Evers Pulls To Front With Lone 20-Pound Stringer

By BassFan Staff

Local experts predicted that a 20-pound bag would come to the scale on each day of the Lake Havasu Bassmaster Elite Series. On day 1, that stringer was caught by Edwin Evers.

The veteran from Oklahoma's 20-07 haul placed him just under a pound ahead of the 111 other anglers on the circuit's first visit to the desert impoundment that sits on the Arizona-California border. Despite winds that reached 30 mph at times, the lake lived up to its newly gained reputation as the prime bass fishery of the Desert Southwest, surrendering 20 sacks that weighed 16 pounds or more.

Arizonan John Murray, who's competed on Havasu since 1985 and vividly remembers when 10 pounds was considered a superb day, grabbed the No. 2 slot with 19-08. Matt Herren, who had mechanical issues and never even made it to the scale on day 1 last week at the Sacramento River, caught 18-09 to settle into 3rd.

Randall Tharp, trying to turn around a miserable season in which his finishes started out bad and have gotten progressively worse, sacked 18-03 and sat in 4th. Second-year pro Mike Kernan, bidding for his second Top-12 showing of the campaign, completed the Top 5 with 18-02.

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

1. Edwin Evers: 20-07
2. John Murray: 19-08 (0-15)
3. Matt Herren: 18-09 (1-14)
4. Randall Tharp: 18-03 (2-04)
5. Mike Kernan: 18-02 (2-05)
6. Shaw Grigsby: 17-15 (2-08)
7. Bobby Lane: 17-13 (2-10)
8. Kelly Jordon: 17-12 (2-11)
9. Cliff Pirch: 17-08 (2-15)
10. Kevin VanDam: 17-06 (3-01)
11. (tie) Stephen Browning: 16-11 (3-12)
11. (tie) Alton Jones: 16-11 (3-12)
11. (tie) Greg Vinson: 16-11 (3-12)

The wind was the dominant story of the day, and it helped some competitors while hindering others. Havasu's water is mostly ultra-clear and the roiling surface undoubtedly aided the reaction-bait bite. Conversely, it limited the anglers' ability to move around freely and made proper boat positioning and precise casts difficult for those relying on slower-moving offerings.

Angler of the Year (AOY) leader and Lake Havasu City resident Dean Rojas had a lackluster day, catching a 14-01 sack that left him right on the mark where the cut will fall after day 2 (52nd place). Skeet Reese's AOY hopes took a severe blow as he weighed just three fish for 6-00 and is mired in 105th.

The wind is expected to subside significantly on day 2 – WeatherChannel.com predicts that it'll blow at 13 mph out of the south/southwest. The air temperature will top out at only 72 degrees, which is unseasonably cool for May.

Evers Surprised

> Day 1: 5, 20-07

Evers described his 2-day practice as "okay," but said he saw no indication that such a hefty stringer was forthcoming.

"I didn't expect that kind of a bag," he said. "The wind was probably a factor – anytime you get that on a clear body of water, it's going to help."

He went through eight or nine keepers, the biggest of which was a 6-pounder. All five fish that he took to the scale were largemouths.

As is his norm when he's in contention, he was extremely tight-lipped about what he's doing. He's not sure whether he'll need to switch tactics when the wind lays down.

"I just tried to cover as much water as I could," he said. "I'll go ahead and try what I've been doing again tomorrow and see if it works. If not, I'll go from there."

2nd: Murray Fished Memories

> Day 1: 5, 19-08

Murray took full advantage of the blustery conditions.

"The wind was a huge factor and I geared my day for it," he said. "When it calms down I'm going to have to change techniques, but I knew it would help today for what I was doing.

"I'm going for a limited number of bites and I'm not fishing like I normally do."

He caught 10 keepers, the best of which weighed 4 pounds. He estimated that the five fish he threw back weighed between 16 and 17 pounds.

"They were all the same size and it was getting pretty frustrating."

He visited many of the same locales today that he exploited back "in the day" when a 2-pounder served as a Havasu kicker. One was a spot that was key to a Red Man event he won in 1992.

"The fish are a totally different size, but they're in the same places they used to be."

3rd: Herren Throwing New Bait

> Day 1: 5, 18-09

Herren anticipated getting a lot of bites on day 1, but their size was better than he'd expected.

"I had a decent practice, but to be totally honest, I didn't think I was around that quality of fish," he said. "I never stuck a fish in practice – not one. When you don't have any knowledge of a lake, bites are precious, and I figured a lot of them are post-spawn and guarding fry and they'd stay in the same locale if I didn't bust them.

"I'm running a pattern, but whether I can duplicate it tomorrow or not might be another story. I don't think the wind mattered one way or the other. The one thing I'm excited about is I'm fishing a bait that's not yet on the market. It's a Reaction Innovations bait and I'll let the cat out of the bag on it later this week."

His sack was topped by a 4-pounder. He said he lost one that was about a pound larger than that.

"I'm not going to cry about it; with the wind blowing as hard as it was and blowing slack in the line, it was one of those deals that happens. I'm just going fishing and having a good time and I'm not fishing like I normally do.

"Hopefully I can continue to get some bites, but I didn't see (18 1/2 pounds) coming."

4th: Relief for Tharp

> Day 1: 5, 18-03

After failing to earn a paycheck in any of the first three events and coming off a 98th-place showing on the Sacramento River, Tharp was happy to get off to a good start.

"It's a relief," he said. "It gets to the point where you start questioning everything you're doing out there."

He said he had a great first day of practice and day 1 of competition unfolded in a similar manner. He caught 20 keepers and a 4 1/2-pounder was the biggest in his bag.

"I had my weight by about 11 o'clock and I went practicing the rest of the day. For a large portion of my day I wasn't around any boats."

He weighed all largemouths and said he's unlikely to catch any smallmouths if he continues with the same program. He lost one bite that would've helped him.

"It was about my fifth flip and the fish was pretty deep – like 7 feet. I had her on for maybe 6 or 7 seconds and she just came off.

"Where she was, I knew there wasn't a lot of bites to be had in that area. I got three and the other two I took to the weigh-in, and I lost her."

112th: Lost Fish Cost Elias

> Day 1: 2, 3-03

Veteran Paul Elias finished in the 80s at the previous two events and has a lot of climbing to do just to get that high in the standings after a miserable day 1.

"Execution has been my problem all year," he said. "I'm getting five or six bites a day, but half of those I'm not getting into the boat. I lost a 4-pound smallmouth and a 3-pound smallmouth today and another one I didn't see, but I know it was another good one.

"I'm (also) making some bad decisions about where to go on the first day – I'm choosing the wrong starting place or the wrong pattern. Then after you get killed the first day, it's hard to make a comeback."

He won't make any dramatic changes for day 2.

"I'll start off with the same deal because now I really need to catch 4- and 5-pounders. I really thought I could catch 17 or 18 pounds of smallmouths today, but the wind was just horrendous. When you're using 6-pound line and the wind's blowing 25, it's hard."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 112 anglers, 93 limits, 6 fours, 9 threes, 4 twos.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., May 8 – Mostly Cloudy - 73°/56°
- Wind: From the SSW at 13 mph

> Sat., May 9 – Sunny - 82°/63°
- Wind: From the SW at 7 mph

> Sun., May 10 – Sunny - 92°/68°
- Wind: From the NNW at 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 20-07 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 20-07

2. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 19-08 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 19-08

3. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 18-09 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 18-09

4. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 18-03 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 18-03

5. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 5, 18-02 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 18-02

6. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 17-15 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 17-15

7. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 17-13 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 17-13

8. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 5, 17-12 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 17-12

9. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 17-08 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 17-08

10. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 17-06 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 17-06

11. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 16-11 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 16-11

11. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 16-11 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 16-11

11. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 16-11 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 16-11

14. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 16-08 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 16-08

15. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 5, 16-07 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 16-07

16. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 16-05 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 16-05

17. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-04 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 16-04

18. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 16-03 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 16-03

18. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 16-03 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 16-03

20. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 16-00 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 16-00

21. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-15 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 15-15

22. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 15-14 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 15-14

23. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 15-12 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 15-12

23. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 15-12 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 15-12

25. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 15-10 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 15-10

26. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 15-09 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 15-09

26. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 5, 15-09 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 15-09

28. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 5, 15-07 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 15-07

29. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 15-06 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 15-06

30. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 5, 15-05 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 15-05

30. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 15-05 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 15-05

30. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 5, 15-05 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 15-05

33. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 15-04 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 15-04

33. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 15-04 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 15-04

35. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 15-02 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 15-02

35. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 15-02 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 15-02

37. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 15-01 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 15-01

38. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 14-12 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 14-12

38. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 14-12 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 14-12

40. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 14-11 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 14-11

41. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 14-09 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 14-09

41. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 14-09 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 14-09

43. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 14-08 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 14-08

44. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 14-07 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 14-07

45. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 14-07 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 14-07

46. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 14-06 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 14-06

46. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 14-06 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 14-06

46. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 14-06 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 14-06

49. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 14-06 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 14-06

50. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 5, 14-05 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 14-05

50. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 14-05 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 14-05

52. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 14-01 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 14-01

53. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 13-15 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 13-15

54. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 13-14 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 13-14

54. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 13-14 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 13-14

56. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 5, 13-11 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 13-11

57. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 13-10 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 13-10

57. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 13-10 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 13-10

59. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 13-09 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 13-09

60. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 13-08 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 13-08

61. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 13-07 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 13-07

61. Jared Miller -- Norman, OK -- 5, 13-07 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 13-07

63. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 13-05 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 13-05

64. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 13-03 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 13-03

65. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 12-15 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 12-15

66. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 12-15 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 12-15

67. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 12-14 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 12-14

68. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 12-12 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 12-12

68. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 5, 12-12 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 12-12

70. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 5, 12-09 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 12-09

70. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 12-09 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 12-09

72. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 12-08 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 12-08

73. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 12-07 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 12-07

74. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 12-06 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 12-06

74. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 12-06 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 12-06

76. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 12-03 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 12-03

77. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 5, 12-02 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 12-02

77. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 5, 12-02 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 12-02

77. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 12-02 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 12-02

80. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 12-00 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 12-00

81. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 11-15 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 11-15

82. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 5, 11-09 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 11-09

82. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 11-09 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 11-09

84. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 11-05 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 11-05

85. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Japan -- 4, 11-03 -- 16
Day 1: 4, 11-03

86. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 11-02 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 11-02

87. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 5, 10-15 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 10-15

87. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 10-15 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 10-15

89. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 5, 10-10 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 10-10

90. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 10-05 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 10-05

91. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 4, 10-05 -- 10
Day 1: 4, 10-05

92. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 10-02 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 10-02

93. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 10-01 -- 8
Day 1: 4, 10-01

94. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 5, 09-09 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 09-09

95. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 4, 09-08 -- 6
Day 1: 4, 09-08

96. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 4, 08-14 -- 5
Day 1: 4, 08-14

97. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 4, 08-06 -- 4
Day 1: 4, 08-06

98. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 08-04 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 08-04

98. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 08-04 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 08-04

100. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 3, 07-05 -- 1
Day 1: 3, 07-05

101. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 3, 07-04 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 07-04

102. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 3, 07-01 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 07-01

103. Matt Lee -- Auburn , AL -- 3, 06-10 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 06-10

104. Byron Velvick -- Boenre, TX -- 3, 06-05 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 06-05

105. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 3, 06-00 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 06-00

106. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 3, 05-11 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 05-11

107. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 3, 05-08 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 05-08

108. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 2, 05-07 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 05-07

109. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 3, 04-11 -- 0
Day 1: 3, 04-11

110. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 2, 04-02 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 04-02

111. Stephen Longobardi -- Northford, CT -- 2, 03-15 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 03-15

112. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 2, 03-03 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 03-03 -- 1 -- Dean Rojas -- 270