Mize's 6-02 Best, But King And Martens Close

In a town once under the shadow of America's industrial might – where smokestacks, coke ovens, ore piles and effluent stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a tough, proud workforce – it was fitting that a former millworker rose to rule day 1 at the Bassmaster Classic. More fitting, even, since Pittsburgh has experienced a rebirth – to the point its once-poisoned rivers are fishable again – and Mize has undergone his own rebirth.

He quit his mill job last month to remake himself and his pro career, and took a significant step toward that

end today. His 6-02 limit was the day 1 best, but not by much.

Stacey King and Aaron Martens are tied for 2nd with 5-01, just 1-01 behind Mize. Martens did it with five fish, King with three.

Rookie Preston Clark is 4th with a 4-14 limit and Mr. Dangerous – Kevin VanDam – is 5th with three fish for 4-11. Tenth is a mere 3-13.

In other words, the pros' dire predictions about the fishery came true today – the field weighed only four limits and 10 anglers zeroed. Twenty-two anglers, nearly half the field, caught less than 2 pounds.

Tough? You have no idea. Skeet Reese's limit topped out at 4-10 and Bradley Stringer's four fish weighed just 3-04. How's that for squeakers?

And yet, because of the poor catch, there's no big separation between Mize and the guys behind him. And considering the near certainty that the rivers will fish at least as tough tomorrow, this could be one of the most dramatic Classic finishes ever – because no one is truly out of it.

Then again, if anyone within the Top 5 repeats their catch tomorrow, it could be over.

Today's conditions were pleasant for the spectators, but miserable for the pros. Sure, the skies were partly cloudy, temperatures moderate and weather patterns stable. But the river is warm, low and slow – about the worst conditions possible on an already poor fishery.

And it doesn't look like any rain is coming. Forecasts call for only a moderate chance of precipitation.

Mize Wants Redemption

Jimmy Mize was the first boat in today, which means he was the first boat out. He sacked a limit, the biggest so far.

"My day was good," he said. "I caught five. Actually, I didn't fish too good. I lost three and one that would have really helped. It was a 3-pounder, so I should've had a couple more pounds."

He had a "good" practice, and expected to catch five, but there could be some emotion at work. After a 2nd-place finish at Clarks Hill this season, he was 2nd in the Bassmaster Tour points with two regular-season events to go. But he bombed at Lake Norman (117th) and Table Rock (115th) and finished 29th in the Tour points. He had some breathing room and made this year's Classic, but it was a heck of a fall.

"I've never had two tournaments that bad in a row," he said. "I don't really know what happened. It makes you work harder, and I'm looking for redemption. This made me feel a lot better. It's not over with, though. I could zero both days and be plumb out of it."

He knows the significance of that big bite he lost today. "That 3-pounder killed me. That hurt. I know why I lost it. I was using too limber of a rod – not enough backbone. I went to a heavier rod and started caching them.

"I'm shooting for 5 pounds tomorrow – just five keepers."

He's never led a Classic before, but knows how quickly things can change. "I'm just glad I'm up there and competitive. As long as you're there, you have a chance. Anybody can catch up, but it's a lot easier to catch up if you're not way behind."

He recently gave up his job at a paper mill, and said he's feeling pressure to perform. What would a Classic win do for his career at this point?

"It would do miracles," he said. "I just quit my job about a month ago, and I'm trying to fish all I can now – every tournament I can get in. I'm fishing EverStarts in the Northern division. I've never fished up there, but I'm doing it to try to get into the FLW (Tour)."

He spent the day in one main area, but declined to comment on which river he's fishing. "I'm fishing pretty fast, within my area, and covering water."

He "doesn't know" if his fish will hold up for 2 more days, and if they don't, he might be in trouble. "There's not a lot here to replenish out of. And I think my backup area got beat-up today by other guys, so that's gone.

"I've got two or three more spots in the pool I can try, but I'll just go fishing tomorrow."

King Around Good Fish

King only caught three keepers today, but they were good ones. He tied VanDam for big fish (2-14), and his 5-01 sack gave him a 1 1/2-pound average, which is gold.

"I didn't have any great, high expectations," he said. It would have been nice to catch four or five, but I'm pleased with three."

He noted the bite is definitely off. "They're not really eating. You pretty much have to pound them on the head to get them to bite. There's not very much current, the water is extremely hot for this river, and it's low and clear. That's not conducive to a good bite.

"Also, I think a lot of the fish are suspended. I can see them chasing bait – breaking the surface – so they're not down on structure.

"It's hard to get a bite, and most are real small."

At the same time, he knows he's around good ones, and won't make any major changes tomorrow – unless everything goes south on him.

"I'll pretty much do the same thing tomorrow and try to catch three or four more. There's good fish in the area where I'm fishing. I caught a 3-pounder there, and a couple more could move you way up.

"You always want to win, but you have to be there on day 3 before you can win. I'll try to struggle it out and get a few more bites tomorrow. Maybe the luck factor will kick in somewhere down the line.

"I'm very confident," he added. "I feel real good about it. I caught a few on the practice day, and some nice fish today. But I had a terrible pre-practice. I caught hardly anything, and got just a few keeper bites. I'm catching more now than I was then, so I'm happy."

Martens Didn't Get Big Bite

"It went exactly how I thought it would go, but I was hoping for a bigger bite – I never got one," Martens said. But he did have 30 bites, though only five were keepers.

He revealed that he's fishing the Pittsburgh pool. He fished a few spots, including just "a little bit of bridges," so apparently he's not on the same pattern he was in the 2004 Classic.

Martens was one of a few anglers who experienced equipment problems this morning – remember that Classic anglers fish out of identical Triton/Mercury rigs, not their own boats. "My graph froze up this morning," he said. "It came on, but wouldn't register, and I got off the shoal I wanted to fish. Davy Hite got on it.

"It was my best spot, but I never got to fish it today. And I'm sure he'll beat me there tomorrow. It's a good morning spot to start on."

Martens will "change up a little bit" tomorrow. "I got on a different bank and saw some big ones busting on it – like 3-pounders." He added: "I feel like it could get really tough tomorrow. A lot of guys are fishing where I'm fishing – the same stuff. It'll get a lot tougher. There's so much pressure – I don't know if it'll hold up. I might gamble and go somewhere completely different."

Clark Caught 'Em Quick

Clark, a rookie, started fast today. He was the first to catch a limit, and the first to cull. His 4-14 limit puts him just 1-04 behind Mize.

"It didn't take long," he said. "It was on this morning – no size though. They were all small fish. A limit's hard to come by. I just got fortunate."

After he got that limit, he left the spot and changed up. "I knew I needed one good bite. I needed to catch one 2 1/2- to 3-pound fish. I basically tried (for that) the rest of the day. I wound up catching 18 fish, but only culled one time.

"When I left my spot, there was another boat sitting right there. We'd found the same fish. It was my partner from back home (in Florida) – Terry Scroggins. He watched me catch my five, then I waved him in."

He said the two worked together all year on the Tour – "and the Classic's no different" – so they'll share the spot tomorrow too. "We had a talk before we came here, and said we'd work together. Two guys covering the water is a lot better than one. We just happened to find the same fish this time."

To get a bit bite, he tried "going to a bigger bait, and a little deeper water. My limit technique is a small bait in shallow water. The smaller fish are chasing a lot of small bait. Then I'm going with a War Eagle jig and Zoom Super Chunk trailer."

He locked today, and said there were no problems. "The locks were great. They got us in and out faster than in practice."

He had a strong rookie season and finished 15th in the Tour points. "I've flown under the radar all season. Now it's time to get my sponsors the recognition they deserve. I want to do this for a living, so I need to get them some recognition, and some airtime for myself.

"I want to win. It's a driving force. It doesn't matter what the prize is – even if it's $100. I want to beat the best."

VanDam Worked Hard

Everyone knew VanDam would catch them. He didn't bring in a limit, but shared the day's big fish with King (2-14). VanDam's three fish weighed 4-11, and he's 1-07 off the lead.

"I'm hanging in there," he said. "It's tougher than nails."

He lost a few, but noted he wasn't sure of the size. "It was hard to tell." He also said he was frustrated at times, but shook it off. "I didn't let anything bother me today. I knew it would be a grind out there. I worked hard at it. You need to keep your head in the game."

He'll do something different tomorrow. "I'll make some changes. No doubt. I've got a few ideas.

"My confidence is high, (but) I'm disappointed with today. I like to get off to a good start. No such luck, so I'll have to get them tomorrow."

6th: Reese Stoked

Reese was fired up before the Classic even began. It was his type of tournament – a tough, mental challenge. He's one of the best in these conditions, and proved it again with a 4-10 limit today.

"I'm tired," he said. "It was a drag-it-out day. I'm stoked I caught five though. I just wish they weighed more than they did."

He noted it took "all day" to get the limit.

"I didn't know what to expect. On the practice days, I had some bags, but still nothing of any size. With this fishery out there, you can blank as easy as you can catch three or five. Fortunately, I got five."

He noted nothing's easy out there, and he had to work hard for every single bite – keeper or not. "You're earning your fish out there."

He's on something, but doesn't know if it'll hold up. "I feel like I'm keyed into what the fish are doing. Whether I can duplicate it any more, and catch more keepers, I just don't know. I'll just fish with confidence out there – go drag it out, get lucky and hopefully catch five."

7th: Horton Lost Limit Fish

Tim Horton is tied for 7th with 4-07. He caught 12 and kept four, but he lost a "toad" (he laughed). He "didn't get a real good look," but the bass "blew up on a buzzbait – a really big fish."

He had two keepers – "today was the slowest day I've had, no doubt," he said – and at about midday decided to adjust. "I changed up a little bit and caught two toward the end of the day. It's something I hadn't been doing."

Tomorrow he feels it will be "real important to get five," and backs conventional wisdom about winning: "I'll have to catch a 2 1/2-pounder now."

He noted that he doesn't like low-weight tournaments, but: "There's something about this river I like, even though the fishing's slow. I guess it's because the fish are predictable."

> He's in the 2006 Classic already, so he's not worried about finishing in the Top 10 here. But he is for another reason. "I'm on the bubble for Top Gun, so every fish I catch counts for more than just the Classic this week," he noted.

7th: Ike Frustrated About 4

"I had an excellent start," Mike Iaconelli said of his day. "I had four fish by 9:30 (two about 1 1/2 pounds each), but I couldn't finish the day."

Aside from that, the day was "exactly on plan. I had about 10 bites again, like I did in practice, and only four kept."

Even though that was a day that most of the field would've killed for, he said that the keeper-to-strike ratio wasn't as good as he expected. "I had two at 11 1/2 or 11 3/4 inches, and some 8- to 9-inchers mixed in there too, so I'm disappointed in the size."

Strategy-wise, today was different from most day 1s for him. "Normally on the first day I try to axe them," he said. "Here I fished conservatively – like a marathon race – because the fishing's so tough.

"I don't know – maybe if I didn't do that, I would've caught my fifth. There's a place I wanted to hit so bad that had a lot of keepers in there, but I thought I'd catch another keeper and I never did.

"Tomorrow I'm going to one of my primary areas, an area where I feel like I can catch a limit. If I can catch 4 to 5 pounds tomorrow, it'll set me up for the last day. I want to get to the last day in the Top 10, and then close it."

9th: Reynolds' Day Better Than Expected

Third-year Oklahoma pro Jeff Reynolds had 12 bites total, but only four were keepers. "I'm happy," he said. "I didn't know if I could catch that many or not. It's tough, very tough."

He adjusted a little bit today. He practiced on steep banks, but today abandoned that and "tried a few different things." He fished the Allegheny and the Mon, and plans on doing the same thing tomorrow.

10th: Biffle Lost Hog

Tommy Biffle has 3-13 and is tied with for 10th place with Cliff Pace. But Biffle had one less fish – he weighed just three fish today. That means one of his fish was decent, about 1 3/4 pounds. He also had six other bites, including a big one that could have given him the lead.

"I should've had a good day," he said. "I lost one about 2 1/2 or 3 right next to the boat. He jumped and came off."

He also said he took too long to change. "I did some things that I thought would catch them and didn't catch them, and I did them way too long. When I started doing what I knew I should've been doing all along, I caught them. So tomorrow I'm going to fish like I'm supposed to."

He noted: "I don't think you can be too far behind to catch up – a couple of good bites and you're right back in it."

10th: Pace Pleased

Cliff Pace made the Classic through the Bassmaster Open Championship. He completed a full Tour season this year, but finished 93rd in the Tour points. Not great, but he held the line. He's in good shape here after day 1. His four-fish, 3-13 sack is solid. So he caught 'em. Or did he?

"I wouldn't call it catching them," he said. "I got really fortunate today. I got real blessed. It's tough out there. It's hard to keep your head in it."

He has two BASS wins at the Open level – Atchafalaya and Rayburn – and has some river experience near his home in Petal, Miss. But this system is foreign to him.

"These rivers are not at all like (Mississippi rivers), and just the element of being smallmouth rivers is new and different for me. I caught three smallmouths and one spot. They were all just keepers."

In terms of emotion, he's solid. "I feel really good. I had a really good time today. I'm enjoying it. This is a tough fishery, so you just have to do the best you can."

He noted: "I really don't know if there was ever a time I thought I would get to fish the Classic. It was always something I dreamed of doing. I'm blessed that it happened this quickly."

And on whether he'll change tomorrow: "I hope to change from four fish to five."

38th: Hackney Bagled

What happened to the Hack Attack today? Greg Hackney, the No. 1 ranked angler in the State Farm-BassFan World Rankings, zeroed.

"You know, it's always disappointing when you zero," he said. "And I actually fished really good today. I know that sounds funny, and hard for somebody to believe. But I didn't have any wasted motion. I fished with confidence."

Basically, he said he swung for the fences. "I knew going into today, that I wouldn't go and catch keepers. I was going for two or three good ones."

He went to a "largemouth area" where he spent "3 solid hours," then bailed. "The last hour, I just fished the river some, then spent the rest of the day locking back and fishing my way back up."

He said tomorrow he'll start on smallmouths instead. "My confidence is still all right. I cannot change what I did today. That was the way I wanted to fish. It bothers me to go in with zero, but then again, you can't win if you can't lose.

"The way I'll fish tomorrow, I'll still fish to win. I'll fish for smallmouths, but not little ones."

38th: Clunn Eats a Donut

Clunn was another heavy-hitter who zeroed today. "I didn't catch one," he said. "It was that tough for me. I had 10 bites, and the biggest one was about 11 1/4 inches."

He said he saw a lot more fish today than during practice – "a lot more followers" – especially after first casts. "On every piece of structure, the first couple of casts, five or 10 would follow it back to the boat. And there seems to be a lot more activity shad-wise.

"I'll just go to different water tomorrow," he added. "I don't know what the quality fish are doing. There's too many fish here not to be some better fish."

38th: Jooste's DQ in His Own Words

Federation qualifier Gerry Jooste from Zimbabwe, who is fishing his fourth Federation-qualified Classic, was disqualified today for running in a no-wake zone. His was the only DQ of the day. He spent most of the day on the bank. Here's what happened, in his own words.

"I didn't catch any shorts. I caught one good keeper, between 2 and 2 1/4 pounds, right there in Pittsburgh. After catching the fish, a line of barges was parked against the bank, and I wanted to go around them to carry on fishing the bank. There was a boat coming down, behind the barges. (My observer) said, 'Be careful, there's a boat coming.'

"I idled out of there – (the arriving boat) was a distraction – and once I was clear of the barges, it was just human nature. My foot went down, I got on plane and as soon as I touched the trim button, I realized I wasn't supposed to be doing that. So I buttoned off, looked at (my observer) and said, 'I just made a huge mistake.'

"That probably was around 7:35. I probably fished 25 minutes. It was just an honest mistake."

He DQd himself. He didn't have tournament director Trip Weldon's number, but he got hold of somebody who got Weldon, and that was all she wrote. DQd for the day. "I didn't want to carry on fishing in case I hurt my area. I knew the game was over."

So has he given up? "You can't give 1 day to these pros," he said. "My aim now is to make the Top 25. I know I'm catching good fish. In practice I was catching the same kind of fish. If I can just get five of those tomorrow, I'm back in it."

Gerald Swindle saw Jooste commit the foul, and wondered about the harsh penalty. "Why in the world couldn't they just restart him?" he said. "He just made a mistake. He didn't gain anything. Once he realized it, he let out on (the motor).

"He only gained 500-600 yards of actual running (distance). Does that punishment suit that crime?"

More details on this tournament will be posted soon.

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 47 anglers, four limits, seven 4s, eight 3s, six 2s, twelve 1s, 10 zeroes.

> The Allegheny seemed to be the worst bite today and spit back a bunch of zeroes.

> The highlight of 17th-place Terry Scroggins' day was that he threw back a keeper – because he had to. He fished a spot for about 30 minutes, and caught a 5-pound catfish. He decided to move – "just like all my spots, there was nothing there," he joked. "I put my MotorGuide on high and went blowing past it – and about a 13-incher jumped in the boat." What? "I swear." (It was verified by his observer.) It was an illegal catch and he returned it to the water.

> BassFan Big Stick Jay Yelas zeroed today. For his report, click here to go On Tour With the BassFan Big Sticks.

> The funniest line heard today was at Rick Clunn's boat. While waiting to weigh in, a BASS official told Clunn he was going to check his livewell temperature. Clunn said, "I already know what it is." The official looked stunned and said, "You do? What is it?" Clunn answered: "Whatever the air temperature is." (He zeroed.)

> Anglers may not barter fishing spots from locals, but a local offered that very prospect to Ish Monroe today, in a different fashion though. Monroe pulled up on his primary area, and a local was fishing it. "He said he'd move if I gave him a rod and reel," Monroe said. "He'd already caught three, and I was so frustrated, I left." Like Clunn, he also zeroed.

> BASS reported 2,000 spectators at this morning's launch (yes, 2,000), and 5,362 at the weigh-in.

Weather Forecast

Sat., July 30 – Mostly Sunny - 83°/64°
> Wind: From the NE at 6 mph

Sun., July 31 – Mostly Sunny - 86°/65°
> Wind: From the E/NE at 5 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 5, 6-02
2. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 5, 5-01
2. Stacey D King -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 3, 5-01
4. Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 4-14
5. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 3, 4-11
6. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 4-10
7. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 4, 4-07
7. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 4, 4-07
9. Jeff Reynolds -- Platter, Okla. -- 4, 3-15
10. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 4, 3-13
10. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 3, 3-13
12. Andre Moore -- Scottsdale, Ariz. -- 4, 3-10
12. Edwin Evers -- Mannsville, Okla. -- 4, 3-10
12. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 3, 3-10
15. Gerald Swindle -- Hayden, Ala. -- 3, 3-08
16. Bradley Stringer -- Huntington, Texas -- 4, 3-04
17. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 3, 3-03
17. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 3, 3-03
17. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 2, 3-03
20. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 3, 2-15
21. Jeff Hager -- Alexis, N.C. -- 1, 2-04
22. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Ill. -- 2, 2-03
23. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 2, 2-02
24. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 2, 2-01
25. Luke Clausen -- Spokane Valley, Wash. -- 2, 2-00
26. Dave Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa. -- 2, 1-13
27. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ark. -- 1, 1-07
27. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 1, 1-07
29. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 1, 1-03
30. Davy Hite -- Prosperity, S.C. -- 1, 1-02
31. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 1, 1-01
32. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, N.C. -- 1, 1-00
32. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, Texas -- 1, 1-00
34. Marty Stone -- Linden, N.C. -- 1, 0-15
35. Ed Cowan -- Greeley, Pa. -- 1, 0-13
35. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ark. -- 1, 0-13
35. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tenn. -- 1, 0-13
38. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 0, 0-00
38. John Crews -- Jetersville, Va. -- 0, 0-00
38. Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D. -- 0, 0-00
38. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 0, 0-00
38. Gerry Jooste -- Harare, Zimbabwe, Zimb -- 0, 0-00
38. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 0, 0-00
38. Dave Palmer -- Roseburg, Ore. -- 0, 0-00
38. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Calif. -- 0, 0-00
38. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 0, 0-00
38. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Texas -- 0, 0-00

Big Bass
> Day 1 -- Stacey D King -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 2-14 -- $500
> Day 1 -- Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 2-14 -- $500