Bertrand, Duckett, Lucas All Catch 21-Plus From Erie

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

It turns out that a bone-jarring, equipment-abusing 2-hour boat ride from Sandusky, Ohio to Lake St. Clair in Michigan was entirely unnecessary to compile a good bag on day 1 of the Lake Erie FLW Pro Circuit Super Tournament.

Bass Pro Tour competitors Josh Bertrand, Boyd Duckett and Justin Lucas all surpassed the 21-pound mark by staying in Erie, and they sit atop the leaderboard after opening day of the Pro Circuit's enhanced regular-season finale. Four other BPT anglers are also in the initial Top 10, including Jacob Wheeler, who's so hot right now that he could likely catch a quintet of 4-pounders from any lake in the country without ever getting more than a long cast away from the host marina's docks.

Bertrand, Duckett and Lucas all spent time around the same large shoal – as did more than a dozen others in the 187-angler field. Bertrand amassed a 22-06 stringer, Duckett boxed 21-14 and Lucas had 21-07.

Four others surpassed the 20-pound barrier – Jeremy Lawyer and Joseph Webster with 20-14 apiece, Wheeler with 20-06 and Gerald Spohrer with 20-00. The remainder of the Top 10 consists of Tommy Dickerson (19-13), Kelly Jordon (19-10) and Todd Faircloth (19-01).

A stiff wind up to 12 mph out of the west may have induced the fish in Erie to bite better than they had on the 4 practice days leading up to the derby. It undoubtedly inflicted additional punishment on those who made the 90-mile run to St. Clair.

Ron Nelson, who came into the event with a 73-point lead in the Angler of the Year race, took the long journey and came back with only four keepers. However, they combined to weigh a stout 15-02 and he's in 44th place. He'll lock up the points title on day 2 if he can remain anywhere near that position.

The wind is expected to lighten up on day 2 as the forecast is for 5 to 10 mph out of the east/northeast. That'll bring some relief to the long-distance travelers and could negatively impact the bite on Erie.

The field will be reduced to the Top 50 following the day-2 weigh-in. Only the Top 10 will advance to Friday's final round.

Bertrand said he pinpointed some big fish in Erie during practice, but they were difficult to catch. He boated only seven keepers on day 1, all on a dropshot rig with a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm. His largest specimen weighed 5-11, just 3 ounces off the big bass of the day caught by Dustin Connell.

"I wasn't getting very many bites and I was expecting it to be slow today," he said. "I fished about 15 different places – I moved around a bunch and caught fish off four places. There's just not much structure in U.S. waters (with the Canadian portion of the lake off limits due to coronavirus restrictions) to fish. What is there is getting pounded."

Duckett went through about a dozen keepers, most of them coming from a group of three boulders. His biggest fish weighed just over 5 pounds.

"I had a pretty good rock pile where I'd caught a 4 1/2-pounder in practice and then didn't fish anymore," he said. "I started there and never got a bite. It was a secondary place where I ended up catching them.

"It'd be way tougher on me with no wind. There was just enough today that I could hold in place with the Spot-Lock on my (Minn Kota) trolling motor, with the motor coming out of the water sometimes. Any heavier wind than that and you'd have to drift."

Lucas, who won the BPT season finale a month ago at Sturgeon Bay, said he came into the event knowing that fish management would be critical for anybody not running to St. Clair. He never considered making that daunting voyage due to its physical consequences.

Like Bertrand, he caught seven keepers on a dropshotted MaxScent Flat Worm. Each of his came from a different location.

"The bites were pretty spread out," he said. "There's all kinds of people out there, but I'm not really mixing in with those guys – I'm bouncing around all kinds of stuff.

"The wind doesn't hurt – if you can get out there, they're biting. No wind could make it a little tougher, for sure."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 187 anglers, 123 limits, 18 fours, 14 threes, 14 twos, 11 ones, 7 zeroes.

Weather Forecast

> Weds., Aug. 12 – Partly Cloudy - 87°/65°
- Wind: From the ENE at 6 mph

> Thurs., Aug. 13 – Mostly Sunny - 86°/67°
- Wind: From the ENE at 10 mph

> Fri., Aug. 14 – Mostly Sunny - 86°/67°
- Wind: From the E at 12 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Josh Bertrand -- San Tan Valley, Az -- 22-6 (5)

2. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, Al -- 21-14 (5)

3. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, Al -- 21-7 (5)

4. Joseph Webster -- Winfield, Al -- 20-14 (5)

4. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 20-14 (5)

6. Jacob Wheeler -- Harrison, Tn -- 20-6 (5)

7. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, La -- 20-0 (5)

8. Tommy Dickerson -- Orange, Tx -- 19-13 (5)

9. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, Tx -- 19-10 (5)

10. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Tx -- 19-1 (5)

11. Alton Jones Jr -- Lorena, Tx -- 19-0 (5)

12. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 18-8 (5)

13. Derrick Snavely -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 18-5 (5)

14. Jim Moynagh -- Shakopee, Mn -- 18-4 (5)

15. Spencer Shuffield -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 18-3 (5)

16. Fred Roumbanis -- London, Ar -- 18-1 (5)

17. Terry Luedtke -- Burton, Tx -- 17-14 (5)

17. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 17-14 (5)

19. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 17-10 (5)

20. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 17-7 (5)

21. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 17-5 (5)

22. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mi -- 17-3 (5)

23. Jason Lambert -- Michie, Tn -- 16-9 (5)

24. Mike McClelland -- Blue Eye, Mo -- 16-7 (5)

25. Darold Gleason -- Many, La -- 16-6 (5)

25. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, Al -- 16-6 (5)

27. Kyle Weisenburger -- Columbus Grove, Oh -- 16-5 (5)

28. Casey Scanlon -- Eldon, Mo -- 16-4 (5)

29. Cody Meyer -- Star, Id -- 16-2 (5)

30. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, Al -- 16-1 (5)

31. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 16-0 (5)

32. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, Al -- 15-13 (5)

32. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Al -- 15-13 (5)

32. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 15-13 (5)

35. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Ms -- 15-11 (5)

36. Matt Lee -- Bremen, Al -- 15-9 (5)

36. Russell Lane -- Prattville, Al -- 15-9 (5)

36. Tyler Stewart -- West Monroe, La -- 15-9 (5)

36. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15-9 (4)

40. Justin Atkins -- Florence, Al -- 15-8 (5)

41. Mitch Crane -- Columbus, Ms -- 15-7 (5)

41. Shaw Grigsby -- Gainesville, Fl -- 15-7 (5)

43. Lane Olson -- Sherwood, Or -- 15-6 (5)

44. Ron Nelson -- Berrien Springs, Mi -- 15-2 (4)

45. Kerry Milner -- Fisher, Ar -- 14-13 (5)

46. Cole Floyd -- Leesburg, Oh -- 14-12 (5)

46. Rusty Salewske -- Alpine, Ca -- 14-12 (5)

48. Tyler Woolcott -- Port Orange, Fl -- 14-10 (5)

49. Miles Burghoff -- Soddy-Daisy, Tn -- 14-8 (5)

49. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 14-8 (5)

51. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 14-6 (5)

52. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 14-5 (5)

52. Jimmy Washam -- Covington, Tn -- 14-5 (5)

52. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 14-5 (5)

55. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 14-4 (5)

56. John Hunter -- Simpsonville, Ky -- 14-3 (5)

57. Ryan Salzman -- Huntsville, Al -- 14-1 (5)

58. Andy Young -- Isle, Mn -- 14-0 (5)

58. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 14-0 (5)

58. Jason Vance -- Battle Ground, In -- 14-0 (5)

61. Chip Harrington -- Olathe, Ks -- 13-15 (4)

62. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 13-4 (5)

63. Kyle Hall -- Granbury, Tx -- 13-3 (5)

63. Jon Englund -- Farwell, Mn -- 13-3 (5)

63. Alton Jones -- Lorena, Tx -- 13-3 (5)

66. Clark Reehm -- Elm Grove, La -- 13-2 (5)

67. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 13-1 (5)

67. Dakota Ebare -- Denham Springs, La -- 13-1 (5)

67. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 13-1 (5)

67. Hunter Freeman -- Monroe, La -- 13-1 (5)

71. Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fl -- 13-0 (5)

71. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, Al -- 13-0 (5)

71. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 13-0 (5)

74. Wade Strelic -- Alpine, Ca -- 12-14 (5)

74. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 12-14 (5)

76. Terry Bolton -- Benton, Ky -- 12-13 (5)

76. Jeff Dobson -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 12-13 (5)

78. Mark Fisher -- Wauconda, Il -- 12-12 (5)

78. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 12-12 (5)

80. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 12-11 (5)

81. Johnny McCombs -- Morris, Al -- 12-10 (5)

82. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 12-8 (5)

83. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga -- 12-6 (5)

83. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 12-6 (5)

83. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fl -- 12-6 (5)

83. Randy Despino -- Colfax, La -- 12-6 (5)

87. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 12-4 (5)

87. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Ca -- 12-4 (4)

89. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 12-3 (3)

89. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tn -- 12-3 (5)

91. Kyle Gelles -- Pingree, Id -- 12-2 (5)

91. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 12-2 (5)

91. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 12-2 (5)

91. Clayton Batts -- Butler, Ga -- 12-2 (5)

91. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 12-2 (5)

96. Grae Buck -- Green Lane, Pa -- 12-1 (5)

97. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 11-15 (5)

98. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 11-14 (4)

99. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 11-13 (4)

100. Jacob Wall -- New Hope, Al -- 11-12 (5)

101. Alton Wilhoit -- Noble, Ok -- 11-11 (5)

101. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, Ky -- 11-11 (5)

103. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 11-10 (5)

104. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Tx -- 11-9 (5)

105. James Elam -- Cleveland, Ok -- 11-8 (5)

105. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Ms -- 11-8 (5)

107. Braxton Setzer -- Wetumpka, Al -- 11-7 (5)

107. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Al -- 11-7 (5)

109. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 11-6 (5)

109. Dicky Newberry -- Houston, Tx -- 11-6 (5)

111. Jesse Wiggins -- Logan, Al -- 11-5 (5)

111. Jake Morris -- Mckee, Ky -- 11-5 (3)

113. Barron Adams -- Mineral Bluff, Ga -- 11-1 (4)

114. Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fl -- 11-0 (5)

114. John Murray -- Spring City, Tn -- 11-0 (5)

116. Laramy Strickland -- Bushnell, Fl -- 10-15 (5)

116. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 10-15 (5)

118. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 10-14 (5)

119. Bradford Beavers -- Summerville, SC -- 10-11 (5)

119. Matt Becker -- Finleyville, Pa -- 10-11 (5)

121. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ar -- 10-9 (5)

121. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 10-9 (4)

123. Jared McMillan -- Belle Glade, Fl -- 10-8 (4)

124. Colby Miller -- Elmer, La -- 10-6 (5)

125. Mark Daniels Jr -- Tuskegee, Al -- 10-5 (5)

125. AJ Slegona -- Pine Bush, NY -- 10-5 (5)

127. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 10-4 (5)

128. Sam George -- Athens, Al -- 10-1 (4)

129. Josh Douglas -- Isle, Mn -- 9-15 (3)

130. Travis Archer -- Covington, Wa -- 9-13 (5)

131. Erik Luzak -- Fenelon Falls, On -- 9-12 (4)

132. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Tx -- 9-10 (5)

133. Lance Crawford -- Broken Bow, Ok -- 9-9 (4)

134. Bradley Dortch -- Atmore, Al -- 9-2 (4)

134. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 9-2 (4)

136. Bailey Boutries -- Daphne, Al -- 8-14 (5)

136. Ryan Chandler -- Hebron, In -- 8-14 (3)

136. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 8-14 (5)

139. Roger Hughes -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 8-11 (3)

140. Evan Barnes -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 8-10 (4)

140. Woodard Chance -- Paris, Tx -- 8-10 (3)

142. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 8-8 (4)

143. Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tn -- 8-5 (5)

144. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Tx -- 8-3 (4)

145. Jonathan Canada -- Helena, Al -- 8-0 (5)

146. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Ok -- 7-13 (2)

147. Robert Nakatomi -- Sacramento, Ca -- 7-12 (4)

148. Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Il -- 7-9 (4)

149. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, Fl -- 7-7 (2)

150. Chad Warren -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 7-5 (3)

151. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 7-3 (3)

152. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 6-13 (3)

153. Kevin Meeks -- Smyrna, Tn -- 6-12 (3)

153. David Perdue -- Wirtz, Va -- 6-12 (2)

155. Joey Cifuentes -- Clinton, Ar -- 6-11 (2)

156. Tyson Patrick -- Midland, Tx -- 6-7 (3)

157. Nick Lebrun -- Bossier City, La -- 6-3 (3)

158. Preston Craig -- Philadelphia, Tn -- 6-0 (3)

159. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 5-8 (2)

160. Gary Klein -- Mingus, Tx -- 5-3 (2)

161. Dave Parsons -- Yantis, Tx -- 5-0 (3)

162. James Biggs -- Euless, Tx -- 4-14 (2)

163. Jake Ormond -- Sterlington, La -- 4-10 (2)

164. Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tn -- 4-9 (2)

165. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 4-6 (2)

166. Bill Hutchison -- Bessemer, Al -- 4-0 (2)

167. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 3-14 (1)

168. Corey Neece -- Bristol, Tn -- 3-11 (2)

168. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 3-11 (1)

170. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 3-9 (2)

171. David Wootton -- Collierville, Tn -- 3-8 (1)

172. T.R Andreas -- Kerrville, Tx -- 3-7 (1)

173. Jason Meninger -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 3-3 (2)

174. Dennis Cameron -- Travelers Rest, SC -- 2-6 (1)

174. Ron Farrow -- Rock Hill, SC -- 2-6 (1)

176. Kyle Cortiana -- Coweta, Ok -- 2-3 (1)

177. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 2-0 (1)

177. Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Tx -- 2-0 (1)

179. Cody Nichols -- Fayette, Al -- 1-14 (1)

180. Dylan Hays -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 0-15 (1)

Chris Whitson -- Louisville, Tn -- 0-0 (0)

Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 0-0 (0)

Randy Allen -- Gilliam, La -- 0-0 (0)

Chuck Stratton -- Chaffee, Mo -- 0-0 (0)

Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 0-0 (0)

Kevin Martin -- Crown City, Oh -- 0-0 (0)

Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 0-0 (0)