Brauer Comes In Lighter, But Boosts His Lead Again

The 10-12 bag that Denny Brauer weighed today at the Arkansas River Bassmaster Elite Series was by far his lightest of the tournament, but it nonetheless bolstered his advantage over the field in his quest for his 17th B.A.S.S. victory and first since 2006.

The Missouri veteran's 44-13 total for 3 days gave him a double-digit lead with one day to fish. If he can put together a limit of 15-inch largemouths on day 4, he'll be extremely difficult to overtake.

Things aren't entirely rosy, however: He's sharing water in the Pine Bluff pool (two locks downstream from the launch in Little Rock) with Jonathon VanDam, who's charged all the way up to 4th place after zeroing on day 1. It's a situation he's none too happy about and he expressed his displeasure with the rookie on the weigh-in stage, saying that he wouldn't be applying for membership in "the Jonathon VanDam Fan Club."

VanDam, the 22-year-old nephew of the world's top-ranked angler who sacked a day-best 18-05 to climb 26 places in the standings, said he doesn't understand Brauer's ill feelings.

"I feel like I've given him plenty of room," he said. "He throws out a buoy out and I don't get within two cast-lengths of it.

"I haven't done anything wrong and I have as much right to fish that spot as he does. It's one of those deals where we both found the same thing in practice and it's a big area back there. He's chased off a number of guys, but the difference is that I haven't backed down."

John Murray caught a four-fish, 11-08 bag today to move into 2nd with a 34-11 total. Aaron Martens improved three places to 3rd with a 13-pound sack that gave him a 34-06 aggregate.

JVD was next with 33-15. Gerald Swindle completed the Top 5 with a 12-01 stringer for a 32-12 total.

Here's a look at the Top 12 who'll be back on the water tomorrow, with distance from the leader noted by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Denny Brauer: 44-13
2. John Murray: 34-11 (10-02)
3. Aaron Martens: 34-06 (10-07)
4. Jonathon VanDam: 33-15 (10-14)
5. Gerald Swindle: 32-12 (12-01)
6. Billy McCaghren: 30-07 (14-06)
7. Kevin VanDam: 30-04 (14-09)
8. Greg Vinson: 29-15 (14-14)
9. Ish Monroe: 29-10 (15-03)
10. Matt Reed: 29-03 (15-10)
11. Jason Quinn: 28-02 (16-11)
12. Tim Horton: 27-14 (16-15)

Kevin VanDam weighed just two fish for 4-09 and dropped from 2nd to 6th. Nonetheless, he's guaranteed to leave the event with the lead in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race as he pursues his fourth straight points crown and 7th overall.

Edwin Evers, who moved up 11 places today to finish 18th, will be second on that list. If KVD finishes in the position where he currently sits, his lead would be 67 points heading into next week's regular-season finale at Wheeler.

Local favorite McCaghren likely fell out of serious contention for the win as his three-fish, 6-00 sack dropped him from 3rd to 6th. Falling out of the Top 12 were Takahiro Omori (5th to 20th, 2-00 today), Greg Vinson (7th to 15th, 6-05), Clark Reehm (9th to 22nd, 3-03) and Brent Chapman (11th to 14th, 6-06). Reehm was one of a small handful of anglers who incurred late penalties following a lock-delay this afternoon created by the presence of a barge – the second such occurrence over the past 2 days.

There was also a barge-created delay en route to the Pine Bluff pool this morning, which limited those anglers to about 2 1/2 hours of fishing instead of the 3 1/2 they've been getting. That group includes the vast majority of the Top 12 and all of the Top 8 except Martens.

New arrivals to the Top 12 were JVD, Matt Reed (23rd to 10th, 12-12), Jason Quinn (14th to 11th, 9-00) and Tim Horton (40th to 12th, 14-02).

Tomorrow's weather forecast for the Little Rock area calls for mostly sunny skies with a high temperature of 93 degrees and a south/southwest breeze to 11 mph. The winner will be determined following the weigh-in based on cumulative weight.

Brauer won't Let Up

> Day 3: 5, 10-12 (15, 44-13)

Brauer has been around long enough to have seen plenty of big leads disappear on the final day and he's not about to take his substantial advantage for granted.

“If I can catch a limit, that would make it tougher for somebody else,” he said. “Somebody could bust a big bag, and if you stub your toe, you’re going to end up regretting it. You have to catch them all 4 days.”

He revealed that he's caught the majority of his fish this week on a Strike King Pro Tour football jig. He had a slow morning, but rallied toward the end.

“I had not caught a short fish the first 2 days. Today I got as many bites as the first 2 days, but they were smaller fish."

“It was a frustrating day, but neat to get a limit before I left my area."

He couldn't be reached for further comment on the situation with JVD, but told the weigh-in crowd: "Usually when you're leading the tournament, you're a happy camper, but it's been very frustrating the last 2 days. I'm dealing with something I've never dealt with in 30 years of fishing."

2nd: Murray was 1 Short

> Day 3: 4, 11-08 (14, 34-11)

Murray's deficit wouldn't be quite so large if he'd brought a limit to the scale today, but he got only four keeper bites.

"I didn't lose any that would've helped, but I caught lots of 14- and 14 1/2-inchers," he said. "Those are heartbreakers."

The best fish among the quartet of keepers he boated was a 4 3/4-pounder that spit up a hand-sized bluegill in his livewell.

"It came from the same spot I've been fishing, but out in deeper water where I cuaght them in practice. The tough question for tomorrow is whether I should plug the banks for five keepers or go out deeper and try for a big one.

"I've got one spot I've sort of saved and hopefully there'll be some big ones there."

3rd: Martens Could Fly Solo

> Day 3: 5, 13-00 (15, 34-06)

Martens might be the only competitor in the Little Rock pool tomorrow – all the others he knows of who'd been fishing there missed today's cut. He went through eight keepers today and his best was a 3-pounder.

"I caught those pretty early and laid off them, so I hope there's more left," he said. "It's possible to get 11 to 15 or maybe 16 pounds in there if I get a big one, but I don't think the Little Rock pool has as many big ones as the Pine Bluff pool. I don't think 19 or 20 pounds is possible in there."

He declined to reveal how he's catching them due to the presence of a lot of locals. He lost one fish that would've helped him – something that's happened on each of the 3 days.

"It was in a real shallow tree and it got snagged on a branch. I tried to lift it into the air, but it wouldn't come over the branch before it came off.

"I was hoping it would stay on because I would've gotten back there to get it somehow."

4th: JVD Excited

> Day 3: 5, 18-05 (10, 33-15)

Jonathon VanDam logged a 5th-place finish in the season-opener at the Harris Chain, but has fared no better than 71st in the five tournaments since then.

"It's definitely exciting, that's for sure," he said. "It's been slow going since that first one."

Like Brauer, he's throwing a jig around brushpiles. The 5-pounder that topped his bag was the biggest fish that's been weighed in the event.

He said he lost one that size and one that was perhaps a pound heavier on day 1, when he returned with an empty bag. He also had a 4 come unbuttoned on day 2, and all three of those fish were in the same spot.

"I know I've got a lot of ground to make up, but there's a lot of good fish in there. It has the potential for a 20-pound bag.

"I've hardly caught any short fish at all – just about everything in there is quality."

6th: McCaghren Perplexed

> Day 3: 3, 6-00 (12, 30-07)

McCaghren's bag was short for the second straight day, and this time it was lacking two fish instead of just one. He caught his third keeper with 5 minutes to go.

"I'm really not sure what happened, but that's something that happens down there (at Pine Bluff) occasionally," he said. "I don't think they left – I think they just didn't bite. But some other people found that same stuff and I think they've been cleaning them out."

He said he lost one fish before he locked today that might've been a keeper, but "would've been questionable.

"I'll probably go back there tomorrow. I have another place down there where I think I can catch a limit – maybe 8 or 10 pounds.

"I'm happy with the Top 12, but I'm disappointed that now I don't have a real shot at winning."

7th: Tough Day for KVD

> Day 3: 2, 4-09 (12, 30-04)

Kevin VanDam's day got off to a poor start and never really improved. He suffered flats on both of his trailer tires on the way to the launch and had to drive about 3 miles on the rims.

Once he got on the water, he experienced one of those rare days when he couldn't pull anything together.

"We lost the hour of fishing time and that makes it a little harder, but other than that, I'm not really sure (what the problem was)," he said. "I don't know if it was that the pressure got to the fish or they moved or what.

"I had one good one that I lost and I caught a few shorts, but not as many as I had been."

At least his trailer issue has been resolved.

"I just have to say thanks to David White, the Nitro service guy. When I got back in there were two new tires on it."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 13 limits, 9 fours, 12 threes, 10 twos, 5 ones, 1 zero.

> After missing four straight cuts, BassFan Big Stick Brent Chapman pulled himself back into Bassmaster Classic contention with his 14th-place finish. To read his competition wrapup, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., June 12 - Mostly Sunny - 93°/75°
- Wind: From the S/SW at 11 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 15, 44-13 -- 315
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 19-07 -- Day 3: 5, 10-12

2. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 14, 34-11 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12 -- Day 3: 4, 11-08

3. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 15, 34-06 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14 -- Day 3: 5, 13-00

4. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 33-15 -- 285
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 5, 15-10 -- Day 3: 5, 18-05

5. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 14, 32-12 -- 280
Day 1: 4, 08-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07 -- Day 3: 5, 12-01

6. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 12, 30-07 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 4, 11-04 -- Day 3: 3, 06-00

7. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 12, 30-04 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15 -- Day 3: 2, 04-09

8. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 14, 29-15 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15 -- Day 3: 4, 08-10

9. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 14, 29-10 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 4, 06-07 -- Day 3: 5, 08-11

10. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 12, 29-03 -- 260
Day 1: 3, 07-06 -- Day 2: 4, 09-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-12

11. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 14, 28-02 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 07-09 -- Day 2: 4, 11-09 -- Day 3: 5, 09-00

12. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 11, 27-14 -- 254
Day 1: 2, 04-09 -- Day 2: 4, 09-03 -- Day 3: 5, 14-02

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

13. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 15, 26-06 -- 251 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-06 -- Day 2: 5, 08-06 -- Day 3: 5, 08-10
14. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 14, 26-02 -- 248 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03 -- Day 3: 4, 06-06
15. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 14, 25-15 -- 245 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06 -- Day 3: 4, 06-05
16. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 9, 25-14 -- 243 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 09-02 -- Day 2: 4, 10-06 -- Day 3: 2, 06-06
17. Ben Parker -- Springville, TN -- 12, 24-07 -- 241 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 06-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-04 -- Day 3: 4, 09-08
18. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 12, 24-07 -- 239 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-07 -- Day 2: 3, 07-07 -- Day 3: 5, 08-09
19. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 24-07 -- 237 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 2, 05-15 -- Day 3: 3, 08-04
20. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 11, 24-06 -- 235 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01 -- Day 3: 1, 02-00
21. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 10, 24-01 -- 233 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 04-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13 -- Day 3: 3, 05-01
22. Clark Reehm -- Lufkin, TX -- 13, 23-15 -- 231 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 08-06 -- Day 3: 3, 03-03
23. Keith Poche -- Troy, AL -- 11, 23-15 -- 229 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 2, 02-15 -- Day 3: 4, 07-08
24. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 11, 23-13 -- 227 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 02-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07 -- Day 3: 5, 09-05
25. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 12, 23-00 -- 225 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 3, 05-14 -- Day 3: 4, 07-00
26. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 22-08 -- 223 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 09-12 -- Day 2: 3, 06-06 -- Day 3: 3, 06-06
27. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, VA -- 14, 22-04 -- 221 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-03 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08 -- Day 3: 5, 07-09
28. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 22-03 -- 219 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-00 -- Day 2: 4, 11-10 -- Day 3: 2, 03-09
29. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 9, 22-03 -- 217 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 10-11 -- Day 2: 2, 03-11 -- Day 3: 3, 07-13
30. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 12, 20-13 -- 215 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-00 -- Day 2: 3, 04-12 -- Day 3: 4, 06-01
31. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 9, 20-11 -- 213 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 08-02 -- Day 2: 3, 06-05 -- Day 3: 3, 06-04
32. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 8, 20-08 -- 211 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 03-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 2, 03-14
33. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 20-07 -- 209 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 07-04 -- Day 3: 5, 04-07
34. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 12, 20-06 -- 207 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 06-15 -- Day 3: 2, 03-06
35. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 9, 19-14 -- 205 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 3, 07-06 -- Day 3: 1, 01-08
36. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 12, 19-08 -- 203 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 06-14 -- Day 2: 4, 06-08 -- Day 3: 4, 06-02
37. Dean Alexander -- Georgetown, TX -- 10, 19-08 -- 201 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 03-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12 -- Day 3: 3, 05-13
38. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 9, 19-08 -- 199 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 02-12 -- Day 2: 4, 09-12 -- Day 3: 3, 07-00
39. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 11, 19-06 -- 197 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-09 -- Day 2: 4, 08-00 -- Day 3: 3, 03-13
40. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 9, 18-15 -- 195 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-05 -- Day 2: 2, 06-03 -- Day 3: 3, 05-07
41. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 13, 18-02 -- 193 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-08 -- Day 3: 3, 01-15
42. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 17-12 -- 191 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-06 -- Day 2: 5, 09-06 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00
43. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 7, 17-12 -- 189 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 05-05 -- Day 2: 3, 08-00 -- Day 3: 2, 04-07
44. Morizo Shimizu -- Matsugaoka JAPAN -- 8, 17-05 -- 187 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-02 -- Day 2: 3, 05-07 -- Day 3: 1, 03-12
45. Shaw E Grigsby -- Gainesville, FL -- 7, 17-03 -- 185 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00 -- Day 3: 2, 04-03
46. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 9, 16-13 -- 183 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 2, 04-02 -- Day 3: 2, 02-06
47. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 8, 15-14 -- 181 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 06-07 -- Day 2: 3, 06-03 -- Day 3: 2, 03-04
48. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 7, 15-12 -- 179 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-08 -- Day 2: 2, 04-09 -- Day 3: 1, 02-11
49. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 8, 15-09 -- 177 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-09 -- Day 2: 3, 06-00 -- Day 3: 1, 01-00
50. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 8, 14-08 -- 175 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 1, 00-11 -- Day 3: 2, 01-13