Lane, Scroggins Both Surpass 15 Pounds

By BassFan Staff

Chris Lane had a tremendous day to open the 2015 Bassmaster Elite Series season. His older brother had the worst day of his competitive career – amateur or professional.

Such is the nature of a fishery as fickle as the Sabine River. Get a couple of good bites and you'll bask in the adulation of the massive crowds that gather for the weigh-ins in Orange, Texas. An empty livewell is always a possibility on any given day, though, no matter who you are or how well you caught them in practice.

The younger Lane roped a pair of 4-pounders en route to a 15-10 stringer that put him atop the leaderboard as the circuit kicked off its 10th season. That gave him a half-pound edge over Terry Scroggins, who caught a 6-10 specimen (an absolute monster for the Sabine) on his way to compiling a 15-02 sack.

Aaron Martens, the two-time Angler of the Year (AOY) who floundered to an 85th-place finish the first time the Elites visited the Sabine in 2013, was 3rd with 13-14. Shaw Grigsby was next with 13-04 and reigning AOY Greg Hackney rounded out the Top 5 with 12-09.

Here are the numbers for the initial Top 12, with deficit margins from the leader indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Chris Lane: 15-10
2. Terry Scroggins: 15-02 (0-08)
3. Aaron Martens: 13-14 (1-12)
4. Shaw Grigsby: 13-04 (2-06)
5. Greg Hackney: 12-09 (3-01)
6. Brandon Lester: 12-03 (3-07)
7. Skeet Reese: 12-00 (3-10)
8. Mike McClelland: 11-07 (4-03)
9. (tie) Chris Zaldain: 11-06 (4-04)
9. (tie) Micah Frazier: 11-06 (4-04)
11. Bill Lowen: 11-05 (4-05)
12. (tie) Stephen Browning: 11-02 (4-08)
12. (tie) Kota Kiriyama: 11-02 (4-08)

The early weights were way up in comparison to '13, when an average of 9 pounds a day carried an angler into the final Top 12. Thirty-seven competitors met or exceeded that mark on day 1 this time, despite a fog delay of nearly 2 hours, and it appears as if it'll take a 2-day aggregate of 14 pounds or so to make the Top 50 and earn a paycheck.

The derby is a full-on spawning event this time and the fish are undoubtedly more aggressive than they were 2 years ago, when most were still in the pre-spawn mode. The venue has also had an additional 24 months to recover from hurricanes that swept through the region in '05 and '08.

Not everybody got in on the better-than-expected action, though, as 10 anglers blanked. A few rookies were among that group, but it also included stalwarts such as Bobby Lane and David Walker.

Kevin VanDam, who missed this year's Bassmaster Classic after qualifying for 24 straight, began his comeback campaign with a four-fish, 9-10 stringer that has him in 29th place.

Friday's weather forecast for extreme southeast Texas and western Louisiana calls or scattered thunderstorms, a high of 79 degrees and a wind out of the south to 6 mph. The field will be reduced to the Top 53 following the day-2 weigh-in and only the Top 12 will advance to Sunday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

Lane has Company

> Day 1: 5, 15-10

Chris Lane said he had a decent practice, but was somewhat surprised to corral a pair of oversized fish.

"Practice was okay, but I think the biggest thing was a lot of the bites I was getting were quality," he said. "That was telling me there was some good fish there to be caught."

He shared his best area with numerous competitors, including several who are also among the Top 10. He went through seven or eight keepers and caught a bunch of fish that didn't meet the 14-inch minimum-length requirement or largemouths.

"I had a limit fairly quick, then it really slowed down. It was an all-day grind and I didn't make my last cull until about 2:30. I was truly blessed to catch those two 4-pounders.

"I caught almost everything on the new Luck-E-Strike Live Motion Drop Dead Craw. I've been preaching all kinds of stuff for years, prototype this and prototype that, but this one's the real deal and I can't wait for it to come out."

He said he has some backup places if his primary area can't withstand continued pressure like it got today.

"The question is (whether) it'll replenish. I really don't think it'll hold up to win, but it might be good for 2 days and then I'll have to leave it alone. It got beat up hard today."

2nd: Scroggins Back in Old Haunts

> Day 1: 5, 15-02

Scroggins fished much of the same stuff in the Calcasieu River that he exploited en route to a 3rd-place finish in '13. It always seems to be good for one big bite a day, and today's was extraordinary.

He connected with the bruiser at about 11 o'clock. It was his third fish of the day.

"I was flipping a little mat and after she bit she got hung up in it and I had to go and dig her out," he said. "It was pretty exciting there for a few minutes."

He said he's primarily flipping cypress trees and stumps, but the big one came out of grass. The water is far too stained for him to see fish on beds.

"There's a lot more boats up there than there was in '13 – the Sabine being high and flooded has forced some people to go other places. Last time there was 10 or 12 and this time there's probably 30.

"Still, I'm pretty much going to live and die up there."

3rd: Martens Catching a Bunch

> Day 1: 5, 13-14

Martens said he had an excellent practice that saw him average well over a dozen keeper bites per day. That continued on day 1.

"For me it's not really an area – I've got things figured out a little bit," he said. "I try not to be overconfident, but I'm excited to go fishing again tomorrow."

His sack was topped by a fish that weighed 3-10.

"I've got some other places that I didn't go to today. I'm not sure they'll be good, but I think they will."

4th: Good Day for Grigsby

> Day 1: 5, 13-04

Grigsby fished in the same vicinity as Martens and Chris Lane and is worried about whether the area can continue to produce.

"There's a lot of people in there and you just have to live with that," he said. "It may be burned up already. I've got three or four more places to go to, but they're not nearly as good as that one."

He boated nine keepers, including one that was in excess of 4 pounds.

"I've felt really good about the whole deal here – practice and all the rest of it. Today turned out really good."

6th: Lester Might be Alone

> Day 1: 5, 12-03

Lester, who's coming off an excellent rookie season in which he made the Classic, got his sophomore campaign off to a good start.

"It's an area and a bait that's really key for me," he said. "One day in practice I had 10 keeper bites and I shook most of them off, but I knew I was around them."

He handled six keepers on the day and his best fish weighed 3-10.

"I had one little squeaker I wanted to get rid of, and I started fishing my secondary stuff and caught another 2 1/2 pounder. After that I didn't want to burn up anything I might need tomorrow, so I quit at about 2 o'clock.

"I missed a couple that might've been good ones, but they also might've been gar for all I know."

104th: Nothing for B. Lane

> Day 1: 0, 0-00

Bobby Lane said today was the first time he'd ever blanked in competition.

"I never even had an opportunity," he said. "I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong. Practice was pretty smooth and it was pretty easy to catch some – not of any size, of course, but it wasn't terribly hard to catch a keeper every hour or so.

"I would've never expected this. I thought a bad day would be 9 pounds and a good day would be 11 or 12. The bad thing is I've got all my eggs in one basket and I can't just pack up and go somewhere new. God, I hate starting the year this way. It's really frustrating, especially with my brother up there where he is."

He said he and Walker – another goose-egger – encountered each other several times during the day.

"Tomorrow I've got to figure out a way to salvage the tournament without going and beating up other people's water. I know where my brother caught them, but I'm not going there.

"My dad told me that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, and today there just wasn't much given."

Weather Forecast

> Fri., March 20 – Scattered T-Storms - 79°/64°
- Wind: From the S at 6 mph

> Sat., March 21 – Rain - 72°/64°
- Wind: From the SE at 9 mph

> Sun., March 22 – A.M. Thundershowers - 76°/57°
- Wind: From the SW at 10 mph

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 113 anglers, 39 limits, 16 fours, 16 threes, 20 twos, 12 ones, 10 zeroes.

Day 1 Standings

1. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-10 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 15-10

2. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 15-02 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 15-02

3. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 13-14 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 13-14

4. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 13-04 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 13-04

5. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 12-09 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 12-09

6. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 12-03 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 12-03

7. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 12-00 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 12-00

8. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 11-07 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 11-07

9. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 5, 11-06 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 11-06

10. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 11-06 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 11-06

11. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 11-05 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 11-05

12. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 11-02 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 11-02

12. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 11-02 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 11-02

14. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 10-15 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 10-15

15. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 10-09 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 10-09

16. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 10-08 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 10-08

16. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 10-08 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 10-08

18. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 10-04 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 10-04

19. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 10-03 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 10-03

20. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname -- Aichi, Japan -- 4, 10-03 -- 81
Day 1: 4, 10-03

21. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 3, 10-01 -- 80
Day 1: 3, 10-01

22. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 10-00 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 10-00

23. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 4, 10-00 -- 78
Day 1: 4, 10-00

24. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 09-15 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 09-15

24. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 09-15 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 09-15

26. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 09-14 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 09-14

27. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 4, 09-12 -- 74
Day 1: 4, 09-12

28. Boo Woods -- Oneida, KY -- 5, 09-10 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 09-10

29. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 4, 09-10 -- 72
Day 1: 4, 09-10

30. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 09-09 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 09-09

30. Matt Lee -- Auburn , AL -- 5, 09-09 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 09-09

30. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 09-09 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 09-09

33. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 4, 09-09 -- 68
Day 1: 4, 09-09

34. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 09-08 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 09-08

35. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 09-05 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 09-05

36. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 09-03 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 09-03

37. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 09-01 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 09-01

37. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 09-01 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 09-01

37. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 09-01 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 09-01

40. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 08-15 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 08-15

41. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 08-12 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 08-12

42. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 4, 08-08 -- 59
Day 1: 4, 08-08

43. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 08-04 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 08-04

44. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 08-03 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 08-03

45. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 4, 08-02 -- 56
Day 1: 4, 08-02

46. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 08-01 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 08-01

47. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 4, 07-14 -- 54
Day 1: 4, 07-14

48. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 07-11 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 07-11

49. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 4, 07-10 -- 52
Day 1: 4, 07-10

50. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 4, 07-06 -- 51
Day 1: 4, 07-06

51. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 4, 07-03 -- 50
Day 1: 4, 07-03

51. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 4, 07-03 -- 50
Day 1: 4, 07-03

53. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 4, 07-02 -- 48
Day 1: 4, 07-02

54. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 4, 07-00 -- 47
Day 1: 4, 07-00

55. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 4, 06-15 -- 46
Day 1: 4, 06-15

56. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 2, 06-11 -- 45
Day 1: 2, 06-11

57. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 4, 06-06 -- 44
Day 1: 4, 06-06

58. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 3, 06-05 -- 43
Day 1: 3, 06-05

59. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 3, 06-04 -- 42
Day 1: 3, 06-04

59. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 3, 06-04 -- 42
Day 1: 3, 06-04

61. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 3, 06-02 -- 40
Day 1: 3, 06-02

62. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 3, 05-12 -- 39
Day 1: 3, 05-12

63. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 3, 05-11 -- 38
Day 1: 3, 05-11

64. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 3, 05-03 -- 37
Day 1: 3, 05-03

65. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 3, 05-03 -- 36
Day 1: 3, 05-03

66. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 3, 05-02 -- 35
Day 1: 3, 05-02

67. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 3, 05-01 -- 34
Day 1: 3, 05-01

68. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 2, 05-01 -- 33
Day 1: 2, 05-01

69. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 3, 04-15 -- 32
Day 1: 3, 04-15

69. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan 3 -- 04-15 -- 32
Day 1: 3, 04-15

71. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 3, 04-12 -- 30
Day 1: 3, 04-12

72. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 3, 04-11 -- 29
Day 1: 3, 04-11

73. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 2, 04-08 -- 28
Day 1: 2, 04-08

74. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 3, 04-07 -- 27
Day 1: 3, 04-07

75. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 2, 04-06 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 04-06

76. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 2, 04-00 -- 25
Day 1: 2, 04-00

77. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 2, 03-14 -- 24
Day 1: 2, 03-14

77. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 2, 03-14 -- 24
Day 1: 2, 03-14

79. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 2, 03-13 -- 22
Day 1: 2, 03-13

80. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 2, 03-11 -- 21
Day 1: 2, 03-11

81. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 2, 03-09 -- 20
Day 1: 2, 03-09

82. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 2, 03-08 -- 19
Day 1: 2, 03-08

82. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 2, 03-08 -- 19
Day 1: 2, 03-08

84. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 2, 03-06 -- 17
Day 1: 2, 03-06

85. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 2, 03-06 -- 16
Day 1: 2, 03-06

86. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 2, 03-05 -- 15
Day 1: 2, 03-05

87. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 1, 03-05 -- 14
Day 1: 1, 03-05

88. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 2, 03-04 -- 13
Day 1: 2, 03-04

89. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 2, 03-02 -- 12
Day 1: 2, 03-02

89. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 2, 03-02 -- 12
Day 1: 2, 03-02

91. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 2, 03-01 -- 10
Day 1: 2, 03-01

92. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 2, 03-00 -- 9
Day 1: 2, 03-00

93. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 1, 02-15 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 02-15

94. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 1, 02-06 -- 7
Day 1: 1, 02-06

95. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 1, 02-05 -- 6
Day 1: 1, 02-05

96. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 1, 02-01 -- 5
Day 1: 1, 02-01

97. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 1, 01-14 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 01-14

98. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 1, 01-12 -- 3
Day 1: 1, 01-12

99. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 1, 01-11 -- 2
Day 1: 1, 01-11

100. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 1, 01-09 -- 1
Day 1: 1, 01-09

101. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 1, 01-08 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 01-08

102. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 1, 01-07 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 01-07

103. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 1, 01-05 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 01-05

104. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Stephen Longobardi -- Northford, CT -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Byron Velvick -- Boerne, TX -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 0 -- 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00