Clapper Catches 22 To Top The Field On Day 1

Steve Clapper has notched five BFL victories at the Detroit River. This week, he has his sights set on a much larger prize.

The Lake Erie ace from Ohio caught a 22-00 sack and led day 1 of the Detroit River FLW Tour. His vast experience on the big lake allowed him to overcome 25-mph winds that created 6-foot swells and reportedly left several anglers stranded on Pelee Island during weigh-in. This marks the first FLW Tour event he's ever fished.

He had a 12-ounce edge over Indiana's Thomas Moleski, another Erie stalwart also fishing his first Tour event. Those were the only two bags that topped 20 pounds.

Veterans Terry Baksay of Connecticut and David Walker of Tennessee were in a three-way tie for 3rd with yet another local standout – Illinois' Eric Struif. Each weighed 19-05.

Here's the remainder of the Top 10:

6. Danny Pierce: 19-04
7. (tie) Brent Crow: 19-02
7. (tie) Kevin Long: 19-02
9. Katsutoshi Furusawa: 19-00
10. Shinichi Fukae: 18-14

Shinichi Fukae, the Texan by way of Japan, snatched the lead in the Angler of the Year race from Oregon's Jay Yelas as the final regular-season event of 2007 got under way. His 18-14 sack left him in 10th.

Yelas began the day with a 26-point advantage, but lost three good fish and had to settle for a 15-12 bag that put him in 46th. Both are gunning for their second AOY title, and Yelas needs to make up 10 spots tomorrow.

Not all of the Top 5 sacks came from Erie – Baksay and Walker both fished Lake St. Clair, which is much shallower and isn't plagued by the giant rollers that buffet Erie on breezy days. Baksay will stay there for the duration of the tournament, but Walker plans to move to Erie tomorrow, when the winds are expected to subside.

Just a little more than 3 pounds separates the Top 10, and the next 34 anglers are all within 3 pounds of 10th place. The field will be cut to the Top 10 after tomorrow's weigh-in, and the winner will be determined by highest combined weight over the final 2 days.

Clapper Turns it On

Clapper, who's been a force in Detroit River events for many years, fished four spots in the same general area. He made a 35-minute run from the launch in Trenton, Mich.

"I just happened to make the right decision," he said. "With the weather we had, it would have been real easy to zero, and some friends of mine who generally do real well went to some other stuff and didn't do well today. I don't know if the bite was off in those places or what."

He caught 10 keepers on dropshot rigs and tubes from 20-plus feet of water. His best fish went an ounce shy of 5 pounds.

"Mid-day was the best time – I made a move at about 10:30 or 11 and came onto a better bunch of them, and my co-angler caught them good too."

He doesn't know if the area will productive tomorrow – the wind might make it too muddy.

"The practice I had there was very minimal. There were some other boats in the area, and I didn't want to be seen there. I think the mud scared the bulk of them off.

"Between the mud and the wind, it might not have seemed real lucrative to go there."

He'll fish hard throughout the day tomorrow.

"I need to catch all I can catch. With this bunch of guys, it's hard telling what they could come in with."

2nd: Moleski Meets Expectations

Moleski, who has four BFL Top 10s on the Detroit, was naturally pleased with his opening-day performance.

"I had an excellent practice, and I had high hopes," he said. "I made a long run and I didn't have much company. I was done by 11:00 and my co-angler finished out at noon, and then we had a nice cruise back in."

He said there's no secret to what he's doing and he wasn't hindered much by the wind and waves.

"I'm just fishing isolated rock humps, and the smaller they are, the better. I only culled once, and the biggest fish I had was about 4 1/2 pounds. They were all like clones.

"It got a little bit rough at times, but I've been out here enough to know what to expect, and I know how to fish it too."

He'd like to catch at least 17 pounds tomorrow.

"I have several places I can go, and a lot's going to be predicated on what direction the wind is blowing from. I just consider myself very blessed to be here and I'm looking forward to it."

3rd: Baksay Enjoys the Solitude

Baksay also parlayed a strong practice into a superb first day.

"Practice was just spectacular, and I spent every single minute of it in St. Clair," he said. "I had my 16-year-old son Christopher with me, and we were catching 50 to 75 fish a day."

He had no competition for his fish today.

"I didn't have another boat within a mile of me, so I just covered water and fished. I've got one area about the size of two football fields, and I stayed there the whole time.

He went through 20 keepers and his best fish weighed 4-12.

"I fished both slow and fast, and that's about all I can say. I'll probably need about the same (weight) tomorrow.

"I have backup areas where I think I can go out and catch them. It's just a matter of getting the big bites."

3rd: Walker's Savvy Pays Off

Walker practiced for 3 days each on Erie and St. Clair. His best spot is on Erie, but he went to the smaller body today to avoid the big rollers.

"I was hoping for 13 or 14 pounds from St. Clair – I had no idea I could get that kind of bag, and now I can head for my good fish tomorrow," he said. "I was really fortunate today.

"Sometimes you just go out there and fish and do the same things everyone else does, and things just go your way."

He caught more than 20 keepers, but none over 4 pounds. He grossly underestimated the size of his bag.

"I thought I had about 15 pounds, maybe 16 at the outside. These fish are short and really thick, and they weigh more than they look like. The had me buffaloed."

He entered the event at No. 56 in the points standings, so a good finish will likely garner him a Forrest Wood Cup berth. The Top 40 are in for sure, but the cutoff will be deeper due to double-qualifiers.

"My whole goal was to make that championship because I don't want to spend another year on the sidelines – I can't stand that anymore. If I can catch 14 pounds or so tomorrow, I think I can make it."

8th: Long Fishes What he Knows

Michigan's Kevin Long was another Top 10 member who fished St. Clair. That made sense, since he's a guide there.

"I've lived within 45 minutes of the lake my whole life, and I'm pretty comfortable on it," he said. "I can't say I expected to catch 19 pounds – honestly, I thought I could get 17 to 18."

He was a little worried this morning when he wasn't getting the type of bites he was expecting.

"I was catching nothing but 2-pounders, and I thought the biggest fish had swam away. But I ended up catching fish all day long and I culled throughout the day, and I caught my biggest one (a 4-pounder) in the last 5 minutes."

He thinks he'll need another strong sack tomorrow to make the cut.

"I won't let up until I've got 18 1/2 or 19 pounds. I'm fishing a mile-long stretch that has some sweet spots on it, and I think it's the kind of area that has more big fish than I can catch in 1 day.

"The wind isn't supposed to blow as hard tomorrow, so I'll really pick it apart."

46th: Yelas Still Confident

The ever-optimistic Yelas looked at his 46th-place standing as an opportunity to make a big move tomorrow and erase Fukae's newfound AOY lead.

"Being in 10th, Shin can't move too much," he said. "I'm the one who has the room to jump, and I think I can do it if I catch 17 or 18 pounds.

"I had the fish on to have 18 pounds today, but they just came off my hook. Bite-wise, I got about what I expected. I just wasn't able to get all of them in the boat."

He caught about 10 keepers, but nothing over 3 3/4 pounds.

"I'm halfway pleased with my day, and I'm in position to win this thing with a good day tomorrow. My goal coming in was 26th place, and I'm 15 ounces from being there right now."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 200 anglers, 133 limits, 18 fours, 16 threes, 13 twos, 6 ones, 14 zeroes.

> Walker was born and raised in the Detroit area. "I've been gone for 17 years, and it's certainly changed a lot. I used to fish around here before the zebra mussels came, and the water was kind of a concrete color."

> Yelas didn't have too much trouble with the wind on St. Clair. "Because of the way the lake is laid out, you can get around okay. If you stay on the west side, you can run wide-open. Getting there and coming back wasn't an issue at all."

> Cliff Pirch is currently first out of the cut, 4 ounces behind Fukae.

Weather Forecast

Here's the forecast for the remaining tournament days.

> Fri, July 13 – Mostly Sunny – 74°/60°
- Wind: From the W/NW at 9 mph

> Sat, July 14 – Scattered T-Storms/Wind – 80°/63°
- Wind: From the SW at 22 mph

> Sun, July 15 – Partly Cloudy – 81°/64°
- Wind: From the E/NE at 6 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Steve Clapper -- Lima, Oh -- 5, 22-00

2. Thomas Moleski -- Elkhart, In -- 5, 21-04

3. Terry Baksay -- Easton, Ct -- 5, 19-05

3. Eric Struif -- Lake Villa, Il -- 5, 19-05

3. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tn -- 5, 19-05

6. Danny Pierce -- Greenbrier, Ar -- 5, 19-04

7. Brent Crow -- Hartselle, Al -- 5, 19-02

7. Kevin Long -- Berkley, Mi -- 5, 19-02

9. Katsutoshi Furusawa -- Tokyo Japan -- 5, 19-00

10. Shinichi Fukae -- Mineola, Tx -- 5, 18-14

11. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 5, 18-10

12. Trevor Jancasz -- White Pigeon, Mi -- 5, 18-09

12. Christopher King -- South Amherst, Oh -- 5, 18-09

14. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 5, 18-07

15. Carl Svebek III -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 5, 18-05

16. Andre Moore -- Alabaster, Al -- 5, 18-04

17. Josh Myers -- Chatham, On -- 5, 18-01

18. Tony Defilippo -- Cedar, Mi -- 5, 18-00

19. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 5, 17-14

19. Steve Redding -- Plano, Tx -- 5, 17-14

19. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 5, 17-14

22. Jeff Miller -- Crestwood, Il -- 5, 17-08

23. Ricky D Scott -- Van Buren, Ar -- 5, 17-00

24. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 5, 16-13

24. Jack Gadlage -- Benton, Ky -- 5, 16-13

26. Bryan Coates -- Amherst, Oh -- 5, 16-11

26. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 5, 16-11

28. Michael Murphy -- Gilbert, Sc -- 5, 16-10

29. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ar -- 5, 16-08

29. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 5, 16-08

31. Al Gagliarducci -- Agawam, Ma -- 5, 16-06

32. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 5, 16-05

32. Mark Hardin -- Jasper, Ga -- 5, 16-05

32. Keith Monson -- Burgin, Ky -- 5, 16-05

32. John Peters -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 5, 16-05

36. Chris Elliott -- Beaufort, Nc -- 5, 16-04

36. Tim Klinger -- Boulder City, Nv -- 5, 16-04

36. Gary Yamamoto -- Mineola, Tx -- 5, 16-04

39. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 5, 16-03

40. Dale Evans -- Ridgeville, Sc -- 4, 16-02

40. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 5, 16-02

42. Marty Hottot -- Chatham, On -- 5, 16-01

42. Jason Knapp -- Uniontown, Pa -- 5, 16-01

44. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 5, 15-14

44. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 5, 15-14

46. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Tx -- 5, 15-12

47. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 5, 15-11

47. Art Ferguson III -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 5, 15-11

47. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, Sc -- 5, 15-11

50. Kevin Bishop -- Hilton, Ny -- 5, 15-08

51. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, Nc -- 5, 15-07

51. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 5, 15-07

53. Matt Arey -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 15-05

53. Gabe Bolivar -- Ramona, Ca -- 5, 15-05

53. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fl -- 5, 15-05

53. Dave Lefebre -- Union City, Pa -- 4, 15-05

53. Jeffrey Thomas -- Broadway, Nc -- 5, 15-05

58. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 5, 14-15

59. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 14-14

59. Jason Reyes -- Humble, Tx -- 5, 14-14

61. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 5, 14-13

61. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, Al -- 5, 14-13

63. Lewis Denney -- Indian Mound, Tn -- 5, 14-11

64. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 5, 14-10

65. Chip Harrison -- Bremen, In -- 5, 14-09

66. Patrick Goodman -- White Pigeon, Mi -- 5, 14-08

67. Mark Rose -- Marion, Ar -- 5, 14-06

68. Charles Cummings -- Leeds, Al -- 5, 14-05

68. Alvin Shaw -- State Road, Nc -- 5, 14-05

70. Chris Mccall -- Jasper, Tx -- 5, 14-04

71. Mike Hawkes -- Sabinal, Tx -- 5, 14-03

71. Rick Marsh -- High Point, Nc -- 5, 14-03

71. Sam Swett -- Covington, La -- 5, 14-03

71. Michael Yawgel -- Cromwell, Ct -- 5, 14-03

75. Hank Cherry -- Maiden, Nc -- 5, 14-02

76. Jeff Magee -- Mendenhall, Ms -- 5, 14-00

77. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 5, 13-15

77. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 5, 13-15

79. Roger Crafton -- Boca Grande, Fl -- 5, 13-14

79. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 5, 13-14

81. Sean Minderman -- Spokane, Wa -- 4, 13-12

82. Charlie Ingram -- Santa Fe, Tn -- 5, 13-11

82. Brent Long -- Catawba, Nc -- 5, 13-11

84. Brennan Bosley -- Benton, Ar -- 5, 13-10

84. Derek Jones -- Chicago, Il -- 5, 13-10

84. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 5, 13-10

87. Brian Bylotas -- Olyphant, Pa -- 5, 13-09

87. Matt Herren -- Trussville, Al -- 5, 13-09

87. Craig Powers -- Rockwood, Tn -- 5, 13-09

87. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 5, 13-09

91. Bud Pruitt -- Spring, Tx -- 5, 13-08

92. Tom Burns -- Carbondale, Il -- 5, 13-07

92. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 5, 13-07

92. John Sappington -- Willard, Mo -- 5, 13-07

95. Tee Watkins -- East Point, Ky -- 5, 13-06

96. Andy Sanders -- Ottawa, Oh -- 3, 13-05

96. Mike Trombly -- Perrysburg, Oh -- 5, 13-05

96. Alfred Williams -- Jackson, Ms -- 5, 13-05

99. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, Sc -- 5, 13-04

99. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 3, 13-04

101. David Fritts -- Lexington, Nc -- 5, 13-03

102. David Lauer -- South Bend, In -- 5, 13-02

103. Toby Hartsell -- Livingston, Tx -- 5, 13-01

104. Terry Tucker -- Gadsden, Al -- 5, 13-00

105. Clay Dyer -- Hamilton, Al -- 5, 12-14

106. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, Nc -- 5, 12-09

107. Tony Couch -- Buckhead, Ga -- 5, 12-08

108. Randy Blaukat -- Lamar, Mo -- 5, 12-07

108. Ray Scheide -- Russellville, Ar -- 5, 12-07

110. Joe Thomas -- Milford, Oh -- 5, 12-06

111. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 5, 12-05

111. Sandy Melvin -- Boca Grande, Fl -- 5, 12-05

113. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 3, 12-04

114. Harmon Davis -- Marlow, Ok -- 5, 12-03

115. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 5, 12-02

116. Miles Johnson -- Washington Township, Oh -- 5, 12-01

116. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 5, 12-01

118. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 5, 11-15

118. O T Fears Iii -- Sallisaw, Ok -- 5, 11-15

120. Joe Balog -- Harrison Township, Mi -- 3, 11-14

120. David Reault -- Livonia, Mi -- 5, 11-14

120. Mike Todd -- Norman, Ok -- 5, 11-14

123. Jt Kenney -- Daytona Beach, Fl -- 5, 11-13

124. Mark Pack -- Mineola, Tx -- 5, 11-10

125. Woo Daves -- Spring Grove, Va -- 5, 11-09

126. Joel Richardson -- Kernersville, Nc -- 5, 11-08

127. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 5, 11-05

127. Thanh Le -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 5, 11-05

129. George Jeane Jr -- Evans, La -- 5, 11-03

129. Randy Morris -- Garfield, Ar -- 5, 11-03

131. John Zubkoff -- Monroe, Mi -- 3, 11-01

132. Tim Johnson -- Dallas, Ga -- 5, 10-15

133. David Cooke -- Mooresville, Nc -- 4, 10-14

133. Monte Knight -- Quitman, Ms -- 5, 10-14

135. Jimmy Millsaps -- Canton, Ga -- 3, 10-13

135. Wes Thomas -- Hanover, In -- 5, 10-13

135. Kevin Vida -- Clare, Mi -- 5, 10-13

138. Ott Defoe -- Knoxville, Tn -- 4, 10-11

139. Danny Correia -- Marlborough, Ma -- 4, 10-04

139. Karen Savik -- St. Louis Park, Mn -- 5, 10-04

141. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 4, 10-03

142. David Hayward -- Sylvania, Oh -- 4, 10-01

142. John Tanner -- Quitman, Tx -- 5, 10-01

144. Eric Ambort -- Mabelvale, Ar -- 5, 9-13

144. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 3, 9-13

146. Sam Newby -- Pocola, Ok -- 5, 9-11

146. Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tn -- 4, 9-11

148. Tom Mann Jr -- Buford, Ga -- 4, 9-09

149. Jerry Green -- Del Rio, Tx -- 4, 9-08

150. David Mccrone -- Minnetonka, Mn -- 2, 9-06

151. Aaron Hastings -- Middletown, Md -- 5, 9-02

151. Norman Seat -- Branson West, Mo -- 4, 9-02

153. Jason Abram -- Gray, Tn -- 4, 8-14

154. Ken Wick -- Star, Id -- 2, 8-10

155. Kim Stricker -- Howell, Mi -- 3, 8-09

156. Bobby Curtis -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 3, 8-07

157. Marcel Veenstra -- Brighton, Mi -- 4, 8-05

158. Pat Fisher -- Buckhead, Ga -- 3, 8-04

159. Frank Meyer -- Marianna, Fl -- 4, 8-03

159. Roy Randolph -- Royal Oak, Mi -- 2, 8-03

161. Michael Bennett -- Roseville, Ca -- 3, 8-02

161. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 4, 8-02

163. Kevin Lasyone -- Dry Prong, La -- 4, 8-00

164. Dwayne Horton -- Knoxville, Tn -- 3, 7-15

165. Guido Hibdon -- Gravois Mills, Mo -- 4, 7-13

166. Nate Wellman -- Jenison, Mi -- 2, 7-06

167. Jim Short -- Ocean Pines, Md -- 3, 7-03

168. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 3, 7-00

169. Chris Cox -- Belleville, Wi -- 2, 6-14

170. Vu (Ted) Nguyen -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 2, 6-13

171. Jeremiah Kindy -- Benton, Ar -- 2, 6-10

172. Fred Contaoi -- Lakeport, Ca -- 2, 6-06

173. Pete Gluszek -- Franklinville, Nj -- 2, 5-15

174. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, Sc -- 3, 5-12

174. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, Nc -- 3, 5-12

176. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 2, 5-01

177. Keith Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 2, 4-02

178. Dion Hibdon -- Stover, Mo -- 1, 3-13

179. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 5, 3-12

180. Gary Riffle -- Paris, Tx -- 2, 3-11

181. Tim Mcdonald -- Lexington, Ky -- 1, 3-09

182. David Gee -- Lapaz, In -- 2, 2-11

183. Chris Slopak -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 1, 2-07

183. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 1, 2-07

185. Kim Bain -- Alabaster, Al -- 1, 2-03

185. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 1, 2-03

Terry Boyd -- Cincinnati, Oh -- 0, 0-00

Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 0, 0-00

George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 0, 0-00

Chad Cook -- Summerville, Sc -- 0, 0-00

James Davis Jr -- Ferriday, La -- 0, 0-00

Craig Dowling -- Many, La -- 0, 0-00

Gary Ginter -- Maplewood, Oh -- 0, 0-00

Sean Hoernke -- Magnolia, Tx -- 0, 0-00

Bob Kujan Jr -- Belton, Tx -- 0, 0-00

Ralph Laster Jr -- Lees Summit, Mo -- 0, 0-00

Keith Pace -- Monticello, Ar -- 0, 0-00

Robert Sherry -- Saint Charles, Il -- 0, 0-00

Shannon Shuler -- Ypsilanti, Mi -- 0, 0-00

Brad Wall -- Clarksville, Oh -- 0, 0-00

Big Bass

Day 1: Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 5-10 -- $1,000