Evers Still Leads, Closes In On Elite Series First

By BassFan Staff

When Edwin Evers’ name comes up in conversation in bass fishing circles, he’s often thought of as one of the best to have never won one of the sport’s marquee titles – an Angler of the Year award or the Bassmaster Classic. He has four Elite Series wins to his credit – he’s one of just six anglers who can say that – but the AOY and Classic titles have eluded him despite numerous close calls on both fronts.

On Sunday, he’ll have an opportunity to do something nobody else has in the 10-year history of the Elite Series – win back-to-back tournaments.

The Oklahoma pro, who captured the BASSFest win at Kentucky Lake in early June, saw his lead shrink to 1 1/2 pounds entering the final day at the St. Lawrence River. He caught 16-06, his smallest stringer of the event, to push his 3-day total to 60-02, but he knows it’ll take a bigger bag Sunday to close out the victory.

“It would be a huge blessing for me and my family,” he said. “It would be exciting. If I get to 21 (pounds), I feel like I’ll be in good shape.”

Josh Bertrand kept the pressure on Evers with an 18-15 bag to run his total to 58-11 and move up a spot into 2nd. The third-year pro from Arizona locked up his first Top-12 cut of the year and first since the 2013 St. Lawrence River event in which he finished 8th.

Alton Jones jumped three positions to 3rd with an 18-14 sack that gives him 57-08. Mike Iaconelli rode the day’s best stringer – a 22-04 bag – from 23rd up to 4th, where he’s a shade over 3 pounds behind Evers with 57-00.

Kevin Ledoux, who was 111th in points entering the week, made his first career 12-cut – he’d not finished higher than 24th in 21 previous Elite Series starts – with an 18-05 stringer that put him in 5th with 56-05.

Here's a look at the 12 anglers who qualified for the final day, with deficit margin from Evers indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Edwin Evers: 60-02
2. Josh Bertrand: 58-11 (1-07)
3. Alton Jones: 57-08 (2-10)
4. Mike Iaconelli: 57-00 (3-02)
5. Kevin Ledoux: 56-05 (3-13)
6. Skeet Reese: 55-14 (4-04)
7. Brandon Card: 55-07 (4-11)
8. Jacob Powroznik: 55-06 (4-12)
9. Seth Feider: 54-02 (6-00)
10. Mark Davis: 53-15 (6-03)
11. Greg Hackney: 53-11 (6-07)
12. Keith Combs: 53-05 (6-13)

While Iaconelli’s surge into the Top 5 was impressive, Keith Combs used a 19-03 bag to snag the last spot in the Top 12, coming from 26th. Jacob Powroznik also got in, jumping from 15th th 8th with 18-15 today.

Bernie Schultz fell from 4th to 15th after catching 12-12 and Bobby Lane slid from 10th to 23rd with a 12-07 bag. Aaron Martens wound up 13th – he was 12th after Friday’s round – but took over the lead in the Angler of the Year points with three events to go. He’ll take an 11-point advantage over Dean Rojas into the next event at the Chesapeake Bay in his quest for a third career AOY title.

The storyline that’s developed as the week has gone on has been the amount of time anglers are spending in shallow water – and having success there. Whether it’s specifically to target largemouth in calm backwaters or weedy bays or to seize upon smallmouth cruising the clear shallows, there have been ample opportunities for competitors to have strong days in less than 15 to 20 feet of water.

A band of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across northern New York late Saturday afternoon and there’s a chance for more overnight into Sunday, but the sun is supposed to mix with clouds on the final day with the temperature expected to climb into the 80s. The wind will be out of the southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Evers Sticking Shallow

> Day 3: 5, 16-06 (15, 60-02)

Evers admitted his day was a little tougher, but he said he still had the opportunities to have a bag in the 18- or 19-pound range.

“I have a bunch more fish found and I’m going to go hit them hard tomorrow,” he said.

He had to have new batteries brought to him on the water after he forgot to plug in the charger for his cranking battery Friday night. While the switch was taking place, he had a 5-pound caliber fish get off.

That fish could’ve helped him maintain the 3-plus pound lead he carried into the weekend, but he’s confident the area he’s been fishing will continue to produce. He said he’s caught most of his fish in 4 to 10 feet of water.

“So far, it’s all been the same areas,” he said. “I expanded some and I’ll expand a little more tomorrow and see what happens.

“I had one deep spot where I could catch them, but it petered out. I haven’t caught anything there since day 1 so I doubt I’ll mess with it again.”

If the wind kicks up like it’s expected to Sunday, it may make Evers’ sight-fishing strategy a little more difficult.

“It makes them harder to see, but I love it,” he added. “It’s like hand-to-hand combat with them. It’s really cool. I just try to catch every one I see. I don’t like passing anything up. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell how big they down there in 8 or 9 feet, especially if it’s windy.”

2nd: Open Mind Key for Bertrand

> Day 3: 5, 18-15 (15, 58-11)

While Bertrand’s weights have remain consistent, he said it’s been a grind getting the right kind of fish to bite. He’s fishing a technique he has supreme confidence in (a dropshot) and he’s fishing virtually pattern-free.

“Every day has been a little different,” he said. “I’m not developing a bunch of patterns. I’m using the same bait and just finding a way to grind out five fish.”

The key dropshot bait has been a Berkley Gulp! Minnow, which have long been a staple for northern smallmouth anglers. He weighed all smallmouth today, the biggest of which was 4 1/2 pounds.

“I caught about the same amount of fish today, but I’ve been able to find the quality bites,” he said. “I’m not getting many bites overall. I’ve been fishing anything that looks like will hold a fish. They’re so spread out. I’m not targeting anything in particular.”

For Bertrand, who got married last offseason, having a shot at his first career Elite Series win is an opportunity he’s not taking lightly.

“It would be unreal (to win),” he said. “I know it’s there for the taking and things would have to go well, but I understand the magnitude of the situation. I’m trying to keep cool head and I’m taking it seriously because I know there’s an opportunity here.

“You need a win to really kick-start a career. I know how important it is to win one and you don’t get a million opportunities so this is a cool opportunity for me.”

3rd: Jones Likes What He’s Around

> Day 3: 5, 18-14 (15, 57-08)

Jones isn’t throwing in the towel by any means, not after closing the gap on Evers, and not after seeing some quality fish today.

“I saw some things today that encouraged me,” he said. “When you lose fish like I did, you’re supposed to be discouraged, but even though I lost a big sack of fish, it let me know I’m around the right kind of fish and doing the right things. I have the opportunities to get big bites.”

He caught about 15 fish today, weighed in all smallmouth and mixed in some sight-fishing in shallow water, but those fish were smaller on average.

“The mid-depths and deeper is what I’ll key on tomorrow,” he said. “You always want to be fishing where you think the fish are coming to and when those shallow fish get picked off they’re not coming back. I pretty well had picked through my shallow stuff so I have all of my eggs in the basket of stuff where I’m not looking at them.”

4th: Iaconelli’s Deep Fish Returned

> Day 3: 5, 22-04 (15, 57-00)

Iaconelli came into this event in a bit of a slump. He hadn’t cashed a check since a 12th-place finish at Lake Guntersville in April and he was 44th in AOY points heading into this week.

He’s pulled out of the funk in a big way, sandwiching two 20-pound stringers around a 14-pound bag on Friday. He’ll leave the dock Sunday just 3-02 behind Evers, well within striking distance.

“Edwin looked unstoppable until today,” he said. “He’s been fishing out of his mind and he may go on to win, but anybody 3 to 5 pounds back can catch a giant bag here so this is a very realistic opportunity.

“I’m split, though. Half of me is pumped to have a shot to win and I believe I can do it. I’m going to fish for 20 pounds tomorrow. The other half is just so freaking stoked that I made the Top 12. I was having a sub-par season, but now I’m up into the 20s in points. My goal here this week was to move up in points heading to the Chesapeake Bay, which is like my baby, so it’s a win-win for me.”

He had a 5-11 kicker smallmouth in today’s bag, which came off an area that produced big fish for him Thursday, but not on day 2. He’s been fishing shallow for about an hour each morning before shifting his focus to deeper structure.

“I have two really key areas for big fish deep after the first hour,” he said. “The first day, they were there and set up perfect on the little pieces of cover. For some reason on Friday, they never set up. I only caught one deep yesterday and that was tough. I just could never find them. It’s almost like they disappeared. Today, they showed back up. I don’t know why that is.”

He’s confident that if they stay put Sunday, he’ll have a legitimate shot at winning.

“If they’re there, I’m going to get 10 to 12 bites and they’ll be 3 to 5 pounds,” he said. “If they’re not there, I will have a difficult time targeting those fish. They’re almost ghost-like.”

He lost what he estimated to be a 6-pound caliber smallmouth on a jerkbait today and also had a few come off on slower baits.

“The good thing is these are smallmouth and they’ll bite again,” he said.

He’ll need them to if he wants to make a run at his second career Elite Series win.

“It would be really special,” he said. “It’s premature to talk about what it would mean to win, but it’s always special going into the final day with a chance.”

5th: Ledoux Thankful for Support

> Day 3: 5, 18-05 (15, 56-05)

It’s hard not to root for Ledoux, who sat out the 2014 season while recovering from life-threatening complications following back surgery in late 2013. It’s been a struggle for him this year as he’s finished no higher than 87th in any of the first five events.

He finds himself in the Top 5 entering the final day with a realistic shot of winning his first Elite Series tournament. He’s confident the area he’s been fishing can continue to produce quality fish, but he’s going to enjoy Sunday more for what it represents.

“I really don’t know how to put it into words,” he said. “I’ve known I’ve had the capability to do this, but with everything I’ve been through, my confidence has been down. When you bomb so many times, you start second-guessing yourself and asking, ‘Do I belong out here?’

“There are more people rooting for me who know my story and the struggles we’ve been through than I can ever imagine and it’s absolutely awesome having that support from people and fans I don’t know. You don’t understand what that means to a guy like me.”

He lost the first big fish he hooked today, but he bounced back as he continued to comb the large flat with scattered rock on it.

“I know the caliber of fish that live in this area,” he said. “It’s a giant flat with the perfect kind of rock on it and there’s a bunch of current on it. I know what I’m looking for now and the more I troll around, I found more rock fingers on it.”

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 43 limits, 3 fours, 2 threes, 1 two, 1 one.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., Aug. 2 – Sunny - 84°/61°
- Wind: From the SW at 10 to 20 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 15, 60-02 -- 100 -- $500
Day 1: 5, 21-03 -- Day 2: 5, 22-09 -- Day 3: 5, 16-06

2. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 15, 58-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 19-01 -- Day 2: 5, 20-11 -- Day 3: 5, 18-15

3. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 15, 57-08 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 21-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-06 -- Day 3: 5, 18-14

4. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 15, 57-00 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 20-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00 -- Day 3: 5, 22-04

5. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 15, 56-05 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 20-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09 -- Day 3: 5, 18-05

6. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 15, 55-14 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 20-08 -- Day 2: 5, 19-13 -- Day 3: 5, 15-09

7. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 15, 55-07 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 19-03 -- Day 3: 5, 16-12

8. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 15, 55-06 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 18-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08 -- Day 3: 5, 18-15

9. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 15, 54-02 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-10 -- Day 3: 5, 16-04

10. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 15, 53-15 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 19-14 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00 -- Day 3: 5, 16-01

11. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 15, 53-11 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 18-15 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08 -- Day 3: 5, 16-04

12. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 15, 53-05 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 17-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-03 -- Day 3: 5, 19-03

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.

13. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 15, 52-08 -- 88 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11 -- Day 3: 5, 15-05

14. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 15, 52-06 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 18-14 -- Day 3: 5, 15-15

15. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 15, 52-03 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00 -- Day 3: 5, 12-12

16. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 15, 52-00 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-14 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11 -- Day 3: 5, 16-07

17. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 15, 51-11 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 18-12 -- Day 3: 5, 15-12

18. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 15, 51-07 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00 -- Day 3: 5, 16-04

19. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 15, 51-02 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09 -- Day 3: 5, 15-01

20. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 15, 51-01 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13 -- Day 3: 5, 18-03

21. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 15, 50-08 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-13 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04 -- Day 3: 5, 17-07

22. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 15, 50-07 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12 -- Day 3: 5, 17-08

23. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 50-02 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-07

24. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka, Japan -- 15, 49-15 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07 -- Day 3: 5, 17-14

25. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 15, 49-12 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-10 -- Day 3: 5, 13-01

26. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 15, 49-12 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02 -- Day 3: 5, 17-02

27. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 15, 49-07 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02 -- Day 3: 5, 15-01

28. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 15, 49-06 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-03 -- Day 3: 5, 14-13

29. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 15, 49-05 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-04 -- Day 2: 5, 16-13 -- Day 3: 5, 15-04

30. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 15, 48-07 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09 -- Day 3: 5, 15-06

31. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 15, 47-03 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09 -- Day 3: 5, 16-08

32. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 15, 46-14 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10 -- Day 3: 5, 11-14

33. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 15, 46-14 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09 -- Day 3: 5, 15-05

34. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 15, 46-13 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 15-14

35. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 15, 46-05 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 5, 15-13

36. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 15, 46-00 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 19-08 -- Day 3: 5, 14-15

37. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 14, 45-15 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 19-11 -- Day 3: 4, 13-08

38. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 15, 45-13 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-02

39. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 15, 45-11 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12 -- Day 3: 5, 15-01

40. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 15, 44-12 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01 -- Day 3: 5, 11-13

41. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 14, 43-10 -- 60 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11 -- Day 3: 4, 10-13

42. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 15, 43-10 -- 59 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09 -- Day 3: 5, 12-00

43. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 15, 43-01 -- 58 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01 -- Day 3: 5, 10-04

44. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 15, 42-11 -- 57 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03 -- Day 3: 5, 11-11

45. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 14, 42-10 -- 56 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08 -- Day 3: 4, 11-04

46. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 42-00 -- 55 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05 -- Day 3: 5, 11-03

47. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 11, 41-08 -- 54 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 19-09 -- Day 3: 1, 04-10

48. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 13, 40-08 -- 53 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-06 -- Day 3: 3, 06-14

49. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 13, 40-04 -- 52 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-03 -- Day 3: 3, 09-07

50. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 12, 38-10 -- 51 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00 -- Day 3: 2, 06-13