Martens Retains Slim Lead With 15-Pound Haul

By BassFan Staff

The Bassmaster Elite Series has visited some tough venues during its 10-year history, but perhaps none that exhibited as much day-to-day unpredictability as the Chesapeake Bay.

Here's a prime example: Edwin Evers was in position to contend for his third consecutive victory after day 1, when he was in 11th place. A day later, he failed to catch a single keeper and bowed out of the derby with a 52nd-place finish.

While other competitors move up and down the standings sheet like elevator cars in a big-city skyscraper, though, Aaron Martens stands as a beacon of stability. The Angler of the Year (AOY) leader retained the slight advantage he'd staked the day before with a 15-pound stringer that gave him a 32-08 total at the halfway point.

Chad Pipkens, who doesn't have a finish higher than 32nd in six events this year, held onto 2nd place with a 14-15 haul that pushed his total to 31-13. Australian rookie Carl Jocumsen is also within a pound of Martens after a day-best 17-05 sack gave him a 31-12 aggregate.

Greg Hackney moved up nine places to 4th with 30-05 on the strength of a day-2 bag that was just an ounce shy of 16 pounds. Morizo Shimizu dropped one position to 5th with a four-fish, 12-09 bag that gave him a 29-02 total.

Here's how the Top 12 shakes out heading into the weekend, with red numbers in parentheses denoting deficit margins from the leader:

1. Aaron Martens: 32-08
2. Chad Pipkens: 31-13 (0-11)
3. Carl Jocumsen: 31-12 (0-12)
4. Greg Hackney: 30-05 (2-03)
5. Morizo Shimizu: 29-02 (3-06)
6. Bill Lowen: 28-03 (4-05)
7. Skeet Reese: 28-02 (4-06)
8. Brent Ehrler: 27-04 (5-04)
9. Russ Lane: 26-15 (5-09)
10. Davy Hite: 26-12 (5-12)
11. Bernie Schultz: 25-07 (7-01)
12. Gerald Swindle: 25-03 (7-05)

The current fickleness of the Chesapeake, which is mired in a late-summer slump, is almost mind-boggling. James Elam, one of 10 competitors who zeroed on day 1, caught 16-04 to advance to Saturday. Meanwhile, four competitors who caught double-digit stringers on day 1 are headed home, even though the cut line fell at a paltry 15-02.

Veterans Hite and Schultz were the biggest climbers among the Top 12, moving up 18 and 19 places, respectively. Schultz has brought just four fish to the scales each day.

Evers was the biggest back-slider, but James Niggemeyer (9th after day 1) and Jason Christie (10th) came close to matching him as both weighed just a single fish. Niggemeyer fell to 40th and Christie landed in 36th.

The Chesapeake is known primarily as a grass-oriented fishery, but it appears as if boat docks might be the key to victory as much of the milfoil in the upper bay is inundated with a nasty, dark-colored algae. Martens and Jocumsen are both spending significant time around man-made structure and ran across each other on multiple occasions on the afternoon of day 2.

Some clouds are in the forecast for day 3, when the high temperature is expected to reach 89 degrees. The southwest wind will be moderate, at most.

The field will be reduced to the Top 12 after Saturday's weigh-in, with the winner determined Sunday based on highest 4-day weight.

Martens a Bit Concerned

> Day 2: 5, 15-00 (10, 32-08)

Martens, who could not be reached via phone on Friday evening, stated in a B.A.S.S. press release that he's unsure whether his program will hold up through the weekend.

“There’s not a lot of fish where I’m fishing,” he said. “Carl (Jocumsen) and I are fishing the same area, catching each other’s fish. If there were two more boats in there, we would probably be toast.”

A further complication will be the Chesapeake boating regulations, which render long stretches of the waterway "no-wake zones" on weekends. Martens and Jocumsen, who've been running more than an hour one way toward Baltimore, will be forced to do a lot of idling.

“It’s been nice being able to run around without thinking about no-wake zones,” he said. “That’s really going to hamper how I fish."

He indicated, however, that he has some other options.

“I left some closer areas alone today where I could have gone back and caught more, trying to save them. You’ve got to save fish in this tournament.”

2nd: Pipkens Scored Late

> Day 2: 5, 14-15 (10, 31-13)

Pipkens caught a 4 1/2-pounder with 5 minutes left in the day that allowed him to stay within a pound of Martens.

"I caught one good one this morning and I lost one, and then I didn't get another bite for 3 hours," he said. "I went to one place I fished yesterday and caught a small keeper, and then I hit a place where I didn't catch anything yesterday and got two 3-pounders.

"I don't know exactly where I'm going to get bit – I'm just trying to get on the right rotation. I could go out tomorrow and only catch a fish or two, or I could catch 16 or 17 pounds. It's a matter of getting on the right deal at the right time."

He's making a quick run up toward the Susquehana River first thing in the morning to fish the outgoing tide, then spending the remainder of the day in the vicinity of the launch. He got eight bites on day 2 and caught seven of them – the one he missed was a 3-pounder and he was forced to weight a 1 1/2.

"I had company on a couple places, and one place I couldn't get on when I went back the third time. I'm pretty sure a guy caught his entire bag there.

"I'm not going to sit on anything tomorrow. I'll give (the fish) their chance, but I need to keep moving."

3rd: Jocumsen Moves Up

> Day 2: 5, 17-05 (9, 31-12)

Jocumsen is bidding for his second single-digit finish of his maiden season, but he also has four of 88th or lower and thus came in mired in 101st place on the points list. He dialed into a strong dock bite late on day 1 and used it to climb 10 places on day 2.

"Even though the (optimum) bite window is close to the end of the session, I got two good bites early today," he said. "I caught five keepers and I think I could've caught more, but I left with an hour to go because it's a rough ride back and I didn't want to beat everything up."

Martens and Randy Howell are the only competitors in his vicinity.

"Aaron actually helped me today. I moved to another area and he was on the best dock, so I turned around and went to a different area and caught three at 2 o'clock."

One of the two keepers he caught in the first hour weighed 5-01.

"People can believe what they want, but there's no doubt in my mind that the HydroWave played a role in those first two bites. It was an hour into the day, the sun was up and the water was slack, which is about the worst conditions you could have, and I caught a 5 and a 3 1/2 in 5 minutes."

A fish he didn't catch on day 1, when he weighed only four, kept him out of the lead at the midway point.

"That one was a 4- or 5-pounder. I'd have had two strong bags if everything would've gone right."

4th: Hackney's Estimate was Low

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

Hackney came to the scale thinking his bag was lighter than his 14-06 haul on day 1.

"I didn't think I had them as good as yesterday," he said. "Yesterday I had one good one, but today didn't have any of those better fish. I guess my keepers were bigger.

"When you're fishing, you're in such a hurry to get them in the box so you can try to catch another one that you don't really get a good look."

He got approximately the same number of bites (nine), but was forced to make adjustments.

"Yesterday I had two things going that were the deal, but today neither one of them worked. I've got 10 rods on my deck and I have to cycle through them to figure out what they're doing.

"I got keyed in this morning when one showed itself, and after that I expanded on it. I've caught them on every tide (stage), just not real good on any of them. I just have to stay around the right stuff and grind through the day."

His day-2 bag had a smallmouth mixed in with four largemouths.

"At one time I had three of them (brown fish), but they were all just keepers. You're proud to have them right now – even a 12-incher is a big deal."

50th: Powroznik Squeaks In

> Day 2: 0, 0-00 (5, 15-02)

Powroznik mentioned after day 1, when he was tied for 6th place, that he would likely make the 50-cut even if he blanked on Friday. He was right, but just barely.

"I caught five shorts and lost one big one right off the get-go this morning," he said. "I caught the shorts where everybody else was fishing (and catching keepers). It was just one of those deals.

"I sucked, but tomorrow's a different day and I'll get out and see what happens. I'm really looking forward to it and I thank the Good Lord that I was able to make it this far.

He said there were far more boats in his areas today and there were about 10 places he wanted to fish but couldn't get on. He hopes the cut to 50 will alleviate that issue.

"I'm not going to change anything – I'll go back out and fish slow and steady. I could catch 22 pounds and be right back in it."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 107 anglers, 36 limits (8 fewer than day 1), 16 fours, 14 threes, 16 twos, 12 ones, 13 zeroes (3 more than day 1).

Weather Forecast

> Sat., Aug. 15 – Sunny - 89°/68°
- Wind: From the SW at 8 mph

> Sun., Aug. 16 – Sunny - 92°/67°
- Wind: From the SW at 7 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 32-08 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00

2. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 10, 31-13 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

3. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 9, 31-12 -- 98
Day 1: 4, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-05

4. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 30-05 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15

5. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 9, 29-02 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 4, 12-09

6. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 28-03 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13

7. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 28-02 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 15-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-05

8. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 10, 27-04 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

9. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 26-15 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

10. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 10, 26-12 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00

11. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 8, 25-07 -- 90
Day 1: 4, 10-11 -- Day 2: 4, 14-12

12. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 25-03 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 13-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07

13. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 23-13 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09

14. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 8, 23-08 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 3, 08-07

15. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 22-15 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-00

16. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 7, 22-12 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 2, 07-10

17. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 9, 22-09 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 4, 12-06

18. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 9, 22-06 -- 83
Day 1: 4, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

19. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 22-02 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12

20. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 8, 22-00 -- 81
Day 1: 3, 07-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07

21. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 7, 20-14 -- 80
Day 1: 2, 05-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02

22. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 20-09 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

23. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 10, 19-12 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 06-01

24. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 19-06 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 05-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12

25. Mike Kernan -- Wylie, TX -- 10, 19-06 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07

26. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 9, 19-02 -- 75
Day 1: 4, 04-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05

27. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 19-02 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 06-13

28. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 9, 19-00 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 4, 07-04

29. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 10, 18-15 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04

30. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 8, 18-12 -- 71
Day 1: 4, 10-03 -- Day 2: 4, 08-09

31. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 8, 18-04 -- 70
Day 1: 3, 05-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

32. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 18-03 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 07-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10

33. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 18-02 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 05-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-05

34. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 9, 17-15 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 4, 07-12

35. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 6, 17-14 -- 66
Day 1: 1, 01-13 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01

36. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 6, 17-05 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 1, 02-06

37. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 8, 17-05 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 3, 05-07

38. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 9, 17-05 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 4, 06-09

39. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 8, 17-03 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 3, 05-00

40. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 6, 17-02 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 1, 02-02

41. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 7, 17-01 -- 60
Day 1: 3, 09-08 -- Day 2: 4, 07-09

42. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 8, 17-00 -- 59
Day 1: 4, 09-11 -- Day 2: 4, 07-05

43. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 8, 16-09 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 3, 04-00

44. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 8, 16-07 -- 57
Day 1: 3, 05-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11

45. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 16-04 -- 56
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

46. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 8, 16-02 -- 55
Day 1: 3, 06-14 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04

47. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 16-01 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 06-02 -- Day 2: 5, 09-15

48. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 8, 15-15 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 3, 04-02

49. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 15-05 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 07-09

50. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 15-02 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

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

51. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 5, 15-01 -- 50
Day 1: 4, 10-09 -- Day 2: 1, 04-08

52. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 14-11 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

53. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 4, 14-02 -- 48
Day 1: 1, 04-10 -- Day 2: 3, 09-08

54. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 6, 14-01 -- 47
Day 1: 4, 08-05 -- Day 2: 2, 05-12

55. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 4, 13-14 -- 46
Day 1: 1, 02-14 -- Day 2: 3, 11-00

56. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 7, 13-07 -- 45
Day 1: 3, 06-08 -- Day 2: 4, 06-15

57. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 7, 13-05 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 2, 02-12

58. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 13-01 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

59. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 13-01 -- 42
Day 1: 2, 04-12 -- Day 2: 3, 08-05

60. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 6, 12-13 -- 41
Day 1: 4, 07-09 -- Day 2: 2, 05-04

61. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 4, 12-12 -- 40
Day 1: 2, 04-11 -- Day 2: 2, 08-01

62. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 6, 12-11 -- 39
Day 1: 1, 01-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04

63. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 6, 12-10 -- 38
Day 1: 3, 08-07 -- Day 2: 3, 04-03

64. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 7, 12-00 -- 37
Day 1: 2, 03-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-05

65. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 4, 11-11 -- 36
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 4, 11-11

66. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 7, 11-08 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 2, 03-12

67. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 11-05 -- 34
Day 1: 3, 06-07 -- Day 2: 2, 04-14

68. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 10-15 -- 33
Day 1: 1, 02-08 -- Day 2: 4, 08-07

69. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 4, 10-11 -- 32
Day 1: 1, 02-00 -- Day 2: 3, 08-11

70. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 10-09 -- 31
Day 1: 1, 02-06 -- Day 2: 4, 08-03

71. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 9, 10-09 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 05-09 -- Day 2: 4, 05-00

72. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 6, 10-04 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 07-06 -- Day 2: 1, 02-14

73. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 4, 10-02 -- 28
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 4, 10-02

74. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, TX -- 4, 10-00 -- 27
Day 1: 1, 02-04 -- Day 2: 3, 07-12

75. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 8, 09-15 -- 26
Day 1: 3, 04-13 -- Day 2: 5, 05-02

76. Kevin Hawk -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 09-14 -- 25
Day 1: 2, 06-06 -- Day 2: 2, 03-08

77. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 3, 09-10 -- 24
Day 1: 2, 06-10 -- Day 2: 1, 03-00

78. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 4, 09-07 -- 23
Day 1: 3, 08-02 -- Day 2: 1, 01-05

79. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 4, 09-02 -- 22
Day 1: 2, 04-05 -- Day 2: 2, 04-13

80. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 9, 09-01 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 04-02 -- Day 2: 4, 04-15

81. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 09-00 -- 20
Day 1: 3, 06-14 -- Day 2: 2, 02-02

82. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 3, 08-12 -- 19
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 3, 08-12

83. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 6, 08-08 -- 18
Day 1: 1, 01-03 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

84. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 4, 07-10 -- 17
Day 1: 1, 01-14 -- Day 2: 3, 05-12

85. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 4, 07-03 -- 16
Day 1: 2, 04-02 -- Day 2: 2, 03-01

86. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 3, 06-12 -- 15
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 3, 06-12

87. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 2, 06-05 -- 14
Day 1: 2, 06-05 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

88. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 3, 06-03 -- 13
Day 1: 2, 04-08 -- Day 2: 1, 01-11

89. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 2, 05-14 -- 12
Day 1: 2, 05-14 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

90. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 2, 05-09 -- 11
Day 1: 2, 05-09 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

91. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 4, 05-03 -- 10
Day 1: 3, 03-01 -- Day 2: 1, 02-02

92. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 2, 05-03 -- 9
Day 1: 1, 02-11 -- Day 2: 1, 02-08

93. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 3, 04-09 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 00-15 -- Day 2: 2, 03-10

94. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 2, 04-06 -- 7
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 2, 04-06

95. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 2, 04-03 -- 6
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 2, 04-03

96. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 4, 04-03 -- 5
Day 1: 3, 03-05 -- Day 2: 1, 00-14

97. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 1, 03-15 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 03-15 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

98. Joseph Sancho -- New Windsor, NY -- 1, 03-07 -- 3
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 1, 03-07

99. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 1, 03-05 -- 2
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 1, 03-05

100. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 3, 03-04 -- 1
Day 1: 3, 03-04 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

101. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 2, 03-04 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 03-04 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

102. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 3, 03-02 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 01-02 -- Day 2: 2, 02-00

103. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 2, 02-15 -- 0
Day 1: 2, 02-15 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

104. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 1, 02-10 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 02-10 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

105. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 1, 02-08 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 02-08 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

105. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, OK -- 1, 02-08 -- 0
Day 1: 1, 02-08 -- Day 2: 0 -- 00-00

107. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 2, 01-13 -- 0
Day 1: 0 -- 00-00 -- Day 2: 2, 01-13