Brauer Busts 22, Leads By 3 Pounds At Clarks Hill

After experiencing back-to-back heavyweight slugfests in Texas, the Bassmaster Elite Series pros got smacked in the face with a heavy dose of reality in Georgia. It's not that Clarks Hill is fishing all that slim, but it certainly won't be coughing up any record-breaking numbers in the near future.

Overall the lake is producing weights just slightly lighter than it did a year ago. BassFans saw four bags over 20 pounds brought to the scales on day 1 of last year's event, but only one limit of that caliber crossed the stage today.

BASS multi-millionaire Denny Brauer was the angler in possession of that 20-plus-pound sack. He easily outpaced the rest of the field with 22 pounds even.

The 59-year-old veteran logged his first Top 12 finish since 2006 two weeks ago with a 10th-place showing at Lake Amistad. If he can come anywhere close to duplicating his day 1 performance tomorrow, he's almost a sure bet to make it two in a row.

Trailing Brauer are a trio of 'Daves' - Hite, Sherrer and Smith. Davy Hite lives an hour away from Clarks Hill and he put his local knowledge to good use on his way to an 18-15 sack, which has him sitting in 2nd place with 1 quarter in the books.

In 3rd is Elite Series rookie David Sherrer. He brought 18-08 to the scales and sits 3-08 out of the top spot.

David Smith is trying to hoist himself out of the Elite Series cellar. He's currently ranked next to last in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, but thanks to his 17-04 limit he's holding down the 4th-place spot after day 1.

Oklahoma pro Kenyon Hill managed an even 17 pounds and finished the day in 5th.

Here's the current Top 12, followed by their total weight, and distance from leader in red:

1. Denny Brauer: 22-00
2. Davy Hite: 18-15 (3-01)
3. David Sherrer: 18-08 (3-08)
4. David Smith: 17-04 (4-12)
5. Kenyon Hill: 17-00 (5-00)
6. Dean Rojas: 16-13 (5-03)
7. Dustin Wilks: 16-13 (5-03)
8. Alton Jones: 16-12 (5-04)
9. Terry Scroggins: 16-07 (5-09)
10. Mike McClelland: 15-09 (6-07)
11. Dave Wolak: 15-03 (6-13)
12. Edwin Evers: 15-01 (6-15)

The bite was anything but predictable today. Several pros said they had to run five or more patterns just to scrounge up a decent limit of largemouths. About the only thread stringing everything together was the observation that the Clarks Hill bass are behaving exactly as they were last year, which means they're tough to find and slow to eat.

The saving grace for several anglers was the morning bite. The word is that competitors in early flights enjoyed about 10 to 30 minutes of aggressive action first thing this morning, but that bite diminished quickly and pros with later draws got none of it.

Brauer 'Tickled'

After an unproductive practice Brauer said he "just went fishing" on day 1. He managed the best limit of the day by switching between a Strike King football jig and a Strike King Series 5 crankbait in "areas where the bass will traditionally ambush the herring.

"I was running and gunning today," he said. "I probably fished about 20 spots. I never really found any big concentrations of fish. It was just one here and one there.

"I'm honestly ticked to death with the way my day went," he added. "I was fortunate enough to get three of the right bites today. Whether that'll happen again tomorrow I have no clue. I'm not even sure I can catch a limit tomorrow. When I say I went fishing, I mean it. I just went fishing."

About his bait choices, he noted: "It really depends on the area. Some areas are more conducive to the crankbait, some favor the jig, and I've got a few places where you can do both. The main thing for me was I was trying to cover water. I didn't spend too much time in any one spot."

He noted there was "no rhyme or reason" to when he got his bites throughout the day, and said he had a couple of periods where he went a couple hours without getting a tap.

"I really expect to see the bite get better as we go on," he added. "I don't know if it'll get any better for me, but we should start seeing some guys finding those schools in the next couple days. Somebody will pull up on the right spot and bring in a big bag."

3rd: Sherrer Mixing it Up

Sherrer's bite revolves around the presence of blueback herring, but he's not focusing all his efforts on schools.

"I'm mixing it up between catching school fish and just grinding it out," he said. "But the key for me is definitely finding those bluebacks (herring). If you find the baitfish then you can pretty much bet that the bass are somewhere close. They might not be schooled up or feeding real hard, but they're close."

He's noticed a steady increase in schooling activity of both the herring and the largemouths since he started practice on Monday, and while he's hopeful his areas will get better as the tournament progresses, he knows he can't get too comfortable with what he's found.

"It's really easy to go from hero to zero on this lake," he said. "Those herring move around a lot, and everywhere they go the bass go with them. If they stay put then I shouldn't have a problem catching them, but I know they're going to start moving around before this tournament is over, and I plan to move around with them."

4th: Smith Thinking Positive

Smith's not exactly having a banner year in the Bassmaster Elite Series. His best finish in 2008 is a 79th at Toho, and he's coming off two dismal showings of 94th and 99th at Falcon and Amistad, respectively.

But the Oklahoma pro is fresh off a team victory at the PAA-sanctioned Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC), and he said his TTBC team captain Kelly Jordon helped him get his confidence back.

"I've never met a more positive guy when it comes to fishing," he said. "I've had a tough go of it this season, but he's really helped me start to feel better these past few weeks. I had a pretty good practice this week and I just came into this tournament with a lot of confidence."

His 17-04 limit was topped off by a 7-01 kicker, the biggest bass to cross the scales on day 1.

"I actually found that fish the last day of practice," he noted. "It was a big female and she just happened to flash herself. I never made a cast to her in practice, but I made a note to remember that exact spot so I could come back and fish for her today. I pulled in there and made a blind cast to where I thought her bed was and she ate it.

"The good news is I found another good fish on a bed towards the end of the day today, and I think I can go back and get her tomorrow."

6th (tie): Rojas Fishing Slow

Dean Rojas is one of the few pros who's not relying on dozens of spots to produce his bites. Instead he's picked out one specific section of the lake and is milking it for all it's worth.

"This lake is so big it really takes a long time to fish everything thoroughly," he said. "I'm not moving around a lot, but I'm definitely not in danger of running out of water. I've got my whole area to myself so I don't have to worry about another guy coming in there and catching them. I can really take my time and fish my spots hard."

He didn't want to spill too much about how he's catching his fish, but he did say he's relying on four different patterns that involve four different baits.

"I really hope to narrow that down as the tournament goes on, but right now that's what's working for me. A lot of it is dependent on the time of day, too. You have to wait for the sun and heat to hit certain banks, and the shade is playing a factor, too.

"The fish are definitely starting to get more active," he added. "The water is getting warmer and everything is slowly getting better. I think I'll be able to narrow down my patterns and be more specific with each day that goes by."

9th: No Herring for Jones

Alton Jones described his pattern as "herring dependent." The problem with that is the bluebacks decided not to show up at his spots today.

"(The herring) were all over these spots during practice," he said. "The bass were schooling and feeding all over the place, but I never saw them today. Everybody showed up but the herring."

By "everybody" he means the "seven or eight" other competitors who are running the same set of points.

"There's a group of us who all found the same stuff, but the key here is timing," he noted. "You have to be there at just the right time and if you happen to catch them when they're schooling, catching a limit isn't much of a challenge.

"But today it wasn't like that," he added. "I really had to work for every bite, but that's probably about to change. I'm anticipating things are going to improve in the next couple days, and when it gets good, it'll get really good."

About his chances for staying consistent over the next 4 days, he said: "I feel really confident I can keep up this pace. I really think my areas can produce weights bigger than what I brought in today. For trying to find those herring and coming up empty, I really did about as well as I could today. I'm really pleased with my weight and hopefully today was the toughest day I'll have all tournament."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 108 anglers, 94 limits, 4 fours, 9 threes, 1 two.

> Alton Jones Jr., or "little Alton" as he's known to most pros, is fishing his first tournament as a co-angler. He currently sits in 49th-place in the co-angler standings.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the remaining tournament days. For more weather information, including satellite and radar imagery, visit OutdoorsFanWeather.com.

> Fri., May 2 - Partly Cloudy - 81°/58°
- Wind: From the S at 15 mph

> Sat., May 3 - 30% chance of thunderstorms - 79°/54°
- Wind: From the SSW at 5 mph

> Sun., May 4 - Partly Cloudy - 81°/52°
- Wind: From the NNW at 4 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 5, 22-00 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 22-00

2. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 18-15 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 18-15

3. David Sherrer -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 18-08 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 18-08

4. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 17-04 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 17-04

5. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 5, 17-00 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 17-00

6. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 16-13 -- 274
Day 1: 5, 16-13

6. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 5, 16-13 -- 274
Day 1: 5, 16-13

8. Alton Jones -- Waco, TX -- 5, 16-12 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 16-12

9. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 16-07 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 16-07

10. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 15-09 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 15-09

11. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, NC -- 5, 15-03 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 15-03

12. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 15-01252.5
Day 1: 5, 15-01

12. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 15-01252.5
Day 1: 5, 15-01

14. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 14-15 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 14-15

15. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 14-11 -- 245
Day 1: 5, 14-11

16. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, CA -- 5, 14-08 -- 243
Day 1: 5, 14-08

17. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, OK -- 5, 14-07 -- 241
Day 1: 5, 14-07

18. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 14-01 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 14-01

19. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 13-13 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 13-13

20. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 5, 13-09 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 13-09

21. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 13-07 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 13-07

22. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 5, 13-05 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 13-05

23. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 13-04 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 13-04

23. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, CA -- 5, 13-04 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 13-04

23. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 13-04 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 13-04

26. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 13-00 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 13-00

27. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 5, 12-12 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 12-12

28. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 12-06 -- 219
Day 1: 5, 12-06

29. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 12-03 -- 214
Day 1: 5, 12-03

29. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 12-03 -- 214
Day 1: 5, 12-03

29. Bryan Hudgins -- Orange Park, FL -- 5, 12-03 -- 214
Day 1: 5, 12-03

29. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 12-03 -- 214
Day 1: 5, 12-03

33. Peter E Thliveros -- St Augustine, FL -- 5, 12-02 -- 209
Day 1: 5, 12-02

34. Jason Quinn -- York, SC -- 5, 12-01 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 12-01

35. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 12-00 -- 205
Day 1: 5, 12-00

36. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 11-12 -- 203
Day 1: 5, 11-12

37. James Kennedy -- Lacombe, LA -- 4, 11-11 -- 201
Day 1: 4, 11-11

38. Matthew Sphar -- Pavilion, NY -- 5, 11-10 -- 199
Day 1: 5, 11-10

39. Chris Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 11-09 -- 197
Day 1: 5, 11-09

40. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 11-08 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 11-08

41. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, CA -- 5, 11-07 -- 193
Day 1: 5, 11-07

42. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 11-06 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 11-06

43. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 5, 11-05 -- 189
Day 1: 5, 11-05

44. Brian Clark -- Haltom City, TX -- 5, 11-03 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 11-03

44. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, OK -- 5, 11-03 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 11-03

44. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville, NC -- 5, 11-03 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 11-03

47. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 11-02 -- 181
Day 1: 5, 11-02

48. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 11-01 -- 178
Day 1: 5, 11-01

48. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, WV -- 5, 11-01 -- 178
Day 1: 5, 11-01

50. Shaw E Grigsby -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 11-00 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 11-00

51. Rick Ash -- Pottstown, PA -- 5, 10-14 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 10-14
51. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, SC -- 5, 10-14 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 10-14
51. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 10-14 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 10-14
54. Jim Murray -- Arabi, GA -- 5, 10-12 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 10-12
55. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 10-11 -- 164
Day 1: 5, 10-11
55. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, KY -- 5, 10-11 -- 164
Day 1: 5, 10-11
57. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 10-09 -- 161
Day 1: 5, 10-09
58. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 10-06 -- 159
Day 1: 5, 10-06
59. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 5, 10-05 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 10-05
59. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 10-05 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 10-05
59. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 10-05 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 10-05
62. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 10-01 -- 151
Day 1: 5, 10-01
63. Preston Clark -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 10-00 -- 149
Day 1: 5, 10-00
64. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 5, 09-15 -- 147
Day 1: 5, 09-15
65. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 09-13 -- 145
Day 1: 5, 09-13
66. Jay Fuller -- Kingston, OK -- 5, 09-11 -- 143
Day 1: 5, 09-11
67. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 09-09 -- 140
Day 1: 5, 09-09
67. Pat Golden -- High Point, NC -- 5, 09-09 -- 140
Day 1: 5, 09-09
69. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 09-07 -- 136
Day 1: 5, 09-07
69. Ray Sedgwick -- Cross, SC -- 5, 09-07 -- 136
Day 1: 5, 09-07
71. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 09-05 -- 133
Day 1: 5, 09-05
72. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 09-04 -- 131
Day 1: 5, 09-04
73. Paul Hirosky -- Guys Mills, PA -- 5, 09-03 -- 129
Day 1: 5, 09-03
74. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 09-01 -- 127
Day 1: 5, 09-01
75. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, MD -- 5, 08-15 -- 125
Day 1: 5, 08-15
76. Kurt Dove -- Fairfax, VA -- 5, 08-14 -- 123
Day 1: 5, 08-14
77. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 08-13 -- 121
Day 1: 5, 08-13
78. Billy Brewer -- Bruceville, TX -- 5, 08-12 -- 119
Day 1: 5, 08-12
79. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 4, 08-10 -- 117
Day 1: 4, 08-10
80. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, MO -- 5, 08-08 -- 114
Day 1: 5, 08-08
80. Glenn Delong -- Bellville, OH -- 4, 08-08 -- 114
Day 1: 4, 08-08
82. Clark Reehm -- Russellville, AR -- 5, 08-07 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 08-07
83. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, NC -- 5, 08-03 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 08-03
83. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, NJ -- 5, 08-03 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 08-03
85. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, MO -- 5, 08-00 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 08-00
86. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 07-14 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 07-14
87. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, LA -- 5, 07-09 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 07-09
88. Jon Bondy -- Windsor CANADA -- 5, 07-07 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 07-07
88. Ben Matsubu -- Hemphill, TX -- 5, 07-07 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 07-07
90. Matt Amedeo -- Clinton, OH -- 5, 07-04 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 07-04
90. Mark Tyler -- Vian, OK -- 4, 07-04 -- 94
Day 1: 4, 07-04
92. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, VA -- 5, 07-03 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 07-03
93. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 5, 07-00 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 07-00
94. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, AR -- 3, 06-13 -- 87
Day 1: 3, 06-13
95. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 3, 06-07 -- 85
Day 1: 3, 06-07
96. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 06-00 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 06-00
96. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, OH -- 5, 06-00 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 06-00
98. Kevin Langill -- Terrell, NC -- 3, 05-15 -- 79
Day 1: 3, 05-15
99. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 3, 05-12 -- 77
Day 1: 3, 05-12
100. Steve Daniel -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 05-10 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 05-10
101. Elton Luce Jr. -- Brookeland, TX -- 3, 05-08 -- 75
Day 1: 3, 05-08
102. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 5, 05-06 73.5
Day 1: 5, 05-06
102. Ken D Cook -- Lawton, OK -- 3, 05-06 73.5
Day 1: 3, 05-06
104. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 3, 04-13 -- 72
Day 1: 3, 04-13
105. Corey Waldrop -- Fort Worth, TX -- 5, 04-08 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 04-08
106. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 3, 03-15 -- 70
Day 1: 3, 03-15
107. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 3, 02-15 -- 69
Day 1: 3, 02-15
108. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, TX -- 2, 02-10 -- 68
Day 1: 2, 02-10

Big Bass

> Day 1 -- David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 07-01 -- $1,000