Lead At Midway Point Eases VanDam's Pain

By BassFan Staff

Kevin VanDam had another good day on Toledo Bend Reservoir Friday, although this one was far from pain-free.

The seven-time Angler of the Year (AOY) maintained his lead in the fifth Bassmaster Elite Series event of the season with a 20-11 stringer that pushed his total to an even 50 pounds at the midway point. But while unhooking his biggest fish of the day, a 7-07 brute, one of the treble hooks on his crankbait became impaled in the palm of his hand.

He recruited B.A.S.S. photographer Garrick Dixon to assist with the removal via the fishing-line method, and he said his hand is fine now. In fact, it's like it never happened.

"I've done it lots of times and it's pretty simple to get one out, but it's hard to do all by yourself," he said. "You could do it, but it's a lot easier if you have somebody to help.

"I hope a lot of people see that (video segment) and there's lots of stuff on YouTube about it. There's no reason to go to the emergency room for a hook in your hand."

His lead, which was more than 4 1/2 pounds after day 1, was reduced to just over 2 as Chris Lane caught a bag that was just shy of 24 pounds for the second straight day. Lane's 23-15 haul gave him a 47-13 aggregate.

Hank Cherry remained in the No. 3 with a 19-15 bag that bumped his total to 44-06. Ish Monroe jumped 13 places to 4th with 43-09 after weighing a day-best 24-10.

Stephen Browning rounded out the Top 5 with a 43-00 total in the wake of a 22-06 stringer. That bag included a 9-05 bruiser that was the biggest fish of the first 2 days.

Here's how the Top 12 stacks up with 2 days remaining (deficit margins from the leader are denoted by red numbers in parentheses):

1. Kevin VanDam: 50-00
2. Chris Lane: 47-13 (2-03)
3. Hank Cherry: 44-06 (5-10)
4. Ish Monroe: 43-09 (6-07)
5. Stephen Browning: 43-00 (7-00)
6. Andy Montgomery: 40-15 (9-01)
7. Paul Mueller: 40-09 (9-07)
8. Aaron Martens: 40-04 (9-12)
9. Tommy Biffle: 39-08 (10-08)
10. Edwin Evers: 39-00 (11-00)
11. Morizo Shimizu: 39-00 (11-00)
12. Fred Roumbanis: 37-07 (12-09)

Day 2 featured a stout north wind that took some of the lake's best offshore haunts out of play. VanDam and a few others who are fishing the drop-offs still made their programs work, but some who'd caught strong bags out there on day 1 came in much lighter today.

Rick Clunn was the most notable of that group. In 2nd place to start the day, he caught a 4-13 on his final cast for his lone keeper, which allowed him to make the cut in 43rd.

The shallow bite might be even stronger than the deep-water action – the Top 12 is riddled with bank-beaters. It remains to be seen whether the additional traffic on the weekend will put a damper on that.

Montgomery, Mueller, Martens and Biffle all made double-digit climbs in the standings with bags in excess of 20 pounds. In addition to Clunn, six others who were in the Top 12 after day 1 fell out of it – Brent Ehrler and Jason Christie both managed just 12-01 sacks and fell all the way into the 30s.

The WeatherChannel.com forecast for day 3 predicts mostly cloudy skies, a high temperature of 87 degrees and a mild northwest breeze.

The field, which was reduced from 108 anglers to 50 after Friday's weigh-in, will be cut to the Top 12 on Saturday. The winner will be determined Sunday based on highest 4-day weight.

No Cakewalk for KVD

> Day 2: 5, 20-11 (10, 50-00)

VanDam would've relinquished the lead had he not gotten the massive bite that eventually resulted in the hole in his hand.

"It was 180 degrees different than yesterday," he said. "We had totally different conditions – the wind was coming out of the north and it was blowing, and I really struggled for most of the day."

Unlike day 1, he was unable to catch a limit from the shallows before moving offshore.

"Catching that 7-pounder really saved my day. I caught a lot more fish today, but I got into a lot of little ones.

"I like how I'm fishing, though. It's going to take 90 to 100 pounds to win this thing, no question, and it's very hard to be consistent out there. With the amount of local pressure the lake gets, it makes it a challenge for everybody."

2nd: Lane Gains An Ounce

> Day 2: 5, 23-15 (10, 47-13)

Lane didn't get any 6-pound-class bites on day 2 (he had two of those the previous day), but his supporting fish were bigger and his bag was an ounce heavier. More importantly, he shaved more than 3 pounds off his deficit to VanDam.

"I did the same stuff I did yesterday, but I had to go to the other side of the lake to do it," he said. "The shad spawn wasn't happening.

"I couldn't fish the one area where I caught the two 6s and had another giant on yesterday because of the wind. I'm looking forward to going back there tomorrow."

His biggest fish on day 2 was a 5 1/2-pounder and he didn't weigh any that were under 4. He didn't lose any bites of consequence.

"(His shallow bite) still seems to be pretty good – I actually caught more fish today with that wind. I'm fishing stuff that I think they're coming to – not to the beds, but leaving places and wanting to go deep. I'm also catching a lot of them over bream beds that I can't see.

"I think I can still catch them tomorrow if the wind's flat, but I can catch a bigger bag if it's blowing just a little bit."

3rd: Cherry Worked Quickly

> Day 2: 5, 19-15 (10, 44-06)

It took Cherry less than 90 minutes to amass the vast majority of his day-2 weight.

"I made one pass through my best stuff, then I caught one other one later that culled by ounces," he said. "Everything (in his bag) was in the 4-pound range and I didn't want to keep catching 4-pounders that I'll need tomorrow just to try to get one that was 4 1/4."

His stringer would've easily exceeded 20 pounds if he'd boated his best bite of the day.

"I lost a 6 1/2-pounder – I saw it. The hook just never came through the plastic."

Once again, he didn't see another competitor even approach his hot spot.

"I think there's still some fish there and I've got one other thing I can do if they leave. If I make it to Sunday, that'll be my game plan. I got a couple bites doing that later in the day and they were the right ones.

"I've caught them every day we've been here, with the wind or without. Tomorrow's definitely going to be different for everybody with more traffic and more locals out fishing. That'll be a whole new factor."

4th: Monroe Culled Up Late

> Day 2: 5, 24-10 (10, 43-09)

Monroe made a couple of late culls to boost his bag to day-best status.

"I got lucky at the end," he said. "I was right at 20 pounds when I left my area to go pre-fish and I ended up catching a 4 and a 5 just practicing."

He went through about 15 keepers, the biggest of which was a 7-pounder. He didn't lose any that would've aided his cause.

Like Cherry, he was all alone in his primary locale. He's throwing a River2Sea jig and a Missible Baits creature bait.

"I saw one guy today who was in the same creek I was, but he was nowhere near me, and I saw Matt Herren for a brief moment on day 1 in one of my backup spots. Other than that, there's nobody around."

He thinks he'll need two bags that at least approach the one he caught today in order to have a shot at the win.

"Catching 20 pounds 2 days in a row is possible, but more than that is hard – everything has to go right. If I have 20 tomorrow, I'm going to put the hammer down and try to catch a giant bag.

"I left my area at 11:30 today. If I'd stayed 3 more hours and caught one more big one, who knows ..."

32nd: No Quality for Christie

> Day 2: 5, 12-01 (10, 32-01)

Christie caught more fish than he had on day 1, but all none were bigger than 2 1/2 pounds. He had a 6, a 5 and a 4 1/2 doing the same stuff on day 1.

"It was one of those deals where I kept thinking I was going to catch a big one at any time, but I never did," he said. "I never had a chance for a big one. Some guys fishing around me caught them pretty good, so I think I might've had a little bit of bad luck. I fished new water and old water and I just didn't get the bites.

"That's the way the season's gone – I catch them one day and then stink it up the next."

He'll continue to fish shallow on day 3, but in different locations.

"I'll probably just go to a new area and practice. I need to see some new stuff."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 108 anglers, 96 limits (3 fewer than day 1), 2 fours, 6 threes, 2 twos, 1 one, 1 zero (1 more than day 1).

> Brent Chapman, who won at Toledo Bend in 2015, never got anything going this time and ended up with an 85th-place finish. To read his competition wrapup, click here to visit Pro View Reports.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., May 14 – Mostly Cloudy - 87°/61°
- Wind: From the NW at 5 mph

> Sun., May 15 – Mostly Cloudy - 82°/63°
- Wind: From the ENE at 7 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 50-00 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 29-05 -- Day 2: 5, 20-11

2. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 47-13 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 23-14 -- Day 2: 5, 23-15

3. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 10, 44-06 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 24-07 -- Day 2: 5, 19-15

4. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 43-09 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 18-15 -- Day 2: 5, 24-10

5. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 43-00 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 20-10 -- Day 2: 5, 22-06

6. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 10, 40-15 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 23-04

7. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 10, 40-09 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 5, 22-12

8. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 40-04 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 22-02

9. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 10, 39-08 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 5, 21-01

10. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 39-00 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 22-11 -- Day 2: 5, 16-05

11. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 10, 39-00 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 18-09 -- Day 2: 5, 20-07

12. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 10, 37-14 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 19-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-03

13. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 10, 37-07 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 22-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14

14. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 37-07 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 21-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

15. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 10, 37-03 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-03

16. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 10, 36-14 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 23-00

17. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 36-12 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 14-13 -- Day 2: 5, 21-15

18. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 36-08 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 5, 21-08

19. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 10, 36-07 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-07

20. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 10, 35-12 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 18-13 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15

21. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 34-15 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 21-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01

22. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 34-09 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15

23. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 33-15 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07

24. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 10, 33-12 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12

25. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 10, 33-10 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 16-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04

26. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 33-07 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 19-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

27. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 10, 33-00 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12

28. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 10, 32-07 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 21-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04

29. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 10, 32-07 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 18-05

30. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 10, 32-03 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 20-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

31. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 32-02 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 16-13 -- Day 2: 5, 15-05

32. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 10, 32-01 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 20-00 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

33. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 32-01 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 17-06

34. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 10, 31-15 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10

35. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 31-10 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-02

36. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 31-08 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13

37. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 10, 31-02 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-08

38. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 10, 31-00 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

39. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 10, 30-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13

40. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 10, 30-07 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12

41. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 30-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14

42. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 29-09 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-02

43. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 6, 29-07 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 24-10 -- Day 2: 1, 04-13

44. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 10, 29-07 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00

45. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 29-07 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00

46. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 10, 29-06 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 17-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04

47. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 10, 29-03 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 16-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09

48. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 10, 29-00 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 16-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

49. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 10, 28-10 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12

50. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 9, 28-09 -- 61
Day 1: 4, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07

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

51. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 28-06 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 16-08

52. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 28-04 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

53. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 10, 28-04 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

54. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 27-08 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 17-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06

55. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 27-08 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 16-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04

56. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 10, 27-07 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

57. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 27-04 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

58. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 10, 27-02 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15

59. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 8, 27-00 -- 52
Day 1: 3, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12

60. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 10, 26-14 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 14-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

61. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 10, 26-14 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

62. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 26-12 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11

63. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 26-12 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

64. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 26-11 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-04

65. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 26-09 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

66. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 26-08 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09

67. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 10, 26-05 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15

68. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 10, 26-03 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03

69. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 10, 25-12 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 08-09

70. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 8, 25-10 -- 41
Day 1: 3, 05-00 -- Day 2: 5, 20-10

71. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 25-09 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-07

72. Billy McCaghren Jr -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 25-09 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10

73. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 25-09 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

74. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 10, 25-08 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

75. Casey Scanlon -- Rocky Mount, MO -- 8, 25-00 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 3, 08-07

76. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 24-13 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

77. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 10, 24-05 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

78. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 9, 24-02 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 4, 10-09

79. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 10, 24-01 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

80. Jay Brainard -- Enid, OK -- 10, 24-00 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-15

81. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 8, 23-11 -- 30
Day 1: 3, 05-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-04

82. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 10, 23-09 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

83. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 10, 22-12 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

84. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 8, 22-11 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 09-05 -- Day 2: 3, 13-06

85. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 22-08 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-02

86. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 10, 22-08 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10

87. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 10, 22-06 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 08-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

88. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 10, 21-15 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07

89. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 21-11 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12

90. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 9, 21-10 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 08-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13

91. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 10, 21-08 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 07-13

92. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 10, 21-08 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-00

93. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 21-07 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03

94. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 21-02 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

95. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 7, 20-14 -- 16
Day 1: 2, 03-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08

96. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 10, 20-06 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 10-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06

97. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 10, 19-07 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 09-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

98. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 8, 19-05 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 3, 05-10

99. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 19-02 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 10-00 -- Day 2: 5, 09-02

100. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 10, 18-13 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 08-05

101. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 8, 18-05 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 3, 05-12

102. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 7, 18-02 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 2, 05-06

103. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 10, 17-11 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 07-14 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13

104. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 8, 16-13 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 3, 06-10

105. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 7, 16-02 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 08-13 -- Day 2: 2, 07-05

106. Fabian Rodriguez -- Ocean City, DE -- 4, 13-15 -- 5
Day 1: 1, 01-15 -- Day 2: 3, 12-00

107. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 5, 07-14 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 01-06 -- Day 2: 4, 06-08

108. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 1, 02-01 -- 3
Day 1: 1, 02-01 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00