By BassFan Staff

A trio of anglers who've visited the winner's circle in the past several months carried their momentum into the first day of the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series campaign. Cliff Crochet and Jesse Wiggins, who both have recent Open victories on their ledgers, each topped the 19-pound mark at Tennessee's Cherokee Lake to set the early pace and Seth Feider, the winner of last September's AOY Championship event at Mille Lacs Lake in his home state of Minnesota, isn't far behind.

Crochet weighed 19-07, Wiggins 19-01 and Feider 18-10 under cold, blustery conditions that won't been seen again prior to the conclusion of the event. Veteran Brian Snowden was 4th with 18-01 and Jamie Hartman (another true rookie) and FLW transferee and former Forrest Wood Cup winner Jacob Wheeler were tied for 5th with 17-10.

Here's a look at the early Top 12, with deficit margins from the leader indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Cliff Crochet: 19-07
2. Jesse Wiggins: 19-01 (0-06)
3. Seth Feider: 18-10 (0-13)
4. Brian Snowden: 18-01 (1-06)
5. (tie) Jamie Hartman: 17-10 (1-13)
5. (tie) Jacob Wheeler: 17-10 (1-13)
7. Jordan Lee: 17-08 (1-15)
8. Skylar Hamilton: 17-07 (2-00)
9. Brent Ehrler: 17-06 (2-01)
10. Brandon Palaniuk: 17-03 (2-04)
11. Mark Davis: 16-14 (2-09)
12. David Mullins: 16-12 (2-11)

Nearly half the field (51 of the 110 anglers) weighed at least 13 pounds on the opening day of an event that was expected to be a tough-bite affair due to the warmer-than-normal conditions that the region has experienced. The high temperature never got out of the 30s on day 1, however, and the stiff wind blew snowflakes around during the early portion of the day. The apparent march toward springtime will begin again on day 2.

Several of the leaders reported accumulating the majority of their weight when the weather was at its worst, and some expect the action to slow down when the sun returns.

It certainly wasn't a good day for everybody – veterans James Niggemeyer, Bernie Schultz and Greg Vinson all zeroed and eight others managed just one fish. Brandon Card, one of the pre-tournament favorites with vast experience on Cherokee, was part of the single-fish group and stalwarts such as Aaron Martens, Edwin Evers, Skeet Reese, Jacob Powroznik, Justin Lucas and Casey Ashley were among the other non-limiters.



B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito
Photo: B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito

Brian Snowden spent most of the day offshore, but pounded the banks a bit, too.

Gerald Swindle began defense of his 2016 Angler of the Year title with a 14-10 bag that left him in a five-way tie for 34th place.

The day-2 weather forecast for the Jefferson City, Tenn. area calls for sunny skies and a high temperature of 55 degrees. A light breeze will blow from the south.

The field will be reduced to the Top 51 after Friday's weigh-in, and then to the Top 12 after day 3. The winner will be determined Sunday based on highest cumulative weight.

Can Crochet Keep it Going?

> Day 1: 5, 19-07

Crochet said he drew inspiration from Bryan Thrift's performance at last week's Lake Guntersville FLW Tour, when the latter overcame a poor practice to post a runner-up finish.

"I had a horrible practice and that's not sand-bagging," he said. "But I saw some areas I liked – they just looked good to me. I didn't catch anything in those areas (during practice), but that's where I went today.

"When I read about Bryan saying what he did last week, how he was able to work his way out of a bad practice, that was cool. You don't have to let a bad practice beat you."

His bag contained all largemouths, two of which were within 2 ounces of the 5-pound mark. He said he visited about eight different places and spent most of his time in shallow water.

"It's good to have a big first day, but now I have to finish. Now, finishing might mean winning, or it might making the Top 12. I need to worry about tomorrow and just take it day by day."

B.A.S.S./Gary Tramontina
Photo: B.A.S.S./Gary Tramontina

Jesse Wiggins pulled all of his 19 pounds off of one spot.

He doesn't anticipate the impending weather change causing any major problems for him.

"If I can get through tomorrow morning and get that high pressure out of here, I think I'll be all right. High pressure sucks, but when it gets warmer, I'm hoping it'll be better."

2nd: Wiggins is All Alone

> Day 1: 5, 19-01

Wiggins caught only five keepers in 3 days of practice, but one locale where he'd found a good school produced big-time for him.

"I found it at about 1 o'clock yesterday," he said. "I saw several on the graph and I caught one on my first drop that was about a 3 1/2-pounder, and then I idled over it for hours and hours.

"There was a bunch there and when I went there this morning, they were biting."

He had all of his weight by 8:30. He brought four smallmouths and one largemtouth to the scale and the green one was the biggest of the quintet, registering 4 1/2 pounds.

"You take that one away and I would've had 17 1/2 pounds like a lot of other people."

He's fishing vertically in the 20- to 25-foot depth range. He broke off one fish on a hookset but didn't lose any.

"There's no doubt that the front this morning helped because everybody caught them, but I have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be tougher with sunshine and blue skies."

3rd: Quick Limit for Feider

> Day 1: 5, 18-10

Feider had a lackluster practice and set a goal of catching any sort of limit on day 1. He accomplished that by 9 o'clock.

"The spot I started on I caught five there for about 13 pounds, and I thought that was pretty good after practice," he said. "I went to a couple other spots and caught one big one here and one there, then I went looking for new water and found a couple more spots, and I caught a 4-pounder that jumped me up (in the standings) quite a ways.

"I missed a lot of bites, but I didn't lose a fish I'd actually hooked. They bit in weird cycles – they'd nip at it for awhile and not eat it good, then it was like a light would go on and they'd hammer it for awhile, then they'd go back to nipping and not getting it."

He's fishing exclusively offshore for smallmouths and says the places he'd waypointed in practice are harboring more fish than he'd realized. He's also sharing them, however – he doesn't have any to himself.

B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito
Photo: B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito

Seth Feider accomplished his goal of catching a limit by 9 o'clock on day 1.

He's a bit concerned about the latter portion of day 2 if the weather forecast proves accurate.

"I feel like the morning will still be good, but I don't think the afternoon will be as good as it was today. I'm fortunate to have what I have – I could catch 6 pounds tomorrow and not even make it to Saturday."

4th: Snowden on Good Schools

> Day 1: 5, 18-01

Snowden found several offshore schools of quality fish during practice, but he said that at times it's difficult to generate bites. He thinks the day-1 conditions were a benefit for thim.

"I think the wind makes them less spooky and more willing to bite," he said. "Even though they're deep, they still seem to be affected by the trolling motor, the depthfinder, idling over them – just about everything."

His bag contained two largemouths – one a 4 1/2-pounder – and three smallmouths. He broke off one fish that he didn't see and lost to others.

"I mixed it up a little bit – I threw a crankbait, a jig and a leadhead with a little Fluke Jr. on it. Most of the fish came out deep, but we had so much wind that I couldn't stop myself from fishing shallow a little bit.

"If we don't have wind tomorrow and it's anything like practice, getting bites offshore is going to be a little more difficult for me."

105th: Tacoronte was Handicapped

> Day 1: 1, 2-12

Florida rookie Jesse Tacoronte had a tough day to begin his Elite Series career as his trolling motor went on the blink after the first few hours of fishing.

"I had a fantastic practice and I had five fish in the boat in the first hour, but only one of them kept," he said. "Then I went to another school and I ended up hitting three or four points and caught some more non-keepers, and then I lost the trolling motor and that was the end of that. Trying to fish offshore here without a trolling motor doesn't work

"I sure didn't want to start out by catching one fish, but it's better than no fish. It happens, and I'm not going to worry about it and I'm going to be happy with what I had. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to hit my school like I'm supposed to."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 110 anglers, 73 limits, 11 fours, 6 threes, 9 twos, 8 ones, 3 zeroes.

> Card, whose catch consisted of a single 2-pounder, said two areas that were loaded with bass and baitfish on Wednesday were completely desolate when he returned this morning. "I felt good about those areas and I was hoping to catch them quick and easy, but that's not what happened," he said. "After that I scrambled and I jest never connected. Tomorrow I'll probably just go beat the banks and hope for the best."

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Feb. 10 – Sunny - 55°/42°
- Wind: From the S at 9 mph

> Sat., Feb. 11 – Cloudy - 60°/55°
- Wind: From the SW at 10 mph

> Sun., Feb. 12 – Showers - 67°/38°
- Wind: From the WSW at 12 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 19-0 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 19-07

2. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 19-0 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 19-01

3. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 5, 18-1 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 18-10

4. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 18-0 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 18-01

5. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 17-1 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 17-10

5. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, IN -- 5, 17-1 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 17-10

7. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 5, 17-0 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 17-08

8. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 5, 17-0 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 17-07

9. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 17-06 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 17-06

10. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 5, 17-03 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 17-03

11. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 16-14 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 16-14

12. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 16-12 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 16-12

13. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 16-11 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 16-11

14. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 16-08 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 16-08

15. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 16-07 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 16-07

16. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 16-02 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 16-02

17. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 5, 16-01 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 16-01

18. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 16-00 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 16-00

19. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 15-15 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 15-15

20. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 15-11 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 15-11

21. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 5, 15-08 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 15-08

21. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 15-08 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 15-08

23. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 15-07 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 15-07

24. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 15-06 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 15-06

25. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 15-05 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 15-05

25. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 15-05 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 15-05

27. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 15-04 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 15-04

27. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 15-04 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 15-04

27. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 15-04 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 15-04

30. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 15-03 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 15-03

31. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 15-02 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 15-02

31. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 15-02 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 15-02

33. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 14-13 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 14-13

34. Mark Daniels Jr. -- Tuskegee, AL -- 5, 14-10 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 14-10

34. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 14-10 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 14-10

34. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 14-10 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 14-10

34. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 14-10 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 14-10

34. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 14-10 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 14-10

39. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 14-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 14-09

39. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 14-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 14-09

39. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 14-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 14-09

39. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 14-09 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 14-09

43. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 14-02 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 14-02

44. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 13-13 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 13-13

45. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 13-11 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 13-11

46. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 13-09 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 13-09

47. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 13-06 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 13-06

48. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 13-05 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 13-05

49. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 13-04 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 13-04

50. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 13-02 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 13-02

51. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 13-01 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 13-01

52. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 12-13 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 12-13

52. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 5, 12-13 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 12-13

54. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 4, 12-12 -- 57
Day 1: 4, 12-12

55. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 12-11 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 12-11

56. Darrell Ocamica -- New Plymouth, ID -- 5, 12-10 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 12-10

57. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 12-09 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 12-09

58. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 12-05 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 12-05

59. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 12-04 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 12-04

59. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 12-04 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 12-04

61. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 12-03 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 12-03

61. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 12-03 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 12-03

63. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 12-02 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 12-02

64. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 12-00 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 12-00

65. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 11-14 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 11-14

66. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 11-12 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 11-12

67. Alton Jones Jr. -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 11-08 -- 44
Day 1: 5, 11-08

68. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 11-07 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 11-07

68. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 11-07 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 11-07

70. Fred Roumbanis -- London, AR -- 5, 11-03 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 11-03

71. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 11-02 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 11-02

72. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 4, 11-01 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 11-01

73. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 10-14 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 10-14

74. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 3, 10-02 -- 37
Day 1: 3, 10-02

75. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 10-01 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 10-01

76. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 4, 09-15 -- 35
Day 1: 4, 09-15

77. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 3, 09-14 -- 34
Day 1: 3, 09-14

78. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 4, 09-10 -- 33
Day 1: 4, 09-10

79. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 5, 09-07 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 09-07

80. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 4, 09-06 -- 31
Day 1: 4, 09-06

80. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 4, 09-06 -- 31
Day 1: 4, 09-06

82. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 4, 09-04 -- 29
Day 1: 4, 09-04

83. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 3, 09-03 -- 28
Day 1: 3, 09-03

84. Jay Brainard -- Enid, OK -- 4, 08-14 -- 27
Day 1: 4, 08-14

84. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 4, 08-14 -- 27
Day 1: 4, 08-14

86. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 4, 08-09 -- 25
Day 1: 4, 08-09

87. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 4, 08-01 -- 24
Day 1: 4, 08-01

88. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 3, 07-13 -- 23
Day 1: 3, 07-13

89. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 3, 07-08 -- 22
Day 1: 3, 07-08

90. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 3, 06-15 -- 21
Day 1: 3, 06-15

91. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 2, 06-11 -- 20
Day 1: 2, 06-11

92. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 2, 06-03 -- 19
Day 1: 2, 06-03

93. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 2, 05-02 -- 18
Day 1: 2, 05-02

94. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 2, 04-15 -- 17
Day 1: 2, 04-15

95. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 2, 04-13 -- 16
Day 1: 2, 04-13

96. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 2, 04-07 -- 15
Day 1: 2, 04-07

97. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 1, 04-01 -- 14
Day 1: 1, 04-01

98. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 2, 03-12 -- 13
Day 1: 2, 03-12

99. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 2, 03-11 -- 12
Day 1: 2, 03-11

100. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 2, 03-07 -- 11
Day 1: 2, 03-07

101. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 1, 03-07 -- 10
Day 1: 1, 03-07

102. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 1, 03-06 -- 9
Day 1: 1, 03-06

103. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 1, 03-03 -- 8
Day 1: 1, 03-03

104. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 1, 03-00 -- 7
Day 1: 1, 03-00

105. Jesse Tacoronte -- Orlando, FL -- 1, 02-12 -- 6
Day 1: 1, 02-12

106. Brandon Card -- Knoxvillge, TN -- 1, 02-00 -- 5
Day 1: 1, 02-00

107. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 1, 01-13 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 01-13

108. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

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

108. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00