By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff
BAINBRIDGE, Ga. — Will Davis Jr. didn’t get what he wanted, but he made the most of what he got and sacked up a Day-1 limit of 21 pounds, 13 ounces to take the lead in the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Seminole.
Coming off a 14th-place finish in his first Elite event – last week’s tournament at Lake Okeechobee – the angler from Sylacauga, Ala., heads into Day 2 with a 7-ounce lead over Australian Carl Jocumsen.
“I’m a bigtime bed-fisherman, but it just didn’t pan out well this week,” Davis said of his preferred game plan. “I went to my strength, which is power-fishing in the river.”
Davis, the 2022 B.A.S.S. Nation champion, said he knew the lake’s lower end was receiving a lot of pressure. Electing to fish the mouth of the Flint River proved to be a prudent call.
“I started really close working a crankbait, but I was catching only small fish, so I knew I needed to make a move,” Davis said. “I picked up a spinnerbait and fished current breaks and caught two of my biggest ones.
“The current breaks were little indentions in the bank. They had to be close to a little feeder pocket; it had to be where they’re staging.”
Davis caught his bass on a shad-colored FISHCO crankbait and the Xwire spinnerbait, both made by Davis Bait Company, which is owned by his father, Will Davis Sr. The spinnerbait had a peacock-color skirt, which comprised blue glimmer, chartreuse and pink strands and tandem willow-leaf and Colorado blades.
“When you’re fishing a current break, you have to start below it and come up to it,” Davis said of his presentation strategy. “Some guys will start on the spot, but by the time you get positioned, you have to get on the trolling motor to get back up there. So, you cover a lot of time doing that.
“I would make two specific casts on each current break – one on each corner. I would throw five or six times and leave.”
Covering an area of about 5 miles, Davis said he hit several spots. One of those produced a 6- and a 5-pounder.
“They bit really good from about 9 to 10 (a.m.) and then from 1 to 3 (p.m.),” Davis said. “My biggest fish today was a 6-pounder that bit during that early period.”
Davis credits his lifetime of fishing the Coosa River lakes for helping him develop the diversity that allowed him to adjust and thrive.
“I’m used to fishing current – and mean spotted bass – but we do get big largemouth too,” Davis said. “But they’re on the move, so I might have to change up tomorrow.
“That’s the good thing about growing up where I did; we have clear lakes, current lakes and diverse habitat, so it has definitely helped me know when to change.”
Jocumsen is in second place with 21-06. Set to make his first appearance in the Bassmaster Classic March 24-26 on the Tennessee River, he said he’s capitalizing on what he believes is well-earned momentum.
“It was a phenomenal day and I had some amazing bites,” said Jocumsen, who finished sixth last week at Lake Okeechobee. “You get on a bit of a roll and you start making good decisions. Life’s good right now because I spent a lot of years not having any of that and grinding and wondering what I was doing.”
Jocumsen said he caught most of his bass on a similar swimjig technique to what he used on Okeechobee, but he made one significant change that seems to be triggering the fish. He also caught a keeper by flipping a Texas-rigged X Zone Lures Adrenaline Craw.
“The biggest fish, a 6-pounder, hit harder than I’ve ever had any bass hit – I didn’t even think it was a bass,” Jocumsen said. “I just have this thing going right now that they do not like. It’s not conventional and when they get aggressive, they do not like it around them.”
Jonathan Kelley of Old Forge, Pa., is in third place with 20-12. Noting that he had a tough practice, Kelley said he wasn’t sure he’d be able to catch anything today, so he was delighted with his productivity.
“It was such a tough practice, I had nothing to lose, so I didn’t get confused by one 3- or 4-pound bite,” Kelley said. “I just kept a clear mind and went to an area I went to yesterday around 3 o’clock, just to have somewhere to start.
“I had five for 5 pounds right away, then I kept hopping around and caught a 3-pounder and then a 4-pounder. I looked at my marshal and was like ‘This could happen.’ I just went back to areas where I had caught fish in practice and caught a big one here and a big one there.”
Kelley anchored his bag with a 5-09, which he caught on a jerkbait after spotting the fish on forward-facing sonar. Kelley dedicated his day to family friend Tommy Doria, who recently passed.
“I really felt like I had someone else with me in the boat today; there was an angel looking over me,” Kelley said. “It was a special day. I honestly could do no wrong and everywhere I went there was fish.”
Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C., earned the $1,000 daily bonus for catching the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day with his 8-01 largemouth.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET at the Earle May Boat Basin Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3:30 p.m. After Friday’s weigh-in, only the Top 50 remaining anglers will advance to Day 3 on Saturday.
Day 1 Standings
1. Will Davis Jr -- Sylacauga, AL -- 5, 21-13 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 21-13
2. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland AUSTRALIA -- 5, 21-06 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 21-06
3. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, PA -- 5, 20-12 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 20-12
4. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 20-11 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 20-11
5. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 20-06 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 20-06
6. Joey Cifuentes III -- Clinton, AR -- 5, 19-13 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 19-13
7. Michael Iaconelli -- Pittsgrove, NJ -- 5, 19-06 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 19-06
8. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 5, 19-04 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 19-04
9. Bob Downey -- Detroit Lakes, MN -- 5, 18-12 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 18-12
10. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 5, 18-08 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 18-08
11. John Cox -- DeBary, FL -- 5, 18-07 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 18-07
12. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, AL -- 5, 18-05 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 18-05
13. Jason Christie -- Dry Creek, OK -- 5, 18-00 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 18-00
14. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 5, 17-14 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 17-14
15. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 5, 17-05 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 17-05
16. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 5, 17-04 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 17-04
17. Taku Ito -- Chiba, JAPAN -- 5, 17-00 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 17-00
18. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 16-13 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 16-13
19. Kyoya Fujita -- Minamitsuru, JAPAN -- 5, 16-12 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 16-12
20. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 5, 16-07 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 16-07
20. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 16-07 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 16-07
20. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 16-07 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 16-07
23. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka, JAPAN -- 5, 16-06 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 16-06
24. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-02 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 16-02
25. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 15-15 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 15-15
26. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 15-12 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 15-12
27. Darold Gleason -- Many, LA -- 5, 15-10 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 15-10
28. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 5, 15-07 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 15-07
28. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 5, 15-07 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 15-07
30. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 5, 15-06 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 15-06
31. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 5, 15-05 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 15-05
32. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, ON -- 5, 15-03 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 15-03
32. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 5, 15-03 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 15-03
34. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 15-01 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 15-01
35. Bradley Hallman -- Edmond, OK -- 5, 15-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 15-00
35. Derek Hudnall -- Zachary, LA -- 5, 15-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 15-00
37. Cooper Gallant -- Bowmanville, ON -- 5, 14-13 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 14-13
38. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 14-12 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 14-12
38. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 5, 14-12 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 14-12
38. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 5, 14-12 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 14-12
41. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 14-10 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 14-10
42. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 5, 14-09 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 14-09
42. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 14-09 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 14-09
44. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 14-05 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 14-05
45. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 14-04 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 14-04
46. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 14-02 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 14-02
47. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 14-01 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 14-01
47. John Soukup -- Sapulpa, OK -- 5, 14-01 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 14-01
49. Jay Przekurat -- Stevens Point, WI -- 5, 14-00 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 14-00
50. Bryant Smith -- Roseville, CA -- 5, 13-13 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 13-13
51. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 5, 13-12 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 13-12
51. KJ Queen -- Conover, NC -- 5, 13-12 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 13-12
53. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 5, 13-11 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 13-11
53. Joshua Stracner -- Vandiver, AL -- 5, 13-11 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 13-11
55. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 5, 13-10 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 13-10
56. Jeff Gustafson -- Kenora, ON -- 5, 13-09 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 13-09
56. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 5, 13-09 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 13-09
58. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 5, 13-08 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 13-08
59. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 13-07 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 13-07
60. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 5, 13-04 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 13-04
60. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 5, 13-04 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 13-04
62. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 5, 13-03 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 13-03
63. Cole Sands -- Calhoun, TN -- 5, 13-01 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 13-01
64. Patrick Walters -- Summerville, SC -- 5, 13-00 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 13-00
65. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, AL -- 5, 12-15 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 12-15
65. Alex Wetherell -- Middletown, CT -- 5, 12-15 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 12-15
67. Cody Huff -- Ava, MO -- 5, 12-14 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 12-14
67. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 5, 12-14 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 12-14
69. Keith Poche -- Cecil, AL -- 5, 12-05 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 12-05
69. Matty Wong -- Honolulu, HI -- 5, 12-05 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 12-05
71. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 12-04 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 12-04
72. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 5, 12-03 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 12-03
73. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 12-01 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 12-01
73. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 12-01 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 12-01
75. Chad Pipkens -- DeWitt, MI -- 5, 11-15 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 11-15
75. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 5, 11-15 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 11-15
77. Joseph Webster -- Hamilton, AL -- 5, 11-14 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 11-14
78. Logan Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 11-12 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 11-12
79. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 11-10 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 11-10
80. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, AR -- 5, 11-08 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 11-08
81. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 5, 11-07 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 11-07
82. Jacob Foutz -- Charleston, TN -- 5, 11-03 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 11-03
82. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 11-03 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 11-03
82. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 5, 11-03 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 11-03
85. Kyle Norsetter -- Cottage Grove, WI -- 5, 11-02 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 11-02
86. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 11-01 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 11-01
87. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 5, 11-00 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 11-00
88. Jake Whitaker -- Hendersonville, NC -- 5, 10-15 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 10-15
89. Josh Douglas -- Isle, MN -- 5, 10-10 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 10-10
90. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 10-09 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 10-09
91. Skylar Hamilton -- Jefferson, TN -- 5, 10-05 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 10-05
92. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 10-04 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 10-04
93. Mike Huff -- London, KY -- 5, 09-13 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 09-13
94. Buddy Gross -- Chattanooga, TN -- 5, 09-03 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 09-03
95. Gary Clouse -- Winchester, TN -- 5, 09-02 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 09-02
96. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 5, 09-01 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 09-01
97. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 08-14 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 08-14
98. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 5, 08-06 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 08-06
99. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 08-04 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 08-04
100. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 5, 07-15 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 07-15
101. Masayuki Matsushita -- Tokoname-Shi, JAPAN -- 5, 07-10 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 07-10
102. Alex Redwine -- Blue Ash, OH -- 5, 07-04 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 07-04
103. Bryan New -- Saluda, SC -- 3, 04-14 -- 2
Day 1: 3, 04-14
104. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 2, 02-10 -- 1
Day 1: 2, 02-10
