Iaconelli, Jordon Lead The Way On Day 1

By BassFan Staff

The sight-fishing was very good on day 1 of the Lake Guntersville Bassmaster Elite Series. Day 2 might be an entirely different story.

Mike Iaconelli, who did a fair amount of looking but caught all five of his weigh-in fish via other methods, compiled a 28-02 sack to lead the way in an event that's playing out under rapidly changing conditions. It gave him an advantage of a little more than 2 pounds going into day 2.

Quite a few big females were pulled from the beds under sunny skies, but the ones that remain (and any that move up) will likely be much tougher to pinpoint with the thunderstorms that are predicted to roll in overnight and hang around for much of the day on Friday. For what it's worth, Iaconelli thinks the stormy weather might actually benefit his primary pattern.

Texan Kelly Jordon, who hasn't posted a single-digit finish in almost 4 years, sacked 26-01 to grab the No. 2 slot. In 3rd was Florida veteran Bernie Schultz, who boxed 25-08. Both Jordon and Schultz looked at every fish they weighed.

Skeet Reese, who got off to great starts at both the Bassmaster Classic and the regular-season opener at the Sabine River before fading out of contention, weighed 24-15 to settle into 4th. Third-year pro Kelly Jaye completed the Top 5 with 24-04.

Here's a look at the initial Top 12, with deficit margins from the leader indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Mike Iaconelli: 28-02
2. Kelly Jordon: 26-01 (2-01)
3. Bernie Schultz: 25-08 (2-10)
4. Skeet Reese 24-15 (3-03)
5. Kelly Jaye: 24-04 (3-14)
6. Kevin Ledoux: 24-03 (3-15)
7. Matt Lee: 23-15 (4-03)
8. Greg Vinson: 23-11 (4-07)
9. Brent Ehrler: 23-08 (4-10)
10. John Crews: 23-05 (4-13)
11. James Niggemeyer: 23-02 (5-00)
12. David Walker: 23-01 (5-01)

No one surpassed the 30-pound mark on day 1, but 26 anglers caught at least 20 pounds. Only six competitors in the 113-angler field failed to bring a limit to the scale.

Many who were banking on a strong offshore bite had a tough day as a lot of those fish apparently relocated to the beds in the wake of warm weather on Wednesday. That list included Randy Howell, who won the 2014 Classic at Guntersville, and Aaron Martens, a previous Elite Series winner at the venue. They boxed just 14 and 13 pounds, respectively.

The vast majority of the field still has a shot to make the initial cut (to the Top 53 after the day-2 weigh-in). The anglers who tied for that spot today caught 17-04 and the nex 40 competitors are within 4 pounds of that mark.

The storms are expected to bring about a dramatic drop in the air temperature, with the peak going from the low 80s today to the high 60s on day 2. Winds should be moderate – blowing from the west/northwest at 9 mph.

Ike's Gamble Pays off

> Day 1: 5, 28-02

Iaconelli said he scrapped everything he'd done in practice and "just went fishing" today.

"I had an interesting practice," he said. "The first day, which was Monday, I could've caught a bag on par with what I caught today. But by Tuesday and into Wednesday it was obvious that bite had gone away.

"Today I took a gamble, and that works out about 50 percent of the time and the other 50 percent it turns into a bomb. I never caught a fish today from an area where I caught anything in practice. I feel like I'm fishing free and figuring it out as I go. Some of my best tournament finishes, even some of my wins, have come when I find the fish at the event happens."

His bag contained a 7-pounder and a 6 1/2. He said he missed a few bites, but is certain he didn't lose any that would've aided him.

He caught a few sight-fish, but none of those went to the scale.

"I'm pretty excited," he said. "I think what I'm doing will hold up, and I think the weather that's coming in might even help it.

"I don't have one spot – it's not like one of those times here where you get on a single shell bed and hardly move. I'm moving around quite a bit. Things could change again, those fish could keep moving, and I'll have to change with them.

"I've got two other deals that I could go to, but I feel like their 13- to 15-pound stuff. If it gets to 11 or 12 o'clock and I'm struggling, I might go to the B or C plan. You never want to fish like that, but at some point reality could set in."

2nd: Jordon Saw 'Em Good

> Day 1: 5, 26-01

Jordon had nothing in his livewell at the midway point of the day, then loaded up over the next hour.

"I had zero at 10:30 – I'd been working on some really big fish that wouldn't bite," he said. "I told my marshal I had to run to some other stuff and see what happens, and by 11:30 I had 24 pounds."

His bag was topped by a 6 1/2-pounder. He said he hooked and lost one that was perhaps a pound bigger than that.

"It was a weird day," he said. "I had areas where the fish were gone and other areas where they were coming in. There's a rolling spawn going on here and it's pretty crazy.

"The biggest fish I found in practice, as far as I know, isn't there anymore. I couldn't see it today. Fortunately some of the other ones are still there."

He said a lot of big females will likely leave their nests if there's severe lightning on day 2. The bucks should stay, he added, and some of them are sizable.

"The storms are liable to depress the sight-fishing and enhance the offshore bite. This is a very dynamic tournament and there's no way to predict exactly what the future holds. I'll just have to get out there and grind it out and see what happens."

3rd: Two Big Ones for Schultz

> Day 1: 5, 25-08

Schultz's stringer contained a 6 1/2-pounder and another fish right around 6.

"I did not have a good practice the first 2 days," he said. "I caught lots of fish, but they weren't the size I needed.

"(On Wednesday) the sun came out and I went looking, and I was able to find some good quality."

He didn't get his biggest fish to the boat until he'd hooked it for the third time.

"The first time it bit it swam for about 10 feet and pulled of, and the next time I swung and air-balled it. Then the third time I finally got it stuck.

"That whole process was probably pushing 2 hours."

He said he has a few more large bed-fish to visit on day 2 and has lots of 2 1/2- and 3-pounders marked.

"With the weather going south, I don't know if I'm going to be able to see them. They don't just bite haphazardly – you've got to work them. If I can't see them, that'll make it tough.

"I've got other ways that I think I can catch fish, but my plan is to stay on the bank and sight-fish."

5th: No Looking for Jaye

> Day 1: 5, 24-04

Jaye boated approximately 40 fish on the day – not one of which he was looking out.

"I looked for some in practice, but the only ones I found were 2 1/2- and 3-pounders," he said. "What I ended up doing today, me and Greg Vinson are the only ones I know of that are doing it.

"I hit some stuff a little harder than I really wanted to day. I wanted to catch everything I could today because of the storms that are coming. I didn't want to leave anything on the table."

His biggest fish was a 6 3/4-pounder and he also had a 5 1/2. He lost a 4 1/2 that would've pushed his stringer into the 26-pound range.

"It's a pattern more than a spot for me – I can catch them a lot of different places in the lake. The places I'm fishing are so huge that it takes a long time to fish a whole area. It's not like I'm sitting under a bridge and making a thousand casts to the same place.

"I've got some other stuff that I can catch some 2 1/2- and 3-pounders doing, but I don't see my main pattern going away."

86th: Just Small Ones for Howell

> Day 1: 5, 14-00

Howell said he had a good practice fishing out on the first drop-off, but that plan didn't produce any quality on day 1.

"I had an overall tough day getting any good bites," he said. "I caught a lot of fish, but they were all little ones. I was banking on that offshore stuff to be good and I've never seen it shut off that fast out there.

"I'd have only had about 10 pounds if I'd stayed offshore, but I went sight-fishing the last 2 hours and caught a (4-pounder) and a 3. It makes me so sick because I love to sight-fish, but I hadn't done much of it in practice because I know what lives out there off the bank. I think a ton of them came to the bank and it was a heavy-duty spawning deal all day."

He said he had an opportunity to weigh 18 or 19 pounds, but he lost a 5-pounder on a Senko and a 3 on a Carolina rig that got off right at the boat.

"The whole deal could change tomorrow and a lot of the stuff I did today will probably work. I'll move a little shallower, but offshore here can be 2 or 3 feet (deep). I'll go with the flow and see what happens.

"I'll throw some big baits – I'll probably need at least 20 pounds to have a chance to get to Saturday."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 113 anglers, 107 limits, 4 fours, 1 two.

> Rick Clunn and James Elam both caught an 8 1/2-pounder to share big-fish honors.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., April 10 – A.M. T-Showers - 69°/49°
- Wind: From the WNW at 9 mph

> Sat., April 11 – Partly Cloudy - 75°/52°
- Wind: From the NNE at 9 mph

> Sun., April 12 – Partly Cloudy - 77°/61°
- Wind: From the SE at 11 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 28-02 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 28-02

2. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 5, 26-01 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 26-01

3. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 25-08 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 25-08

4. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 24-15 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 24-15

5. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 24-04 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 24-04

6. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 5, 24-03 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 24-03

7. Matt Lee -- Auburn , AL -- 5, 23-15 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 23-15

8. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 23-11 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 23-11

9. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 23-08 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 23-08

10. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 23-05 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 23-05

11. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 23-02 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 23-02

12. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 23-01 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 23-01

13. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 23-00 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 23-00

14. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 22-04 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 22-04

14. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 22-04 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 22-04

16. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 22-03 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 22-03

17. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 22-02 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 22-02

18. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 21-07 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 21-07

19. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 21-04 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 21-04

20. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 5, 21-00 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 21-00

21. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 20-09 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 20-09

22. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 20-07 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 20-07

22. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 20-07 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 20-07

24. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 20-06 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 20-06

24. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 20-06 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 20-06

26. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 20-01 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 20-01

27. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 5, 19-14 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 19-14

28. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 19-11 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 19-11

28. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 5, 19-11 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 19-11

30. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 5, 19-09 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 19-09

31. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 4, 19-07 -- 70
Day 1: 4, 19-07

32. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 19-06 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 19-06

33. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 19-05 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 19-05

34. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 19-04 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 19-04

34. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 5, 19-04 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 19-04

36. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 19-02 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 19-02

37. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 19-00 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 19-00

37. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 5, 19-00 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 19-00

39. Byron Velvick -- Boenre, TX -- 5, 18-13 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 18-13

40. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 18-12 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 18-12

40. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 18-12 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 18-12

42. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 18-11 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 18-11

43. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 18-08 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 18-08

43. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 5, 18-08 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 18-08

45. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 18-07 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 18-07

46. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 18-06 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 18-06

47. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 18-00 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 18-00

48. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 17-13 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 17-13

49. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 17-10 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 17-10

50. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 17-06 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 17-06

51. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 17-05 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 17-05

52. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 17-04 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 17-04

52. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 17-04 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 17-04

54. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 17-02 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 17-02

55. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 17-01 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 17-01

56. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 16-11 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 16-11

57. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 5, 16-10 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 16-10

58. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 16-09 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 16-09

59. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 16-07 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 16-07

60. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 5, 16-05 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 16-05

61. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 16-01 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 16-01

62. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 15-15 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 15-15

62. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 15-15 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 15-15

64. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 15-13 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 15-13

65. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 15-12 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 15-12

66. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 15-09 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 15-09

66. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 15-09 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 15-09

68. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 15-08 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 15-08

68. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 15-08 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 15-08

68. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 15-08 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 15-08

71. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 15-06 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 15-06

72. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 15-05 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 15-05

73. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 15-04 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 15-04

73. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 15-04 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 15-04

75. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 15-03 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 15-03

75. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 5, 15-03 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 15-03

77. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 5, 15-01 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 15-01

78. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 14-14 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 14-14

79. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 14-11 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 14-11

80. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 14-10 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 14-10

80. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 5, 14-10 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 14-10

82. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 14-09 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 14-09

83. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 5, 14-05 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 14-05

84. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 14-04 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 14-04

85. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 14-02 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 14-02

86. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 14-00 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 14-00

87. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 5, 13-14 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 13-14

87. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 13-14 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 13-14

89. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 5, 13-12 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 13-12

90. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 5, 13-11 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 13-11

91. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 13-10 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 13-10

91. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 5, 13-10 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 13-10

93. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 13-09 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 13-09

93. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Japan -- 5, 13-09 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 13-09

95. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 13-05 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 13-05

96. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 13-00 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 13-00

97. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 5, 12-13 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 12-13

97. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 12-13 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 12-13

99. Stephen Longobardi -- Northford, CT -- 5, 12-11 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 12-11

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

101. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 12-00 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 12-00

102. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 11-13 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-13

103. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 11-09 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-09

104. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 11-08 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-08

105. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 11-06 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-06

106. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 11-01 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-01

107. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 11-00 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 11-00

108. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 4, 11-00 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 11-00

109. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 10-14 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-14

110. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 10-13 -- 0
Day 1: 5, 10-13

111. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 4, 09-14 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-14

111. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 4, 09-14 -- 0
Day 1: 4, 09-14

113. Boo Woods -- Oneida, KY -- 2, 05-11 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 05-11