Ashley Catches Lone 20-Pound Sack On Day 1

By BassFan Staff

Casey Ashley got his kicker bite out of the way early on day 1 of BASSFest at Lake Texoma. The rest of the day went rather smoothly for the former Bassmaster Classic champion from South Carolina.

Ashley, who's had an up-and-down 2016 campaign, put the biggest fish of the day (a 6-15 bruiser) into his livewell in the opening hour and it provided the foundation for a 20-01 stringer that gave him the initial lead at B.A.S.S. 3rd annual summer festival, which is taking place this year along the Texas-Oklahoma border. The winner will receive an automatic berth in the 2017 Classic at Lake Conroe.

Chad Morgenthaler, who endured a miserable first half of the present campaign before cashing his first paycheck a month ago with a 32nd-place finish at Toledo Bend, sacked 19-06 to grab the No. 2 slot. Reigning Classic kingpin and 2015 BASSFest winner Edwin Evers, who has a great deal of history at Texoma from his days at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, was 3rd with an 18-08 haul.

Ott DeFoe was 4th with an 18-05 bag and Brandon Palaniuk rounded out the Top 5 with 18-03.

Here's how the initial Top 12 stacks up (deficit margins from the leader are indicated by red numbers in parentheses):

1. Casey Ashley: 20-01
2. Chad Morgenthaler: 19-06 (0-11)
3. Edwin Evers: 18-08 (1-09)
4. Ott DeFoe: 18-05 (1-12)
5. Brandon Palaniuk: 18-03 (1-14)
6. David Walker: 16-08 (3-09)
7. Yusuke Miyazaki: 16-05 (3-12)
8. (tie) Brandon Card: 16-00 (4-01)
8. (tie) Keith Poche: 16-00 (4-01)
10. Mike Iaconelli: 15-15 (4-02)
11. Greg Hackney: 15-10 (4-07)
12. Kevin VanDam: 15-09 (4-08)

Texoma's water level has finally stopped rising (it topped out at more than 9 feet above full pool) and the gates of the dam are open. The resulting current undoubtedly had a positive effect on the day-1 bite as the Top 50 all caught at least 10 1/2 pounds.

As expected, the best action is in the shallows, where the targets number well into the millions due to the expanded banks. Many expect the skinny-water bite to continue to improve with the receding water.

Thursday will be another dry, warm and mostly sunny day on the big impoundment, as the WeatherChannel.com forecast predicts a high temperature of 90 degrees and a moderate breeze out of the south to 10 mph.

The field will be reduced to the Top 50 after the day-2 weigh-in, then to the Top 12 following Friday's ceremony. The survivors of both cuts will take Saturday off to participate in a series of instructional seminars and other activities before returning to the water on Sunday to determine the winner (based on highest cumulative weight).

Ashley Pleasantly Surprised

> Day 1: 5, 20-01

Ashley said he had no inkling that he'd weigh such a strong opening-day bag.

"It was definitely a surprise – a good surprise," he said. "I think the key was that the water isn't rising anymore; that's what made it so tough (during practice). It should get better as it starts to fall.

"Most of the time falling water is not what you want, but in this situation, any water they can get rid of will help a lot."

He went through about 15 keepers before laying off of his best stuff at mid-morning and doesn't think he lost any that would've helped him. His bag contained all largemouths, although he had a couple of chunky spotted bass in his livewell for much of the day.

"I'm just fishing bushes and flipping shallow. There's some guys fishing around me, but there's so much stuff to fish and it's not like I'm targeting one specific thing.

"I feel like I can catch 12 or 13 pounds pretty easily, and then it's just a matter of getting a good bite and getting it to the boat. I've still got some stuff I didn't fish today where I caught some in practice."

2nd: Quartet of 4s for Morgenthaler

> Day 1: 5, 19-06

Morgenthaler amassed his quality stringer despite not catching any fish that weighed much over 4 pounds.

"Fortunately for me, a large portion (of his weight) happened real fast," he said. "I ended up catching them all day long and I just steadily culled up a little at a time. Getting that early limit afforded me the opportunity to take some chances, and I did, and a few of them paid off."

He took four largemouths and a 3-pound spotted bass to the scale. He handled about a dozen keepers on the day.

He threw a reaction bait for awhile in the early portion of the day, then flipped the rest of the time.

"I'm flipping various baits at different targets – it's not like there's one thing that I have to key on. I would've loved to have gotten a big bite – that would've been fantastic – but it just didn't happen today, and I lost a couple of fish that probably would've helped me a little bit."

3rd: Seven Keepers for Evers

> Day 1: 5, 18-08

Evers said his practice wasn't very good and he's not entirely confident he can catch another big stringer on day 2.

"That's hard to do here because this lake is so fickle," he said. "It's a hard lake to duplicate anything on. I'd be really happy with 13 or 14 pounds."

He caught seven keepers and weighed five largemouths. His bag was topped by a 6-05 specimen.

He said his vast experience on the lake was of little help on day 1.

"All of that stuff is 10 feet deep," he said.

4th: DeFoe Exceeded Expectations

> Day 1: 5, 18-05

DeFoe far exceeded his target weight on day 1.

"I absolutely did not have a good practice," he said. "I certainly would've been happy with 12 pounds.

"I really think a lot of it had to do with the water – it probably fell close to a foot and a half since the day before yesterday. That's been the only major change. Lower water positions the fish better – it puts them where you can fish for them instead of having them swim away from you."

He boated a dozen keepers, including a 5-pounder. He broke off a good one.

"I had one cut me off on something I didn't see. It felt really solid."

He worked two different programs and didn't have much company.

"After catching what I did today, I guess (another big bag) is possible tomorrow. A 3-pounder was the biggest fish I saw during practice and I caught three bigger than that today."

5th: Palaniuk Culled Up Late

> Day 1: 5, 18-03

Palaniuk caught two fish over 4 pounds late in the day to push himself near the top of the leaderboard.

"I did better than I thought I would," he said. "I made some adjustments and the big key was getting those two big bites this afternoon. I figure a guy is going to have to catch a couple of those each day to try to win this thing."

He caught a small limit early, but the place where he accomplished that might not be available to him on day 2. There was another angler who'd tried to come in after he was already there, and that competitor informed him at the end of the day that he'd start there on the second day.

"It's not a big enough area for two boats to fish, so I don't know what I'm going to do in the morning," he said. "It's kind of a key to my game plan to start in that area and get a limit and maybe catch a good one. I'm going to have to adjust and do something, but there isn't anything else I have confidence in for the morning.

"I think guys are going to have to make adjustments every day anyway with the water and the fish constantly changing, so maybe it'll actually end up working in my favor."

103rd: Browning Baffled

> Day 1: 2, 5-00

Stephen Browning got plenty of bites, but few were of the size that would do him any good.

"I'm totally baffled," he said. "I caught fish from the word go this morning and I might've lost two other keepers, but other that than I just didn't have the quality – it was gone. I'm going to try some stuff tomorrow and if it works I'll be a hero and if it doesn't work, well, it really doesn't matter.

"I tried different size weights and different size baits, but it was all the same – just small fish after small fish after small fish. I'll bet I had 25 bites. I didn't catch a whole lot in practice, but I found enough quality to think I had the potential for 13 to 15 pounds. I felt like that would be pretty good and it probably will be as the week goes on."

He'll continue to fish in the bushes on day 2, but he'll put the flipping stick down in favor of other tactics.

"I know where they are, but I've got to figure out what they're eating now. To me, they've changed up a lot. They're not going to pack their bags and leave anytime soon – there's too much cover and too much food for them to skip the buffet line."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 108 anglers, 92 limits, 7 fours, 4 threes, 4 twos, 1 one.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., June 9 – Mostly Sunny - 90°/68°
- Wind: From the S at 10 mph

> Fri., June 10 – Sunny - 91°/69°
- Wind: From the S at 10 mph

> Sun., June 12 – Mostly Sunny - 91°/71°
- Wind: From the S at 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 20-01 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 20-01

2. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 19-06 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 19-06

3. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 18-08 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 18-08

4. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 18-05 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 18-05

5. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 18-03 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 18-03

6. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 16-08 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 16-08

7. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 16-05 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 16-05

8. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 5, 16-00 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 16-00

8. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 16-00 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 16-00

10. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 15-15 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 15-15

11. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 15-10 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 15-10

12. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 15-09 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 15-09

13. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 5, 15-07 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 15-07

14. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 15-02 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 15-02

15. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 14-11 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 14-11

15. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 5, 14-11 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 14-11

17. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 14-09 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 14-09

18. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 14-06 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 14-06

19. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 14-04 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 14-04

20. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 14-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 14-00

20. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 14-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 14-00

20. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 14-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 14-00

23. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 13-13 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 13-13

24. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 13-10 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 13-10

25. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 13-08 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 13-08

26. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 13-04 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 13-04

27. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 13-03 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 13-03

27. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 13-03 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 13-03

29. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 13-01 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 13-01

30. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 12-14 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 12-14

31. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 12-10 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 12-10

32. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 12-06 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 12-06

32. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 5, 12-06 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 12-06

34. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 12-04 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 12-04

35. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 5, 12-02 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 12-02

36. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 12-01 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 12-01

37. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 12-00 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-00

38. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 4, 12-00 -- 73
Day 1: 4, 12-00

39. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 11-11 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 11-11

39. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 5, 11-11 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 11-11

41. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 11-10 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 11-10

41. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 5, 11-10 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 11-10

43. Casey Scanlon -- Rocky Mount, MO -- 5, 11-10 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 11-10

44. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 11-09 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 11-09

45. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 11-07 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 11-07

46. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 5, 11-06 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-06

47. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 11-04 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 11-04

48. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 11-01 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 11-01

49. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 10-09 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 10-09

49. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 10-09 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 10-09

49. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 10-09 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 10-09

49. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 10-09 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 10-09

53. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 10-07 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 10-07

53. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 10-07 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 10-07

55. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 10-06 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 10-06

55. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 10-06 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 10-06

57. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 10-06 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 10-06

58. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 10-06 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 10-06

59. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 10-05 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 10-05

59. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 10-05 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 10-05

61. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 4, 10-03 -- 50
Day 1: 4, 10-03

62. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 10-02 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 10-02

62. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 10-02 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 10-02

64. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 5, 10-01 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 10-01

65. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 10-00 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 10-00

66. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 09-15 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 09-15

67. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 09-14 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 09-14

68. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 4, 09-14 -- 43
Day 1: 4, 09-14

69. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 09-13 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 09-13

70. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 3, 09-13 -- 41
Day 1: 3, 09-13

71. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 4, 09-12 -- 40
Day 1: 4, 09-12

72. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 09-11 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 09-11

73. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 5, 09-10 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 09-10

74. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 09-09 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 09-09

75. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 4, 09-09 -- 36
Day 1: 4, 09-09

76. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 09-08 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 09-08

77. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 09-07 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 09-07

78. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 09-05 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 09-05

78. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 09-05 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 09-05

80. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 09-03 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 09-03

81. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 09-01 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 09-01

81. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 09-01 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 09-01

83. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 08-15 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 08-15

84. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 5, 08-15 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 08-15

85. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 5, 08-13 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 08-13

85. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 5, 08-13 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 08-13

87. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 08-07 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 08-07

88. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 08-07 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 08-07

89. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 08-05 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 08-05

90. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 4, 08-03 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 08-03

91. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 07-11 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 07-11

92. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 07-10 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 07-10

93. Jay Brainard -- Enid, OK -- 5, 06-15 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 06-15

94. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 5, 06-14 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 06-14

95. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 06-13 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 06-13

96. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 06-12 -- 15
Day 1: 4, 06-12

97. Billy McCaghren Jr -- Mayflower, AR -- 3, 06-05 -- 14
Day 1: 3, 06-05

98. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 5, 06-04 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 06-04

99. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 3, 06-02 -- 12
Day 1: 3, 06-02

100. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 06-01 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 06-01

101. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 3, 05-09 -- 10
Day 1: 3, 05-09

102. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 05-07 -- 9
Day 1: 4, 05-07

103. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 2, 05-00 -- 8
Day 1: 2, 05-00

104. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 04-09 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 04-09

105. Fabian Rodriguez -- Ocean City, DE -- 2, 03-01 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 03-01

106. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 2, 02-14 -- 5
Day 1: 2, 02-14

107. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 2, 02-12 -- 4
Day 1: 2, 02-12

108. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 1, 01-13 -- 3
Day 1: 1, 01-13