Giant Bag Gives Clunn Shot At 1st Win Since ‘02

By BassFan Staff

Rick Clunn pulled off the St. Johns Shocker today.

The 69-year-old angling legend, who during the offseason detailed how he’s had to begrudgingly adjust his tournament preparation, came into the day in 31st place, about 8 pounds behind leader Greg Hackney. He easily erased that deficit (and then some) with a tournament-best stringer of 31-07 that was 1 ounce shy of matching his output from days 1 and 2 combined.

Suddenly, an event that was shaping up as one that could come down to ounces on the final day now has the potential to go down in the history books, all thanks to Clunn, who has 62-15 through 3 days.

Clunn, who has four Bassmaster Classic titles among his 14 career B.A.S.S. wins, will be looking to secure his first B.A.S.S. victory since November 2002 when he won a Texas Central Open at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. If he’s able to close out the victory, Clunn will become the oldest Elite Series winner in the circuit’s history. Denny Brauer was 62 when he won at the Arkansas River in 2011.

Clunn was the last angler to weigh in today and he was joined on stage by his son, River, who helped show off the fish for photos.

“It was one of those days that became magical,” Clunn said. “It was one of those days where every one that bit I caught and when it got rainy and windy, that’s when I’ve been able to catch the big ones and it did that today about 10:30. I pretty well caught all of the big ones within an hour."

Clunn said it was the third-heaviest five-fish limit he’s weighed in a tournament, trailing only two bags he weighed at Lake Falcon in 2013. While a six-pound lead is nice heading into the final day, he knows this event is far from over.

“I’m no fool. I don’t predict ahead of time,” he said. “You have to go out there and execute and somebody else could do the same thing I did tomorrow. You have to catch as much as you can and hope it holds.”

As Clunn bagged his fish, other Elite Series anglers crowded around his boat as word circulated that the circuit's oldest competitor had a big bag. Check out the video of Clunn bagging his fish, courtesy of Alton Jones:

That the St. Johns River kicked out a 31-pound bag was not all that surprising. After all, Chris Lane bagged more than 37 pounds on day 2 of the 2014 Elite Series event there. It’s simply a big-fish destination, and all week, anglers have spoken of the potential that swims in the waters around Palatka.

While several fish in the 8- to 10-pound range have been caught, there was a sense the St. Johns just wasn’t showing its true colors. Knowing the next cast or pitch could result in a giant bite helped steady the focus of those were having a rough go of it on the river. While Clunn’s effort drew the biggest cheers from the crowd, it also gave the rest of the finalists hope that the improbable is also possible for them with one day to go.

Hackney caught 17-09 today, including a 7-10 kicker, to run his total to 56-15. He’s 12 ounces ahead of Justin Lucas, who slid up to 3rd with a 19-09 bag that featured a 9-06 brute.

The last two spots in the Top 5 are occupied by local favorites – Terry Scroggins slipped two places to 4th with 55-03 while Cliff Prince continued his upward climb after a day-1 livewell snafu with a 21-03 bag that has him in 5th with 55-00.

Here's a look at the Top 12 entering the final day of competition, with deficit margin from Clunn indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Rick Clunn: 62-15
2. Greg Hackney: 56-15 (6-00)
3. Justin Lucas: 56-03 (6-12)
4. Terry Scroggins: 55-03 (7-12)
5. Cliff Prince: 55-00 (7-15)
6. Brent Chapman: 54-13 (8-02)
7. Davy Hite: 54-13 (8-02)
8. Marty Robinson: 54-12 (8-03)
9. Jason Christie: 54-04 (8-11)
10. Drew Benton: 53-08 (9-07)
11. Jordan Lee: 51-02 (11-13)
12. Randall Tharp: 49-12 (13-03)

Aside from Brandon Lester’s 23-13 effort on day 1, the event’s three other biggest bags were caught today, with Brent Chapman and Jason Christie each bagging 23-plus pounds to move up 28 spots apiece in the standings.

Chapman caught 23-09 to jump into 6th while Christie smacked 23-03 to move into 9th and follow his runner-up finish at the Classic with a Top-12 showing in Florida. Drew Benton bounced back from a slower day 2 to catch 20-11 and make the Top 12 in his Elite Series debut. Randall Tharp used a 14-10 bag to move up two spots and snag the final spot for Sunday with 49-12.

A 7-14 limit sent Brent Ehrler tumbling 24 spots to a 29th-place finish while Lester fell seven spots and was the first man out of the cut in 13th with 49-11.

As Clunn mentioned, a weather system carrying rain and wind moved through the area today and made it challenging to run around and back to the ramp. While the fish seem to bite when the barometric pressure drops, the wind will be a key determining factor tomorrow for where and how the finalists are able to be the most efficient.

The forecast is calling for showers in the morning, giving way to clouds in the afternoon. Winds are projected to be 10 to 15 mph out of the west, which could take the eastern shore of Lake George out of play after it was a bit of a player Saturday.

Weather Shift Big for Clunn

> Day 3: 5, 31-07 (15, 62-15)

Even with one day left, Clunn offered some reflective and inspirational words following his buzz-worthy catch.

“Never accept that all of your best moments are in your past,” he said, according to the B.A.S.S. press release summarizing day 3. “Most of us go through a peak period. But when you start to lose that, you start to wonder.

“Maybe I don’t have as many great moments ahead, but I still have great moments to look forward to.”

He said the change in the weather today was critical to his success.

“I knew how to catch the big ones, but I also knew I had to have the wind and the rain to catch them,” he said. “I had it today, and I caught all of the big ones in about an hour.

“When the wind shifted and really started to blow, I knew I could probably catch them — and I did.”

As the weigh-in wound down, Clunn waited to remove his fish from his livewell until his family could make it in from the airport. His young son, River, joined him on the boat and Clunn then bagged his fish and headed to shore.

“To him, all of my accomplishments are purely in the history books,” said Clunn. “I wanted him to witness the catch. Hearing about it later is just not the same.”

3rd: Lucas Benefited From Big Bite

> Day 3: 5, 19-09 (15, 56-03)

This week kicks off Lucas’ third Elite Series season and he’s made the final day in the season opener all 3 years.

“It feels fantastic,” he said. “It almost felt like I was in a slump after Sturgeon Bay last year, the Toho (Southern Open) and the Classic this year. I was ready for a good one. It feels good to do well in one early on and get a jump on points for the year.”

Lucas knows all about fisheries that hold potential for memorable stringers. He grew up fishing the California Delta and now lives close to Lake Guntersville. And after snatching a 9-06 today, he’s not at all worried about the 6-12 deficit he faces tomorrow.

“The thing about this place is anybody could go out and catch 30,” he said. “If you pull up on the right stretch, literally within 10 yards you can see 35 pounds sitting there. Because of that, anybody can win tomorrow.”

His morning did not go as planned as he came up empty after making a long run to see if some big females he’d found Friday were still there.

“They were all gone and that was disheartening,” he said.

Without a keeper at 11 a.m., he moved into an area near Lake Dexter hoping to sight-fish a couple to break the ice. He wound up leaving with three for 12 1/2 pounds, including the 9-06 that scorched his drag and had his rod bent around the anchor light pole on the back of his boat (check out the video here).

He then moved into a community-hole area and finished off the day with a pair of 3-pounders.

“It was kind of a throw-together day,” he said. “I have no way to duplicate it. I’m having to find new water every day. I’m pretty close to going out blind tomorrow. I’m going to try to figure out how to catch some in the morning. I don’t have anything where I know where they’re at. I hope I can catch a few 3-pounders early and then get two big ones.”

4th: Scroggins Not Conceding

> Day 3: 5, 16-11 (15, 55-03)

There were plenty of oohs and ahhs when Clunn brought his fish on stage. Scroggins tends to believe that won’t be the last of the 30-pound stringers this week.

“It’s probably going to happen again,” he said. “There’s a lot of fish still wanting to spawn and there’s a moon not too far off.”

He’s going to be targeting areas he feels give him the best chance to catch big ones and he’s not going to waste any time.

“That’s how I’m going to fish – I’m going try to get 20 early and then go sight-fishing,” he said.

Today, the weather gummed up his plan to head north up the river toward Jacksonville where he’d had success sight-fishing in the afternoon on days 1 and 2. He caught nearly three dozen fish, but lost one today in the 6-pound range and also had a 4-ounce dead fish penalty that knocked his weight down.

“I did the right things,” he said. “We just had some bad weather about lunch time and it blew hard and kept me from going up north.”

He’s still confident he can overcome the 7-12 deficit he’s facing and win tomorrow.

“I have a shot at it,” he said. “Everybody in the Top 12 can win it. Down here, 35- to 40-pound bags are not uncommon. Rick had a great day today, but those fish are gone. He has to catch them tomorrow to win.”

5th: Prince’s Comeback Continues

> Day 3: 5, 21-03 (15, 55-00)

Prince can’t go back and undo what happened Thursday when he mistakenly hit the wrong aeration switch for his livewells, a gaffe that led to all five of his fish dying and essentially ending his day at 9:30 a.m. since rules prohibit culling dead fish. He was stuck in 95th place with 10-12.

His charge up the leaderboard continued today and he’s got himself into the improbable position of having a shot at the win just 48 hours after he thought he’d thrown away his chances.

“It’s very doable,” he said. “The first 2 hours of the day, I very well could’ve busted 30 if all went right. It feels good (to be in contention), but I also want to kick myself for day 1. I can’t blame nobody but myself, though.”

Today went better than he’d thought it would and it could’ve been so much better had he been able to get a 10-plus pounder to cooperate.

“I caught more weight than what I thought I would catch doing what I was doing,” he said. “I had one big one on a bed and on my third pitch, she bit and came off. I caught the buck and turned him back, but I couldn’t get her going again. Maybe she’ll still be there because that could be a game-changer.”

His expectation coming into the week was that it would be a sight-fishing dominated event, but the persistent clouds have held everything back in that regard.

“It seems to be playing more into mine and Terry’s hands than it probably would have,” he added. “It’s anybody's ball game with the weights that are out there. Anybody who catches a big bag tomorrow can win it.”

7th: Hite Will Chase Big Ones Sunday

> Day 3: 5, 18-14 (15, 54-13)

After catching 15-12 on day 1, Davy Hite has managed at least 18-14 each of the last two days to clinch his second straight Top-12 finish at the St. Johns River.

He’s 8 pounds behind Clunn, but doesn’t feel like he’s out of it, especially knowing the potential that exists there.

“This place is certainly capable of anything,” he said. “We saw what Chris did in 2014 when he had 37. I’m hoping there’s another 30-pound bag for me tomorrow. It’s a place where you can certainly catch those 8s and 10s.”

Hite said half of his fish have been caught sight-fishing and the other half fan-casting areas. The key to it all, he says, is being in high-percentage locations.

“Obviously, you have to get around good quality, but once you’re in those areas, it’s typical Florida – you have to be patient,” he said. “With lot of people fishing in one area, I’ve learned that once you find some quality fish, you have to be patient.”

He’s had a 6-pounder in his bag each day, but he knows his chances to win will increase greatly tomorrow if he’s able to land something bigger.

“The last time we were here, I had a 10-02 on day 1 and an 8 on day 3,” he said. “Those 6s will get you in the hunt, but you need those 8s and 9s to have a chance to win. I think it’ll be a phenomenal final day.”

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 51 anglers, 47 limits, 1 four, 2 three, 1 two.

> During the 2013 Falcon Lake Elite Series, Clunn caught 32-09 on day 2 and 36-14 on day 3 en route to a runner-up finish behind Keith Combs.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., March 20 – Morning Rain, Then Clouds – 76°/47°
- Wind: From the WNW at 10 to 15 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 15, 62-15 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13 -- Day 3: 5, 31-07

2. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 15, 56-15 -- 109 -- $500
Day 1: 5, 21-05 -- Day 2: 5, 18-01 -- Day 3: 5, 17-09

3. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 56-03 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 22-13 -- Day 3: 5, 19-09

4. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 15, 55-03 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 21-10 -- Day 3: 5, 16-11

5. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 15, 55-00 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 5, 23-01 -- Day 3: 5, 21-03

6. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 15, 54-13 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 17-15 -- Day 3: 5, 23-09

7. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 15, 54-13 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 20-13 -- Day 3: 5, 18-14

8. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 15, 54-12 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 18-09 -- Day 2: 5, 19-12 -- Day 3: 5, 16-07

9. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 15, 54-04 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 16-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11 -- Day 3: 5, 23-03

10. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 15, 53-08 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 22-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-14 -- Day 3: 5, 20-11

11. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 15, 51-02 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 20-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08 -- Day 3: 5, 12-11

12. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 15, 49-12 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 22-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08 -- Day 3: 5, 14-10

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

13. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 15, 49-11 -- 98 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 23-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02 -- Day 3: 5, 11-12

14. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 15, 49-00 -- 97 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-14 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04 -- Day 3: 5, 19-14

15. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 15, 48-14 -- 96 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15 -- Day 3: 5, 19-02

16. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 15, 48-12 -- 95 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02 -- Day 3: 5, 15-05

17. Hank Cherry Jr. -- Maiden, NC -- 15, 48-10 -- 94 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09 -- Day 3: 5, 16-10

18. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 15, 48-05 -- 93 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-00 -- Day 2: 5, 08-01 -- Day 3: 5, 19-04

19. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 15, 48-00 -- 92 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-05 -- Day 2: 5, 18-13 -- Day 3: 5, 10-14

20. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 15, 47-15 -- 91 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-11 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10 -- Day 3: 5, 12-10

21. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 15, 47-10 -- 90 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-15 -- Day 3: 5, 14-09

22. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 15, 47-09 -- 89 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 5, 14-10

23. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 15, 47-07 -- 88 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-10 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13 -- Day 3: 5, 16-00

24. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 15, 47-04 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11 -- Day 3: 5, 15-12

25. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Aichi, Japan -- 15, 47-01 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06 -- Day 3: 5, 11-03

26. Billy McCaghren Jr -- Mayflower, AR -- 13, 46-15 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00 -- Day 3: 3, 09-14

27. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 15, 46-15 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-05 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10

28. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 15, 46-13 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09 -- Day 3: 5, 15-10

29. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 15, 46-01 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-11 -- Day 3: 5, 07-14

30. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL -- 15, 45-13 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 19-02 -- Day 3: 5, 14-02

31. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 15, 45-07 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-01 -- Day 3: 5, 15-13

32. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 15, 45-07 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02 -- Day 3: 5, 15-01

33. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 15, 45-06 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06 -- Day 3: 5, 14-11

34. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 15, 45-01 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10 -- Day 3: 5, 11-13

35. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 15, 45-00 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02 -- Day 3: 5, 12-11

36. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 15, 44-14 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13 -- Day 3: 5, 16-02

37. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 15, 44-11 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02 -- Day 3: 5, 13-08

38. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 15, 44-09 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11 -- Day 3: 5, 14-11

39. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 15, 44-07 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-06 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09

40. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 15, 42-12 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-07 -- Day 2: 5, 19-01 -- Day 3: 5, 08-04

41. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 15, 42-07 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-00

42. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 15, 42-03 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14 -- Day 3: 5, 12-03

43. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 15, 42-02 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10 -- Day 3: 5, 08-15

44. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 15, 41-09 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 18-15 -- Day 3: 5, 09-14

45. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15, 40-12 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01 -- Day 3: 5, 06-13

46. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 13, 40-11 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 22-14 -- Day 2: 3, 06-02 -- Day 3: 5, 11-11

47. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 15, 40-09 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-06 -- Day 2: 5, 07-14 -- Day 3: 5, 11-05

48. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 13, 40-04 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01 -- Day 3: 3, 05-15

49. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 15, 39-02 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15 -- Day 3: 5, 10-00

50. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 14, 37-01 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-01 -- Day 3: 4, 05-00

51. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 12, 32-07 -- 60 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-11 -- Day 3: 2, 03-11