Stellar Start Took Lucas By Surprise

By BassFan Staff

Justin Lucas drove 20 minutes out of the way Thursday afternoon to stop at Chipotle, his favorite restaurant chain. He figured after the day he’d had on the Potomac River, he’d treat himself.

If he’s able to maintain the fast pace he set on day 1, he may be able to pick out a more highbrow establishment in the Washington, D.C., area before the weekend’s over.

Lucas, the California native who now calls Alabama home, is no stranger to tidal fisheries. He learned how to fish on the California Delta (he won there last year) and he finished 2nd to Scott Martin in the 2012 Potomac River FLW Tour.

But he says this tournament will be nothing like that event from 4 years ago. The river has changed somewhat with the prolific grass beds making their return. Today, Lucas mined one area for 20-04, the lone stringer heavier than 18 pounds, and seized the day-1 lead near the nation’s capital.

“I’m stoked right now,” he said. “I had no idea I’d be leading, especially by 2 1/2 pounds. On this place, that’s a lot. As this tournament goes on, that could come in handy.”

His closest challenger is Brent Ehrler, another former FLW Tour star, who caught 17-13 as he looks to shore up a berth in next year’s Bassmaster Classic. Luke Clausen, who won the 2011 FLW Tour event at the Potomac, bagged 17-09 and sits in 3rd.

Bobby Lane caught a 17-04 bag that has him in 4th while Bill Lowen sacked 16-13 to round out the Top 5.

Here's a look at the Top 12 following the day 1 of competition, with deficit margin from Lucas indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Justin Lucas: 20-04
2. Brent Ehrler: 17-13 (2-07)
3. Luke Clausen: 17-09 (2-11)
4. Bobby Lane: 17-04 (3-00)
5. Bill Lowen: 16-13 (3-07)
6. Jacob Powroznik: 16-09 (3-11)
7. Gerald Swindle: 16-05 (3-15)
8 (tie). Jason Christie: 16-01 (4-03)
8 (tie). Mike Iaconelli: 16-01 (4-03)
10. Keith Combs: 14-13 (5-07)
11 (tie). Randall Tharp: 14-12 (5-08)
11 (tie). Shaw Grigsby: 14-12 (5-08)

Those near the top of the Angler of the Year standings all had strong showings today, with the Top 5 in points coming into the event scattered among the Top 14 in the day-1 standings. Points leader Gerald Swindle (7th place, 16-05) held his own after a slow start to the day.

The big surprise of the day was Kevin VanDam, winner of two Elite Series events this season in addition to the recent Classic Bracket, not catching a keeper. It’s his first zero since day 1 of the Delaware River Elite Series in 2014.

The southwest wind kept the outgoing tide hemmed in a little longer than usual, but by then a lot of damage had been done as a number of competitors feasted upon the favorable conditions early in the morning. The low-tide portion of the day will be progressively later each day of the event.

It was sweltering hot today and that prompted some anglers to check in early as a precaution for fish care, which is a focal point this week.

The temperature Friday is expected to creep back into the 90s with a southwest wind of 10-plus mph. The field will be cut to the Top 50 following Friday’s competition and the Top 12 after Saturday will advance to Sunday, when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.

One Spot Produced for Lucas

> Day 1: 5, 20-04

Where Lucas started today he’d hoped to scratch out a limit early on and then move to other spots in search of upgrades. He never figured he’d be there all day, let alone catch 20 pounds or a 5-09 kicker.

“I had maybe 10 or 11 bites in practice,” he said. “The area where I’m catching my fish, I had three bites pretty quick (in practice) so I hoped to go there for a limit. It turned into something much better than I was expecting.”

He’s not sure what kind of effect the tide cycle has on the area he’s in, but he thinks any sort of current is a positive, especially with how warm the water is.

“As long as the water is moving, it’s good,” he added.

Compared to the other events he’s fished at the Potomac, this one will unfold in a totally different manner, he said.

“I’m not even using any of the same stuff and I’m in a different area,” he said. “There’s a lot more grass this year and I definitely think if you’ve paid attention to the weights here, they’ve been above average compared to the last couple years when people were saying the grass wasn’t what it used to be. Having more grass instantly helps.

“It’s still hard to get a bite. It’s not easy to go catch them, but I do think it’s in better shape.”

He said his area should be protected from the wind, which is supposed to increase toward the weekend. The other positive is he only saw one other Elite Series boat all day and that’s after he started hanging around to play defense on the spot.

“I should have it to myself tomorrow again,” he added.

2nd: Tide Was Critical for Ehrler

> Day 1: 5, 17-13

In four previous tournaments at the Potomac River – all FLW Tour events – Ehrler had never caught a 15-pound stringer. His best effort was a 14-13 bag in 2012, so needless to say he was pretty happy with today’s result.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said. “It was unexpected. It was a good day. It felt good. Out of seven events so far (this season), I’ve caught them good on day 1 in five and not backed it up. I hope to make the right decisions tomorrow and make the cut. The way this year is going, I just want to cash a check and get some points here.”

He said the tide was crucial to his success today and will likely continue to be.

“It’s a timing issue, which can be scary,” he said. “There was one spot that I fished twice and there’s one key cast to it and the third time through there I caught a 3 1/2-pounder.

“Today is going to be a hard day to duplicate. It’s not like I have a secret grass patch where I caught them all. I have one area where I think I can catch some. The rest of it is just flailing around.”

It will continue to be a challenge to figure when to be where and what to throw once he gets there.

“I know what I need to be throwing and a couple areas where I need to do it, but it’s tough to stay positive,” he said. “You can roll through an area four times and catch nothing, then the fifth time you catch a 4.

“It’s a mix of moving and slow baits. In one area at low tide, they want something moving. In another area at high tide, they want something in the grass.”

3rd: Clausen Winging It

> Day 1: 5, 17-09

While Clausen’s total for the day may seem impressive, he said it was far from an all-out catch-fest.

“There were periods throughout the day where I felt like I knew what I was doing and other periods I had no clue,” he said. “There were a lot of dead stretches interrupted by moments of excitement.”

Among them was catching a 5-09 kicker that tied Lucas for big fish of the day. Without it, he’d have been in the 14 1/2-pound range.

“You’re not going to count on one of those every day,” he said. “I can probably fish here quite a few days before I catch another one that big.”

With so much history on the river, he said practice was a challenge as he checked a lot of areas that had been productive in June in years past.

“I almost wasted my practice because I went to so many places where I’d caught them before,” he said. “It took me 3 days to fish through areas on different tides. Of the places I’m fishing now, there’s maybe one that I’ve fished before.

“I do have confidence is some areas, but I also know timing is so crucial here. It’s something different every day and I’m trying to take that same approach – take what’s given to me in certain areas.”

4th: Fast Start For Lane

> Day 1: 5, 17-04

Lane had designs on capitalizing on a topwater bite first thing this morning, but he instead opted to play a little defense on an area that produced some bites in practice because he figured that area would receive a fair amount of fishing pressure. The move, in turn, put him on the offensive (and in the Top 5) after day 1.

“I made a professional, fast fishing decision this morning and it worked out in my favor,” Lane said.

Lane was boat No. 8 this morning so he knew he’d have a good chance of getting to start where he wanted to. He’d originally wanted to throw a frog, but he opted to change it up.

“I blasted them first thing this morning and I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “There’s a lot of traffic where I’m at so maybe with the right tide, the right ones will bite again tomorrow.”

He’d gotten a few bites in practice where he fished today, but he didn’t have any inclination as to the quality of fish that lived there.

“It was a better start than I imagined,” he added. “I knew there were good ones there, but I didn’t think they weighed 17.”

He said the low tide in the early morning was key to triggering the bigger fish to bite.

“The only thing I can hope for is after the tide flushes out tonight, maybe they’ll move back in there,” he said.

5th: Hard Stuff for Lowen

> Day 1: 5, 16-13

Lowen headed out today with no inclination of what kind of stringer he might catch. His practice was spotty, at best, and after seeing how widespread the grass had become, he figured the fish would be more spread out than in years past.

“Honestly, I didn’t know going out if I could get a bite or not,” he said. “I had a couple areas where I’d gotten bites in practice and the tide was same so I went there and the next thing I knew I had 14 pounds.”

He whirled around to several other spots and eventually caught two more 3-pound caliber fish to push his total to nearly 17 pounds.

“It was one of those days where every call I made was right,” he said. “I hope to catch all I can tomorrow.”

He focused on mainly hard cover today and he noted the best opportunities seem to be on the low outgoing portion of the tide.

“I feel like those fish are easier to target on tidal water,” he added. “That grass game is hard to play.”

8th (tie): Grind for Christie

> Day 1: 5, 16-01

Christie has not had the best experiences at the Potomac in the past, evidenced by a pair of triple-digit finishes on the FLW Tour. Frankly, he was fearful he’d post another stinker this week.

He allayed those fears today with the best single-day stringer he’s caught at the Potomac.

“I’m way excited about how today went,” he said. “I caught more weight today than I did all 3 days of practice combined.”

He was quick to caution that tomorrow may be a struggle because he did a fair amount of scrambling today and only triggered six bites. After catching a couple fish out of one area, he moved with the tide and grinded out his limit there.

“I’m on no glory hole by any means,” he said. “This is just a put your head down and grind it out deal. I was just fortunate that I caught some decent ones.”

He was mostly by himself for a good part of the day, which he took to be a bad sign.

“Usually on a grass fishery,” he said, “if you’re not seeing a lot of boats, you’re probably in the wrong spot.”

73rd (tie): Lefebre Left to Wonder

> Day 1: 4, 8-07

When Dave Lefebre saw the Potomac River on this season’s Elite Series schedule, he was pumped. He has a ton of experience there and has had some success, but none of that seemed to matter today.

The only fish he caught he’s sure were the same fish he had bites from in practice. He wasn’t able to build upon them and finds himself well off the pace, nearly 3 pounds out of check change.

“It’s just a bad time to be here,” he said, lamenting the August placement on the schedule. “I have a lot of one-fish places here and I like to fish that style here. I thought the tougher it was, the better I’d do. It doesn’t get any tougher than it is this week.”

He figured the tide cycle would favor his game plan, but he struggled in practice and that tempered his enthusiasm coming into today.

“I didn’t have high hopes on anything,” he said. “I fished a lot of good stuff in practice.I have no excuses other than it’s August and it stinks in August.”

His approach tomorrow will be different than today’s.

“I think this is one of those dumb tournaments where you’re better off not knowing what you’re doing and you just go cover water,” he said. “I’m going to put my trolling motor down and put my batteries to the ultimate test tomorrow. I have never felt like this here before.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 107 anglers, 69 limits, 13 fours, 7 threes, 8 twos, 6 ones, 4 zeroes.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Aug. 12 – Partly Cloudy - 92°/77°
- Wind: From the SSW at 10 mph

> Sat., Aug. 13 – Partly Cloudy - 95°/77°
- Wind: From the SW at 8 mph

> Sun., Aug. 14 – Partly Cloudy, Chance of PM Thunderstorms - 93°/75°
- Wind: From the SW at 7 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 20-04 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 20-04

2. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 17-13 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 17-13

3. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 5, 17-09 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 17-09

4. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL -- 5, 17-04 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 17-04

5. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 16-13 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 16-13

6. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 5, 16-09 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 16-09

7. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-05 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 16-05

8. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 16-01 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 16-01

8. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 16-01 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 16-01

10. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 14-13 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 14-13

11. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 14-12 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 14-12

12. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL -- 5, 14-12 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 14-12

13. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 14-11 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 14-11

14. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 14-07 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 14-07

15. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 14-06 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 14-06

16. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 14-05 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 14-05

16. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 14-05 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 14-05

18. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 14-04 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 14-04

18. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 14-04 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 14-04

20. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 14-03 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 14-03

21. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 14-02 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 14-02

22. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 13-15 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 13-15

23. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 13-13 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 13-13

24. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 13-10 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 13-10

25. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 13-08 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 13-08

25. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 5, 13-08 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 13-08

27. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 5, 13-04 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 13-04

28. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 13-02 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 13-02

29. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 13-01 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 13-01

30. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 5, 12-15 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 12-15

31. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 5, 12-11 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 12-11

32. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 12-10 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 12-10

33. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 5, 12-09 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 12-09

34. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 12-08 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 12-08

35. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 5, 12-04 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 12-04

36. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 12-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 12-03

37. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 11-14 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 11-14

38. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 11-13 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 11-13

38. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 11-13 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 11-13

38. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 11-13 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 11-13

38. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 11-13 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 11-13

42. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 5, 11-11 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 11-11

42. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 11-11 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 11-11

44. Fabian Rodriguez -- Ocean City, DE -- 5, 11-08 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 11-08

45. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 11-07 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 11-07

46. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 11-06 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-06

47. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 4, 11-06 -- 64
Day 1: 4, 11-06

48. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 11-04 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 11-04

48. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, Australia -- 5, 11-04 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 11-04

50. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 4, 11-04 -- 61
Day 1: 4, 11-04

51. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 11-03 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 11-03

52. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 4, 11-01 -- 59
Day 1: 4, 11-01

53. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 10-15 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 10-15

54. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 10-14 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 10-14

55. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 4, 10-14 -- 56
Day 1: 4, 10-14

56. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 10-13 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 10-13

57. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 10-12 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 10-12

58. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 5, 10-11 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 10-11

59. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 4, 10-04 -- 52
Day 1: 4, 10-04

60. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 10-03 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 10-03

60. Billy McCaghren Jr -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 10-03 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 10-03

62. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 10-01 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 10-01

62. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 10-01 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 10-01

64. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 09-15 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 09-15

65. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 09-14 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 09-14

66. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 5, 09-11 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 09-11

67. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 09-08 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 09-08

67. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 09-08 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 09-08

69. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 09-07 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 09-07

70. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 4, 08-12 -- 41
Day 1: 4, 08-12

71. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 4, 08-11 -- 40
Day 1: 4, 08-11

72. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 4, 08-11 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 08-11

73. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 4, 08-07 -- 38
Day 1: 4, 08-07

74. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 3, 08-07 -- 37
Day 1: 3, 08-07

75. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 07-15 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 07-15

76. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 07-12 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 07-12

77. Casey Scanlon -- Rocky Mount, MO -- 3, 07-12 -- 34
Day 1: 3, 07-12

78. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 2, 07-12 -- 33
Day 1: 2, 07-12

79. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 5, 07-11 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 07-11

80. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 07-07 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 07-07

81. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 3, 07-05 -- 30
Day 1: 3, 07-05

82. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 4, 07-04 -- 29
Day 1: 4, 07-04

83. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 4, 07-01 -- 28
Day 1: 4, 07-01

84. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 3, 06-12 -- 27
Day 1: 3, 06-12

85. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 2, 06-08 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 06-08

86. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 06-02 -- 25
Day 1: 4, 06-02

87. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 2, 05-05 -- 24
Day 1: 2, 05-05

88. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 2, 05-04 -- 23
Day 1: 2, 05-04

89. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 04-15 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 04-15

90. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 2, 04-11 -- 21
Day 1: 2, 04-11

91. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 4, 04-10 -- 20
Day 1: 4, 04-10

92. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 3, 04-04 -- 19
Day 1: 3, 04-04

93. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 3, 03-14 -- 18
Day 1: 3, 03-14

94. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 1, 03-12 -- 17
Day 1: 1, 03-12

95. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 1, 03-10 -- 16
Day 1: 1, 03-10

96. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 3, 03-09 -- 15
Day 1: 3, 03-09

97. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 2, 03-06 -- 14
Day 1: 2, 03-06

98. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 1, 03-05 -- 13
Day 1: 1, 03-05

99. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 2, 02-13 -- 12
Day 1: 2, 02-13

100. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 1, 02-13 -- 11
Day 1: 1, 02-13

101. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname -- Aichi JAPAN -- 2, 02-07 -- 10
Day 1: 2, 02-07

102. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 1, 02-05 -- 9
Day 1: 1, 02-05

103. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 1, 02-01 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 02-01

104. Jay Brainard -- Enid, OK -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

104. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00