Ehrler Goes Big Again, Leads With 25-06

By BassFan Staff

Brent Ehrler is used to events that utilize a catch-weigh-release format from his experience with Major League Fishing and the five Toyota Texas Bass Classics he’s competed in.

He’s also getting used to catching giant Texas bass, too.

The California angler caught the big fish at this year’s Bassmaster Classic at Lake Conroe – a 9-12 that helped him to a 3rd-place finish. Back in 2015, he boated a 10-11 brute on the final day at Lake Fork en route to winning the TTBC and big bass honors, which netted him a new Toyota Tundra.

Ehrler caught a 9-01 kicker today at Sam Rayburn Reservoir and also had a 7-pounder that helped him seize the day-1 lead at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest, which is B.A.S.S.’ first time using the catch-weigh-release system in a full-field points event.

Ehrler’s 25-06 stringer was one of 18 stringers that topped 20 pounds on a day when conditions seemed to lead to above-average weights.

“It went a lot better than I thought it would,” Ehrler said. “I caught a 9 and that goes a long, long way here. I’m thrilled with what I’ve got. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Brandon Palaniuk had an 8-04 kicker among his five best keepers and his 24-07 total has him in 2nd. Randy Howell is eight ounce back in 3rd with 23-15.

Hank Cherry has 23-08 in 4th while Cliff Crochet tallied 23-01 in 5th.

Here's a look at the Top 12 after day 1, with deficit margin from Ehrler indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Brent Ehrler: 25-06
2. Brandon Palaniuk: 24-07 (0-15)
3. Randy Howell: 23-15 (1-07)
4. Hank Cherry: 23-08 (1-14)
5. Cliff Crochet: 23-01 (2-05)
6. Jordan Lee: 22-10 (2-12)
7. Todd Faircloth: 22-03 (3-03)
8. Gerald Swindle: 21-14 (3-08)
9. Kelley Jaye: 21-09 (3-13)
10. Jacob Wheeler: 21-07 (3-15)
11. Greg Vinson: 21-02 (4-04)
12. Ott DeFoe: 20-15 (4-07)

Angler of the Year points leader Jason Christie caught 20-13 and is in 14th place, but will fish tomorrow with a tender left hand after burying a treble hook in it late in the day.

After several days of stable, tame weather, the east Texas wind machine got cranked up today and it appears as though it’ll keep humming at least through tomorrow. The southeast wind that blew today makes it challenging to maneuver around Rayburn, which lays out in a northwest-to-southeast fashion. It’s especially hard on those trying to fish exposed, offshore areas where some competitors believe a few difference-makers are swimming.

Some anglers admitted to committing their entire practice to scouring the deep-water ledges and brush hoping to local schools of fish, but the wind made it tough to be efficient at that approach. There’s so much shallow grass in the lake that the shallow and mid-depth bite should hold up for now, but the deeper schools might be too tempting to ignore.

“They’re not loaded up out deep, but there’s just enough out there to make a few guys commit deep,” said Mark Davis, who’s 13th with 20-14.

The full field will compete again tomorrow with the top 51 advancing to Friday’s third day of competition. The top 12 after Friday will compete on Sunday with the highest cumulative weight determining the winner, who will also receive a berth in next year’s Bassmaster Classic. Competitors will be off the water Saturday as they will participate in the fan fest portion of the event in Lufkin, Texas.

Ehrler's ‘Confused’ Pattern Worked

> Day 1: 5, 25-06

As good as Rayburn is fishing now, Ehrler said it’s a challenge trying to pinpoint which direction to go – shallow or deep – in search of the better quality fish.

“This one is especially tricky because the fish are confused,” he said. “There are fish that are still spawning and there are fish in 25 (feet) on the drops. They’re literally in 1 foot out to 30 feet right now. You have to bob and weave and you almost have to fish confused to catch those confused fish. It was like I played hop scotch all day long. I’d fish shallow, then deep, then shallow again before going deep.”

He seemed to make the right moves at the right time after catching a small limit early. The 9-pounder came in the middle of the day and the 7-pounder came later.

“I caught most of my fish in areas I’d practiced in,” he said, “but I hopped around a bunch. I didn’t learn too much for tomorrow other than areas I’m not going to fish. It was tough today to run around and fish other areas.”

He doesn’t believe there’s any particular reason why he’s been fortunate to catch some exceptional fish in Texas during high-profile tournaments.

“I don’t know,” he added. “Maybe the position a little similar to how they set up in some California lakes. I’ve just been fortunate. Each lake I’ve done well on has set up differently so there’s not one theme to how I’ve caught them.”

2nd: Palaniuk Started With a Giant

> Day 1: 5, 24-07

Palaniuk couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the tournament. His first fish was the 8-pounder and he figures he’ll need at least one in the 6-pound class or better each of the remaining days to stay in the hunt.

“I have a lot of different things to do and areas to fish and I didn’t fish everything I had today, so I feel like there’s hope I could do it again,” he said. “Those big ones go a long way in breaking up those 2 1/2 to 3s. I was joking with my judge in the morning that I could catch 10 (pounds) or 16 and if I had 16 it would be because I had an 8. So the first fish I catch was an 8 and the second was a 2. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

He exceeded his prediction by a good margin by fishing in and out. He imagines he’ll continue to mix it up and let the weather dictate his next move.

“The weather changes things,” he said. “It might’ve made the weights better compared to an average calm day. You just have to roll with it and gauge what the fish are doing hour by hour.”

3rd: Productive Afternoon for Howell

> Day 1: 5, 23-15

Howell knew catching keepers wouldn’t be an issue this week, but finding areas with concentrations of better fish will be the key to staying in contention through the weekend.

“They’re biting good and I knew everybody would catch ‘em today,” he said. “We had good fishing weather and this is a good numbers lake now. The grass is healthy, but you have to get those bigger bites and I was blessed today. You just hope to get in the right places at the right time.”

Howell stayed in the shallow and mid-depths and had a good flurry this afternoon that produced a 5- and a 6-pounder.

“I caught a lot on a jerkbait, but didn’t weigh any of them in,” he said. “The wind was blowing really hard and I think that’s making the fish bite good, but it eliminates a lot of water you can’t fish because the wind is blowing so hard on it.”

He the shallow pattern he’s on seemed better Tuesday so he may go looking for new areas on day 2.

“The challenge is going to be trying to run a pattern and finding fresh water,” he said. “The water has dropped the last couple days and it was a tougher shallow bite than yesterday.”

5th: Better Quality for Crochet

> Day 1: 5, 23-01

Crochet had a moment – a day actually – in practice that made him appreciate what he gets to do for a living.

“Sunday reminded me of why I like fishing,” he said. “I probably had about 40 bites, just not the right kind.”

Today, the right ones showed up for the Louisiana native, including a pair of 5-14 specimens.

“I thought I could catch some fish, but the deal was going to be to get a couple good bites to get some weight,” he said. “I didn’t catch as many as I thought I would, but I had better quality. Then again, it is fishing and it is Rayburn. I feel like as long as I’m catching fish, the potential is always there.”

He spent the majority of his time in shallow-water areas, but did visit one offshore spot that he intends to hit again Thursday.

“I’m going to have to move around probably,” he added. “I don’t think I caught all of them, but fresh water never hurt anybody either. There seems to be two pieces to the pattern. I saw them both during practice, but didn’t know how solid they were. They seem to be pretty solid and one’s a pretty cool deal.”

He declined to elaborate.

6th: Lee Had Success Inside and Out

> Day 1: 5, 22-10

The last time Lee caught a 20-plus pound stringer in Texas, he wound up leaving Minute Maid Park in Houston with the Bassmaster Classic trophy.

Lee is coming off his first missed cut since last April and he got off to a solid start this morning, catching a 3 1/2-pounder on his first cast, then a 5-pounder shortly after.

“I started on a spot that I was hoping to catch one or two off of it and ended up catching five there,” he said. “Four of them were between 3 1/2 and 5 pounds.”

He mixed shallow areas with some off shore spots, which produced his best fish, but the wind made it difficult to be efficient away from the bank. He also tallied a 4-pounder on a frog later on.

“I don’t have many places found out there and that probably helped because it was windy,” he said. “You couldn’t just run around like you normally would. I only planned on hitting three offshore spots and caught four of my weigh-in fish off of two of them.”

Going forward, he’s hoping to keep the inside-outside game plan going.

“You can catch 5- or 6-pounder deep or shallow – that’s how it’s fishing right now,” he said. “Its kind of a toss-up. It’s just like the other tournaments we’ve had. There are fish shallow and fish deep. If you can find both, that’s when you can do some damage.”

75th: Benton Lost a Few

> Day 1: 5, 13-15

Drew Benton had the fish on to put himself in the 16-pound range, but he broke off on three separate occasions and finds himself about two pounds behind the pace to make the cut.

“I caught a ton of fish today and I had a couple good bites, but I broke off three times,” he said. “I don’t know how it happened, but it did.”

It also didn’t help that he later discovered he was going through areas after other competitors had combed them over.

“I didn’t know they were ahead of me,” he said. “I was behind (Bill) Lowen and (Todd) Faircloth and a few guys who caught them well.”

He targeted cypress trees and bushes mainly with a spinnerbait and vibrating jig, but he knows he could get bit on any number of techniques right now.

“There are a bunch of different deals going on,” he said. “You can fish hydrilla in 5 to 8 feet or you can catch them flipping in the dirtier water or do what I did or fish the deeper brush. I’m trying to figure out the best way to get back into it. I figure I need 18 pounds and with the wind supposed to blow again tomorrow, I might stick more to the grass.”

83rd: Scroggins Could’ve Had More

> Day 1: 5, 13-03

Terry Scroggins knew the formula for success this week would be to have an above-average sized fish in his bag each day, something in the 5-pound range or better.

He had multiple chances to put one of those in the boat today, but each time the fish had different ideas.

“The whole thing here is everybody’s going to catch a bunch of fish, but you need one of those good ones to look good,” he said. “I had two on and lost them both.”

The first one committed to a walking topwater bait and missed. When Scroggins presented the bait again, he hooked the fish, but only with the rear treble and the fish spit the hook on its way to the boat. Later, he had another fish rise on a frog, but he was premature in the hookset and never had a chance at it.

Tomorrow, he’s aiming for 20 pounds in an attempt to make up the ground necessary to challenge for the cut.

“Eighteen or 19 is doable here,” he said. “This lake is so awesome because it blew 20 to 25 (miles per hour) from 9 a.m. on today and there were still almost 20 bags over 20 pounds.”

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 109 anglers, 108 limits, 1 four.

Weather Forecast

> Thu., May 18 – Chance of Rain - 88°/70°
- Wind: From the SSE at 10 to 20 mph

> Fri., May 19 – Partly Cloudy - 88°/68°
- Wind: From the SSE at 10 to 20 mph

> Sun., May 21 – Thunderstorms - 79°/63°
- Wind: From the SSE at 5 to 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 5, 25-06 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 25-06

2. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 5, 24-07 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 24-07

3. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 23-15 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 23-15

4. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 23-08 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 23-08

5. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 23-01 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 23-01

6. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 5, 22-10 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 22-10

7. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 22-03 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 22-03

8. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 21-14 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 21-14

9. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 21-09 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 21-09

10. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, IN -- 5, 21-07 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 21-07

11. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 21-02 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 21-02

12. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 20-15 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 20-15

13. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 20-14 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 20-14

14. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 20-13 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 20-13

15. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 20-07 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 20-07

16. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 20-06 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 20-06

17. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 20-01 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 20-01

18. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 20-00 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 20-00

19. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 19-13 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 19-13

20. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 19-11 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 19-11

21. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 19-09 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 19-09

22. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 19-08 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 19-08

23. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 18-15 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 18-15

24. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 18-11 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 18-11

25. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 5, 18-09 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 18-09

26. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 18-07 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 18-07

27. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 18-05 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 18-05

27. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 18-05 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 18-05

29. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 18-03 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 18-03

30. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 17-15 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 17-15

31. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 17-12 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 17-12

32. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 17-09 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 17-09

33. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 17-08 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 17-08

33. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 17-08 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 17-08

35. Jesse Tacoronte -- Orlando, FL -- 5, 17-04 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 17-04

36. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, AZ -- 5, 17-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 17-03

36. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL -- 5, 17-03 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 17-03

38. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 5, 17-01 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 17-01

39. Seth Feider -- Isle, MN -- 5, 16-14 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 16-14

40. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 16-13 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 16-13

41. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-11 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 16-11

42. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 16-08 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 16-08

42. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 5, 16-08 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 16-08

44. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 16-07 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 16-07

45. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 16-06 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 16-06

46. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 16-05 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 16-05

47. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 5, 16-02 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 16-02

48. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 5, 16-00 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 16-00

49. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 15-13 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 15-13

50. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 15-12 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 15-12

50. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 15-12 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 15-12

50. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 15-12 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 15-12

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

54. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 5, 15-08 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 15-08

54. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 15-08 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 15-08

56. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 15-05 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 15-05

57. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 15-03 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 15-03

57. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 15-03 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 15-03

59. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 14-15 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 14-15

60. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 14-14 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 14-14

61. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 5, 14-12 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 14-12

62. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 14-11 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 14-11

63. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 14-10 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 14-10

63. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 14-10 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 14-10

65. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 5, 14-09 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 14-09

66. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 14-08 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 14-08

66. Fred Roumbanis -- London, AR -- 5, 14-08 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 14-08

66. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 14-08 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 14-08

69. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka JAPAN -- 5, 14-07 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 14-07

70. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 14-04 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 14-04

71. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL -- 5, 14-03 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 14-03

72. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 14-02 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 14-02

73. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 14-01 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 14-01

74. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 14-00 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 14-00

75. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 13-15 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 13-15

75. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 13-15 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 13-15

77. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 5, 13-11 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 13-11

78. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 13-10 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 13-10

78. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 13-10 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 13-10

80. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 13-09 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 13-09

81. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 13-08 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 13-08

82. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX -- 5, 13-07 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 13-07

83. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 13-03 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 13-03

83. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 13-03 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 13-03

85. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 13-02 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 13-02

85. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 13-02 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 13-02

87. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 5, 12-14 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 12-14

88. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 5, 12-11 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 12-11

89. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 5, 12-06 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 12-06

89. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 12-06 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 12-06

91. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 5, 12-03 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 12-03

92. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 11-15 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 11-15

93. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL -- 5, 11-14 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 11-14

93. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 11-14 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 11-14

95. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 11-13 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 11-13

96. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 11-12 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 11-12

97. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 5, 11-10 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 11-10

98. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 11-09 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 11-09

99. Gary Klein -- Mingus, TX -- 5, 11-04 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 11-04

99. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 11-04 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 11-04

101. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 10-15 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 10-15

102. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 5, 10-12 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 10-12

103. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 5, 10-05 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 10-05

104. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 5, 09-12 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 09-12

105. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 09-07 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 09-07

106. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 08-14 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 08-14

107. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 08-13 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 08-13

108. Darrell Ocamica -- New Plymouth, ID -- 4, 07-15 -- 3
Day 1: 4, 07-15

109. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 07-10 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 07-10