Grigsby's 22-15 Holds Up As Floridians Set Pace

By BassFan Staff

Three Florida pros occupy the top three positions on the leaderboard after day 1. A 6-pound largemouth was the big fish of the day. Wait, isn’t this week’s Elite Series tournament at the St. Lawrence River?

Rub your eyes all you want, BassFans, it’s not a misprint – that’s exactly how day 1 in New York’s North Country played out.

Shaw Grigsby, the first angler to cross the stage today, caught a 22-15 stringer of smallmouth that held up as the standard. Bobby Lane, who’s still recovering from a foot injury he suffered just before ICAST, is 2nd with 21-10 while Bernie Schultz, who’s made a habit of recording strong finishes up north, is 3rd with 21-07.

They lead a pack of 10 anglers who caught 20 pounds or more on a breezy and sometimes rainy day at the St. Lawrence, where the fish continue to transition out of their post-spawn phase.

Alton Jones is 3 ounces behind Schultz in 4th with 21-04, while Edwin Evers, who won the last Elite Series event at Kentucky Lake, opened with 21-03 in 5th. A margin of 1 pound, 13 ounces separates the Top 6 pros.

Here's a look at the Top 12 after the first day of competition, with deficit margin from Grigsby indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Shaw Grigsby: 22-15
2. Bobby Lane: 21-10 (1-05)
3. Bernie Schultz: 21-07 (1-08)
4. Alton Jones: 21-04 (1-11)
5. Edwin Evers: 21-03 (1-12)
6. Stephen Browning: 21-02 (1-13)
7 (tie). Mike Iaconelli: 20-12 (2-03)
7 (tie). Russ Lane: 20-12 (2-03)
9. Skeet Reese: 20-08 (2-07)
10. Kevin Ledoux: 20-07 (2-08)
11. Mark Davis: 19-14 (3-01)
12. Morizo Shimizu: 19-10 (3-05)

While smallmouth accounted for the majority of weight caught today, several anglers targeted largemouth exclusively and a few were rewarded with superb catches. Stephen Browning, who’s in 6th with 21-02, had a 5-07 largemouth and another in the 4-pound range in his bag while Zell Rowland (35th) caught a 6-pounder that anchored his 17-08 sack.

The catch rates are nowhere near what they were compared to day 1 of the 2013 Elite Series event at Waddington. There aren’t many areas where the smallmouth are grouped up like they tend to do in the summer and that has some anglers focusing on one-fish spots. Others had success on one area for a spell and then went looking for similar scenarios as the nomadic nature of smallmouth always breeds concern that they’ll be gone tomorrow.

A pretty strong rain storm moved across the river valley around mid morning, but once the sun broke through and the wind picked up, the fishing improved. The weather is expected to be partly cloudy Friday with a high of 82 before scattered thunderstorms move in for the weekend.

As far as the AOY chase goes, points leader Dean Rojas (49th) and No. 2 Justin Lucas (84th) have their work cut out for them to hold off 3rd-place Aaron Martens, who caught 19-08 and sits in 13th. Just 4 points separated the three coming into the tournament.

The field will be reduced to the Top 50 anglers after tomorrow, with the Top 12 from Saturday’s competition moving on to Sunday, when the winner will be determined by total cumulative weight.

’Special Day’ for Grigsby

> Day 1: 5, 22-15

Grigsby called today “a special day,” one of those when-it-rains-it-pours type of days and that’s to say nothing of the mid-day deluge he and the rest of the field experienced.

“Things just happened right for me,” he said.

He returned to a spot that he’d found in practice Monday and amassed four fish in the 4 1/2-pound range or bigger. He also had a 3 1/2-pounder, or a “squeaker,” as he called it.

“That's kind of small for this place and after I finished my limit, I told myself I ought to make another cast,” he said.

So he did and he caught a 4-pounder to cull the 3 1/2. He added another 4 1/2 later on not far from the launch ramp.

“It was just one of those days,” he said. “It was really special and a lot of fun. Smallmouth are like heart attacks. It’s just a matter of praying that you keep them hooked up. They don’t ever quit fighting. They’re the most amazing fish God ever created – them and the tarpon for saltwater.”

He said he has some spots where he can “catch one here and there,” but he’s interested to see if he his best spot will continue to produce tomorrow.

“I think because of the rain we had the fishery is getting better,” he said. “We had extreme heat for a few days and I’m not sure these fish are real used to that. It’s cooled off and we had all this good stuff going on.”

He totaled eight bites throughout the day and said the better fish he’s catching are in deeper water.

2nd: Lane Changed It Up

> Day 1: 5, 21-10

Bobby Lane would much rather his fishing be a topic of conversation this week than his injured foot. If he keeps up the pace he set today, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Lane had to have a friend drive him to New York so he didn’t have to have his ailing right foot on the gas pedal the whole way. He’s still recovering from a severe cut suffered when he stepped on a piece of glass on July 4.

He said he caught a couple fish on a dropshot today, but the rest came on a totally different technique that he used a couple years ago and thought he’d use at the beginning of the week.

“When you come back to a place for a second time, you always go back to the same places you caught them before,” he said. “I did that, but I’m catching them completely different from how I did it 2 years ago. I had to rearrange everything on the last day to put myself in the position I’m in. I’m committed to what I wanted to do.”

He declined to give any specifics about his tactics.

“Everything is completely different except for the Abu Garcia Revo reel, the Abu Garcia Veracity rod and the SpiderWire line,” he added.

He only had nine bites, but two of those were 5-pounders that anchored his stringer. He also had a 4-pounder mixed in.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “It’s an absolute grind. The last time we were here, I caught 30 or 40 on day 1. The reason some of the weights are good this time is the fish are the same, but we’re not catching as many. These fish are just in a different transition period.”

3rd: Schultz Surprised

> Day 1: 5, 21-07

After practice, Schultz figured a good day in the tournament for him would be 16 pounds and a mediocre bag would be in the 14-pound range. He exceeded both estimates by a good bit today.

“Things went just right for me,” he said. “I had no idea they’d catch them like they did. I had some good bites today. I didn’t catch any more fish than I had been. I just caught 4-pounders.”

He said there was widespread surprise amazement among competitors in his flight that the weights were as good as they were.

“It was an eye-opener,” he said. “I didn’t expect that.”

He said he’s fishing mostly the same way as he did in 2013, but there is a “fraction of the fish compared to 2 years ago. There are a lot fewer fish in the areas. I was telling some people that 2 years ago, in a place where I’d see a dozen to 15 fish, I’m lucky to see five or six there now.
The placed that had five or six, there’s maybe one or none now.

“I’m not sure why there aren’t as many, but there are still some big ones.”

4th: Jones Caught ‘em Deep and Shallow

> Day 1: 5, 21-04

Jones said he had reasonably high expectations after practice and he was able to back it up with a strong day-1 weight.

“I don’t have a spot to wreck ‘em, but I have some reliable patterns working,” he said. “I have some groups of fish found, but I wasn’t catching the right size out of them. I’m just targeting singles now.”

He figured he caught roughly four limits worth of bass today and culled an 18-pound bag.

“I’m catching quality doing what I’m doing and I’m happy that I didn’t have to fish everything I found in practice,” he said. “I’ll probably repeat some water tomorrow, but I’m guessing the majority of my weight will come off fresh stuff. That’s just how this place is fishing right now.”

Of the fish he weighed in, three came shallow – in the 2-foot range – while the other two were from 30 feet of water. He weighed in all smallmouth.

“They’re just not on the places they’re supposed to be schooled up,” he said. “You have to drift a long way to find a spot that has a fish on it. I’m interested to see if a fish is on some of the same places tomorrow.”

5th: Evers Overcame Misfortune

> Day 1: 5, 21-03

Evers overcame a couple bouts with misfortune to secure a spot in the Top 5.

“Today started off really bad,” he said. “I caught a 4-pounder right away on a dropshot, but it was hooked in the chin off all places and I had to let it go. Then I had a 4-pounder come off just as I reached for it with my hand.

“Other than that, I guess you could say I survived. I was real worried about catching a limit after having to let that 4 go. It makes you cringe a little.”

He didn’t reveal too much about his strategy, other than to say he’s got “a pattern going and it’s something I can run around and do. I’m looking for certain current deals.”

With a berth in next year’s Bassmaster Classic already secured by virtue of his win at BASSFest, he said he’s able to take a few more risks.

“I’m super excited to have another good day,” he said. “Starting the year like I did, I really worked hard to get back up to a respectable level in the standings. It’s easier to make decisions with the Classic made. I’m trying to put myself in position to win and it’s definitely not a numbers deal this week.”

7th (tie): Lane Saw More Action After Rain

> Day 1: 5, 20-12

Russ Lane had an up-and-down practice, but he thinks that had more to do with the depth range he was targeting than anything else. He felt like he started to unlock some of the keys on Tuesday and today he continued to build on it.

But not until after the rain moved through and the sun started shining again.

“I had two fish before the rain came and they weren’t good ones,” he said. “When it was cloudy and raining I couldn’t catch anything. I was actually scared to death about 10:30 or 11. Then the sun popped out and I started catching them. About 30 minutes after the sun came out, it was game on for a couple hours.”

He did most of his damage with a Big Bite Baits Jointed Jerk Minnow rigged on a dropshot.

“Everything came off one place that’s about 25 yards wide,” he said. “They’re in that in-between depth range.”

And that’s what has him concerned for tomorrow and part of the reason he tried to locate other productive spots this afternoon.

“I don’t have a clue if I can catch them again tomorrow,” he added. “If they’re still there, I probably could do well, but those smallmouth are liable to up and leave. It scares me that they’re in that in-between zone.”

99th (tie): Faircloth’s Fish Shrunk

> Day 1: 5, 9-14

Todd Faircloth is mired in one of the worst slumps of his career. He finished 9th at the Sabine River in the season opener and hasn’t cashed a check since. It’s highly unusual for one of the most consistent performers of the last decade to have two bad events in a row, let alone four.

“I’ve been in a slump and I haven’t been in one of those for quite some time,” he said. “I’m having a hard time getting out of it.”

Things didn’t get any better today for the Texan who said his best day in practice would’ve resulted in about 18 pounds.

“I went to the same areas where I caught the better quality fish and all I caught were 14-inchers,” he said. “I got the bites I thought I’d get, but there was no size there. I don’t know what to say. I’m scratching my head about it.”

With the fish in a seasonal transition he said it’s difficult to focus on one particular pattern and run with it.

“There’s a lot going on right now,” he added. “There’s not one specific deal like last time when it seemed like all of the big fish were deeper. That’s not the case this year.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 107 anglers, 95 limits, 7 fours, 2 threes, 3 twos.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., July 31 – Mostly Sunny - 83°/61°
- Wind: From the WSW at 10 to 20 mph

> Sat., Aug. 1 – Sunny - 84°/59°
- Wind: From the WSW at 10 to 15 mph

> Sun., Aug. 2 – Sunny - 84°/61°
- Wind: From the SW at 10 to 20 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 22-15 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 22-15

2. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 21-10 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 21-10

3. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 21-07 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 21-07

4. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 21-04 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 21-04

5. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 21-03 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 21-03

6. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 21-02 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 21-02

7. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 20-12 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 20-12

7. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 20-12 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 20-12

9. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 20-08 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 20-08

10. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 5, 20-07 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 20-07

11. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 19-14 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 19-14

12. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka JAPAN -- 5, 19-10 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 19-10

13. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 5, 19-08 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 19-08

13. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 19-08 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 19-08

15. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 19-01 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 19-01

16. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 18-15 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 18-15

16. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 18-15 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 18-15

18. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 5, 18-14 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 18-14

18. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 5, 18-14 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 18-14

20. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 18-08 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 18-08

21. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 18-07 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 18-07

22. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 5, 18-06 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 18-06

23. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 18-04 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 18-04

24. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 18-03 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 18-03

24. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 18-03 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 18-03

26. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 18-02 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 18-02

27. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 18-02 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 18-02

28. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 18-01 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 18-01

29. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 18-00 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 18-00

30. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 17-15 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 17-15

31. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 17-13 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 17-13

32. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 17-13 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 17-13

33. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 17-12 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 17-12

34. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 17-09 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 17-09

35. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 5, 17-08 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 17-08

36. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 5, 17-05 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 17-05

37. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 17-04 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 17-04

37. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 17-04 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 17-04

39. John Crews Jr. -- Salem, VA -- 5, 17-03 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 17-03

39. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 17-03 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 17-03

39. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 5, 17-03 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 17-03

42. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 17-01 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 17-01

42. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 17-01 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 17-01

44. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 16-13 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 16-13

45. Hank Cherry Jr. -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 16-12 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 16-12

46. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 16-09 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 16-09

47. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-08 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 16-08

47. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 16-08 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 16-08

49. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 16-06 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 16-06

50. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 5, 16-03 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 16-03

51. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 16-02 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 16-02

52. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 5, 16-00 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 16-00

53. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 16-00 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 16-00

54. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 15-15 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 15-15

55. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 15-13 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 15-13

56. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 15-12 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 15-12

57. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-11 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 15-11

58. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-09 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 15-09

59. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 15-08 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 15-08

60. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 15-06 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 15-06

61. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 15-05 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 15-05

62. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 14-14 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 14-14

63. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 14-10 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 14-10

64. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 14-08 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 14-08

65. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 14-07 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 14-07

66. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 14-04 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 14-04

66. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 14-04 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 14-04

68. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 14-04 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 14-04

69. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 14-01 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 14-01

70. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 14-00 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 14-00

70. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 14-00 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 14-00

72. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 14-00 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 14-00

73. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 5, 13-15 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 13-15

73. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 5, 13-15 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 13-15

75. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 13-14 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 13-14

76. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 13-11 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 13-11

77. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 13-10 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 13-10

78. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 5, 13-08 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 13-08

79. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 5, 13-06 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 13-06

80. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 4, 13-04 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 13-04

81. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 12-12 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 12-12

82. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 12-10 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 12-10

83. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 4, 12-10 -- 18
Day 1: 4, 12-10

84. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 12-09 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 12-09

84. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 12-09 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 12-09

86. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 11-15 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 11-15

87. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 11-14 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 11-14

88. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 3, 11-12 -- 13
Day 1: 3, 11-12

89. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 11-09 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 11-09

90. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 11-07 -- 11
Day 1: 4, 11-07

91. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 4, 11-05 -- 10
Day 1: 4, 11-05

92. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 11-02 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 11-02

93. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 3, 11-02 -- 8
Day 1: 3, 11-02

94. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 11-00 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 11-00

94. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 5, 11-00 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 11-00

96. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 10-12 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 10-12

97. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 10-11 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 10-11

98. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 10-02 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 10-02

99. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 09-14 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 09-14

99. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname -- Aichi JAPAN -- 5, 09-14 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 09-14

101. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 4, 09-10 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-10

102. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 4, 09-03 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-03

103. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 4, 07-14 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 07-14

104. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 2, 07-03 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 07-03

105. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 07-02 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 07-02

106. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 2, 07-02 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 07-02

107. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 2, 05-11 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 05-11