Daniels' Lead Swells To 6-Plus With 1 Day Left

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

By adding 17-06 to his total today, Mark Daniels, Jr. gained some separation from the rest of the finalists and he’ll take a 6-pound, 5-ounce lead into Monday’s final day of competition the Lake Oahe Bassmaster Elite Series.

Daniels’ three-day total stands at 56-06 with Boyd Duckett the only other angler to reach the 50-pound mark so far. Duckett caught 16-06 and moved up two spots to 2nd with 50-01.

This tournament is far from over, though, says Daniels, who’s looking for his first win at the Elite Series or Tour level.

“I’m not even thinking about the lead,” he said. “It’s all about bearing down and catching five good fish. I’m going into this like I’m in 12th. I have to catch the fish. That’s all there is to it.”

Casey Ashley saw his weight fall off by 8 pounds from day 2, but his 12-06 was enough to keep him in 3rd with 49-12.

Current Angler of the Year points leader Bradley Roy had his best day of the event with 17-15 and it bumped him up to 4th, where he has 49-07. Josh Bertrand stayed in the top 5 for the third straight day after sacking 15-05 to run his total to 48-08.

Here's a look at the anglers who advanced to the final day, with deficit margin from Daniels indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Mark Daniels Jr.: 56-06
2. Boyd Duckett: 50-01 (6-05)
3. Casey Ashley: 49-12 (6-10)
4. Bradley Roy: 49-07 (6-15)
5. Josh Bertrand: 48-08 (7-14)
6. Clifford Pirch: 45-07 (10-15)
7. Dean Rojas: 45-00 (11-06)
8. Jacob Wheeler: 45-00 (11-06)
9. Justin Lucas: 42-06 (14-00)
10. Jordan Lee: 42-01 (14-05)
11. Edwin Evers: 42-00 (14-06)
12. Brent Ehrler: 41-09 (14-13)

There's a definite western feel to the remaining group of anglers with half of the top 12 either hailing from or still residing in California or Arizona.

Among them is Clifford Pirch, who continued his ascent after struggling on day 1. He caught a day-best 19-09 and moved from 18th to 6th with 45-07.

Day-1 leader David Fritts, who caught 18-plus pounds each of the first two days, fell victim to a shift in the wind and he managed just one keeper today, dropping him to 14th. Andy Montgomery also slipped out of the top 12, falling from 10th to 22nd after weighing two fish for 4-02.

Monday’s forecast looks be much the same as Sunday with temperatures pushing into the 90s with a breeze out of the southeast at 10 to 15 mph.

Daniels Not Nervous

> Day 3: 5, 17-06 (15, 56-06)

Last week, Ish Monroe captured the win at the Mississippi River Elite Series, the first leg of the only back-to-back eventson this season’s schedule. Daniels would like nothing more than to cap it off with a win of his own and make it an upper Midwestern sweep by two guys from northern California.

“It’d be super cool,” Daniels said. "We both grew up in the same area and I’ve known him most of my life. I was super happy for him last week and I’m looking to do the same thing tomorrow.”

Daniels, who won the TBF National Championship in 2013 and parlayed that into what’s now a blossoming career at the pro level, is one day away from becoming the third first-time winner on the Elite Series this season. He’s yet to weigh a bag of less than 17 pounds – he’s the only competitor left who can say that – and he believes he’s around the area that has the quality fish to keep up the pace he’s set.

“The caliber of fish is definitely there, but the fishing is getting tougher with the pressure they’re getting,” he said. “I’m going give them everything I’ve got and hope to catch five good ones.”

Speaking of pressure, he said he’s trying not to put any additional stress on himself.

“I’m not really nervous,” he said. “It’s a big deal and there are a lot of emotions attached to it, but I’m not necessarily nervous. This is very important to me.”

He caught fewer fish today and said it got pretty tough at times, but he’ll continue to target the 13- to 20-foot range. Execution will be critical tomorrow, he said.

“I’ve lost a few fish at the boat because these fish never give up,” he said. “I get caught in the crosshairs of getting them in the boat quick or trying to tire them out. That’s the whole thing. You have to play that game. I’m trying to play them out the best I can and hope to stay on top of them.”

2nd: Duckett Hopes Consistency Pays Off

> Day 3: 5, 16-06 (15, 50-01)

For Duckett to track down Daniels, he feels like he’ll have to duplicate his output from today and then some because he doesn’t get the sense that Daniels is going to falter.

“I have a consistent thing going catching fish offshore deep,” he said, “but I’m around 16 or 17 pounds. That’s just what I have. The only thing I can do is catch 16 quick and go searching.

“I thought if you could average 17 you could win it, but it’s going to take more than that.”

He had his weight today by 12:30 so he’s hoping he can get off to a strong start and give himself ample time to seek out areas with bigger fish.

“I also don’t want to give away a good tournament to do it because 2nd ain’t bad,” he said. “Hopefully by 11, (I’ll have my weight), that gives me 3 hours to try to win it . If Mark stumbles, I want to be there on his heels.”

He lost his first five fish today off of what’s been his best spot. Rather than hang around and keep grinding, he ran to a pocket and picked off four keepers.

“I had to get my act together,” he said. “I had to get away from the negativity. I came back to that spot later and wailed on them.”

3rd: Ashley’s Hot Spot Got Quiet

> Day 3: 5, 12-06 (15, 49-12)

Ashley came into today brimming with confidence. He felt like the area that produced 20-06 on Saturday was ripe to give up another big stringer today.

It produced his two best fish today, but it was otherwise a dud.

“They just didn’t bite,” he said. “I’m not sure if they didn’t bite or if they’re gone. I’m going to find out tomorrow.”

The change in wind posed a bit of a challenge this morning in terms of boat positioning.

“It took me a while to figure out the lineup because the boat wanted to twist around like I was in an eddy,” he said.

He knows he’ll need to rebound with a bigger bag and have Daniels falter to enhance his chances of winning.

“I’ll have to catch them and (Daniels’ll) need a day like I had today which can happen,” he said. “I’m just happy to be in the top 12 in smallmouth country. I’m not throwing that sissy stuff. I’m going with the big stuff – 17-pound line and I’ve been boat-flipping 4-pounders. I didn’t do that today because I knew they’d be more valuable.”

Most of his damage has been done in 15 to 25 feet of water with a Carolina rig with a dropshot mixed in.

4th: Roy Riding Momentum Wave

> Day 3: 5, 17-15 (15, 49-07)

Roy locked up his third top-12 cut of the season today and he thinks a bigger bag is certainly possible to close it out Monday.

“I’m just trying to catch as much as I can,” he said. “Twenty (pounds) is possible. If you put yourself in position and someone leaves the door open it can work out.”

With half of the field eliminated after Saturday’s round, he was able to sample new water today and added some new spots to his rotation.

“I moved around a little more and found a couple new places,” he said. “I had nothing to lose so I went practicing after I caught a limit. There’s just not a whole lot of what I’m looking for, but every second or third one you can get a bite on it.”

He’s hoping to stay where’s at on the leaderboard (or climb), which means he’ll leave South Dakota with the lead in the Angler of the Year race with two full-field events remaining. He’s not looking ahead, but likes how he’s feeling on the water lately.

“I’m just fishing well,” he said. “I think we’ve fished six tournaments in 10 weeks and when you’re fishing well, you want to fish as many as you can because of the momentum. When you’re feeling good and fishing good, every move you make is a good one.”

5th: Bertrand Will Move Around More

> Day 3: 5, 15-05 (15, 48-08)

Bertrand has been among the most consistent anglers in the field this week and he’s hoping to duplicate his day-1 total to close the event out Monday. He’ll have to execute better than he did this morning if that’s to be the case.

“The fishing was decent and I caught fish in a few different areas, but I had some trouble keeping them on,” he said. “I had three fish come off at the boat. That gives me hope for tomorrow. If I get similar bites, I can move up if I execute.”

He thinks he’ll have to incorporate more spots tomorrow to counter the effects of the fishing pressure in the areas that seem to be holding concentrations of fish.

“I think there are fish around, but they’re getting pressured and they’re harder to catch,” he said. “I had about the same number of bites three days in a row, but I will have more room to move around tomorrow.”

He’s been targeting suspended fish in 18 to 40 feet of water over the past couple days. Berkley's new MaxScent Flat Nose Minnow and Flat Worm have been key baits along with an trusty standby for smallmouth – a Berkley GULP! Minnow.

14th: Wind Shift Cost Fritts

> Day 3: 1, 1-12 (11, 39-04)

When the wind shifted directions today, it neutralized the area Fritts had been targeting. Rather than move to another area in an effort to salvage a smaller stringer that could’ve clinched him a top-12 berth, he opted to hang around in hopes the bigger fish would return.

“I had a place to catch 10 pounds, but I knew I had chance to win it where I was,” he said. “I left them biting two days in a row, but today there was nothing there to bite.”

He only had four bites, including one in the 4-pound range he lost right away this morning.

“I’d been getting more bites than that, but you’re not catching them on the bottom, they’re not real dependable,” he added. “I think they swam off when the wind changed. Instead of it blowing toward where I was fishing, it blew away from me. I knew I could win on this one bunch of fish.”

He relied mainly on two presentations to coax bites from fish suspended off the bottom. One was a Berkley Warpig lipless crankbait and another was a Berkley Chigger Craw and a Zoom Speed Craw on a Carolina rig.

He’d rip both baits up off the bottom and many of his bites came after the fish followed it back to the bottom. Some of the Carolina rig fish wanted it within 10 feet of the surface, though.

While he was disappointed he won’t be fishing Monday, he was pleased with posting his best Elite Series finish on a lake few knew anything about before the event.

“It’s been a while so it felt real good,” he said. “It’s hard to figure out something different around these guys. I felt like I’d done that and it would’ve been nice to win it on something other than a dropshot.”

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 41 limits, 3 threes, 3 twos, 2 ones.

Weather Forecast

> Mon., July 2 – Partly Cloudy - 87°/66°
- Wind: From the ESE at 10 to 15 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL -- 15, 56-06 -- 110
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04 -- Day 3: 5, 17-06

2. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 50-01 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02 -- Day 3: 5, 16-06

3. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 15, 49-12 -- 108
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 20-06 -- Day 3: 5, 12-06

4. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 15, 49-07 -- 107
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13 -- Day 3: 5, 17-15

5. Josh Bertrand -- San Tan Valley, AZ -- 15, 48-08 -- 106
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11 -- Day 3: 5, 15-05

6. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 15, 45-07 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 07-10 -- Day 2: 5, 18-04 -- Day 3: 5, 19-09

7. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 15, 45-00 -- 104
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10 -- Day 3: 5, 17-06

8. Jacob Wheeler -- Harrison, TN -- 15, 45-00 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02 -- Day 3: 5, 14-02

9. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 42-06 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09 -- Day 3: 5, 09-08

10. Jordan Lee -- Grant, AL -- 15, 42-01 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 18-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14 -- Day 3: 5, 09-10

11. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 15, 42-00 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14 -- Day 3: 5, 14-07

12. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, CA -- 15, 41-09 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07 -- Day 3: 5, 13-06

The following anglers missed the cut and will not compete on day 4.

13. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 14, 39-11 -- 98 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 4, 11-06 -- Day 3: 5, 11-10
14. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 11, 39-04 -- 97 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-01 -- Day 3: 1, 01-12
15. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 15, 39-01 -- 96 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-11
16. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 15, 38-07 -- 95 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10 -- Day 3: 5, 18-05
17. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 15, 37-08 -- 94 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07 -- Day 3: 5, 12-15
18. Shin Fukae -- Palestine TX JAPAN -- 15, 37-05 -- 93 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-12
19. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 15, 36-13 -- 92 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00 -- Day 3: 5, 13-07
20. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, TX -- 15, 35-14 -- 91 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 07-11 -- Day 3: 5, 16-03
21. Brandon Palaniuk -- Hayden, ID -- 15, 35-13 -- 90 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03 -- Day 3: 5, 08-14
22. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 12, 34-00 -- 89 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15 -- Day 3: 2, 04-02
23. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 15, 33-14 -- 88 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14 -- Day 3: 5, 09-15
24. Dustin Connell -- Clanton, AL -- 15, 33-14 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04
25. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 15, 33-13 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10
26. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA 13 -- 33-11 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04 -- Day 3: 3, 08-01
27. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL -- 15, 33-09 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04 -- Day 3: 5, 12-00
28. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 15, 33-06 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00 -- Day 3: 5, 08-05
29. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 15, 32-14 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11 -- Day 3: 5, 09-11
30. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 13, 32-08 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 3, 03-05 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03
31. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 15, 32-08 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-10 -- Day 2: 5, 09-14 -- Day 3: 5, 12-00
32. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 13, 32-00 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-04 -- Day 2: 3, 03-06 -- Day 3: 5, 12-06
33. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX -- 15, 31-13 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-10 -- Day 3: 5, 08-10
34. Ott DeFoe -- Blaine, TN -- 15, 31-12 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 05-11 -- Day 3: 5, 13-03
35. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, PA -- 15, 31-09 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 5, 08-07
36. Jesse Wiggins -- Cullman, AL -- 10, 30-09 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 3, 09-01 -- Day 3: 2, 06-13
37. Seth Feider -- Bloomington, MN -- 15, 30-07 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07 -- Day 3: 5, 09-04
38. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 15, 28-03 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 07-13 -- Day 3: 5, 08-13
39. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 13, 28-00 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-10 -- Day 2: 4, 09-10 -- Day 3: 5, 09-12
40. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 15, 27-12 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03 -- Day 3: 5, 08-05
41. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, FL -- 10, 27-08 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 10-07 -- Day 2: 3, 08-12 -- Day 3: 3, 08-05
42. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 15, 27-02 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 07-00 -- Day 3: 5, 08-12
43. Mike McClelland -- Bentonville, AR -- 15, 27-02 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05 -- Day 3: 5, 08-01
44. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 12, 27-00 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-13 -- Day 2: 4, 08-01 -- Day 3: 3, 04-02
45. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 12, 26-06 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05 -- Day 3: 2, 03-04
46. James Elam -- Tulsa, OK -- 15, 26-03 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 08-01 -- Day 3: 5, 06-13
47. Fletcher Shryock -- Dennison, OH -- 15, 25-14 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 07-02 -- Day 3: 5, 06-02
48. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 11, 25-09 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09 -- Day 3: 1, 02-15
49. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 15, 25-06 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08 -- Day 3: 5, 06-08
50. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 12, 23-02 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 07-01 -- Day 3: 2, 02-13