Martens Smashes 42 Pounds, Leads Field At Falcon

The hype about Lake Falcon's big-fish potential reached almost mythic proportions in the last few days. With rumors of 50-pound sacks and projections of winning weights topping the 125-pound mark, it almost got to the point that made you wonder if it was all just too good to be true.

But the southwest-Texas reservoir lived up to the lofty expectations on day 1. As predicted, a 40-pound sack did cross the stage, and it belonged to Aaron Martens, who now sits head and shoulders above the rest of the field in Zapata.

Looking up at Martens are a trio of anglers with 35-pound limits. Scott Rook's 35-12 total has him sitting in a distant 2nd place. Ish Monroe has control of the 3rd-place spot thanks to a 35-06 limit. The third 35-pound stringer belongs to Mark Davis who's just behind Monroe with 35-04.

Rounding out a mind-blowing Top 5 is Byron Velvick with a stout 34-14 limit of largemouths.

But don't think for a second that Martens has this one in the bag. In fact, it's likely the leader board could flip-flop quite a bit as the tournament progresses. That's because many pros reported losing fish in the 10-pound class, and even bigger, on day 1. All it takes is culling out a 4-pounder with one of those lunkers and just about anybody in the Top 50 could make a giant leap upward on day 2.

Two main subplots warrant attention at this point. The first is the wind. It blew hard on day 1 and several pros reported lighter catches than what they'd been finding in practice, which is scary to think about. The general consensus among the anglers is that Falcon didn't fish to its full potential today.

Winds are predicted to shift out of the north tomorrow for the first time since the anglers started practicing Monday, and many of the anglers are unsure as to how a northerly wind will impact their bite.

The other interesting development worth noting is the battle between shallow and deep. The shallow flippers are catching tons of fish, but they're losing a lot, too. Dozens of pros noted how hard the Falcon bass fight and the stories of the one that got away were abundant at the weigh-in today. As Maryland pro Grant Goldbeck put it, "I don’t know who poked these fish with a stick, but they're mean."

But this tournament has hardly turned into a flipping contest as many pros expected it to. In fact, among the pros in the Top 10 that BassFan talked to, not a single one was fishing exclusively shallow.

For the most part, this event is still up in the air. With unpredictable winds and the potential for a 10-plus-pound fish to strike at anytime, it's anybody's game in Texas.

What follows is a look at the current Top 12. Total weight is followed by distance from leader in red.

1. Aaron Martens: 42-00
2. Scott Rook: 35-12 (6-04)
3. Ish Monroe: 35-06 (6-10)
4. Mark Davis: 35-04 (6-12)
5. Byron Velvick: 34-14 (7-02)
6. Michael Iaconelli: 34-11 (7-06)
7. Scott Campbell: 33-15 (8-01)
8. Derek Remitz: 33-11 (8-05)
9. Jason Williamson: 33-04 (8-12)
10. Matt Reed: 33-02 (8-14)
11. Terry Scroggins: 33-01 (8-15)
12. Bernie Schultz: 32-09 (9-07)

Wind Hampered Martens

Aaron Martens was understandably vague when talking about how he caught his monstrous 42-pound limit today, but one thing is for certain, he caught them deep. Martens was the first angler to weigh in and he reportedly returned to the ramp early so that he could fizz a few of his fish.

The fact that Martens 5-bass limit eclipsed the 40-pound mark is remarkable, but what's even more jaw-dropping is that Martens said had the wind not been blowing so hard, he likely could've boated an even heavier stringer.

"I would have smashed the one-day record if not for the wind," he said. "This lake surpasses every other bass-fishing lake in the country. It’s just incredible.

"This place reminds me of Castaic Lake (in California)," he added. "But I’m not sure that Castaic, even in its heyday, was better than this."

He said he was a little worried about "burning (his) fish up," and that's part of the reason he retired early. But in spite of him and his co-angler catching a combined 74-10 worth of bass from his area on day 1, he's confident he can catch more than 30 pounds each of the next 3 days.

2nd: Rook Double Dipping

Arkansas pro Scott Rook said he's bouncing back and forth between shallow and deep spots to catch his fish, but he was tight-lipped about which of the two patterns produced better for him on day 1.

"The wind dictated a lot of what I was able to do today," he said. "I caught my limit in about 45 minutes first thing this morning and then went looking."

His mini-practice session this afternoon yielded some positive results that he thinks could be a factor for him on day 2.

"I'm going to start day 2 doing what I did today, but I found some stuff this afternoon that I'm going to have to check on, too. I have a spot that I didn't catch anything on in practice and I went there this afternoon and got something going."

He also lost the biggest fish he had on today. "I had a couple 7 pounders and it fought a lot harder than those. I didn't stand a chance against that fish. He was just leading me around."

His only concern is that with this being his first visit to the lake, he's not sure how his spots will reload for him as the tournament plays out.

"I have no idea what will happen tomorrow," he noted. "But you can just go fishing and catch 20 pounds on this lake so I should be able to figure something out.

3rd: Monroe Had Company

Like Rook, Ish Monroe also tested both his deep and shallow bites today. His best area is relatively shallow, but he's not beating the bank like a lot of other guys.

"The spot I'm fishing is actually a shallow spot, but it's an offshore shallow spot," he said. "I broke off a couple today. I don't know what this spot has on it, but it's weird. It's cutting 50-pound braid on the hookset. It's not a tree, I know that."

He had several competitors in his vicinity today, and that concerns him since he has a later boat draw tomorrow.

"I'm going to try to go back there in the morning, but I don't what it'll look like," he said. "I'll just have to ease my way up in there and fight for it. I hammered on those fish today, though. So we'll see what it's like in the morning. I'm prepared to run some new water if I have to."

4th: Davis Fished Deep

There's few better when it comes to coaxing post-spawn bass than Mark Davis, and he proved that on day 1 at Falcon. He's mostly throwing Carolina- and Texas-rigged plastics in deeper brush.

"Some of the fish I’m catching are in and around bushes, and others are on points, hump and rock piles - you're typical post-spawn stuff," he said. "The wind definitely made it tough out there today. It didn't do anything to the bite, but it just makes it tough to concentrate sometimes."

Davis has a combination of three areas he planned to alternate between throughout the event, but he knows one of his best spots got pounded hard today.

"I saw Ish (Monroe) and Aaron (Martens) on my second spot, so I know it got beat up. It's amazing how we always find the same fish time after time, but it happens. I'm not worried, though.

"I've got plenty of areas to fish," he added. "It's just a matter of catching more 7- and 8-pounders and not as many 4- and 5-pounders."

He had an 8- and a 9-pounder as part of his 35-04 bag today, and he would've had a third about the same size, but it wrapped him up and parted ways.

"You have to expect to lose some when you're catching fish that big in the structure we're fishing," he said. "That can't be helped. It's just part of the game. You just hope when the day is over you land more than you lose. That's all you can do."

7th: Campbell Caught A Toad

Scott Campbell earned big-bass honors of day 1 with a healthy 13-02 specimen. He elected to keep his pattern to himself, but like a few of the anglers in the Top 10, he's using a combination of shallow and deep areas to find a limit.

"I probably flipped for about 2 hours today, the rest of the time I was offshore," he said. "I think all the big bags were caught offshore today. The offshore bite just seems to be more consistent.

"I've caught three over 7 pounds flipping and my roommate caught one over 10, but you never know when you're going to get one. You can be catching 2 pounders out of one tree and then move down another tree and find a bunch of 8 pounders.

"Offshore the bite is just better quality," he added. "You don't catch as many - I probably only had about 20 bites today - but the quality is better."

He estimates he's got about 15 spots where he can reproduce his pattern, and he only hit three of those on day 1. Amazingly, he actually expects weights to improve on day 2. He fought the wind all day and said there's a window of light winds predicted early on day 2 when he thinks he'll sack most of his weight.

"I had waves coming over my bow all day. When I got back to my hotel room I took my shoes off and my socks were dripping. It definitely wasn't easy out there. If (the offshore guys) can get just a few hours of light winds, it could get ugly out there."

8th: Remitz Stayed 'In Between'

Derek Remitz spent most of his time fishing "somewhere in between" on day 1.

"I'm not up on the bank flipping that brush, but I'm not out in the middle of nowhere, either," he said. "I'm fishing brush that's about 12- to 15-feet deep. I looked for that deep bite that a lot of other guys are on, but I just never found it."

He said he fished "pretty close" to Mark Davis today and he's confident there's still plenty of fish left in his area.

"The spot I'm fishing is a big flat with a lot of little fingers and points. I caught 6 or 8 off each little spot and never went back. I'm sure there's more fish there. I've got a good feeling I'll catch them again tomorrow.

"What I can't get over is that I culled 25 pounds today," he added. "That's ridiculous. Aaron (Martens) said he culled like 32 or 33 pounds today. This place is pretty amazing. It's definitely the best fishing I've ever experienced in my life."

Additional Notes

Byron Velvick (5th): "I'm glad I have the 3-day record because that's the only thing that's safe here since this is a 4-day event. This lake is - wow - it's insane."

Mike Iaconelli (6th): "For me it's a numbers game. I'm going through a whole lot of fish every day and I'm just trying to catch the five biggest I can. I've been tournament fishing for 15 years and I've fished all over the world, but this is the best fishing I've ever seen."

Terry Scroggins (11th): "You know me, I always love to flip, but I'm not doing that here. I'm fishing deep. The main reason is because I don't lose them out deep. You don't understand how hard it is to get these fish out of that timber. These are the strongest fighting fish I've ever seen."

Alton Jones (23rd): "Every time you come to this lake it's different because the water level fluctuates so much. The fish are grouping up a lot more now, they're still up shallow, but they're really trying to come out and group up. We should see some really good bags as this plays out."

Skeet Reese (31st): "Seeing these bags come in makes me feel like a rookie. At this point I'm just trying to survive. I've had big bites this week doing what I'm doing, but the wind hurt me today. Obviously, it didn't hurt everybody. Hopefully I can get a 30 or 40 pound bag tomorrow and just keep moving up. Trust me, it's out there."

Kevin VanDam (43rd): "I caught 25 pounds today and I'm disappointed, that's saying something. I've got five carbon copies in my bag today. I just couldn't find the bigger bite. But if the wind lets us fish we'll break all the records ever set."

Kelly Jordon (55th): "I'd like to say the wind got me today. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I just didn't get as many big bites as I planned on today. I had three big bites and I lost two of those."

Tommy Biffle (73rd): "I'm going to go back to my room and pray that the wind don't blow tomorrow. I didn't get to fish any of the places I found in practice because of the wind."

Steve Kennedy (86th): "(The record's) going down in flames. I picked up a swimbait today and had one big bite on it, but then I culled everything flipping. You never know what could happen on a lake like this. I wasn't even in the Top-50 cut the first day at Clear Lake last year, but then again, I haven't seen the kind of fish here that bailed me out at Clear Lake, either."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 109 anglers, 107 limits, 1 four, 1 zero.

> Just how big of a bag is Falcon capable of producing? Texas pro Matt Reed reported that he caught a 5-bass limit totaling nearly 50 pounds on the first day of practice.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the remaining tournament days. For more weather information, including satellite and radar imagery, visit OutdoorsFanWeather.com.

> Fri., April 4 - Partly Cloudy/Clearing - 90°/60°
- Wind: From the S at 15 mph in the morning, shifting to N at 25 in the afternoon

> Sat., April 5 - Sunny - 85°/60°
- Wind: From the E at 15 mph

> Sun., April 6 - Partly Cloudy - 91°/69°
- Wind: From the SE at 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 42-00 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 42-00

2. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 35-12 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 35-12

3. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 35-06 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 35-06

4. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 35-04 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 35-04

5. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 34-14 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 34-14

6. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, NJ -- 5, 34-11 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 34-11

7. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, MO -- 5, 33-15 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 33-15

8. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 5, 33-11 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 33-11

9. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 5, 33-04 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 33-04

10. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 33-02 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 33-02

11. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 33-01 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 33-01

12. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 32-09 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 32-09

13. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira , KS -- 5, 31-15 -- 251
Day 1: 5, 31-15

14. Jason Quinn -- York, SC -- 5, 31-14 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 31-14

15. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, SC -- 5, 31-08 -- 245
Day 1: 5, 31-08

16. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 30-06 -- 242
Day 1: 5, 30-06

16. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 30-06 -- 242
Day 1: 5, 30-06

18. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 30-01 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 30-01

19. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 5, 29-15 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 29-15

20. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville , NC -- 5, 29-10 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 29-10

21. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, OK -- 5, 29-07 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 29-07

22. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, KY -- 5, 29-03 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 29-03

23. Alton Jones -- Waco, TX -- 5, 28-14 -- 229
Day 1: 5, 28-14

24. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 5, 28-12 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 28-12

25. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 28-07 -- 225
Day 1: 5, 28-07

26. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 28-05 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 28-05

27. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 28-03 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 28-03

28. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 28-02 -- 219
Day 1: 5, 28-02

29. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 5, 27-12 -- 217
Day 1: 5, 27-12

30. Ray Sedgwick -- Cross, SC -- 5, 27-09 -- 215
Day 1: 5, 27-09

31. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 27-01 -- 212
Day 1: 5, 27-01

31. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 27-01 -- 212
Day 1: 5, 27-01

33. Jim Murray -- Arabi, GA -- 5, 26-12 -- 208
Day 1: 5, 26-12

33. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 26-12 -- 208
Day 1: 5, 26-12

35. Shaw E Grigsby -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 26-11 -- 204
Day 1: 5, 26-11

35. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 26-11 -- 204
Day 1: 5, 26-11

37. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 26-00 -- 200
Day 1: 5, 26-00

37. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 26-00 -- 200
Day 1: 5, 26-00

39. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 25-14 -- 197
Day 1: 5, 25-14

40. Jon Bondy -- Windsor CANADA -- 5, 25-12 -- 194
Day 1: 5, 25-12

40. Preston Clark -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 25-12 -- 194
Day 1: 5, 25-12

42. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 25-11 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 25-11

43. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 25-09 -- 188
Day 1: 5, 25-09

43. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, AR -- 5, 25-09 -- 188
Day 1: 5, 25-09

45. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 25-08 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 25-08

46. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, VA -- 5, 25-07 -- 183
Day 1: 5, 25-07

47. Brian Clark -- Haltom City, TX -- 5, 25-05 -- 180
Day 1: 5, 25-05

47. Pat Golden -- High Point, NC -- 5, 25-05 -- 180
Day 1: 5, 25-05

49. Ben Matsubu -- Hemphill, TX -- 5, 24-14 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 24-14

50. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 24-11 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 24-11

51. Corey Waldrop -- Fort Worth, TX -- 5, 24-09 -- 173
Day 1: 5, 24-09
52. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 24-08 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 24-08
53. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 5, 24-06 -- 169
Day 1: 5, 24-06
54. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 5, 24-05 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 24-05
55. Bryan Hudgins -- Orange Park, FL -- 5, 24-00 -- 164
Day 1: 5, 24-00
55. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 5, 24-00 -- 164
Day 1: 5, 24-00
57. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 23-13 -- 161
Day 1: 5, 23-13
58. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 23-09 -- 159
Day 1: 5, 23-09
59. Matt Amedeo -- Clinton, OH -- 5, 23-06 -- 157
Day 1: 5, 23-06
60. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, CA -- 5, 23-01 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 23-01
61. Billy Brewer -- Bruceville, TX -- 5, 22-14 -- 153
Day 1: 5, 22-14
62. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 22-12 -- 151
Day 1: 5, 22-12
63. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 22-06 -- 148
Day 1: 5, 22-06
63. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 5, 22-06 -- 148
Day 1: 5, 22-06
65. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 22-03 -- 145
Day 1: 5, 22-03
66. Mark Tyler -- Vian, OK -- 5, 22-02 -- 142
Day 1: 5, 22-02
66. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, NC -- 5, 22-02 -- 142
Day 1: 5, 22-02
68. Jay Fuller -- Kingston, OK -- 5, 21-15 -- 139
Day 1: 5, 21-15
69. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 5, 21-05 -- 136
Day 1: 5, 21-05
69. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, LA -- 5, 21-05 -- 136
Day 1: 5, 21-05
71. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, MO -- 5, 21-04 -- 133
Day 1: 5, 21-04
72. Paul Hirosky -- Guys Mills, PA -- 5, 21-03 -- 131
Day 1: 5, 21-03
73. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 21-01 -- 129
Day 1: 5, 21-01
74. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 21-00 -- 127
Day 1: 5, 21-00
75. Ken D Cook -- Lawton, OK -- 5, 20-12 -- 124
Day 1: 5, 20-12
75. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, CA -- 5, 20-12 -- 124
Day 1: 5, 20-12
77. Elton Luce Jr. -- Brookeland, TX -- 5, 20-07 -- 121
Day 1: 5, 20-07
78. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 20-05 -- 119
Day 1: 5, 20-05
79. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 20-04 -- 117
Day 1: 5, 20-04
80. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, MD -- 5, 20-03 -- 115
Day 1: 5, 20-03
81. James Kennedy -- Lacombe, LA -- 5, 19-14 -- 112
Day 1: 5, 19-14
81. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 19-14 -- 112
Day 1: 5, 19-14
83. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, OH -- 5, 19-13 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 19-13
84. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 19-10 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 19-10
85. Kevin Langill -- Terrell, NC -- 5, 19-07 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 19-07
86. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 19-02 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 19-02
87. Steve Daniel -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 19-00 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 19-00
88. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 18-15 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 18-15
89. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, CA -- 5, 18-05 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 18-05
90. Kurt Dove -- Fairfax, VA -- 5, 18-04 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 18-04
91. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 18-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 18-00
91. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, WV -- 5, 18-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 18-00
91. David Sherrer -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 18-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 18-00
94. Peter E Thliveros -- St Augustine, FL -- 5, 17-09 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 17-09
95. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 5, 17-07 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 17-07
96. Clark Reehm -- Russellville , AR -- 5, 17-06 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 17-06
97. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 5, 17-05 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 17-05
98. Matthew Sphar -- Pavilion, NY -- 5, 17-03 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 17-03
99. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 16-15 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 16-15
100. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 16-12 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 16-12
101. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 16-02 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 16-02
102. Chris Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 15-12 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 15-12
103. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 15-11 72.5
Day 1: 5, 15-11
103. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 5, 15-11 72.5
Day 1: 5, 15-11
105. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, OK -- 4, 15-10 -- 71
Day 1: 4, 15-10
106. Rick Ash -- Pottstown, PA -- 5, 14-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 14-00
107. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, NC -- 5, 12-07 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 12-07
108. Glenn DeLong -- Bellville, OH -- 5, 10-11 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 10-11
109. Bobby Myers -- Tulsa, OK -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

Big Bass

Day 1: Scott Campbell -- Springfield, MO -- 13-02 -- $1,000