Vinson Leads By 3 Ounces In Bunched-Up Field

By BassFan Staff

Fifty anglers were sent packing from the Bull Shoals Bassmaster Elite Series in Arkansas today. The 50 who remain are jammed together so tightly on the standings sheet that all still have at least a faint hope of claiming the top prize.

Greg Vinson remained in the No. 1 slot with a 13 1/2-pound bag that boosted his 2-day total to 30-05. He has a 3-ounce advantage over second-year pro Casey Scanlon, an Ozarks ace who caught 15-05 for a 30-02 total.

Reigning Bassmaster Classic champion Cliff Pace is another 4-ounces back with 29-14 after a 14-12 haul today. Next comes Terry Scroggins, who's also within a pound of the lead with 29-09 in the wake of a 14-11 bag.

Pete Ponds, who also scaled 14-11 today, rounded out the Top 5 with 28-06.

Here are the totals for the Top 12 at the midway point, with their deficit margins indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Greg Vinson: 30-05
2. Casey Scanlon: 30-02 (0-03)
3. Cliff Pace: 29-14 (0-07)
4. Terry Scroggins: 29-09 (0-12)
5. Pete Ponds: 28-06 (1-15)
6. Cliff Prince: 28-04 (2-01)
7. Fred Roumbanis: 28-00 (2-05)
8. Brian Snowden: 27-13 (2-08)
9. Britt Myers: 27-11 (2-10)
10. Chris Zaldain: 27-09 (2-12)
11. Ish Monroe: 27-01 (3-04)
12. Skeet Reese: 26-11 (3-10)

The lake fished much differently than it did on day 1, when strong winds on the tail end of a storm front prompted all three species (largemouths, smallmouths and spotted bass) to chomp with reckless abandon. It was considerably harder to entice keeper bites on moving baits, but on the flip side, some of the bedding fish became visible.

Monroe, who was in 53rd place after day 1, made what was easily the biggest upward move with a day-best 15 1/2-pound sack. The two other newcomers to the Top 12 were Ponds (up 13 places) and Myers (up 14 slots with a 14-06 stringer).

Moving out were Jason Christie (tied for 4th to 14th with 11-08 today), Randy Howell (tied for 4th to 36th, 8-10), Brent Chapman (8th to 28th, 9-09) and Jeremy Starks (10th to 15th, 12-03).

Tomorrow's forecast predicts a mostly cloudy sky, which could again hinder the lookers. The air temperature is expected to top out at 69 degrees with a southeasterly wind reaching 13 mph.

The field will be reduced to the Top 12 after the day-3 weigh-in, with the winner determined Monday by highest cumulative weight.

Vinson Stayed With It

> Day 2: 5, 13-08 (10, 30-05)

The new environmental conditions didn't have a huge impact on Vinson's day.

"I pretty much went with the same bait selection and all that – I just made one adjustment there," he said. "It was basically a matter of keeping of they fish, because they changed a little bit as the weather and the water level (up another foot or so) changed again.

"I made the right decisions, but I think I made them both a little too early and a little too late today. I did learn a little bit that might possibly help me tomorrow and I caught my three best fish in the last couple hours."

He weighed in the five keeper-size largemouths he boated, including 4- and 3-pounders. He also landed about a half-dozen keeper spots and lost a couple of fish that may or may not have aided him.

"At one point late in the morning, close to lunch, I only had about 6 pounds and I was getting concerned about even staying in the Top 50. Then I finally did something right and got back on the fish to do well.

"I'm committed to an area, and it's my job to make the right adjustments within that area during the course of the day. If I can do that, I think there's enough fish there to win the tournament."

2nd: Scanlon Confident

> Day 2: 5, 15-05 (10, 30-02)

Scanlon caught about 30 keepers and weighed in a quintet of 3-pounders. All three species were represented in his bag.

"I've been trying not to burn my fish up too bad," he said. "I've got a lot of areas and I'm running kind of a pattern. I've got a lot of places with a good amount of fish – some that I haven't hit yet and some that I fished yesterday and then didn't fish today."

He hasn't sight-fished to this point, but will be quick to adopt that tactic if he thinks it'll help.

"I'll be keeping an eye up there (toward the bank) because there are fish that are up shallow – I spent half of today in shallow water and caught a bunch, although none of them helped me. Things are changing and this could turn into a sight-fishing event.

"My fish are there, and they'll stay there. They should keep doing what they're doing for another week or so. I'm pretty confident."

3rd: Pace Adjusted Well

> Day 2: 5, 14-12 (10, 29-14)

Pace had little difficulty in transitioning to the new conditions as he ended the day in the same position on the leaderboard in which he started it.

"The fishing today was totally different – I didn't catch any of them the same way (he did on day 1)," he said. "Yesterday I fished a lot faster, and today I really had to slow down."

He caught only eight keepers and weighed all largemouths. The biggest was just a little over 3 pounds.

Sight-fishing isn't his strong suit, so he'd prefer that tactic didn't become dominant over the final 2 days.

"I hope the fishing bite continues to be good. Every day is different and I'll just take them one at a time and see how it goes. I need to try not to outsmart myself on this deal."

4th: Scroggins in Good Shape

> Day 2: 5, 14-11 (10, 29-09)

Like Scanlon, Scroggins exceeded the 30-keeper threshold today. He pulled off his fish fairly early and discovered some new areas he may be able to exploit over the final 2 days.

"I'm trying to be a little conservative and make those fish last 4 days," he said. "I was fortunate to catch a good limit early. I think I'm fishing a little deeper than everybody else and that’s the key for me."

He brought two largemouths, two smallmouths and a spot to the scale. His biggest fish was a 3 1/4-pounder.

He's not worried about the possibility of the derby transforming into a bed-fishing extravaganza.

"I can do that right along with anybody, so if that's the way it goes, that's fine. I'll deal with it.

"I know I'm going to catch them, but the guys who are up there with me (in the standings) are going to catch them as well. Once you've got it figured out, it's pretty easy. We'll just see what happens."

57th: Calm Doomed Combs

> Day 2: 5, 8-11 (10, 21-02)

Keith Combs, the winner of last month's Elite Series event at Falcon Lake, lost 23 places in the standings today and fell outside the cut line.

"I really wasn't on much and yesterday's conditions really helped me a bunch," he said. "They allowed me to power-fish the way I like to.

"Today was a totally different day. I did catch a lot of fish, but there just wasn't any size to them."

He caught his 12-07 bag on day 1 on a jerkbait. He threw it around again today and also did some sight-fishing, but only found one that he opted to try for (he caught it).

"I needed a good bite and I just didn't get it."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 80 limits (5 fewer than day 1), 7 fours, 6 threes, 4 twos, 3 ones.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., April 21 – Mostly Cloudy - 69°/43°
- Wind: From the SE at 13 mph

> Mon., April 22 – Mostly Sunny - 73°/53°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 12 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 10, 30-05 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 16-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08

2. Casey Scanlon -- Lenexa, KS -- 10, 30-02 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 14-13 -- Day 2: 5, 15-05

3. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 29-14 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12

4. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 29-09 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 14-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

5. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 10, 28-06 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

6. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 28-04 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01

7. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 10, 28-00 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00

8. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 27-13 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05

9. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 27-11 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06

10. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 10, 27-09 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

11. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 27-01 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08

12. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 26-11 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 15-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14

13. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 10, 26-08 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

14. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 10, 26-07 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-08

15. Jeremy Starks -- Scott Depot, WV -- 10, 26-06 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

16. Casey D Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 26-03 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

17. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 26-02 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06

18. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 25-12 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04

19. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 25-11 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00

20. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 25-10 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

21. BJ Haseotes -- Centerville, MA -- 10, 25-07 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10

22. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 10, 25-06 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00

23. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 25-05 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03

24. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 10, 24-14 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03

25. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 24-11 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

26. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 24-10 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07

27. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 10, 24-08 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00

28. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 24-02 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09

29. Shaw E Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 24-02 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

30. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 24-01 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

31. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 10, 24-01 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

32. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 24-00 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13

33. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 10, 24-00 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11

34. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 23-12 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-02

35. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 10, 23-12 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

36. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 10, 23-09 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

37. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka Japan -- 10, 23-07 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 09-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10

38. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 23-06 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13

39. Hank Cherry -- Maiden, NC -- 10, 23-06 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09

40. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 23-02 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 13-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-06

41. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 10, 23-02 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14

42. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 10, 23-01 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

43. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 22-14 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07

44. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 10, 22-11 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-02

45. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, FL -- 10, 22-09 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-00

46. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 10, 22-08 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03

47. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 10, 22-07 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05

48. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 22-06 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

49. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 22-05 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01

50. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 10, 22-05 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06

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

51. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 10, 22-01 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01

52. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 22-01 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06

53. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 10, 21-11 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

54. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 8, 21-09 -- 47
Day 1: 3, 12-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-14

55. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 21-09 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12

56. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 10, 21-04 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00

57. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 21-02 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 08-11

58. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 10, 21-02 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-14

59. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 9, 20-13 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 4, 08-06

60. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 20-12 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 09-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15

61. Michael Simonton -- Fremont, OH -- 8, 20-07 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 3, 07-08

62. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 10, 20-07 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03

63. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 20-06 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-02

64. Kelly Jordon -- Palestine, TX -- 9, 20-05 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 4, 08-01

65. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 10, 20-03 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04

66. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 20-02 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06

67. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 9, 19-15 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 4, 07-08

68. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 9, 19-12 -- 33
Day 1: 4, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

69. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 9, 19-07 -- 32
Day 1: 4, 08-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15

70. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 9, 19-03 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 4, 09-10

71. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 19-01 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 07-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03

72. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 10, 18-14 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 07-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

73. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 10, 18-06 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 08-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11

74. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 8, 18-00 -- 27
Day 1: 3, 07-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03

75. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 10, 18-00 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04

76. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 17-15 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 09-00 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15

77. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 9, 17-02 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 4, 06-02

78. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 10, 17-01 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-02

79. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 8, 16-10 -- 22
Day 1: 3, 06-03 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07

80. Jamie Horton -- Centerville, AL -- 8, 16-10 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 3, 06-05

81. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 7, 16-09 -- 20
Day 1: 2, 03-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01

82. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 8, 16-07 -- 19
Day 1: 3, 07-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-06

83. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 7, 16-00 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 10-13 -- Day 2: 2, 05-03

84. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 10, 16-00 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 06-12

85. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 7, 15-08 -- 16
Day 1: 2, 06-14 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

86. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 15-08 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 08-05 -- Day 2: 5, 07-03

87. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 7, 15-03 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 2, 04-07

88. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 7, 15-00 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 2, 03-05

89. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 6, 14-09 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 1, 01-07

90. Fletcher Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 7, 14-09 -- 11
Day 1: 2, 05-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-08

91. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 9, 14-01 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 4, 05-00

92. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 6, 13-14 -- 9
Day 1: 3, 07-06 -- Day 2: 3, 06-08

93. Grant Goldbeck -- Boerne, TX -- 6, 13-04 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 01-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

94. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 7, 13-04 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 09-05 -- Day 2: 2, 03-15

95. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 12-14 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 05-03 -- Day 2: 3, 07-11

96. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 12-09 -- 5
Day 1: 1, 01-08 -- Day 2: 4, 11-01

97. Chip Porche -- Bixby, OK -- 6, 09-01 -- 4
Day 1: 3, 05-03 -- Day 2: 3, 03-14

98. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 08-12 -- 3
Day 1: 2, 04-01 -- Day 2: 3, 04-11

99. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 6, 07-15 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 06-12 -- Day 2: 1, 01-03

100. Clark Reehm -- Shreveport, LA -- 3, 06-05 -- 1
Day 1: 2, 03-14 -- Day 2: 1, 02-07