Big Bite Pushes Schlapper To The Top

By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff

MANY, La. — With the help of an 8-6 largemouth, Pat Schlapper caught 28 pounds, 5 ounces on Day 2 of the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Toledo Bend Reservoir to jump into the lead with a two-day total of 55-9.

The pro from Eleva, Wis., holds a 3-ounce advantage over Day 1 leader Kyoya Fujita, who is second with a two-day mark of 55-6. Tennessee’s Robert Gee is third with 51-10.

“There were some really fun moments today,” Schlapper said. “It was tougher than yesterday, honestly. I didn’t get that many bites, and the bass are either leaving or getting picked off. I still had three really good bites.”

After finding a rhythm late in the day Thursday, the three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier returned to one of his most productive areas and targeted roaming bass in 15 to 30 feet of water. He used the same bait he caught the majority of his bass on the day before with the help of his Garmin LiveScope.

Despite the increase in boat pressure in the area, Schlapper immediately started catching bass and filled out his limit around 9:30 a.m. before landing his biggest bass of the day.

“I saw the bass on LiveScope, but it looked too big. I made a good cast and it came up on it, bit it and I missed it,” Schlapper said. “I cast up there again; the way it came up I thought it was a bass. Then, the way it fought, I knew it was a bass. I was lucky I missed it the first time and then (it) ate it again. It was awesome.”

Late in the day, he returned to that same area and caught another kicker bass, a largemouth that weighed just under 8 pounds.

“I had a good bag fairly early, but then it was a long time before I caught anything else,” he said. “I came back at the end of the day when everyone was gone and caught another that was almost 8.”

Schlapper, however, is a bit concerned about how the rest of the tournament will play out in his primary area. With the weekend starting, boat pressure will likely only increase. He has also noticed the water temperature rising, which could mean the bass will move toward the bank and away from his area.

“There aren’t many bass left there. There were a lot of spectators and other competitors really messing with them,” he said. “If another wave kind of moves through, we might be alright. If not, it might be tough. There’s a chance I can throw (it) in front of five big ones tomorrow. I think there is less of a chance than there was today and the day before.

“But I’m sticking with it.”

After landing the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament on Day 1 at 31-3, Fujita landed 24-3 to drop into second place. The Japanese pro returned to his primary spot from Day 1 and, while he filled out a limit in the first three hours, he struggled to generate big bites until the afternoon. His biggest bass, logged as a 6-0 on BassTrakk, came after 1 p.m. He caught all of his bass on a Jackall Drift Fry around standing timber in 30 feet of water.

Boat pressure was the main reason for the tougher bite, he said.

“Yesterday in the morning, it was fish, fish, fish, and then in the afternoon, there was fishing pressure and no bites,” Fujita said with the help of a translator. “Today was tough.”

Despite the increased pressure, Fujita still saw plenty of bass on his LiveScope. He plans on returning to the same area in the morning and will evaluate how many other boats are around. If he isn’t liking what he sees, he will move to a different spot on the lake.

Gee added 22-10 to his 29-0 Day 1 bag to increase his two-day total to 51-10. While he lost a 4-pounder early in the day, the Knoxville, Tenn., rookie filled a limit quickly but struggled to find quality.

“I started where I could get a limit early,” he said. “It seemed like the bigger ones were leaving. I didn’t catch any really big ones, and everywhere I went it seemed like fish were leaving me. I feel like they are making a push up shallow with this full moon coming tomorrow night.”

Late in the day, Gee moved to his big-bass spot from Day 1 and caught his two biggest of the day.

“I understood what I was doing wrong, so I went in closer to where the bass wanted to be going,” Gee said. “I was still in a basin, so I was in 35 feet of water instead of 50 feet.”

So far this week, Gee has caught the majority of his bass on a Crock-O-Gator Slide Shad and has changed the jighead size based on the depth he’s fishing and the wind speed. Forward-facing sonar has played a big role in his success.

With the bass leaving his areas, Gee feels like he will need to start making a move to the shallows. He didn’t have much success fishing shallow in practice, but he has an idea where his deep bass may move to in the coming days.

“I’m just going to have to adjust and fish new water,” he said.

Canadian pro Chris Johnston caught a 9-3 largemouth on Day 2 to claim the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day. South Carolina’s Bryan New currently holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament, a 9-8 largemouth he caught on Day 1.

The Top 50 anglers will launch from Cypress Bend Park beginning at 7 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The Top 10 will advance to Sunday to compete for the trophy and $100,000 top prize.

Day 2 Standings

1. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 10, 55-09 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 27-04 -- Day 2: 5, 28-05

2. Kyoya Fujita -- Yamanashi, JAPAN -- 10, 55-06 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 31-03 -- Day 2: 5, 24-03

3. Robert Gee -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 51-10 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 29-00 -- Day 2: 5, 22-10

4. Patrick Walters -- Eutawville, SC -- 10, 50-00 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 19-11 -- Day 2: 5, 30-05

5. Jordan Lee -- Cullman, AL -- 10, 46-10 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 22-12 -- Day 2: 5, 23-14

6. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 10, 45-07 -- 98 -- $1,000
Day 1: 5, 18-15 -- Day 2: 5, 26-08

7. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 10, 45-03 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 25-01 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02

8. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 10, 43-07 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 24-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-07

9. Logan Parks -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 42-04 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 21-10 -- Day 2: 5, 20-10

10. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 10, 41-13 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 20-05 -- Day 2: 5, 21-08

11. Alex Wetherell -- Middletown, CT -- 10, 41-11 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 21-14 -- Day 2: 5, 19-13

12. Trey McKinney -- Carbondale, IL -- 10, 41-00 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 20-14 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02

13. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 10, 40-14 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 22-12

14. Ben Milliken -- New Caney, TX -- 10, 40-09 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 22-09 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00

15. Bryan New -- Leesville, SC -- 10, 40-07 -- 89 -- $1,000
Day 1: 5, 22-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06

16. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 10, 40-06 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 5, 21-15

17. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 10, 39-09 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 21-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08

18. Kyle Patrick -- Cooperstown, NY -- 10, 38-13 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 21-09 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04

19. John Soukup -- Sapulpa, OK -- 10, 38-03 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 23-12

20. Cory Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 10, 37-13 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 19-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-02

21. Tyler Williams -- Belgrade, ME -- 10, 37-11 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 20-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-07

22. Jeff Gustafson -- Kenora, ON -- 10, 37-04 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 16-03 -- Day 2: 5, 21-01

23. Wesley Gore -- Clanton, AL -- 10, 36-15 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 22-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07

24. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS -- 10, 36-10 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 17-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-06

25. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 10, 36-07 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 20-12

26. JT Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 10, 36-05 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 19-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06

27. Cooper Gallant -- Bowmanville, ON -- 10, 36-05 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 17-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-01

28. Kyle Norsetter -- Cottage Grove, WI -- 10, 36-04 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 21-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12

29. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, PA -- 10, 36-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 18-10

30. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 10, 36-01 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-01

31. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 10, 35-11 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 22-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05

32. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 9, 35-08 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 21-00 -- Day 2: 4, 14-08

33. Cody Huff -- Ava, MO -- 10, 35-07 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 23-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14

34. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 10, 35-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 15-13 -- Day 2: 5, 19-03

35. Jay Przekurat -- Plover, WI -- 10, 34-15 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 19-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13

36. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 10, 34-09 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 21-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

37. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 10, 34-07 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 21-05

38. Jacob Foutz -- Charleston, TN -- 10, 34-04 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

39. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka, JAPAN -- 10, 34-02 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-14

40. Taku Ito -- Dalton GA -- 10, 34-01 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-01

41. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 10, 34-00 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 23-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09

42. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 10, 33-12 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 17-03

43. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 10, 33-11 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 21-10

44. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 10, 33-07 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 18-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10

45. Joseph Webster -- Hamilton, AL -- 10, 33-07 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14

46. Jake Whitaker -- Hendersonville, NC -- 10, 33-06 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06

47. Matty Wong -- Honolulu, HI -- 10, 33-04 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 19-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10

48. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 10, 33-03 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12

49. Derek Hudnall -- Zachary, LA -- 10, 32-11 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 20-06

50. Timothy Dube -- Nashua , NH -- 8, 32-10 -- 54
Day 1: 3, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 21-11

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on Day 3.

51. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 32-10 -- 53 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

52. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 32-10 -- 52 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01

53. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 10, 32-09 -- 51 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15

54. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 9, 32-03 -- 50 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 4, 13-15

55. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 10, 32-00 -- 49 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11

56. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 10, 31-10 -- 48 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06

57. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 10, 31-10 -- 47 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15

58. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 10, 31-07 -- 46 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15

59. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 31-05 -- 45 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07

60. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 31-05 -- 44 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-10

61. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 10, 31-01 -- 43 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00

62. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 9, 31-00 -- 42 -- $2,500
Day 1: 4, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 20-15

63. John Garrett -- Union City, TN -- 10, 31-00 -- 41 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 17-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

64. Will Davis Jr -- Sylacauga, AL -- 10, 30-04 -- 40 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14

65. Joey Cifuentes III -- Clinton, AR -- 10, 30-02 -- 39 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08

66. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 30-00 -- 38 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

67. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 29-13 -- 37 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-03

68. Bob Downey -- Detroit Lakes, MN -- 10, 29-12 -- 36 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01

69. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 29-11 -- 35 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12

70. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 10, 29-08 -- 34 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09

71. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 10, 29-05 -- 33 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09

72. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 29-00 -- 32 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

73. Jason Christie -- Dry Creek, OK -- 10, 28-10 -- 31 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06

74. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 10, 28-05 -- 30 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-11

75. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 28-02 -- 29 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14

76. Todd Auten -- Clover, SC -- 10, 27-13 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

77. Logan Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 27-10 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15

78. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 10, 27-10 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15

79. Cole Sands -- Calhoun , TN -- 10, 27-09 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04

80. Alex Redwine -- Blue Ash, OH -- 10, 27-06 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12

81. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 9, 27-02 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 4, 08-11

82. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 27-00 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12

83. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 8, 26-11 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 3, 08-14

84. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA 10, 26-03 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

85. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, AL -- 10, 26-02 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

86. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 7, 25-15 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 21-02 -- Day 2: 2, 04-13

87. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 8, 25-15 -- 17
Day 1: 3, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09

88. Kyle Welcher -- Valley, AL -- 9, 25-01 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 4, 09-12

89. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 7, 24-09 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 2, 07-14

90. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 24-09 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

91. Frank Talley -- Belton, TX -- 10, 23-14 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08

92. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 10, 23-01 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08

93. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 22-15 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06

94. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 9, 22-04 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 4, 09-00

95. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 10, 21-07 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 09-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00

96. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 7, 20-04 -- 8
Day 1: 3, 11-13 -- Day 2: 4, 08-07

97. Mike Huff -- London, KY -- 10, 20-02 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-10

98. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 8, 19-15 -- 6
Day 1: 4, 11-04 -- Day 2: 4, 08-11

99. Bryant Smith -- Roseville, CA -- 8, 19-10 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 3, 07-13

100. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 15-09 -- 4
Day 1: 2, 09-05 -- Day 2: 3, 06-04

101. Buddy Gross -- Chattanooga, TN -- 6, 15-04 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 1, 01-15

102. KJ Queen -- Catawba, NC -- 4, 09-15 -- 2
Day 1: 2, 05-07 -- Day 2: 2, 04-08

103. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 07-12 -- 1
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00