," he said. "I didn't have a good practice at all, but I'd gotten a couple of quality bites, so I swung for the fences a little. I just had one of those days where everything that could go wrong did. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

> Elton Luce, Jr. did not fish the event. According to a BASS official, he left Clarks Hill on Tuesday to attend to family matters.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., April 20 – Partly Cloudy – 73°/44°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 11 mph

> Sat., April 21 – Sunny – 79°/48°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 8 mph

> Sun., April 22 – Sunny – 80°/51°
- Wind: From the S/SW at 6 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, S.C. -- 5, 22-06
Day 1: 5, 22-06

2. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Miss. -- 5, 21-01
Day 1: 5, 21-01

3. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 5, 20-09
Day 1: 5, 20-09

4. Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, Fla. -- 5, 20-06
Day 1: 5, 20-06

5. Bryan Hudgins -- Orange Park, Fla. -- 5, 19-11
Day 1: 5, 19-11

6. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 5, 18-11 -- $1,000.00
Day 1: 5, 18-11

7. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, Okla. -- 5, 17-08
Day 1: 5, 17-08

8. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 5, 16-14
Day 1: 5, 16-14

9. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 5, 16-09
Day 1: 5, 16-09

10. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 5, 16-07
Day 1: 5, 16-07

11. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, S.C. -- 5, 16-00
Day 1: 5, 16-00

12. Jon Bondy -- Windsor, Canada -- 5, 15-11
Day 1: 5, 15-11

13. Derek Remitz -- Hemphill, Texas -- 5, 15-09
Day 1: 5, 15-09

14. Frank Scalish -- Cleveland Heights, Ohio -- 5, 15-08
Day 1: 5, 15-08

15. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 5, 15-06
Day 1: 5, 15-06

16. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 5, 15-02
Day 1: 5, 15-02

17. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Calif. -- 5, 14-12
Day 1: 5, 14-12

18. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, Texas -- 5, 14-08
Day 1: 5, 14-08

19. Ken Brodeur -- Niantic, Conn. -- 5, 14-02
Day 1: 5, 14-02

19. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 5, 14-02
Day 1: 5, 14-02

21. Marty Robinson -- Landrum, S.C. -- 5, 14-01
Day 1: 5, 14-01

21. Matthew Sphar -- Pavilion, N.Y. -- 5, 14-01
Day 1: 5, 14-01

21. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 5, 14-01
Day 1: 5, 14-01

24. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, Ala. -- 5, 13-09
Day 1: 5, 13-09

25. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, Va. -- 5, 13-07
Day 1: 5, 13-07

26. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 13-02
Day 1: 5, 13-02

27. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, La. -- 5, 13-01
Day 1: 5, 13-01

28. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 12-14
Day 1: 5, 12-14

29. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, Mo. -- 5, 12-11
Day 1: 5, 12-11

29. Dave Smith -- Del City, Okla. -- 5, 12-11
Day 1: 5, 12-11

31. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville , Fla. -- 5, 12-09
Day 1: 5, 12-09

32. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, Fla. -- 5, 12-03
Day 1: 5, 12-03

32. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, N.C. -- 5, 12-03
Day 1: 5, 12-03

34. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 5, 12-01
Day 1: 5, 12-01

35. William Smith -- Somerset, Ky. -- 5, 12-00
Day 1: 5, 12-00

36. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 5, 11-15
Day 1: 5, 11-15

37. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 5, 11-10
Day 1: 5, 11-10

38. Matt Amedeo -- Clinton, Ohio -- 5, 11-09
Day 1: 5, 11-09

38. Jimmy Mason -- Rogersville, Ala. -- 5, 11-09
Day 1: 5, 11-09

40. Fred Roumbanis -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 11-07
Day 1: 5, 11-07

41. Brent Chapman -- Moneta, Va. -- 5, 11-05
Day 1: 5, 11-05

42. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, W.Va. -- 4, 11-01
Day 1: 4, 11-01

43. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Texas -- 5, 10-13
Day 1: 5, 10-13

44. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, Md. -- 5, 10-09
Day 1: 5, 10-09

45. Keith Phillips -- Calera, Ala. -- 5, 10-07
Day 1: 5, 10-07

46. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 10-06
Day 1: 5, 10-06

46. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, S.C. -- 4, 10-06
Day 1: 4, 10-06

48. Paul Hirosky -- Guys Mills, Pa. -- 5, 10-04
Day 1: 5, 10-04

49. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 5, 10-02
Day 1: 5, 10-02

50. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 5, 10-01
Day 1: 5, 10-01

50. John Murray -- Phoenix, Ariz. -- 5, 10-01
Day 1: 5, 10-01

52. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, Ohio -- 5, 10-00
Day 1: 5, 10-00
53. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 5, 9-15
Day 1: 5, 9-15
54. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 5, 9-14
Day 1: 5, 9-14
55. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 5, 9-12
Day 1: 5, 9-12
56. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 9-11
Day 1: 5, 9-11
56. Eric Nethery -- Acworth, Ga. -- 5, 9-11
Day 1: 5, 9-11
58. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 9-10
Day 1: 5, 9-10
58. Doc Merkin -- Downers Grove, Ill. -- 5, 9-10
Day 1: 5, 9-10
60. Lee Bailey -- Boaz, Ala. -- 5, 9-09
Day 1: 5, 9-09
60. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, Texas -- 5, 9-09
Day 1: 5, 9-09
62. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 5, 9-08
Day 1: 5, 9-08
63. Mark Tyler -- Vian, Okla. -- 5, 9-07
Day 1: 5, 9-07
64. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 9-05
Day 1: 5, 9-05
65. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 5, 9-04
Day 1: 5, 9-04
66. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo. -- 5, 9-03
Day 1: 5, 9-03
67. Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 9-00
Day 1: 5, 9-00
67. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 5, 9-00
Day 1: 5, 9-00
69. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, Ala. -- 4, 8-14
Day 1: 4, 8-14
70. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, Ala. -- 5, 8-13
Day 1: 5, 8-13
71. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Texas -- 5, 8-12
Day 1: 5, 8-12
72. Charlie Youngers -- Geneva, Fla. -- 4, 8-09
Day 1: 4, 8-09
73. Jim Murray -- Arabi, Ga. -- 4, 8-07
Day 1: 4, 8-07
74. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 8-04
Day 1: 5, 8-04
75. Morizo Shimizu -- Murrieta, Calif. -- 5, 8-02
Day 1: 5, 8-02
76. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 5, 8-00
Day 1: 5, 8-00
77. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 5, 7-15
Day 1: 5, 7-15
78. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas -- 5, 7-14
Day 1: 5, 7-14
78. Ray Sedgwick -- Cross, S.C. -- 5, 7-14
Day 1: 5, 7-14
80. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 5, 7-13
Day 1: 5, 7-13
80. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 5, 7-13
Day 1: 5, 7-13
82. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville , N.C. -- 5, 7-11
Day 1: 5, 7-11
82. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 4, 7-11
Day 1: 4, 7-11
84. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 5, 7-09
Day 1: 5, 7-09
85. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 5, 7-04
Day 1: 5, 7-04
86. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Ala. -- 5, 7-01
Day 1: 5, 7-01
86. Mark Rogers -- Naples, Fla. -- 5, 7-01
Day 1: 5, 7-01
88. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 5, 6-13
Day 1: 5, 6-13
89. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 5, 6-09
Day 1: 5, 6-09
90. James Charlesworth -- Saint Cloud, Fla. -- 4, 6-06
Day 1: 4, 6-06
91. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Okla. -- 3, 6-01
Day 1: 3, 6-01
91. Rick Ash -- Pottstown, Pa. -- 3, 6-01
Day 1: 3, 6-01
93. Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D. -- 4, 6-00
Day 1: 4, 6-00
94. Steve Daniel -- Clewiston, Fla. -- 3, 5-12
Day 1: 3, 5-12
95. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 5, 5-10
Day 1: 5, 5-10
96. Bradley Stringer -- Huntington, Texas -- 2, 5-07
Day 1: 2, 5-07
97. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, S.C. -- 3, 5-05
Day 1: 3, 5-05
98. Ben Matsubu -- Hemphill, Texas -- 3, 5-01
Day 1: 3, 5-01
99. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 3, 5-00
Day 1: 3, 5-00
100.Ken D Cook -- Lawton, Okla. -- 4, 4-15
Day 1: 4, 4-15
101.Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla. -- 2, 4-13
Day 1: 2, 4-13
102.Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Silver Spring, Md. -- 3, 4-06
Day 1: 3, 4-06
103.Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, Ohio -- 3, 4-03
Day 1: 3, 4-03
104.James Kennedy -- Lacombe, La. -- 3, 3-03
Day 1: 3, 3-03
105.Glenn Delong -- Bellville, Ohio -- 2, 3-00
Day 1: 2, 3-00
106.Kurt Dove -- Fairfax, Va. -- 2, 2-04
Day 1: 2, 2-04
107.Kevin Langill -- Terrell, N.C. -- 0, 0-00
Day 1: 0, 0-00

Big Bass

> Day 1 -- Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 8-02 -- $1,000