Feider Takes Lead As 2-Day Total Surpasses 50

By BassFan Staff

Seth Feider likely won't qualify for the 2017 Bassmaster Classic even if he wins the Angler of the Year Championship on his favorite body of water. Nonetheless, the only home-state competitor in the field at Minnesota's Mille Lacs Lake is locked in on the movements of the transitioning smallmouths and, with a dozen or so pals in town to cheer him on, he plans to thoroughly enjoy his weekend.

"I'm not worried about it," he said Friday evening after weighing a 24-11 stringer that gave him a 2-day total of 50-03. "If I made (the Classic), that would be great, but if not, whatever. I'm going to have a few beers tonight and just relax and hang out."

Following the off day on Saturday for Bassmaster University activities, he begin the final round on Sunday with a 1-12 lead over Matt Herren, who boxed 24-09 for a 48-07 total that propelled him from 5th to 2nd. Brent Ehrler was next with 46-03 in the wake of a 20-14 stringer.

Greg Hackney jumped from 7th to 4th with a 45-15 aggregate after scaling 22-10 on day 2. Tommy Biffle rounded out the Top 5 with 45-10 (24-08 on day 2).

Here's how the current Top 12 stacks up (deficit margins from the leader are indicated by red numbers in parentheses):

1. Seith Feider: 50-03
2. Matt Herren: 48-07 (1-12)
3. Brent Ehrler: 46-03 (4-00)
4. Greg Hackney: 45-15 (4-04)
5. Tommy Biffle: 45-10 (4-09)
6. Jason Williamson: 45-03 (5-00)
7. Alton Jones: 44-10 (5-09)
8. (tie) James Elam: 44-09 (5-10)
8. (tie) Dave Lefebre: 44-09 (5-10)
10. Boyd Duckett: 44-01 (6-02)
11. Kevin VanDam: 43-14 (6-05)
12. Drew Benton: 43-06 (6-13)

Points leader Gerald Swindle had a much better day 2 (15-13 as opposed to just 9-09 on day 1), but that didn't gain him any ground in the tournament standings as he remained mired in 49th place. However, he moved one step closer to clinching his second career AOY as Keith Combs, the only competitor with a mathematical chance of catching him, sits in 34th.

Combs must finish 6th or better in the derby to have any shot at the crown, and vaulting over 28 anglers on Sunday will be an incredibly difficult task. Still, Swindle was taking nothing for granted.

“I’ve tried to not think about Angler of the Year, and I’ve done well at focusing on catching fish until I got to Mille Lacs,” he stated in a B.A.S.S. press release. “Now I know what’s on the line and I need to perform here. It’s frustrating to see how well all the guys are doing while it takes everything I’ve got to catch a small limit. But that’s fishing, and I’m still mad at the fish.

“My heart is in the game; my mind is in the game. But I’m a competitor, and it doesn’t matter if a title is on the line or not, I want to win this derby. Right now, I’m not far from dead last, but I’m keeping my eye on the prize, and if the right fish will bite on Sunday, I think I’ll have a good shot at taking home AOY – a title that I have a tremendous amount of respect for.”

Feider moved up one place in the tournament standings on day 2, but actually lost two spots in the points race as Biffle and Adrian Avena surpassed him with stout sacks of their own. His odds of qualifying for the Classic on Sunday might not be quite as daunting as Combs' for winning the AOY, but he's nonetheless an extreme longshot.

In addition to Biffle, other newcomers to the Top 12 on day 2 were Lefebre (23-07 stringer), Duckett (22-07) and newly crowned Rookie of the Year Drew Benton. Lefebre began the event right on the Classic cutoff (39th place) and has moved up to 34th, while Duckett started in 44th and has climbed to 37th.

The sun is expected to make an extended appearance for the first time in the event on Sunday, but a stiff wind is forecast to blow out of the south. If the wind prediction comes true, the field will have a difficult time plying the offshore haunts where the big brown fish are currently hanging out.

Feider Confident

> Day 2: 5, 24-11 (10, 50-03)

Feider's day went pretty much like he expected.

"I caught a couple decent ones early, then I had to spend some time finding a school from yesterday that were gone," he said. "They'd moved like half a mile, and I caught a few nice ones there.

"Then I pretty much made a lap around the lake and caught one of my biggest ones with an hour left."

He boated about 20 keepers and didn't lose any.

"I caught more fish than yesterday, but the same amount of good ones. Sunday is going to be way different, but I'm ready for it. I have a good idea of what I'll need to do.

"I know how this lake works and I've been saving some stuff that I feel like (will be productive) on Sunday."

2nd: Herren Put a Hurtin' on 'Em

> Day 2: 5, 24-09 (10, 48-07)

Herren caught 33 fish on day 2 that combined to weigh approximately 120 pounds.

"In all my years of fishing I've never had a day quite like that," he said. "My wrist and my elbow are just killing me. I caught one on my first cast and I caught one on my last cast."

His bag was made up of clones that were all in the 4 3/4-pound class. He's sharing his spot with Brandon Palaniuk, who boxed 22-11.

"We're only about 10 feet apart," he said. "We both fished there yesterday and I was in 5th place and, to show you what kind of guy he is, he called me last night and asked if it was okay if he came back. I told him, 'Of course, why wouldn't you come back.' We've been having a good time.

"Today we may have hurt that place, though – there was a 50-boat armada that watched it all go down. I'm hoping it reloads, but I don't know. All I know is it's been fun so far."

He said the bigger specimens are taking a particular bait that he and Palaniuk are now both throwing. Herren clued Palaniuk in to it on day 1 when the latter was catching only small fish.

"They've been on that bait like there's no tomorrow," Herren said. "But if I don't catch one on Sunday, I won't cry."

3rd: Ehrler Moved Up

> Day 2: 5, 20-14 (10, 46-03)

Ehrler moved up one place in the standings even though is bag was 4 1/2 pounds lighter than the one he brought to the scale on day 1.

"It was a pretty good day," he said. "I caught an okay limit from one of my better areas, but I didn't want to catch any more out of there because I think I can catch a few good ones (Sunday) if it has a day to rest.

"The place has plenty of fish, but a lot of them are not the ones you want to weigh in. I know where the big ones live – they're all coming from one little area. The thing I don't know is how many of them are down there."

He caught 12 keepers, the biggest of which was a little over 4 1/2 pounds.

"I eliminated a bunch of other spots today so I know where not to waste my time. If the wind gets bad, I don't know what I'll do, because I'm exposed out there. A little bit would help, but I don't want too much.

"Hopefully I can go back there Sunday and catch two or three more good ones and make the Classic."

4th: Biffle All Alone

> Day 2: 5, 24-08 (10, 45-10)

Biffle is making a valiant run at qualifying for the Classic, but he's got more work to do Sunday. He needs to gain three more places in the AOY standings (he's 42nd at the moment), whether that comes via him moving up or other competitors moving down.

"I don't ever figure the points, but I knew if I could win this thing I'd be pretty close," he said. "I'm just going to catch all I can and hope it's enough."

He has his primary location all to himself and handled about 20 keepers on day 2, including a 6-pounder. He didn't lose anything that would've aided him.

"Yesterday I had one break the line down in the reel that was a giant and I had another great big one pull off. I think they were both 6-pounders or bigger.

"I had at least a 25-pound bag or bigger every day in practice and yesterday I was pretty disappointed only catching 21. It was rough out there – I took (waves) over the front all day and a lot of times I didn't know if I had a bite."

30th: Roy A Lot Lighter

> Day 2: 5, 13-03 (10, 36-07)

Bradley Roy was in 8th place after day 1, but his day-2 haul was an ounce more than 10 pounds lighter.

"I really wish I could tell you what happened," he said. "I fished through some of the same areas and the wind was a lot less so I was able to fish more efficiently.

"I caught more fish, but they were just smaller. I don't know if the big ones left or not. I'll have to regroup on Sunday and relocate them, I guess."

A 3 1/2-pounder was his largest fish on day 2. All five that he weighed on Thursday were bigger than that.

"I'm not fishing around that many boats so pressure really wasn't a factor. I've got some other areas where I caught them in practice that I haven't exploited, so I might try them on Sunday."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 50 anglers, 48 limits, 2 fours.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., Sept. 18 – Mostly Sunny – 76°/58°
- Wind: From the S at 13 mph

Current Points Standings

1 -- Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 905
2 -- Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 877
3 -- Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 863
4 -- Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 844
5 -- Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 835
6 -- Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 827
7 -- Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 793
8 -- Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 792
9 -- Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 789
10 -- Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 777
11 -- Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 774
12 -- Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 771
13 -- Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 765
14 -- Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ -- 763
15 -- Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 762
16 -- Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 760
17 -- Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 759
18 -- Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 755
19 -- Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 750
20 -- Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 748
21 -- Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 743
22 -- Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 730
23 -- Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 729
24 -- James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 725
25 -- Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 714
26 -- Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 714
27 -- Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 698
28 -- Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 695
29 -- Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 688
30 -- Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 684
31 -- Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 684
32 -- Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 680
33 -- Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 680
34 -- Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 671
35 -- Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA
36 -- Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 663
37 -- Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 660
38 -- Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 658
39 -- Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 654
40 -- Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 650
41 -- Fred Roumbanis -- London, AR -- 647
42 -- Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 645
43 -- Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 642
44 -- Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 642
45 -- Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 639
46 -- Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 637
47 -- Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 631
48 -- Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 627
49 -- Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 627
50 -- Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 600