VanDam Boxes 19-03 To Grab Dardanelle Lead

By BassFan Staff

There isn't much that Kevin VanDam hasn't accomplished during his illustrious professional fishing career, but he's yet to achieve a victory in the state of Arkansas. He might just fill that hole on his résumé this week.

The seven-time Angler of the Year (AOY) and four-time Classic champion grabbed the early lead at the Lake Dardanelle Bassmaster Elite Series with a 19-03 stringer. A victory in this event would be the 24th of his career – the previous 23 have come from 13 different states.

AOY contender Ott DeFoe was 2nd with 18-12. Tim Horton, the winner earlier this year at Lake Okeechobee who's alternated good finishes and bombs throughout the campaign, was 3rd with 18-07.

Shane Lineberger, a second-year pro who's best finish to date is 19th, was 4th with 17-05. Rookie Jamie Hartman, who already has a pair of top-10 finishes, completed the top 5 with 17-05.

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

1. Kevin VanDam: 19-03
2. Ott DeFoe: 18-12 (0-07)
3. Tim Horton: 18-07 (0-12)
4. Shane Lineberger: 17-07 (1-12)
5. Jamie Hartman: 17-05 (1-14)
6. David Mullins: 17-02 (2-01)
7. (tie) Skeet Reese: 16-12 (2-07)
7. (tie) Dean Rojas: 16-12 (2-07)
9. Steve Kennedy: 16-10 (2-09)
10. Tommy Biffle: 16-09 (2-10)
11. Gerald Swindle: 16-07 (2-12)
12. Stetson Blaylock: 16-06 (2-13)

Fishing conditions were the best the field had seen since practice got under way on Tuesday – some clouds finally showed up (although the thunderstorms that were forecast never transpired) and they were accompanied by a moderate breeze.

If weights are similar on day 2, it'll take somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 pounds to make the cut to the top 51, which is a big higher than many had anticipated. Still, a lot of competitors struggled on day 1 as 29 failed to secure limits and two (Boyd Duckett and Cliff Crochet) zeroed.

Jason Christie, the winner at Dardanelle the last time the circuit visited in 2014, caught just 10-06 and sat in 65th place.

The WeatherChannel.com forecast for day 2 calls for thunderstorms (mostly in the afternoon) with a high temperature of 86 degrees and light winds from the southeast.

The field will be reduced to the top 12 after Sunday's weigh-in, with the winner determined Monday based on cumulative weight.

VanDam Surprised

> Day 1: 5, 19-03

VanDam said he couldn't have anticipated catching a bag like the one he brought to the scale.

"I did not have a good practice at all," he said. "I didn't really catch many fish, or any big ones at all. I thought it was going to be much tougher than today showed for the field. I'm stunned not only by what I caught, but what everybody else caught, too.

"I should know better after all these years – it's going to be better than you think when guys settle down in their areas and get to fishing. It definitely exceeded my expectations."

His two best fish combined to weigh 10 pounds and he added a trio of three-pounders. He didn't lose anything that would've helped him.

"I moved around a lot today – fish aren't everywhere, that's for sure. The conditions and the amount of current flow are really making it challenging. So much of the river is blown out and the areas that have got good water quality, there's definitely other people there."

When asked if it would be significant for him to achieve his first win in the Natural State, he responded: "I want to win every tournament, everywhere, so year, it would. But it's going to be really hard to duplicate what I did today, I can promise you that."

2nd: DeFoe Mixing it Up

> Day 1: 5, 18-12

DeFoe's bag was topped by a fish that weighed just an ounce shy of six pounds.

"I had an okay practice and I caught a couple of good fish, but it's not like I knew where it was going to happen (on day 1) or anything like that," he said. "I had a few areas where I knew I wanted to spend some time and it really just kind of happened."

He handled 10 keepers on the day.

"I'm doing a few different things, but I don't want to say much about that right now. I made multiple stops and I culled throughout the day. I caught my last one maybe an hour before I came in."

He had company at some of his stops, but was all alone at others.

"I'll hit some of the same stuff tomorrow, but I'll probably hit some different stuff, too."

3rd: Horton on Different Path

> Day 1: 5, 18-07

Horton said he's fishing a bit differently than most of the field and didn't have company in the majority of the places that produced for him on day 1.

"This morning I caught a couple of nice ones in the grass and obviously there's a lot of people doing that," he said. "But the other places, I didn't see anybody."

He went through eight or nine keepers, one of which weighed nearly five pounds. He lost a three-pounder, but isn't sure whether he could've culled with it.

He wouldn't divulge much about his pattern, but said he's staying close to the banks.

"I'm just covering water and tomorrow I need to expand a little bit and find some more areas. I just need to stay busy and get a couple of the right bites."

4th: Lineberger Kept It Simple

> Day 1: 5, 17-07

Lineberger compiled his bag from one creek with a single rod. He had all of his weight by the time the day was three hours old.

"To be honest, I really didn't know what I had going on," he said. "I didn't catch very many in practice – I got some bites, but I was shaking them off and I didn't know how big or small they were. The lake's being so stingy that I really didn't want to stick any."

He boated seven keepers, the best of which weighed 4-05.

"I lost one that I'm not sure how big it was, but it was in the 4- to 5-pound range. It would've been a two-pound upgrade because I weighed a two-pounder. You're going to lose some, though; that's just part of it."

He spent much of the day searching for new places to run his pattern.

"It's working all over the place, it's just a matter of getting the bait in front of one. A lot of people are fishing the same type of stuff I am and everybody's clogged up. You're kind of limited on what you can fish."

5th: Early Big Ones Helped Hartman

> Day 1: 5, 17-05

Count Hartman as another one of the leaders who didn't feel like he accomplished much during practice.

"Mine was very discouraging," he said. "Stuff was changing every day and the water was dropping and the pattern I had went by the wayside. I had some backup stuff, so I started doing that deal and I got a bite here and there, but nothing good. Today was by far the best day I've had on the water.

"I don't feel like I'm on them by any means, but it may come together."

He caught his two biggest fish (one just under five pounds and one right at four) in the initial part of the day. He boated nine keepers along with quite a few short fish.

"I got lucky and got a couple of big bites early, then I tried not to burn what little I did have. I call those kickers compared to what I've been catching all week.

"I had one bust me off on light line – it got me wrapped up and came off. I don't have any idea what it was."

He won't lay off anything on day 2.

"I'm going to use what I've got to try to make it to the next day. If I have to use it all, I will."

94th: Only Small Ones for Lester

> Day 1: 5, 6-09

Each of the five fish that Brandon Lester brought to the scale barely met the 14-inch minimum-length requirement.

"I feel like I had a decent practice, but today they just didn't bite," he said. "It was a struggle.

"I found some decent stuff on the main river. I wasn't getting a lot of bites, but when I got one it was a pretty good one. It didn't pan out today."

He's not sure what he'll do on day 2.

"It kind of depends on the weather. If it's the same as today, I'll probably scrap everything. If we get some clouds or rain or wind, I'll probably go try it again just to see if maybe they'll bite.

"The conditions today were about the same as practice, so maybe my timing was off. I never felt like I got in a good rhythm."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 109 anglers, 80 limits, 14 fours, 5 threes, 5 twos, 2 ones, 2 zeroes.

Weather Forecast

Sat., June 3 – P.M. Thunderstorms – 86°/68°
- Wind: From the SE at 4 mph

> Sun., June 4 – P.M. Thunderstorms – 86°/67°
- Wind: From the SE at 4 mph

> Mon., June 5 – Isolated Thunderstorms – 88°/66°
- Wind: From the NNW at 4 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 19-03 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 19-03

2. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 18-12 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 18-12

3. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 18-07 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 18-07

4. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 17-07 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 17-07

5. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 17-05 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 17-05

6. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 17-02 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 17-02

7. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 16-12 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 16-12

7. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 16-12 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 16-12

9. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 16-10 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 16-10

10. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 16-09 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 16-09

11. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-07 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 16-07

12. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 16-06 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 16-06

13. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-04 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 16-04

14. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 16-03 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 16-03

15. Randy Howell -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 16-02 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 16-02

16. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 16-01 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 16-01

17. Kelly Jordon -- Flint, TX -- 5, 16-00 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 16-00

18. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 15-14 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 15-14

19. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 15-08 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 15-08

20. Fred Roumbanis -- London, AR -- 5, 15-07 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 15-07

21. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 15-02 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 15-02

22. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 14-14 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 14-14

23. Josh Bertrand -- San Tan Valley, AZ -- 5, 14-10 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 14-10

24. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 14-06 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 14-06

25. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 14-05 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 14-05

25. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 14-05 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 14-05

27. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 5, 13-14 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 13-14

28. Gary Klein -- Mingus, TX -- 5, 13-13 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 13-13

29. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, IN -- 5, 13-11 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 13-11

30. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 13-10 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 13-10

31. Matt Lee -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 13-09 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 13-09

31. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 13-09 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 13-09

33. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 5, 13-05 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 13-05

34. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 13-02 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 13-02

35. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 13-01 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 13-01

36. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 12-15 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 12-15

37. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 5, 12-13 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-13

38. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 12-11 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 12-11

39. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 12-11 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 12-11

40. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 12-10 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 12-10

41. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 12-05 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 12-05

41. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 12-05 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 12-05

43. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 12-01 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 12-01

43. Fletcher Shryock -- New Philadelphia, OH -- 5, 12-01 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 12-01

45. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 5, 12-00 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 12-00

45. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 12-00 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 12-00

47. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 11-15 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 11-15

48. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 5, 11-13 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 11-13

48. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 5, 11-13 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 11-13

50. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 11-12 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 11-12

50. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 5, 11-12 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 11-12

52. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, FL -- 5, 11-10 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 11-10

52. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 5, 11-10 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 11-10

54. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 11-09 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 11-09

55. John Murray -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 11-08 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 11-08

55. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 11-08 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 11-08

57. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 5, 11-07 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 11-07

57. Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 11-07 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 11-07

59. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 5, 11-01 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 11-01

59. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 11-01 -- 52
Day 1: 5, 11-01

61. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 10-14 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 10-14

62. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 10-13 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 10-13

63. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 10-11 -- 48
Day 1: 5, 10-11

64. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 10-07 -- 47
Day 1: 5, 10-07

65. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 10-06 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 10-06

66. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 10-05 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 10-05

66. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 5, 10-05 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 10-05

68. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 10-04 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 10-04

68. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 5, 10-04 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 10-04

70. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 4, 10-04 -- 41
Day 1: 4, 10-04

71. Bobby Lane Jr. -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 10-01 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 10-01

72. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 4, 10-00 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 10-00

73. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 09-15 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 09-15

74. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 09-14 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 09-14

75. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 4, 09-11 -- 36
Day 1: 4, 09-11

76. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 09-10 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 09-10

77. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, MN -- 4, 09-10 -- 34
Day 1: 4, 09-10

78. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 5, 09-08 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 09-08

79. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 09-07 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 09-07

80. Mark Daniels Jr. -- Tuskegee, AL -- 5, 09-01 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 09-01

81. Chris Zaldain -- Laughlin, NV -- 5, 08-15 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 08-15

82. Alton Jones Jr. -- Lorena, TX -- 5, 08-11 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 08-11

83. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 08-09 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 08-09

84. Jesse Tacoronte -- Orlando, FL -- 4, 08-08 -- 27
Day 1: 4, 08-08

85. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 4, 08-05 -- 26
Day 1: 4, 08-05

86. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 4, 08-04 -- 25
Day 1: 4, 08-04

87. Darrell Ocamica -- New Plymouth, ID -- 4, 08-03 -- 24
Day 1: 4, 08-03

88. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 4, 08-02 -- 23
Day 1: 4, 08-02

89. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 4, 07-09 -- 22
Day 1: 4, 07-09

90. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 4, 07-04 -- 21
Day 1: 4, 07-04

91. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 4, 07-01 -- 20
Day 1: 4, 07-01

92. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 4, 06-14 -- 19
Day 1: 4, 06-14

93. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 3, 06-14 -- 18
Day 1: 3, 06-14

94. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 06-09 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 06-09

95. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 4, 06-02 -- 16
Day 1: 4, 06-02

96. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 3, 06-02 -- 15
Day 1: 3, 06-02

97. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 4, 05-13 -- 14
Day 1: 4, 05-13

98. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 3, 05-10 -- 13
Day 1: 3, 05-10

99. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 3, 05-08 -- 12
Day 1: 3, 05-08

100. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 1, 05-00 -- 11
Day 1: 1, 05-00

101. John Hunter Jr -- Shelbyville, KY -- 3, 04-13 -- 10
Day 1: 3, 04-13

102. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 2, 04-07 -- 9
Day 1: 2, 04-07

103. Brent Ehrler -- Newport Beach, CA -- 2, 04-02 -- 8
Day 1: 2, 04-02

104. Luke Clausen -- Otis Orchards, WA -- 2, 04-00 -- 7
Day 1: 2, 04-00

105. Seth Feider -- Isle, MN -- 2, 03-05 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 03-05

106. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 2, 03-01 -- 5
Day 1: 2, 03-01

107. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 1, 01-12 -- 4
Day 1: 1, 01-12

108. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00

108. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00