By BassFan Staff
When the Bassmaster Elite Series visited Toledo Bend last year, Brent Chapman finished in 56th place and failed to advance to the weekend by less than a pound. It was the second of four straight missed 50-cuts that necessitated a late-season rally by the Kansan to qualify for this year's Bassmaster Classic.
This time around, the 39-year-old Chapman is in the midst of perhaps his finest season ever. He began the campaign with three straight Top 5s and, after a stumble at Douglas, he's right back on the fast track again.
He boxed 25 1/2 pounds today to move into the lead with a 2-day total of 43-09 as he looks to regain the top slot in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race that he held prior to Douglas and also claim his first Elite victory. He'll go into day 3 with an advantage of just over a pound and a half.
Matt Herren, who's fished superbly this year after a lackluster 2011 season, caught 22 pounds to jump from 6th to 2nd with 42-00. Day-1 leader Cliff Pace came in with 16-10 and fell to 3rd with 39-12.
Two-time Elite winner Casey Ashley, who came in at No. 63 in the points and with no finishes higher than 44th this year, maintained his No. 4 position with an 18-06 sack for a 39-03 aggregate. The ever-consistent Ott DeFoe rounds out the Top 5 with a 20-09 bag today for a 38-02 aggregate.
Here's how the Top 12 shakes out at the midway point (deficit margin from leader is noted by red numbers in parentheses):
1. Brent Chapman: 43-09
2. Matt Herren: 42-00 (1-09)
3. Cliff Pace: 39-12 (3-13)
4. Casey Ashley: 39-03 (4-06)
5. Ott DeFoe: 38-02 (5-07)
6. Marty Robinson: 37-04 (5-15)
7. Mark Davis: 35-13 (7-12)
8. Chris Zaldain: 35-11 (7-14)
9. Jeff Kriet: 34-15 (8-10)
10. Greg Hackney: 34-10 (8-15)
11. Denny Brauer: 34-00 (9-09)
12. Cliff Prince: 33-09 (10-00)
Kriet and Prince made huge moves from deep in the field today. Kriet's 25-00 sack was bested only by Chapman's haul and catapulted him up 56 places in the standings. Prince, a rookie from Florida, sacked 23-10 to gain 55 places.
Others who moved into the Top 12 today were Defoe, Robinson (who caught 21-12), Zaldain (19-10) and Hackney (17-02). Moving out were Brandon Palaniuk, Paul Elias, Fred Roumbanis, Yusuke Miyazaki, Bradley Roy and Todd Faircloth, although none fell further than 23rd place.
Four-time defending AOY Kevin VanDam, who began the day in 40th, weighed just three fish, but one was a 7-pounder and his 11-06 bag left him in 43rd. It marked the 17th straight event in which he's advanced to day 3.
Tomorrow's weather forecast for the Many, La. area predicts scattered thunderstorms with a high temperature of 88 degrees and an easterly wind to 7 mph. The field will be cut to the Top 12 following the weigh-in and the winner will be determined Sunday by highest 4-day weight.
Chapman Caught 'Em Quickly
> Day 2: 5, 25-08 (10, 43-09)
Chapman said he had all of his weight by 8:30 this morning.
"It was pretty awesome, but that part's a little scary," he said. "I caught a few here and there the rest of the day, but all the fast and furious action was over pretty quick. At 8:20 I lost one that was about 6 pounds and that probably would've given me another pound."
His bag contained three fish that topped the 5-pound mark (the biggest was a 5-13). He had one that was just under 5 and a 4 1/2.
He has no company in his primary locale.
"I don't know if I'm fishing deeper than everybody else or what. I've got five different spots that nobody's fishing, but the other spots haven't really panned out.
"Today I got off the fish – I was catching 3s and 4s and I had to ask myself, 'Why am I sticking these, especially when I've got the place to myself. I think if I hunkered down and fished real slow I could catch some more of the bigger ones, but it's hard to keep doing that with fish that could potentially help down the road."
"It's just been an amazing tournament so far," he continued, "and it's good to be on this end of things instead of where I was at the last one."
Matt Herren is working three schools of fish that are in the same general area of the lake.
2nd: Herren All Alone
> Day 2: 5, 22-00 (10, 42-00)
Herren's working three schools of fish that are all within sight of each other. Like Chapman, he has no issues with company.
"I've been trying to nurse them the best I can to get to the weekend, and now I can go out and catch what's there," he said. "I'd like to keep catching 19 to 22 (pounds) a day – we'll just have to see if they'll bite."
His action was on and off throughout the day. He went through about 20 keepers and the best was a 5-pounder.
"Today I caught them fairly quick – yesterday I probably caught 100 fish. I haven't caught a really big one yet. I've lost one each day that was probably 7 or better.
"It's just a typical offshore deal. I'm just using typical baits and working the schools. I'm pretty confident (for the weekend), but we'll have to see what the Texas/Louisiana weather does to us. The biggest thing that could hinder me is a lot of wind."
3rd: Slower Day for Pace
> Day 2: 5, 16-10 (10, 39-12)
Pace caught only eight keepers today and was fortunate that one was a 6-pounder.
"I really struggled," he said. "I did get a limit early, but after that it was hard all day long. I didn't get nearly as many bites (as on day 1).
"I just don't think they were there. They weren't on the stuff I was fishing."
He revealed that he's caught all of his fish thus far from deep water on a 3/4-ounce V&M football jig.
"I'm going to have to think about what to do tomorrow and I'll probably just let the day go however it's going to go. I'm not going to die on that one spot. I'm not going to change the way I'm fishing, but I might go fish some different stuff.
"You never know what could happen. I could pull up on a place tomorrow and have it be the same kind of thing as yesterday (when he boxed 23 pounds). I haven't given up – I'm going to fight ever minute I'm out there and see where I end up."
4th: Ashley Stays Put
> Day 2: 5, 18-06 (10, 39-03)
Ashley's bag was about 2 1/2 pounds lighter than the one he caught on day 1, but it didn't cost him any ground in the standings.
"I'm right where I want to be," he said. "As long as I can stay in that Top 5, I'm within striking distance.
"It was a little tougher today. The place where I caught them yesterday morning, I only caught two day and I had to go to my second spot. I milled around in the first spot too long waiting for them to bite."
He loaded up in a hurry once he relocated at about 10:00.
"When I made my move, they were biting and I caught the tail end of it. It was boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and then they were done."
Like Pace, he's fishing offshore with a 3/4-ounce football jig. His best fish today was a 5 1/2-pounder.
"There's no pattern to it – it's just spot-fishing. I haven't had any company yet. There were some locals watching me, but they were really respectful and kept their distance, and hopefully they won't fish my stuff when I'm not there
"I don't think I have anything to worry about during tournament hours, but there's a lot of wildcat night derbies that go on."
78th: Combs' Timing was Off
> Day 2: 3, 5-14 (8, 16-12)
Keith Combs, an offshore enthusiast and resident of nearby Huntington, Texas, was an angler many predicted to do well in this event. However, he ended up 78th after weighing a pedestrian limit on day 1 and coming in with just three fish today.
"My practice was good and I thought I would catch them, and several guys did really good on some of the spots I was hitting," he said. "Where Kriet and Ott caught their fish was part of my rotation and out of the 20 places I had, two of them are places where Pace is fishing.
"I couldn't believe how long those guys were staying in some of those places, but it worked for them. Maybe I needed to really sit down and milk those spots.
"I think I just fished right over a bunch of 20-pound bags," he concluded. "I just want to throw my hands up and forget about this one."
Notable
> Day 2 stats – 99 anglers, 67 limits (9 fewer than day 1), 9 fours, 11 threes, 4 twos, 5 ones, 3 zeroes (3 more than day 1).
> Rick Morris (35th, 21-14 today) and J. Todd Tucker (49th, 18-06) were other anglers who mounted huge comebacks to make the cut.
> Gerald Swindle finished 51st to miss the cut for the first time in 13 outings.
> Randy Howell, who came in as the AOY leader, ended up 75th.
Weather Forecast
> Sat., June 9 – Scattered T-Storms - 88°/69°
- Wind: From the E at 7 mph
> Sun., June 10 – Isolated T-Storms - 88°/71°
- Wind: From the S at 8 mph
Day 2 Standings
1. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 43-09 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 18-01 -- Day 2: 5, 25-08
2. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 10, 42-00 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 20-00 -- Day 2: 5, 22-00
3. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 39-12 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 23-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10
4. Casey D Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 39-03 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 20-13 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06
5. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 38-02 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 20-09
6. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 10, 37-04 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-12
7. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 35-13 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 20-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-10
8. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 10, 35-11 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 19-10
9. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 10, 34-15 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 25-00
10. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 34-10 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02
11. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 10, 34-00 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 22-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-08
12. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 8, 33-09 -- 88
Day 1: 3, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 23-10
13. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 9, 33-08 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 19-12 -- Day 2: 4, 13-12
14. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 32-15 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13
15. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 10, 32-05 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 18-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10
16. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 32-01 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 17-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03
17. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 10, 32-00 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13
18. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 10, 31-15 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 23-03
19. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 31-00 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00
20. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 10, 30-09 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08
21. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 10, 30-08 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01
22. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 30-05 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03
23. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 30-00 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 21-02 -- Day 2: 5, 08-14
24. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 29-01 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04
25. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 28-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02
26. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 10, 27-15 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 16-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-02
27. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 10, 27-12 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13
28. Michael Iaconelli -- Pittsgrove, NJ -- 10, 27-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00
29. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 10, 27-02 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09
30. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 9, 26-10 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 4, 09-07
31. Fletcher Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 8, 26-03 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 3, 10-04
32. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 10, 26-00 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11
33. Alton Jones -- Woodway, TX -- 10, 25-12 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14
34. Shaw E Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 25-11 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11
35. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 7, 25-08 -- 65
Day 1: 2, 03-10 -- Day 2: 5, 21-14
36. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 25-01 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03
37. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 10, 24-14 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13
38. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 24-09 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-08
39. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 10, 24-07 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 09-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09
40. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 10, 24-07 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 10-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07
41. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 10, 24-07 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05
42. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 23-14 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 10-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04
43. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 8, 23-13 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 3, 11-06
44. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 23-12 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15
45. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 10, 23-11 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-13
46. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 23-05 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04
47. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 10, 23-04 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12
48. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 10, 22-14 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 10-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04
49. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 8, 22-14 -- 51
Day 1: 3, 04-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06
50. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 22-09 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.
51. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 22-09 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10
52. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 10, 22-08 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07
53. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 22-00 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 09-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06
54. Morizo Shimizu -- Matsugaoka, Japan -- 10, 22-00 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02
55. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 8, 21-14 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 3, 06-03
56. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 21-12 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 08-07
57. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 9, 21-06 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 4, 10-00
58. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 7, 21-01 -- 42
Day 1: 2, 03-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-01
59. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 9, 20-13 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 10-07 -- Day 2: 4, 10-06
60. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 10, 20-11 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15
61. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 8, 20-11 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 3, 09-00
62. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 10, 20-10 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 08-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00
63. Michael Simonton -- Fremont, OH -- 7, 20-03 -- 37
Day 1: 4, 10-04 -- Day 2: 3, 09-15
64. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 19-15 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 10-10 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05
65. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 10, 19-10 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 10-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15
66. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 10, 19-05 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 08-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14
67. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 10, 19-04 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 09-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12
68. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 10, 19-02 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15
69. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 19-01 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 08-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06
70. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 8, 18-12 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 3, 05-07
71. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 8, 18-11 -- 29
Day 1: 3, 07-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04
72. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 9, 18-10 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 4, 06-15
73. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 8, 18-08 -- 27
Day 1: 3, 08-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-04
74. Pat Golden -- Bethlehem, GA -- 10, 18-02 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15
75. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 10, 18-00 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-01
76. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 7, 17-02 -- 24
Day 1: 2, 04-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13
77. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, AL -- 9, 16-13 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 09-12 -- Day 2: 4, 07-01
78. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 8, 16-12 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 3, 05-14
79. Casey Scanlon -- Lenexa, KS -- 9, 16-08 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 09-14 -- Day 2: 4, 06-10
80. Jeremy Starks -- Scott Depot, WV -- 9, 16-04 -- 20
Day 1: 4, 07-00 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04
81. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 6, 15-01 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 1, 04-13
82. Kelly Jordon -- Palestine, TX -- 9, 14-06 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 06-15 -- Day 2: 4, 07-07
83. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 7, 14-05 -- 17
Day 1: 4, 06-05 -- Day 2: 3, 08-00
84. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 14-05 -- 16
Day 1: 4, 12-01 -- Day 2: 1, 02-04
85. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 6, 13-10 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 07-13 -- Day 2: 1, 05-13
86. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, TX -- 5, 13-09 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00
87. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 7, 13-05 -- 13
Day 1: 3, 06-09 -- Day 2: 4, 06-12
88. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 6, 12-02 -- 12
Day 1: 1, 01-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10
89. Kyle A. Fox -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 12-00 -- 11
Day 1: 2, 07-01 -- Day 2: 3, 04-15
90. Russell Parrish -- Riesel, TX -- 4, 11-13 -- 10
Day 1: 4, 11-13 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00
91. Travis Manson -- De Pere, WI -- 7, 11-10 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 08-07 -- Day 2: 2, 03-03
92. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, FL -- 6, 10-05 -- 8
Day 1: 4, 06-08 -- Day 2: 2, 03-13
93. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 6, 09-05 -- 7
Day 1: 3, 04-08 -- Day 2: 3, 04-13
94. Clark Reehm -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 08-04 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 03-07 -- Day 2: 3, 04-13
95. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 3, 06-03 -- 5
Day 1: 1, 01-12 -- Day 2: 2, 04-07
96. Byron Velvick -- Boenre, TX -- 3, 04-03 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 01-07 -- Day 2: 2, 02-12
97. Brent Broderick -- Oregonia, OH -- 2, 04-03 -- 3
Day 1: 1, 02-10 -- Day 2: 1, 01-09
98. Grant Goldbeck -- Boerne, TX -- 1, 03-07 -- 2
Day 1: 1, 03-07 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00
99. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 2, 03-01 -- 1
Day 1: 1, 01-13 -- Day 2: 1, 01-04
