Monroe Busts Biggest Bag For Second Straight Day

By BassFan Staff

What's the surest way to maintain a big day-1 lead? Catching the biggest bag in the field again on day 2 will do it.

Ish Monroe busted a 24-15 sack today at the Okeechobee Bassmaster Elite Series in Florida, giving him a 59-04 total at the midway point. He said a B.A.S.S. official informed him that his 13-11 advantage is the largest day-2 margin in the history of the Elite Series, which was launched in 2006.

Reigning Bassmaster Classic champion Chris Lane had another solid day (23-10) and climbed 2 places in the standings, but lost more than a pound worth of ground to Monroe and sits in a distant 2nd with 45-09. Everybody else is the equivalent of a quality bag behind the Californian.

Jeff Kriet boxed 21-14 today and moved up 7 spots to 3rd with 41-03. Skeet Reese, whose been rock-solid through the first 6 days of the new season after a dismal 2011 campaign, is 4th with 39-14 after catching 20-08 today.

Rookie Kyle Fox, a Florida native who finished 76th at the St. Johns River, sacked 20-04 today and rounds out the Top 5 with 38-05.

Here's a peek at the current Top 12, with the massive deficit margins from the leader represented by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Ish Monroe: 59-04
2. Chris Lane: 45-09 (13-11)
3. Jeff Kriet: 41-03 (18-01)
4. Skeet Reese: 39-14 (19-06)
5. Kyle Fox: 38-05 (19-15)
6. Todd Faircloth: 37-02 (22-02)
7. Davy Hite: 35-15 (23-05)
8. Ott DeFoe: 35-10 (23-10)
9. Scott Rook: 35-09 (23-11)
10. Mike Iaconelli: 34-07 (24-13)
11. David Walker: 34-01 (25-03)
12. Britt Myers: 33-13 (25-07)

The southeast wind that had pounded the Big O all week took a turn toward the west today and lost a lot of its steam. That was a boon for the field as overall weights actually went up a bit – a rare occurrence for the second day of a tour-level event.

In addition to Fox, others who moved into the Top 10 were the ever-consistent Ott DeFoe (24th to 8th with 20-13 today) and Mike Iaconelli (20th to 10th with 18-15). They supplanted Nate Wellman (3rd to 26th, 6-14), Bobby Lane (5th to 17th, 10-10) and Bradley Roy (7th to 31st, 7-08).

The field was cut to the Top 50 after the weigh-in, and one of those on the outside was St. Johns winner Alton Jones, who managed just 8 pounds today and finished 69th. Pat Golden and Florida rookie Cliff Prince tied for the No. 50 slot, with Golden advancing to day 3 by virtue of the heaviest single-day weight (15-08 on day 1).

Tomorrow's weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies, a high of 86 degrees and a south wind topping out at 12 mph. Only the Top 12 will survive the day-3 weigh-in, with the winner determined Sunday by highest cumulative weight.

Monroe: Full Steam Ahead

> Day 2: 5, 24-15 (10, 59-04)

Monroe's day-2 bag was an ounce shy of 25 pounds, which will be his target weight for each of the final 2 days.

"If I do that and get beat, then more power to the guy who beats me," he said. "That'll mean that it just wasn't meant to be."

He said there's still plenty of big fish in his primary area, which gave him a 34-05 sack on day 1. He had to make a slight presentation change today with the lighter wind.

"Those big fish didn't move around as much, so I had to go to something a little more subtle. I probably caught 25 fish, but there were a lot more little ones today.

"The good thing was my backup stuff showed out. I started to get a little worried and I ran over there to catch a limit, and I caught two 4-pounders and missed another good one. That lets me know what's in there."

He said he had no issues with crowding – the only fellow Elite competitor who entered the area departed immediately upon seeing him. He said a couple of locals fishing with shiner minnows caught some bruisers, but they gave him plenty of space.

His biggest fish – a 6-15 – would've topped the 7-pound mark had it not regurgitated a shiner in his livewell.

"The shiner guys have shown me how many big ones are in that area. Those fish move around in there and hopefully some of them will keep moving toward me."

2nd: Lane Lost a Few More

> Day 2: 5, 23-10 (10, 45-09)

Chris Lane is in 2nd despite having lost three fish that would've helped him each day, but he said missing a few is nearly inevitable under the circumstances.

"I've given a lot away, but the way I'm fishing, that's just one of those things," he said. "If I capitalize on everything that bites I'm going to have a big sack, but the way I'm fishing, I'm expecting to lose a couple a day."

He'll need Monroe to at least slow down a bit to have a shot at his third win of 2012 (in addition to the Classic, he also won the Harris Chain Southern Open). He's determined not to concern himself with what the leader does over the weekend.

"I'm just going to go out and do the best I can. The two (Opens) I've won here, I've always come from behind. Ish has had a phenomenal tournament, but I'm not even going to be thinking about that. I'm going to go out and have fun and catch everything I can catch."

He boated about 20 keepers today, including a 7-pounder.

"I'll do the same thing tomorrow and run some new water. When I come across a point of reeds, I'll pull up and fish it. There's going to be a lot of local pressure out there, but I found one stretch later this afternoon that's got some fish on it.

"Anything can happen on this lake."

3rd: Kriet Staying Put

> Day 2: 5, 21-14 (10, 41-03)

Kriet is mining a single area and varying his approach.

"I'm grinding it out all day and mixing it up with a lot of different baits – some winding and some flipping," he said. "It seems like I either catch 13-inchers or 5-pounders. I might flip for 20 minutes and then throw a frog or something."

A 6-pounder was the best of the 20 keepers he caught.

"You've got to understand that a lot of those fish were small – it's not like I'm culling a bunch of nice ones. I haven't caught a real big one yet, but I've seen a few that I'd sure like to have. Every now and then I'll see one cruising and it's like, 'Oh, my gosh.'''

He's sharing his area with Golden and he said Reese made a cameo appearance there today – just long enough to catch one solid fish. Otherwise, his company is limited to non-Elite anglers.

"There's a bunch of locals in there and they're catching some big ones, both on shiners and artificial baits."

5th: Fox Feels Fortunate

> Day 2: 5, 20-04 (10, 38-05)

Fox was thrilled when he got to about 8 pounds today, knowing that he'd secured his first tour-level check. It got a lot better from there.

"It feels awesome," he said. "It's like getting your first tournament check ever – I'm just stoked about it.

"I've fished a few tournaments here in the past, but I don't have a lot of time on this place. It fits my style of fishing, but I feel lucky to have caught what I have this week, to be honest. I didn't catch them at all in practice – my best day would've been about 15 pounds."

He flipped up about 10 keepers today, including a couple of 5-pounders.

"I'm going to switch it up a little tomorrow – I'll do the same stuff, but I'm going to start in a new area where I caught my last fish today."

6th: Faircloth's Action Late

> Day 2: 5, 17-12 (10, 37-02)

Faircloth has gotten a couple of big afternoon bites each day. Without them, he wouldn't be nearly as high in the standings.

"I didn't catch many keepers at all, maybe seven, and not a bunch of shorts, either," he said. "I'm catching 12-inchers in the same places the 7-pounders are. I'm not catching any of the bigger ones until later in the day, so I might try something a little bit different tomorrow morning."

His bag contained a 6 3/4-pounder and another fish that topped 5. He doesn't think he lost any that would've helped him.

He's fished amongst crowds both days and doesn't expect that to change much tomorrow, even though half the field has been eliminated.

"I heard there's two big (local) tournaments going out, so it might be worse than it was today. I expect to see some of those guys."

17th: Bobby Lane's Weight Halved

> Day 2: 5, 10-10 (10, 31-13)

Like his younger brother, Bobby Lane failed to capitalize on several key bites.

"I've should've had a relatively nice bag – 18 to 20 pounds anyway," he said. "It was very frustrating. I lost a (5-pounder) and two 4s, and the biggest fish I weighed was a pair of 3s."

He made the long run to the southern end of the lake again today, but the place where he caught his 21 pounds on day 1 didn't surrender a single bite in 4 1/2 hours. He checked a few other locales, but they'd been muddied by the previous day's wind.

"I pretty much took myself out of contention for the win, so now I'm just shooting for the Top 12."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 99 anglers, 93 limits (1 more than day 1), 3 fours, 2 ones, 1 zero (same as day 1).

> Roy (31st) said he should've had at least double the 7-08 he weighed today. "It was a bad day – that pretty much sums it up. I had some unfortunate events happen and then I tried to run around and make things happen. Three good fish got off – they weren't giants, but they were 3 1/2- or 4-pounders and they would've put me up around 15 pounds."

> BassFan Big Stick Aaron Martens averaged less than 12 pounds a day here and finished 58th, missing the cut for the second straight week. To read his competition wrapup, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., March 24 - Partly Cloudy - 86°/64°
- Wind: From the S at 12 mph

> Sun., March 25 - Scattered T-Storms - 83°/58°
- Wind: From the W/SW at 15 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 59-04 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 34-05 -- Day 2: 5, 24-15

2. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 45-09 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 21-15 -- Day 2: 5, 23-10

3. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 10, 41-03 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 19-05 -- Day 2: 5, 21-14

4. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 39-14 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 20-08

5. Kyle A. Fox -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 38-05 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 18-01 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04

6. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 37-02 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12

7. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 10, 35-15 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 25-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06

8. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 35-10 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 14-13 -- Day 2: 5, 20-13

9. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 35-09 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 20-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10

10. Michael Iaconelli -- Pittsgrove, NJ -- 10, 34-07 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-15

11. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 10, 34-01 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 16-10 -- Day 2: 5, 17-07

12. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 33-13 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 19-04

13. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 10, 32-12 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-12

14. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 10, 32-12 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 18-10 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02

15. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 32-09 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 12-11 -- Day 2: 5, 19-14

16. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 32-01 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 21-02

17. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 31-13 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 21-03 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10

18. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 31-13 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 19-12

19. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 31-01 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00

20. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 30-13 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11

21. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 10, 30-07 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 16-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-04

22. Jeremy Starks -- Scott Depot, WV -- 10, 30-05 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09

23. Zell Rowland -- Austin, TX -- 10, 30-02 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 18-04

24. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 29-08 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13

25. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 29-04 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10

26. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 10, 29-01 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 22-03 -- Day 2: 5, 06-14

27. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 28-12 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 10-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-01

28. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 28-12 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 17-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

29. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 9, 28-05 -- 71
Day 1: 4, 08-00 -- Day 2: 5, 20-05

30. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 10, 28-02 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12

31. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 28-01 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08

32. Brent Broderick -- Oregonia, OH -- 10, 28-00 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

33. Kelly Jordon -- Palestine, TX -- 10, 27-13 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 19-01

34. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 9, 27-10 -- 66
Day 1: 4, 08-07 -- Day 2: 5, 19-03

35. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 27-03 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03

36. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 10, 26-13 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-03

37. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 10, 26-12 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

38. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 10, 26-10 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-08

39. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 26-09 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-02

40. Fletcher Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 10, 26-06 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 16-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

41. Shaw E Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 26-06 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

42. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 10, 26-04 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

43. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 26-04 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

44. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 10, 26-01 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14

45. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 26-01 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07

46. Morizo Shimizu -- Matsugaoka, Japan -- 10, 25-15 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00

47. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 10, 25-14 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10

48. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 10, 25-11 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12

49. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 10, 25-11 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

50. Pat Golden -- Bethlehem, GA -- 10, 25-10 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.

51. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 25-10 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

52. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 25-05 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

53. Russell Parrish -- Riesel, TX -- 10, 24-13 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

54. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 24-04 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 06-15

55. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 10, 24-00 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12

56. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 10, 23-15 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

57. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, AL -- 10, 23-12 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 09-06

58. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 23-11 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

59. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 10, 23-08 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09

60. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 10, 23-07 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

61. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 8, 22-10 -- 39
Day 1: 3, 06-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15

62. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 10, 22-04 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08

63. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 22-04 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-08

64. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 10, 21-13 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 06-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12

65. Casey Scanlon -- Lenexa, KS -- 10, 21-09 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10

66. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 21-06 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

67. Byron Velvick -- Boenre, TX -- 10, 21-02 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12

68. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 10, 21-02 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 06-15

69. Alton Jones -- Woodway, TX -- 10, 21-01 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-00

70. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 10, 20-06 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

71. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 19-13 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-01

72. Travis Manson -- De Pere, WI -- 10, 19-12 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11

73. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 19-12 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 10-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05

74. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 10, 19-11 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 07-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10

75. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 19-11 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

76. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 10, 19-09 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 10-13 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12

77. Casey D Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 19-08 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13

78. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 10, 18-15 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 08-07

79. Clark Reehm -- Lufkin, TX -- 10, 18-06 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 07-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14

80. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 9, 18-05 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 4, 06-13

81. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, FL -- 10, 18-01 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 08-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00

82. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 9, 18-01 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 4, 06-05

83. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 17-15 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-04

84. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 9, 17-15 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 4, 06-00

85. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 10, 17-10 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 06-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

86. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 17-10 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-11

87. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 10, 17-07 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 05-01

88. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 17-03 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 09-14 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

89. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 10, 17-03 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 07-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12

90. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 6, 16-12 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 1, 03-04

91. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 9, 16-08 -- 9
Day 1: 4, 07-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-00

92. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 10, 16-00 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 09-05 -- Day 2: 5, 06-11

93. Michael Simonton -- Fremont, OH -- 10, 14-09 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 06-05 -- Day 2: 5, 08-04

94. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 10, 14-09 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 08-00 -- Day 2: 5, 06-09

95. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 9, 14-07 -- 5
Day 1: 4, 08-07 -- Day 2: 5, 06-00

96. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 10, 14-00 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 5, 05-07

97. Grant Goldbeck -- Boerne, TX -- 3, 13-01 -- 3
Day 1: 2, 10-12 -- Day 2: 1, 02-05

98. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 5, 05-15 -- 2
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 5, 05-15

99. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, TX -- 5, 03-15 -- 1
Day 1: 5, 03-15 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00