By BassFan Staff
The most significant angling victories that 63-year-old Wisconsin resident Tom Monsoor has logged to date have all come on the Mississippi River in the Great Lakes region. Tomorrow he'll get a chance to notch a tour-level win on a body of water that's more than a thousand miles from his home.
The former commercial fisherman caught a tournament-best 21-10 sack today to jump from 8th place to the top of the standings at the Hartwell FLW Tour Major in South Carolina with a 3-day total of 54-09. On the down side, his advantage is as small as it could possibly be – just a single ounce over California stalwart Brent Ehrler.
Ehrler retained the No. 2 position he began the day with by weighing an 18-02 bag for a 54-08 total. From there, it's a drop of more than 3 1/2 pounds down to 3rd place, where Marty Stone sits with 50-13 after bringing in a 16-14 stringer.
Dan Morehead, the leader after each of the first 2 days, caught just 13-10 today and dropped to 4th with 50-09. He's tied with Todd Auten, whose 15-04 sack allowed him to hold onto a share of the spot he claimed on day 2.
Here are the totals for the other anglers who'll fish the final day:
6. Micah Frazier: 49-13
7. Anthony Gagliardi: 48-10
8. Brett Hite: 48-00
9. Jay Yelas: 46-14
10. Andy Morgan: 45-10
Monsoor's sack was a stunner, as it was more than 3 1/2 pounds better than any other on a sunny, breezy day. He might need another like it to hold off Ehrler, the former Forrest Wood Cup champion who's been ultra-consistent throughout the event and who still has several fish-holding locales that he hasn't beaten up.
Monsoor's victory list with FLW includes an EverStart and five BFLs. Four of those launched out of his hometown of LaCrosse, Wis., and the other was out of Savanna, Ill. He has five Tour Top 10s on his résumé, with three of those coming last year (including a 10th at Hartwell).
Brent Ehrler said he may fish as many as 25 places on day 4.
Tomorrow's weather forecast for the Anderson, S.C. area calls for mostly sunny skies, a high temperature of 67 degrees and an easterly wind to 8 mph.
Monsoor Plying his Specialty
> Day 3: 5, 21-10 (15, 54-09)
When Monsoor turns in a high finish, he's usually throwing a swimjig. This event is no exception.
"I'll have five poles, all with my swimjig on them," he said in reference to day 4.
He'll look to have a much better final day here than he did last year, when he managed just a single keeper that weighed less than a pound. A bunch of stripers had showed up in the places where he'd been catching largemouths, and he plummeted from 2nd place to 10th.
"I'm not real confident. Ehrler's a really good fisherman and it looks like he's on some really good fish. I had a great day today. I might not do that tomorrow."
He's fishing the lower end of the lake in the mid-depth range (10 to 12 feet). He said most of the fish in that vicinity have not yet begun their move to the extreme shallows to spawn.
His bag was comprised entirely of largemouths – a 6-pounder, three 4s and a 3. He'd caught some spots earlier, but culled them all.
He noted that his area is close to the one he exploited last year, and that he did catch a nice striper today and one on day 2.
"I have no idea what's going to happen. If (the bass) move up, then I'll have some fish. It's just one of those deals where I'm going to go fishing and see what happens.
"There really is no pattern – it's just wherever I can find one."
2nd: Ehrler has Plenty Left
> Day 3: 5, 18-02 (15, 54-08)
Ehrler's bag today fit nicely between the 20-pound stringer he caught on day 1 and the 16 pounds he brought in on day 2. He seems supremely confident that he can box a similar sack tomorrow.
"I did the same thing I've done the last couple of days and there are definitely still fish there to be caught," he said. "It's just a matter of actually catching them.
"I've got one really good area with a lot of fish of all sizes. There's a lot of just-keepers and 2-pounders and 3s, but I think there's a good number of 4s and 5s as well."
Marty Stone said he'll fish without pressure tomorrow because he's already exceeded his expectations.
He caught about 15 legal fish today and his best was a 4 1/2-pounder. His two biggest were largemouths and the other three were spotted bass.
He'll resume his deep/shallow combo attack tomorrow and said he could fish as many as 25 different places.
"I've got four or five deep spots, then I'll spend the rest of the day shallow. I've got quite a few shallow places that I'll hopscotch around to – fish one place for 5 minutes and pull up the trolling motor, fish another for 10 minutes and pull up the trolling motor.
"A couple of the deeper spots I'll really spend some time on."
3rd: Stone not Well-Stocked
> Day 3: 5, 16-14 (15, 50-13)
Unlike Ehrler, Stone is concerned whether he has enough quality to fish to get through another day.
"I'm running out, I can tell," he said. "They started to bite funny today. But on the other hand, I did find two areas that had some fish.
"I could catch 8 or 9 pounds tomorrow, or I could catch 22. I don't really know. I've had a lot of fun and I'm going to work at it one more day. There's not a lot of pressure – I've already exceeded all my expectations."
He caught 10 keepers today, including a 4-pounder.
"The better ones come in windows – I had two 45-minute windows when they bit, and then that was it. Every day it's been like that, and I have to keep working and working until the big ones move up and present themselves. But when you find that window, it's on.
"I just didn't get that 6-pound bite like I did yesterday. You've got to have one of those and possibly two, and keep catching the 3s and 4s."
He has one heavy-traffic area that he hopes he'll have to himself tomorrow.
"There were three or four boats from our tournament in there the first 2 days, and then five or six in a local tournament today. If I could ever let that place rest for about 45 minutes, I think I could go through there and light them up."
4th: Morehead's Bites Fewer, Smaller
> Day 3: 5, 13-10 (15, 50-09)
Morehead managed to catch a few fish during the early part of the day – something that had eluded him on the first 2 days. But overall, his action cooled off.
"We had a shorter day and I just didn't get the big bites I had been getting," he said. "I had a (4-pounder) and a 3, but I also had two spots I couldn't get rid of.
Dan Morehead fell from 1st place to 4th today with a 13 1/2-pound stringer.
"I can't complain – there was nobody around bothering me or anything. I just didn't get as many bites. I'll change some things up tomorrow, fish some different areas, and see what happens."
He hasn't given up on capturing his first tour-level victory since 2003.
"I had the potential to catch 23 pounds that first day, so I'm around them. The way I look at it, Tom Monsoor did pretty much the same thing last year, then he went out on the last day and caught one little bitty one. It ain't over by any means.
"I had a good day. It could've been better, but I'm still in the hunt."
9th: Yelas Moves Back In
> Day 3: 5, 15-00 (15, 46-14)
Yelas got back the two places in the standings he'd surrendered on day 2.
"I keep losing ground to 1st place every day, but I'm thankful for what I've gotten," he said. "I remember a tournament a long time ago where I came back from 8th place to win, so anything can happen.
"You need to have a 20-pound bag to be in the Top 5, and I haven't had that yet. It's possible tomorrow, though."
He's throwing a Berkley Gripper Jay's Flippin' Jig of his own design and a square-bill crankbait, and he's weighed one fish that was caught on an Alabama Rig with Berkley Hollow Belly swimbaits. Today's bag was topped by a 5-pounder.
"The bite got a little tougher for me. The water dropped a little and I didn't catch as many. It changes every day – I've got one spot that's produced each day, but other than that I just have to go fishing.
"I've got nothing to lose in 9th place, so I'll keep doing what I've been doing and mix it up with some different areas."
Notable
> Day 3 stats – 20 anglers, 16 limits, 2 threes, 2 zeroes.
Weather Forecast
> Sun., March 11 - Mostly Sunny - 67°/49°
- Wind: From the E at 8 mph
Day 3 Standings
1. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 17-15 (5) -- 15-00 (5) -- 32-15 (10) -- 21-10 (5) -- 54-09
2. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 20-04 (5) -- 16-02 (5) -- 36-06 (10) -- 18-02 (5) -- 54-08
3. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville, NC -- 13-14 (5) -- 20-01 (5) -- 33-15 (10) -- 16-14 (5) -- 50-13
4. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 20-14 (5) -- 16-01 (5) -- 36-15 (10) -- 13-10 (5) -- 50-09
5. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 17-04 (5) -- 18-01 (5) -- 35-05 (10) -- 15-04 (5) -- 50-09
6. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, Ga -- 19-07 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 36-05 (10) -- 13-08 (5) -- 49-13
7. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 15-10 (5) -- 17-12 (5) -- 33-06 (10) -- 15-04 (5) -- 48-10
8. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 17-07 (5) -- 15-00 (5) -- 32-07 (10) -- 15-09 (5) -- 48-00
9. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 18-05 (5) -- 13-09 (5) -- 31-14 (10) -- 15-00 (5) -- 46-14
10. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 13-05 (5) -- 17-00 (5) -- 30-05 (10) -- 15-05 (5) -- 45-10
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.
11. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 14-08 (5) -- 16-07 (5) -- 30-15 (10) -- 14-09 (5) -- 45-08 -- $12,500
12. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 13-01 (5) -- 16-07 (5) -- 29-08 (10) -- 13-02 (5) -- 42-10 -- $12,500
13. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 15-11 (5) -- 14-11 (5) -- 30-06 (10) -- 12-03 (5) -- 42-09 -- $12,500
14. Allen Boyd -- Salem, In -- 14-01 (5) -- 16-08 (5) -- 30-09 (10) -- 11-05 (5) -- 41-14 -- $12,500
15. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 17-01 (5) -- 16-05 (5) -- 33-06 (10) -- 6-12 (5) -- 40-02 -- $12,500
16. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 14-04 (5) -- 15-03 (5) -- 29-07 (10) -- 8-02 (5) -- 37-09 -- $12,000
17. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 14-05 (5) -- 17-00 (5) -- 31-05 (10) -- 6-02 (3) -- 37-07 -- $12,000
18. Lancen Halbert -- Enoree, SC -- 18-01 (5) -- 12-04 (5) -- 30-05 (10) -- 6-08 (3) -- 36-13 -- $12,000
19. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 19-06 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 32-00 (10) -- 0-00 (0) -- 32-00 -- $12,000
20. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 13-10 (5) -- 17-01 (5) -- 30-11 (10) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-11 -- $12,000
