Rookie Langill Bags 18-01 While Fishing In A Crowd

Thunderstorms that dumped more than an inch of rain in the vicinity of the nation's capital today proved to be the perfect tonic for an ailing bite at the Potomac River. North Carolina rookie Kevin Langill took full advantage of the gift from the skies that cooled the previously balmy water and

caught 18-01 to lead day 1 of the Potomac Bassmaster Elite Series.

Langill, who's sharing an area with several other anglers at the top of the leaderboard, held a 4-ounce advantage over red-hot Tommy Biffle of Oklahoma (17-13). Texan Kelly Jordon was 3rd with 17-09, and Louisiana's Greg Hackney and Florida's Bernie Schultz shared 4th with 17-06.

Here's the rest of the current Top 12:

6. Rick Clunn: 16-13
7. Mike McClelland: 16-10
8. Skeet Reese: 16-05
9. Steve Kennedy: 15-15
10. Jeremy Starks: 15-13
11. Gerald Swindle: 15-09
12. Kotaro Kiriyama: 15-01

The East Coast was in the grip of a heat wave a weak ago, and water temperatures at the Potomac had climbed into the 90s in some places. But air temperatures that dipped into the 60s the past 2 nights started to reverse the trend, and today's rain and wind provided more relief.

For many in the 102-angler field, that resulted in bigger bites today and, in turn, bags that were considerably heftier than they'd expected based on what they found in practice.

Weights are likely to remain bunched up, as nobody seems to have a productive area all to themselves. Langill, for instance, is sharing his water with Rick Clunn (6th), Mike McClelland (7th), Skeet Reese (8th) and Jeff Kriet (23rd), and there were others who came and went.

Tomorrow's Weather Channel forecast for the Marbury, Md. area calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 84 degrees and wind from the north/northeast that could reach 10 mph.

The field will be cut to the Top 50 after the day 2 weigh-in. Only the Top 12 will fish on Sunday, and the winner will be determined by highest 4-day weight.

Langill's Fish Grew

Langill, who's 77th in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a top finish of 17th at Clarks Hill, said he had a "pretty good practice." However, the fish he was catching were a lot smaller than those he enticed today.

"The bigger fish just bit today – that's all there was to it," he said. "I'd caught quite a few more in terms of numbers during practice than I did today, but they were smaller.

"I've got several guys up top around me, but they're not quite keying in on the same deal. If the sun's out tomorrow, I'll catch more fish, but they won't be as big. They'll be keepers for sure, though – at least 2-pounders."

None of his nine keepers exceeded 4 pounds, but he had three right around that mark.

His goal for tomorrow is 15 pounds. He'll try to catch an early limit on a crankbait, and then move to the grass to cull up.

"That's what I did this morning, and it seemed to work out pretty good."

2nd: Biffle Bulked Up

Biffle found nothing in practice that led him to believe he could catch the type of sack he weighed today.

"I just adapted to the conditions," he said. "I never planned on catching them the way I did. I just changed with the weather, and it worked.

"I think it's going to be a tough day tomorrow. I might have to change to something else."

He boated close to a dozen keepers and his biggest fish weighed about 5 pounds.

"I'd fished that spot in practice and it didn't produce. I imagine that the rain helped quite a bit. The water had been so hot, and the rain helped cool it down.

"I think a lot of people caught them today a lot better than they thought they would."

He said he'd be satisfied with 10 or 12 pounds tomorrow. "I might not like it, but I guess that wouldn't be too bad."

3rd: Jordon Surprised

Jordon had a rough practice and didn't expect to catch anything close to 17 1/2 pounds.

"I was most pleasantly surprised," he said. "Practice was super tough, but I got on a little deal yesterday.

"What it came down to was finding a couple of small areas that just have them. I have two primary areas and one secondary."

He's sharing his best water with Gerald Swindle (11th with 15-09).

"We might have a merry go-round in there tomorrow, but I told him I won't come in until later. I'm going to start on some other stuff."

His bag included the big bass of the day – a 5-12 brute.

"I caught it at about 1:00," he said. "It was my first cast into this one spot I found yesterday. I'd told (his co-angler), 'If we can get down there, we're going to whack them.'''

He said the key is knowing which grassbeds to fish.

"You have to know what the right stuff is – that's definitely the deal," he said. "You can go through miles of dead water trying to find it, and I've only found three places that have it."

4th: Schultz Had No Clue

Schultz was yet another angler who far exceeded his expectations.

"I didn't have a clue that I could catch that kind of stringer," he said. "The weather was the whole deal for me, as I'm sure it was for everybody.

"I caught today what I thought it would take me 2 days to catch. Today was like the Potomac I know. The last 3 (practice) days were terrible."

He caught eight keepers, including a 5-10 hawg that bit late in the morning. He didn't mind divulging his baits: He used a frog, a buzzbait (two sizes) and a Senko.

"I've got one area that's real crowded, one with just one or two boats and another that there was nobody fishing when I was there, but I found out others had been there."

His goal for tomorrow is 15 pounds, but he figures he'll need cloudy skies again to reach it.

"If I have cloud cover, then anything's possible. If I don't have clouds, then it'll be brutal. The best I could probably do would be 9 or 10 pounds."

7th: Quality Up for McClelland

McClelland thought his potential for today was 13 to 14 pounds, and that was if he caught a 4-pounder. He bagged the 4, and the rest of his limit far surpassed his anticipated 2-pound average.

"I really didn't expect the quality to be there like it was," he said. "I wasn't expecting the opportunity to catch more than 16 pounds."

He got seven keeper bites in his primary area and pulled out of there just before noon.

"I figured there was no sense in beating that place up anymore. I did catch a couple more after I left, and that just confirmed that I have one or two backup spots where I might be able to (catch a limit) if I need it."

He's part of the group of leaders fishing the same area, which features both grass and wood.

"There was a good number of fish caught there today. Seventy pounds came out of there, for sure."

8th: Reese Rallied Late

Reese broke off several fish early, but he pulled it together to finish the day among the leaders.

"I was having a horrible day for the longest time," he said. "The first bite I had was a 2 1/2-pounder, and it came off. The next bite was a 3 1/2- to 4-pounder and I tried to swing it, and it came undone. The next one was another 3 1/2 to 4, and it broke off. Next bite, same thing.

"The ones that broke off weren't my fault and they weren't the line's fault. It was the barnicles."

Naturally, he's concerned by the fact that so many of the leaders are congregated in one place.

"Hopefully we can all play nice again tomorrow, and hopefully nobody else shows up to try to help us catch them. How bad we hurt (the fish) today, I have no idea. There's a couple more good bags to be caught there, but I don't know if I can get 16 pounds again."

He had a rather modest goal coming into the event: make the Top 50 and sew up a berth in the 2007 Bassmaster Classic.

"I think there'd be enough of a point spread where I could go to Table Rock and not have to catch a bass. Above and beyond that, I'd like to rally back and get back into the Top 10 in the points (he's currently 17th).

"The way this thing started, I'm as happy as a clam."

95th: Butcher Couldn't Connect

Terry Butcher's hopes for a second straight Top 5 (he was 3rd at Champlain) were dashed when he weighed just three fish for 3-13. The Oklahoman came into the event 33rd in the points (the Top 36 after the next event qualify for the 2007 Bassmaster Classic), so he'll have to try to regain some ground tomorrow.

"I just didn't catch them," he said. "I was around good fish, but I just didn't put them in the boat.

"They're around. It's just up to me to settle down and catch them."

He said he'll start tomorrow with pretty much the same gameplan he employed today.

"I might make a few bait changes, but other than that, I'll be in the same areas."

He was one of the few anglers who didn't appreciate the wet weather.

"For what I was doing, the cloud cover hurt me. I sure hated to see that rain this morning. If we get some sun tomorrow, I think I'll do better."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 102 anglers, 72 limits, 7 fours, 15 threes, 3 twos, 4 ones, 1 zero.

> Jordon had a scare at the end of the day when a crab-pot rope got wrapped up in his prop just as he started to head for the launch. The buoy that the pot was tied to had gotten hung up underwater and wasn't visible. "Luckily I was able to cut the rope off easily -– it could have been much, much worse. I'd given myself 10 extra minutes to get back, and I made it with 4 minutes to spare."

> Steve Kennedy (9th, 15-15) was the only AOY contender among the Top 30 after day 1. Points leader Mike Iaconelli was 41st (11-00), 3rd-place Dean Rojas was 31st (12-04), 4th-place Kevin VanDam was tied for 32nd (12-03) and 5th-place Kevin Wirth was 60th (8-11).

> BassFan Big Stick Jarrett Edwards was tied for the 50th-place cut spot with Ray Sedgwick (10-03). To read his report, click here.

> Matt Reed (92nd, 4-00) had a 3 1/2-pound smallmouth come off first thing this morning, and his day never got much better. "I was fishing a bridge piling in the mid-river, and I wasn't expecting that brown fish. Usually they're a lot farther up."

> Mike Reynolds (100th) caught just one fish for 2-03. "It's basically all on me. I made all the wrong moves and everything just snowballed, and I was kind of lost out there. I was around places where good fish were caught, so it was a pretty frustrating day."

Weather Forecast

Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the remaining tournament days.

> Fri, Aug. 11 – Partly Cloudy – 84°/61°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 10 mph

> Sat, Aug. 12 – Partly Cloudy – 82°/61°
- Wind: From the NE at 6 mph

> Sun, Aug. 13 – A.M. Clouds, P.M. Sun – 85°/66°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 4 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Kevin Langill -- Terrell, N.C. -- 5, 18-01 -- 305
-- Day 1: 5, 18-01

2. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 5, 17-13 -- 295
-- Day 1: 5, 17-13

3. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 5, 17-09 -- 290
-- Day 1: 5, 17-09

4. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 5, 17-06 -- 282
-- Day 1: 5, 17-06

4. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 17-06 -- 282
-- Day 1: 5, 17-06

6. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 5, 16-13 -- 276
-- Day 1: 5, 16-13

7. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 5, 16-10 -- 272
-- Day 1: 5, 16-10

8. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 16-05 -- 268
-- Day 1: 5, 16-05

9. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Ala. -- 5, 15-15 -- 264
-- Day 1: 5, 15-15

10. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, W.Va. -- 5, 15-13 -- 260
-- Day 1: 5, 15-13

11. Gerald Swindle -- Warrioir, Ala. -- 5, 15-09 -- 257
-- Day 1: 5, 15-09

12. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, Ala. -- 5, 15-01 -- 254
-- Day 1: 5, 15-01

13. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 5, 14-08 -- 251
-- Day 1: 5, 14-08
14. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 5, 14-06 -- 248
-- Day 1: 5, 14-06
15. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 5, 14-05 -- 245
-- Day 1: 5, 14-05
16. Marty Stone -- Linden, N.C. -- 5, 13-12 -- 243
-- Day 1: 5, 13-12
17. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 5, 13-10 -- 240
-- Day 1: 5, 13-10
17. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, Md. -- 5, 13-10 -- 240
-- Day 1: 5, 13-10
19. Morizo Shimizu -- Murrieta, Calif. -- 5, 13-09 -- 237
-- Day 1: 5, 13-09
20. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Calif. -- 5, 13-06 -- 234
-- Day 1: 5, 13-06
20. Rick Morris -- Vigginia Beach, Va. -- 5, 13-06 -- 234
-- Day 1: 5, 13-06
22. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 5, 13-03 -- 231
-- Day 1: 5, 13-03
23. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 5, 13-01 -- 229
-- Day 1: 5, 13-01
24. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 5, 13-00 -- 227
-- Day 1: 5, 13-00
25. Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Silver Spring, Md. -- 5, 12-15 -- 225
-- Day 1: 5, 12-15
26. Doc Merkin -- Downers Grove, Ill. -- 5, 12-14 -- 223
-- Day 1: 5, 12-14
27. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 5, 12-09 -- 221
-- Day 1: 5, 12-09
28. Fred Roumbanis -- Auburn, Calif. -- 5, 12-07 -- 219
-- Day 1: 5, 12-07
29. Steve Daniel -- Clewiston, Fla. -- 5, 12-05 -- 216
-- Day 1: 5, 12-05
29. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 5, 12-05 -- 216
-- Day 1: 5, 12-05
31. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu, Ariz. -- 5, 12-04 -- 213
-- Day 1: 5, 12-04
32. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 5, 12-03 -- 210
-- Day 1: 5, 12-03
32. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 5, 12-03 -- 210
-- Day 1: 5, 12-03
34. Charlie Youngers -- Geneva, Fla. -- 5, 12-01 -- 207
-- Day 1: 5, 12-01
35. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 11-14 -- 205
-- Day 1: 5, 11-14
36. Ken Brodeur -- Niantic, Conn. -- 5, 11-12 -- 203
-- Day 1: 5, 11-12
37. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 5, 11-11 -- 200
-- Day 1: 5, 11-11
37. Jason Quinn -- York, S.C. -- 5, 11-11 -- 200
-- Day 1: 5, 11-11
39. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas -- 5, 11-08 -- 197
-- Day 1: 5, 11-08
40. Bradley Stringer -- Huntington, Texas -- 5, 11-06 -- 195
-- Day 1: 5, 11-06
41. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 5, 11-00 -- 193
-- Day 1: 5, 11-00
42. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, Okla. -- 5, 10-15 -- 191
-- Day 1: 5, 10-15
43. Mike O'Shea -- Westlake Village, Cali -- 5, 10-12 -- 189
-- Day 1: 5, 10-12
44. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 5, 10-11 -- 187
-- Day 1: 5, 10-11
45. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 5, 10-10 -- 185
-- Day 1: 5, 10-10
46. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 5, 10-07 -- 181
-- Day 1: 5, 10-07
46. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 5, 10-07 -- 181
-- Day 1: 5, 10-07
46. William Smith, Jr -- Somerset, Ky. -- 5, 10-07 -- 181
-- Day 1: 5, 10-07
49. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 5, 10-06 -- 177
-- Day 1: 5, 10-06
50. Jarrett Edwards -- Page, Ariz. -- 5, 10-03 -- 174
-- Day 1: 5, 10-03
50. Ray Sedgwick -- Cross, S.C. -- 5, 10-03 -- 174
-- Day 1: 5, 10-03
52. Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, Fla. -- 5, 9-13 -- 171
-- Day 1: 5, 9-13
53. Lee Bailey -- Boaz, Ala. -- 5, 9-08 -- 168
-- Day 1: 5, 9-08
53. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 5, 9-08 -- 168
-- Day 1: 5, 9-08
55. Rick Ash -- Pottstown, Pa. -- 5, 9-05 -- 165
-- Day 1: 5, 9-05
56. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo. -- 5, 9-02 -- 163
-- Day 1: 5, 9-02
57. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Mineola, Texas -- 4, 9-01 -- 161
-- Day 1: 4, 9-01
58. Dave Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa. -- 5, 9-00 -- 159
-- Day 1: 5, 9-00
59. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 5, 8-13 -- 157
-- Day 1: 5, 8-13
60. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 5, 8-11 -- 155
-- Day 1: 5, 8-11
61. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, Ohio -- 5, 8-08 -- 153
-- Day 1: 5, 8-08
62. Ken Cook -- Lawton, Okla. -- 5, 8-06 -- 150
-- Day 1: 5, 8-06
62. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 5, 8-06 -- 150
-- Day 1: 5, 8-06
64. Elton Luce Jr -- Brookeland, Texas -- 5, 8-01 -- 147
-- Day 1: 5, 8-01
65. Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D. -- 4, 7-15 -- 145
-- Day 1: 4, 7-15
66. Keith Phillips -- Calera, Ala. -- 4, 7-12 -- 143
-- Day 1: 4, 7-12
67. John Murray -- Phoenix, Ariz. -- 5, 7-11 -- 141
-- Day 1: 5, 7-11
68. Joe Thomas -- Milford, Ohio -- 5, 7-10 -- 139
-- Day 1: 5, 7-10
69. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 4, 7-09 -- 137
-- Day 1: 4, 7-09
70. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 5, 7-08 -- 135
-- Day 1: 5, 7-08
71. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 5, 7-02 -- 132
-- Day 1: 5, 7-02
71. Chad Brauer -- Osage Beach, Mo. -- 3, 7-02 -- 132
-- Day 1: 3, 7-02
73. Britt Myers -- Mt. Holly, N.C. -- 5, 7-01 -- 129
-- Day 1: 5, 7-01
74. Vince Hurtado -- Waterford, Calif. -- 5, 6-11 -- 127
-- Day 1: 5, 6-11
75. Mark Rogers -- Naples, Fla. -- 5, 6-10 -- 124
-- Day 1: 5, 6-10
75. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Calif. -- 5, 6-10 -- 124
-- Day 1: 5, 6-10
77. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, La. -- 3, 6-09 -- 121
-- Day 1: 3, 6-09
78. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 4, 6-06 -- 119
-- Day 1: 4, 6-06
79. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 4, 6-05 -- 117
-- Day 1: 4, 6-05
80. Kurt Dove -- Warrenton, Va. -- 3, 6-04 -- 115
-- Day 1: 3, 6-04
81. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 3, 6-03 -- 113
-- Day 1: 3, 6-03
82. Randy Yarnall -- Womelsdorf, Pa. -- 3, 6-02 -- 111
-- Day 1: 3, 6-02
83. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 5, 6-01 -- 109
-- Day 1: 5, 6-01
84. Bink Desaro -- Boise, Idaho -- 4, 5-15 -- 107
-- Day 1: 4, 5-15
85. Frank Scalish -- Cleveland Heights, Ohi -- 3, 5-09 -- 105
-- Day 1: 3, 5-09
86. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Miss. -- 3, 5-06 -- 103
-- Day 1: 3, 5-06
87. Byron Velvick -- Boulder City, Nev. -- 3, 5-03 -- 101
-- Day 1: 3, 5-03
88. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 3, 5-00 -- 99
-- Day 1: 3, 5-00
89. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 3, 4-12 -- 97
-- Day 1: 3, 4-12
90. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Okla. -- 3, 4-11 -- 95
-- Day 1: 3, 4-11
91. Dave Smith -- Del City, Okla. -- 3, 4-04 -- 93
-- Day 1: 3, 4-04
92. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Texas -- 3, 4-00 -- 91
-- Day 1: 3, 4-00
93. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, Ohio -- 2, 3-14 -- 88
-- Day 1: 2, 3-14
93. Mark Tyler -- Scottsdale, Ariz. -- 2, 3-14 -- 88
-- Day 1: 2, 3-14
95. Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla. -- 3, 3-13 -- 85
-- Day 1: 3, 3-13
96. Paul Hirosky -- Guys Mills, Pa. -- 1, 3-12 -- 83
-- Day 1: 1, 3-12
97. David Gliebe -- Benton, Ky. -- 1, 3-10 -- 81
-- Day 1: 1, 3-10
98. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Okla. -- 3, 3-09 -- 79
-- Day 1: 3, 3-09
99. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fla. -- 1, 2-05 -- 77
-- Day 1: 1, 2-05
100.Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Calif. -- 1, 2-03 -- 76
-- Day 1: 1, 2-03
101.Jon Bondy -- Windsor, Canada -- 2, 1-12 -- 75
-- Day 1: 2, 1-12
102.Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 0, 0-00 -- 0
-- Day 1: 0, 0-00

Big Bass

Day 1: Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 5-12 -- $1,000