By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
For many in the Bassmaster Elite Series field, picking today’s first fishing spot was much like throwing a dart at a map while blindfolded. Regardless of where it landed, nobody knew quite what to expect.
Such is life for the 88 anglers who waited out two days of postponements due to high winds sandwiched around a cold front to get the 2020 season started at the St. Johns River in northeastern Florida.
Kelley Jaye seemed to land on the right spot, though. The Alabama pro, entering his eighth Elite Series season, said he recycled some areas from last year’s season opener when he finished 11th and it paid off in a big way.
Jaye caught 21-07 to set the pace in what will now be a three-day tournament due to competition being postponed both Thursday and Friday (and another tournament set for next week at Lake Chickamauga). It’s the first time in Jaye’s Elite Series career he’s held the lead and his 9-02 kicker stood out as the big fish of the day. Paul Mueller (20-08) and Clark Wendlandt (20-00) also cracked the 20-pound mark while Steve Kennedy bagged a 19-00 limit and sits in 4th.
Reigning Elite Series Angler of the Year Scott Canterbury didn’t miss a beat despite the long wait to open defense of his title. Canterbury caught 17-14, which was good enough for 5th.
The St. Johns was fickle today as low tide was compounded by a southwest wind and post-front conditions. Half of the field came in without a limit, but with fishing conditions expected to improve with the current warming trend, Sunday figures to be an all-out scramble to get inside the top 20 for the final round Monday, when temperatures are expected to approach 80 degrees.
Two-time St. Johns winner Rick Clunn was among those who struggled today. He sits in 63rd with 5-02. Meanwhile, former Elite Series AOY winners Gerald Swindle and Brandon Palaniuk made their return to the circuit after competing on the Bass Pro Tour in 2019. Swindle is 17th with 13-03 while Palaniuk is tied for 32nd with 10-05.
Today was meaningful for Jaye on multiple fronts. After falling 10 points short of a berth in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic last year, he admittedly came into this season with a chip on his shoulder, so starting strong gives him a jolt of confidence. Also, with so much uncertainty about what the water conditions would be like after two solid days of high winds, he was pleased to find his first stop fishable and productive.
“It feels good, especially with no AOY championship (event) this year,” he said. “Every event is crucial. I started off good last year and just missed the Classic. It’s always good to start off well. It sure beats the alternative. Two out of the last three years, I lost a Classic berth at the AOY event, so I’m ready for it to not come down to that anymoe.”
Jaye said it’d difficult to have consistent expectations at this time of year in Florida, especially with how much the weather has changed. With a full moon on tap Sunday, though, he figures fishing conditions should start to improve, although he doesn’t anticipate a repeat of last year’s event when a warming trend triggered a big wave of fish to move shallow during the tournament.
“I think they’ve already had one or two major spawns already,” he said. “We’re not hitting it at the perfect time. Last year, we hit it right. There are still fish coming up, but not like last year. At least, I don’t think you can win by doing that.”
Jaye, whose stringer today eclipsed his tournament totals from three events during the 2019 season, believes the cold front that came through Thursday night worked in his favor because it caused the fish that had started to crowd the bank to retreat to deeper water.
“That cold front was big because it pushed them off the bank,” he said. “The low tide and southwest wind blew the water out from the lower end of (Lake) George and those fish couldn’t get on the bank. I wasn’t on the bank. I was offshore and they came to me.”
In many ways, it was the perfect recipe for Jaye, who revisited old waypoints. Within the first hour, he caught a 4 1/2-pounder and his 9-pound kicker. By 10 a.m., he had the weight he brought to the scales.
“It didn’t take long,” he said. “I caught a 4 1/2 on my fifth cast and 30 minutes later, I caught that 9. I knew I was in the right area,” said Jaye, who tallied nine keepers. “Luckily, I caught them in the same place as last year. I pretty much knew where I was going (to start), so as long as I could get in there, I figured I should be able to catch them. I felt good about it going into this morning. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. Last year, on day 3 I went to the bank to catch them. I'm prepared to do that again, but I don’t want to.”
Buddy Gross had the best day among the 11 newcomers to the Elite Series today with 15-05, which put him in 12th place. After four seasons on the FLW Tour, where he collected two wins, he was anxious to get his first day of Elite Series competition out of the way.
“For myself, I needed to have a good start,” he said. “Whether I back it up or not, we’ll see, but it felt like my first tournament. I don’t get tore up usually, but this morning I was pumped up once I got a limit. I did way better than I thought I was going to do, but I had my weight by 9:30 and didn’t have a bite the rest of the day so I’m still missing what everybody else is doing.”
He said he watched the wind forecast throughout practice and tried to pinpoint areas that would stay protected for the most part.
“Today, I didn’t have any spots where I thought it would be special. I just pulled up and they were there, so I think I got lucky,” he said. “My hope is to get 10 pounds tomorrow and get out of here alive. I don’t think I have the winning bag there, but I hope I do. My goal was 10 pounds and I beat that. I needed a good start to stay in contention for Monday.”
Weather Forecast
> Sun., Feb. 9 – Mostly Sunny - 69°/41°
- Wind: From the NE at 5 to 10 mph
> Mon., Feb. 10 – Partly Cloudy - 79°/51°
- Wind: From the SE at 5 to 10 mph
Day 1 Standings
1. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 5, 21-07 -- 100 -- $1,000.00
Day 1: 5, 21-07
2. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 20-08 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 20-08
3. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 5, 20-00 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 20-00
4. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 19-00 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 19-00
5. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 5, 17-14 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 17-14
6. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 17-11 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 17-11
7. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 17-05 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 17-05
8. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 16-13 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 16-13
9. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 5, 16-12 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 16-12
10. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 5, 16-02 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 16-02
11. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 5, 15-11 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 15-11
12. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, GA -- 5, 15-05 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 15-05
13. Jay Yelas -- Lincoln City, OR -- 5, 13-15 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 13-15
14. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 5, 13-11 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 13-11
15. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 13-09 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 13-09
16. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 13-04 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 13-04
17. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 13-03 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 13-03
18. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 12-10 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 12-10
19. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 12-05 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 12-05
19. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 5, 12-05 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 12-05
21. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, AL -- 5, 11-13 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 11-13
22. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland TN AUSTRALIA -- 5, 11-11 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 11-11
23. Randy Pierson -- Oakdale, CA -- 4, 11-11 -- 78
Day 1: 4, 11-11
24. Drew Benton -- Blakely, GA -- 5, 11-09 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 11-09
25. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 5, 11-04 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 11-04
26. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 4, 11-02 -- 75
Day 1: 4, 11-02
27. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 11-01 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 11-01
28. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 10-10 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 10-10
28. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 5, 10-10 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 10-10
30. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 3, 10-09 -- 71
Day 1: 3, 10-09
31. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 4, 10-08 -- 70
Day 1: 4, 10-08
32. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 10-05 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 10-05
32. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 10-05 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 10-05
34. Destin DeMarion -- Grove City, PA -- 5, 09-14 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 09-14
35. Drew Cook -- Midway, FL -- 5, 09-10 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 09-10
36. Chad Pipkens -- Lansing, MI -- 5, 09-09 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 09-09
36. Patrick Walters -- Summerville, SC -- 5, 09-09 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 09-09
38. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 09-08 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 09-08
39. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 5, 09-06 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 09-06
40. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 4, 08-13 -- 61
Day 1: 4, 08-13
41. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 5, 08-12 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 08-12
42. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 4, 08-12 -- 59
Day 1: 4, 08-12
43. Chris Groh -- Spring Grove, IL -- 4, 08-11 -- 58
Day 1: 4, 08-11
44. Jesse Tacoronte -- Kissimmee, FL -- 5, 08-10 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 08-10
45. Taku Ito -- Chiba JAPAN -- 5, 08-09 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 08-09
46. Harvey Horne -- Bella Vista, AR -- 4, 08-07 -- 55
Day 1: 4, 08-07
47. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 3, 08-06 -- 54
Day 1: 3, 08-06
48. Brandon Card -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 07-14 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 07-14
48. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 07-14 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 07-14
48. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 07-14 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 07-14
51. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 07-13 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 07-13
52. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 07-12 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 07-12
53. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 3, 07-09 -- 48
Day 1: 3, 07-09
54. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 4, 07-08 -- 47
Day 1: 4, 07-08
55. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 3, 07-05 -- 46
Day 1: 3, 07-05
56. Rob Digh -- Denver, NC -- 5, 07-04 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 07-04
57. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 1, 06-14 -- 44
Day 1: 1, 06-14
58. Cory Johnston -- Cavan CANADA -- 4, 06-09 -- 43
Day 1: 4, 06-09
59. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 3, 06-07 -- 42
Day 1: 3, 06-07
60. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 3, 06-03 -- 41
Day 1: 3, 06-03
61. Bob Downey -- Hudson, WI -- 4, 05-13 -- 40
Day 1: 4, 05-13
62. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 4, 05-06 -- 39
Day 1: 4, 05-06
63. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 3, 05-02 -- 38
Day 1: 3, 05-02
64. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 2, 04-11 -- 37
Day 1: 2, 04-11
65. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough Ontario CA -- 3, 04-08 -- 36
Day 1: 3, 04-08
66. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin Ontario CANADA -- 3, 04-04 -- 35
Day 1: 3, 04-04
67. Gary Clouse -- Winchester, TN -- 2, 04-01 -- 34
Day 1: 2, 04-01
67. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 2, 04-01 -- 34
Day 1: 2, 04-01
69. Greg DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 3, 04-00 -- 32
Day 1: 3, 04-00
70. Bill Weidler -- Helena, AL -- 1, 03-07 -- 31
Day 1: 1, 03-07
71. Cody Hollen -- Beaverton, OR -- 1, 03-06 -- 30
Day 1: 1, 03-06
71. Lee Livesay -- Gladewater, TX -- 1, 03-06 -- 30
Day 1: 1, 03-06
73. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, FL -- 2, 03-03 -- 28
Day 1: 2, 03-03
73. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 2, 03-03 -- 28
Day 1: 2, 03-03
75. Mike Huff -- Corbin, KY -- 2, 03-01 -- 26
Day 1: 2, 03-01
76. Garrett Paquette -- Canton, MI -- 2, 02-13 -- 25
Day 1: 2, 02-13
77. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 2, 02-11 -- 24
Day 1: 2, 02-11
78. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 2, 02-08 -- 23
Day 1: 2, 02-08
79. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 1, 02-06 -- 22
Day 1: 1, 02-06
80. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 1, 01-13 -- 21
Day 1: 1, 01-13
81. Derek Hudnall -- Baton Rouge, LA -- 1, 01-06 -- 20
Day 1: 1, 01-06
82. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 1, 01-05 -- 19
Day 1: 1, 01-05
83. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 1, 01-04 -- 18
Day 1: 1, 01-04
84. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, OK -- 1, 01-00 -- 17
Day 1: 1, 01-00
85. Quentin Cappo -- Prairieville, LA -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00
85. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00
85. Hunter Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00
85. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, TX -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00
