Combs Tops Day 1 With 24-15 Stringer

By BassFan Staff

Keith Combs came into last year's Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake as the only angler mathematically capable of catching runaway points leader Gerald Swindle. The latter opened the door with a lackluster day 1, but Combs couldn't capitalize as he managed just a 16-11 stringer.

It was a different story on the opening day of this year's championship. Coming in at No. 13 in the points, Combs' spot in the 2018 Classic is secure, but he has no chance of capturing the AOY. Perhaps the $25,000 check for winning the event would be a nice consolation prize.

The Texan caught a 24-15 stringer to take the initial lead in the 50-angler derby that will determine the points champion and settle the majority of the Classic field. He'll begin day 2 with a 13-ounce advantage over Jonathon VanDam.

As for the AOY race, Brandon Palaniuk stretched his lead from 15 points to 22 with a 21-04 haul that put him in 19th place for the tournament. His closest pursuer, Jason Christie, is 26th after catching 20-08. Jacob Wheeler, the only other competitor with a chance to run down Palaniuk, made up some ground with a 22-10 stringer that left him in 9th, but he remains 23 points back.

Dave Lefebre, who began the tournament at No. 44 in the points and needing a very high finish to get into the Classic, delivered a 23-07 haul that had him in 3rd in the tournament standings. Skeet Reese also climbed inside the Classic cutoff (currently 38th place) for the moment with a 21-10 bag that left him in 15th.

First-year Elite competitor Mark Daniels Jr., whose Classic status is solidified, boxed 23-06 to settle into 4th on the tournament leaderboard. James Elam, who started the event near the Classic cutoff, got a nice boost from a 23-05 sack as he rounded out the top 5.

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

1. Keith Combs: 24-15
2. Jonathon VanDam: 24-02 (0-13)
3. Dave Lefebre: 23-07 (1-08)
4. Mark Daniels Jr.: 23-06 (1-09)
5. James Elam: 23-05 (1-10)
6. Matt Lee: 23-04 (1-11)
7. Jordan Lee: 23-02 (1-13)
8. Russ Lane: 22-14 (2-01)
9. Jacob Wheeler: 22-10 (2-05)
10. (tie) Seth Feider: 22-08 (2-07)
10. (tie) Aaron Martens: 22-08 (2-07)
12. Luke Clausen: 22-02 (2-13)

The weather was primarily sunny and calm, which is the ideal setup for catching smallmouths from deeper haunts using finesse tactics. It's liable to be a bit darker and breezier on day 2, as the WeatherChannel.com forecast predicts afternoon thunderstorms, a high temperature of 76 degrees and an easterly wind that should push double digits.

There's no cut in this event – all 50 anglers will compete on both Friday and Sunday. There will be no competition on Saturday as the competitors will conduct Bassmaster University seminars and participate in other fan-oriented activities.

Palaniuk Moved Around

> Day 1: 5, 21-04

Palaniuk said he visited more than 50 spots on the day and is certain that he didn't catch more than one weigh-in fish from any of them.

"I had a hit-or-miss practice, but I felt like the potential for a big bag was there," he said. "I got some good bites in practice, but they were somewhat random. I don't have one or two areas I can run to and catch a bunch; I have to fish a ton of areas to get what I end up with."

He spent the majority of the day dragging a dropshot rig. His bag was highlighted by a pair of 4 3/4-pounders.

He had the majority of the places he fished to himself, but had to forego a few locals because other anglers were on them.

"(His weight) looked pretty good at the end of the day, but nothing was real super-solid," he said. "I can't just say I'm going to run there and catch one. For me, it's just a matter of fishing as many high-percentage places as I can and getting those right bites to catch 21-plus every day."

Combs Kept it Rolling

> Day 1: 5, 24-15

Combs was on quality fish in practice and expected to catch a strong opening bag.

"I caught 23 to 25 pounds on all three practice days," he said. "At my starting spot it was really happening and I caught them really quick, and then I moved to an area where I caught a 6-pounder in practice and got a couple more off it.

"By about 8:30, I was done."

The five fish he took to the scale were all within an ounce of 5 pounds.

"I'm doing a lot of regular smallmouth stuff and something that maybe these fish haven't seen too much of. As long as the wind doesn't get ridiculous, I think I can catch some good ones tomorrow."

JVD Taking His Shot

> Day 1: 5, 24-02

VanDam started the day 49th on the points list and his big stringer moved him up only six places. He'll need similar bags on the remaining days – along with slip-ups by several anglers in front of him on the points list – to gain much more ground.

"I didn't do the math on the points, but I knew I had to smash them to even have a chance (at making the Classic)," he said. "Even then, a lot is going to depend on what everybody else does. I just hope I can keep it up.

"To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect today. Practice was okay, but I wasn't getting very many bites."

He had all of his weight by about 10 o'clock. A 5-pounders was the biggest of the 10 keepers he boated.

"I have no idea what I can catch tomorrow. These are typical smallmouth and there's no telling what they're going to do."

Lefebre Comes Through

> Day 1: 5, 23-07

Lefebre's confidence wasn't real high when the day began, but he ended up with the type of stringer he needed to stay in the Classic hunt.

"My practice wasn't great, but you really don't know what you're on until you hunker down on the first day," he said. "I didn't think the weights were going to be near this high – I was praying for 20 pounds. I think we're all kind of shocked."

He caught three quality fish and a couple of decent ones early and then laid off of his starting spot. He bounced around to other locales on the same reef and made several culls.

"Nobody else was on it today, but I'm sure there'll be guys tomorrow. It's kind of close to the ramp and people saw me there at the end of the day."

Four of his five weigh-in fish were 5-pounders and he lost another one in that class. He caught everything on a Senko.

"It's stressful know I have to (catch that kind of weight) every single day. It's not easy to do and it wasn't easy today."

Daniels Culled Up Late

> Day 1: 5, 23-06

Daniels caught a couple of his weigh-in fish early in the morning and the other three toward the end of the day.

"The quality is definitely in this lake and it's pretty widely dispersed, but in practice I had a hard time getting a lot of bites," he said. "Today I homed in on my areas and maximized them for the most I could get out of them."

His bag was topped by a pair of 5-pounders.

"What I'm doing is very basic as far as smallmouth fishing goes and I was fortunate to get the right bites. I had days in practice when I got a very limited number of bites and that could easily happen again. At the same time, you can get five, six or seven bites and still have a big bag because of the quality that lives in this place.

"For me, if I can catch 12 or 13 bass, I think I'll have a good bag. I have to keep the number of bites high."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 50 anglers, 48 limits, 2 fours.

> For full tournament standings, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Sept. 15 – P.M. Thunderstorms - 76°/64°
- Wind: From the E at 9 mph

> Sun., Sept. 17 – Partly Cloudy - 62°/46°
- Wind: From the W at 12 mph