Kevin VanDam stunned the crowd on the first day of the Lewisville Bassmaster Elite 50 when he brought a giant, massive, eye-popping 11-13 monster to the scales. The fish was a new lake record by a half-pound, and it anchored a 24-02 limit. It's the biggest fish weighed in tour-level competition this year – bigger than the two 11-pounders weighed at the Lake Harris Bassmaster.
VanDam has a more-than-comfortable 7-pound lead over
2nd-place Edwin Evers, whose limit weighed 17 pounds even and was anchored by a 5-pounder. Randy Howell, who won the very first E50 last year, is 3rd with five bass at 16 pounds even. E50 points leader Mike Iaconelli is 4th with a limit of 15-06, and Gerald Swindle is 5th with five for 13-11.
Tommy Biffle's in the Top 12 cut spot today with a limit of 12-10. As predicted, limits were common, with 41 of the 50 anglers weighing in limits. No one zeroed.
VanDam's Monster
VanDam today caught the biggest bass he's ever landed in a tournament, and the biggest ever recorded from Lake Lewisville.
"When you catch an 11-pounder, it kind of makes your day," he said. "It took a long time to land it. I knew it was a good one, but then it just kept fighting.
"The lake is kind of murky, so I couldn't see it until it popped out of the water as I went down to lip it. I about freaked out.
"I was lucky to catch that fish. That's a needle in a whole hayfield. It was a gift."
He was predictably reluctant to give up any information about his techniques, except that he's fishing "a worm rigged a special way" and covering intermediate depths.
"I covered water and fished the way I like to fish," he said. "The fish are on their way out from the spawning areas – not really deep or shallow. They're not concentrated. I'm finding one here and one there."
He said his practice didn't give him much to go on. "I just went with what little I did find, which wasn't a lot, so I had to bear down. I'm getting better at fishing slow, and you have to do that when you don't have much going.
"I fished painstakingly slow most of the time today, but fast part of the day."
He noted: "It's interesting that since Davy Hite and I started rooming together, we've both made every cut. We're in a good position to do that again, so it'll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow."
Evers Excited
Pre-tournament favorite Evers finally got the bigger bite he'd been looking for – a 5-pounder that was his first fish of the day.
"I caught it on a Bass Pro Shops Flipping Tube while I was fishing deep," he said. "I'm real excited after today." His limit of 17-00 put him in 2nd place.
"I moved around a whole bunch and caught fish from 1 foot deep to 20 feet deep. I had 12 rods on the deck and caught them a bunch of different ways. The fish are 90 percent post-spawn, and some are suspended and some are real shallow.
"This lake fishes a lot like Lake Texoma," he added. "I used to fish a benefit tournament there every Memorial Day weekend, so that kind of prepared me to do well here. This lake fishes pretty good. It might be a good place to have a (Bassmaster) Classic one day. We had a good crowd, and quite a few spectator boats. I was a little surprised."
Tomorrow he plans to cover some of the same water as today, and a few new areas. He guessed the Top 12 cut weight will be around 22 pounds.
Mike Iaconelli picked up where Dardanelle left off – he threw a jigworm today.
Ike Psyched
Iaconelli came to Lewisville leading the E50 points, and today positioned himself in a great spot to retain that lead. His 15-06 limit put him in 4th place.
"I had an awesome day on the water," he said. "I'm continuing to fish well, and just want to keep going. My goal in every tournament this year has been to make the cut. I'll try to catch everything I can tomorrow and hope to get another 15 pounds and make the Top 12."
He's covering a lot of water and catching fish on a variety of baits – which is what he did at the Dardanelle E50. But instead of 25 rods on the deck, this time he had only four. Still, he finally dialed in his Dardanelle fish on a jigworm, and that same technique worked today.
"I caught some on a topwater, and some on a crankbait," he said. "But I caught a lot on a Berkley finesse worm on an 1/8-ounce Tru Tungsten jighead fished on 8-pound Vanish fluorocarbon line. I bit off the worm to 4 inches.
"I'm working through a lot of numbers to get the quality fish," he added. "My biggest was a 5-pounder today.
"I've noticed a lot of the other competitors fishing up near the bank, so I'm fishing out a little bit. I think the fish are less pressured out there. We had a little breeze for the first couple of hours today, and then it got calm and hot. I think that helped with the finesse presentation."
Swindle Sweating Out Limits
Swindle's one of two Alabama anglers in the Top 5. He caught 20 to 30 fish today to cull up to his 5th-place limit of 13-11.
"I'm having a hard time catching any big ones," he said, in echo of the pre-tournament dock talk. "My biggest today was about 4 1/2 or 5 (pounds).
Gerald Swindle sweated out an aggressive day with the crank.
"The fish are hard post-spawn and suspended under shade targets, like rock corners and standing timber. I caught a few swimming a jig near boat docks, and I caught a bunch on a Lucky Craft (RC) 1.5 crankbait and their new Fat CB BDS2. That bait only runs 2 or 3 feet deep, but I was catching them over 25 to 30 feet of water.
"I can't catch them deep fishing on the bottom," he added. "The guys fishing Carolina rigs are catching fish in just 3 or 4 feet of water."
Unlike some, he wasn't fishing slow, and he worked up a drenching sweat. "I was psycho-winding it," he said. "I had a 5.2:1 ratio reel and a 7-foot rod and 15-pound line and just reeled as fast as I could. They'd hit it so hard they'd scare you, like they never saw (a crankbait). They're aggressive."
Also unlike others, he fished only two areas instead of moving around. "I really milked those areas," he noted. "I didn't want to run around and fish on top of people. I threw at everything in the water (in his areas) and they stayed after it pretty much all day.
"I'll go back tomorrow. I have one other spot that I haven't milked down that I was kind of saving. I might go there if I need to."
Morgenthaler Laid Off
Chad Morgenthaler, in 6th, caught 10 to 12 keepers today to put together a limit of 13-07.
"I fished a little bit of everything, both deep and shallow," he said. "I used a variety of baits. I really didn't do anything much different from anybody else. I just got fortunate enough to get some quality bites."
He landed three fish between 3 and 3 1/2 pounds. "I have one little deep spot to myself where I caught three key fish," he said. "I'm dragging a Carolina rig or a worm or fishing a crankbait – really you can do whatever you want to do if you just get it in front of them. When they hit it they take it well."
He got onto one particularly good area late in the day. "I think I could have caught more this afternoon, but I didn't want to pressure (the area) too much," he said. "I'll go back to them tomorrow."
As for the Top 12 cut, he's not certain he's a shoo-in. "I didn't think I could (catch) over 12 pounds today. (But now) I'm hoping I can get that or better tomorrow. I'm just truly going fishing and exploring during the tournament."
Notable
> Day 1 stats – 50 anglers, 41 limits, four 4s, three 3s, one 2, one 1, no zeroes.
> Some anglers reported no problem with crowding from other competitors, while others said it was a bit difficult to move around much. Those fishing deeper said they had their areas to themselves.
> An enthusiastic and moderately large crowd was reported at the weigh-in.
> It's uncertain that the required steps were taken to certify VanDam's big fish as the new lake record. He was unaware that he had broken the official record until informed by BassFan.
> Some in the field no doubt breathed a sight of relief today. Ir this were a Bassmaster Tour event, everyone would likely be fishing for 2nd place. But since weights are zeroed after day 2, VanDam's 11-pounder will become a non-factor.
> Swindle, like others, observed during practice that limits would be easy, but "catching a big one would be a big deal."
Weather Forecast
More hot weather is in store. Here's the forecast from the Weather Channel.
Thurs., June 2 - Partly Cloudy - 88°/72°
> Wind: From the SE at 11 mph
Fri., June 3 – PM T-Storms - 85°/71°
> Wind: From the S at 14 mph
Sat., June 4 – Mostly Sunny - 89/72°
> Wind: From the S at 15 mph
Day 1 Standings
1. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 5, 24-02 -- 305
Day 1 -- 5, 24-02
2. Edwin Evers -- Mannsville, Okla. -- 5, 17-00 -- 295
Day 1 -- 5, 17-00
3. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 5, 16-00 -- 290
Day 1 -- 5, 16-00
4. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 5, 15-06 -- 285
Day 1 -- 5, 15-06
5. Gerald Swindle -- Hayden, Ala. -- 5, 13-11 -- 280
Day 1 -- 5, 13-11
6. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Ill. -- 5, 13-07 -- 276
Day 1 -- 5, 13-07
7. Marty Stone -- Linden, N.C. -- 5, 13-05 -- 272
Day 1 -- 5, 13-05
8. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, N.C. -- 5, 13-02 -- 268
Day 1 -- 5, 13-02
9. Davy Hite -- Prosperity, S.C. -- 5, 13-01 -- 264
Day 1 -- 5, 13-01
10. Luke Clausen -- Spokane Valley, Wash. -- 5, 12-12 -- 260
Day 1 -- 5, 12-12
10. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, Texas -- 5, 12-12 -- 260
Day 1 -- 5, 12-12
12. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 5, 12-10 -- 254
Day 1 -- 5, 12-10
13. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 5, 12-07 -- 251
Day 1 -- 5, 12-07
14. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 5, 12-04 -- 248
Day 1 -- 5, 12-04
15. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 12-01 -- 245
Day 1 -- 5, 12-01
15. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ark. -- 5, 12-01 -- 245
Day 1 -- 5, 12-01
17. David Wharton -- Sam Rayburn, Texas -- 5, 11-15 -- 241
Day 1 -- 5, 11-15
18. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ark. -- 5, 11-13 -- 239
Day 1 -- 5, 11-13
19. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 5, 11-12 -- 237
Day 1 -- 5, 11-12
20. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 5, 11-11 -- 235
Day 1 -- 5, 11-11
21. Roland Martin -- Naples, Fla. -- 5, 11-09 -- 233
Day 1 -- 5, 11-09
22. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 5, 11-08 -- 231
Day 1 -- 5, 11-08
23. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 5, 11-07 -- 229
Day 1 -- 5, 11-07
24. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 5, 11-00 -- 227
Day 1 -- 5, 11-00
25. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 5, 10-10 -- 225
Day 1 -- 5, 10-10
26. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 10-09 -- 223
Day 1 -- 5, 10-09
27. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 5, 10-06 -- 221
Day 1 -- 5, 10-06
28. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 5, 9-12 -- 219
Day 1 -- 5, 9-12
29. David Fritts -- Lexington, N.C. -- 5, 9-11 -- 217
Day 1 -- 5, 9-11
30. Stacey D King -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 5, 9-07 -- 215
Day 1 -- 5, 9-07
31. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 9-03 -- 213
Day 1 -- 5, 9-03
32. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 5, 9-02 -- 211
Day 1 -- 5, 9-02
33. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 5, 9-01 -- 209
Day 1 -- 5, 9-01
34. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 9-00 -- 207
Day 1 -- 5, 9-00
34. Jeff Reynolds -- Platter, Okla. -- 5, 9-00 -- 207
Day 1 -- 5, 9-00
36. Bud Pruitt -- Spring, Texas -- 5, 8-13 -- 203
Day 1 -- 5, 8-13
36. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 5, 8-13 -- 203
Day 1 -- 5, 8-13
38. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 8-11 -- 199
Day 1 -- 5, 8-11
39. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Calif. -- 5, 8-08 -- 197
Day 1 -- 5, 8-08
39. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 4, 8-08 -- 197
Day 1 -- 4, 8-08
41. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 4, 8-00 -- 193
Day 1 -- 4, 8-00
42. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 5, 7-13 -- 191
Day 1 -- 5, 7-13
42. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Texas -- 4, 7-13 -- 191
Day 1 -- 4, 7-13
44. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 5, 7-01 -- 187
Day 1 -- 5, 7-01
45. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 4, 7-00 -- 185
Day 1 -- 4, 7-00
46. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ark. -- 3, 6-01 -- 183
Day 1 -- 3, 6-01
47. Jim Bitter -- Fruitland Park, Fla. -- 2, 5-07 -- 181
Day 1 -- 2, 5-07
48. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo. -- 3, 4-14 -- 179
Day 1 -- 3, 4-14
49. Dave Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa. -- 3, 4-07 -- 177
Day 1 -- 3, 4-07
50. Mark Tyler -- Scottsdale, Ariz. -- 1, 2-01 -- 175
Day 1 -- 1, 2-01
Big Bass
> Day 1: Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 11-13 -- $1,000