Hartman Hanging On By An Ounce After Day 3

By Jonathan Manteuffel
Special to BassFan

Jamie Hartman has caught less weight every day at the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Champlain, but is still at the top of the leaderboard for the third day in a row. His lead is a meager 1 ounce, however, as David Mullins had a great day 3 and nearly supplanted Hartman at the top. Mullins spent the first two days tied for 5th, but today broke free to take 2nd place.

It was another sunny, calm day on Champlain and the nice weather on a Saturday brought out the pleasure boaters and local tournament fishermen. Only three of the 40 Elite Series anglers fishing today achieved the 20-pound mark. Overall, the weights appeared to be off by a pound or so on average.

Hartman’s 59-12 (17-08 on day 3) puts him close to being on pace for the pre-tournament predictions of an 80-pound winning weight, but he’ll have to get back to his daily average weight on day 4 to achieve that. Mullins (59-11, 20-10) is on a similar pace.

The rest of the Top 5 are Koby Kreiger in 3rd (59-02, 19-01), Seth Feider in 4th (59-00, 17-08) and Brandon Palaniuk in 5th (58-11, 20-05).

The lower half of the Top 10 who will fish day 4 is led by Brock Mosley in 6th (57-08, 18-09), followed by Cory Johnston in 7th (57-06, 18-11), rookie Taku Ito in 8th (57-05, 19-07), Jason Williamson in 9th (57-04, 19-09) and Ed Loughran III in 10th (57-00, 17-15).

Just missing the final day, finishing in 11th place, was defending Anger of the Year Scott Canterbury. His 56-04 aggregate left him 12 ounces out of the championship round.

Those who fell out of the Top 10 on day 3 were Canterbury (4th to 11th), Buddy Gross (9th to 12th), and Micah Frazier (10th to 13th). Replacing them were Palaniuk (11th to 5th), Ito (12th to 8th), and Williamson (13th to 9th).

Hartman had a frustrating day.

“It was atrocious,” he said. “I blew a battery around 10:30 a.m. and it shut everything down – electronics, trolling motor, all of it. I had to come in to the repair area and lost about an hour and a half.

“There were pleasure boats all over, and when I got back out to my spot there was a local tournament boat there who said he’d just caught a 4-pounder. That’s all part of it, but it was frustrating,” he added.

“I ended up weighing a 2 1/4 pound fish that I never could cull, and I had another dead fish, so I’ve lost 8 ounces in penalties so far. They’re eating the Carolina rig really well, but it’s a mushy bite so they have time to get it deep and sometimes they don’t do well after that.”

Hartman caught one fish on a dropshot today after seeing it on his graph while working the Carolina rig.

Day 4 will bring some wind and rain, and he thinks that will drive him to adjust a bit, but he’s not sure how much change he’ll have to make until he gets out there to see how the fish react.

Mullins said he fished deep for the first time in the tournament since his shallow fish weren’t responding well.

“My shallow stuff hadn’t been turning on until around noon so today I started deep,” he noted. “(By noon) I’d caught four good ones and one (smaller specimen), and went shallow for a while and got one around 3 pounds. I went back out deep and caught a 4-pounder and that was the day.”

He's weighed all smallmouths so far, whereas most of the Top 10 have weighed mixed bags or all largemouths.

“I tried going down to Ticonderoga in practice, but I couldn’t get the largemouths to cooperate,” he said. “I’ve been cranking a shallow area (on days 1 and 2) until today. I guess tomorrow I’ll start deep and see what happens. If I have to go back shallow, I will. I’m not sure how the weather will affect them so I’ll have to play it by ear.”

Mullins noted that he lost one good fish today that might have put him in the lead, as it would likely have been about a half-pound gain on the cull.

Kreiger held onto his 3rd-place standing from day 2 and is just 10 ounces off the lead.

“I caught everything today on topwaters,” he said. “The water was slick calm and they’d come up but they weren’t taking it as well as before. I guess if I had about a 60- or 70-percent blow-up to catch ratio I was doing good today.

“They weren’t biting as well as the last few days. I’m not sure what the problem was. I probably caught as many but they weren’t as big, and the big ones didn’t commit like yesterday,” he added. “I was able to get a few that missed the topwater to come back for a wacky-rigged V&M Chopstick.”

Most of his fish hit a Super Spook Jr in bone silver color, though some ate a Rebel Pop-R.

“I started throwing the Pop-R to see if they’d (bite) a smaller, slower bait better,” he noted. He was fishing shallow water only around 5 feet deep with scattered boulders and grass.

“I put my Talons down and just saturated the area around the boat, and then moved a ways and did it again,” he added.

Kreiger thinks that if the wind blows substantially and it’s overcast, he may go back to his jerkbait program.

“The first two days I used my Humminbird 360 to see fish around isolated cover in about 10 feet of water, and I’d throw the jerkbait at them,” he said. “I may have to go back to that.”

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 40 anglers, 39 limits, 1 two

> Matt Herren weighed only 10-08 on day 3 (44-11 total), after catching over a 16-pound average the first two days. He woke up with his arm hurting so badly he could barely move it, and will be headed to an orthopedic doctor’s office as soon as he gets home to Alabama.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., Aug. 2 – Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers – 82°/70°
- Wind: From the S at 6-16 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 15, 59-12 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 22-01 -- Day 2: 5, 20-03 -- Day 3: 5, 17-08

2. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 15, 59-11 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 19-13 -- Day 2: 5, 19-04 -- Day 3: 5, 20-10

3. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 15, 59-02 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 18-01 -- Day 2: 5, 22-00 -- Day 3: 5, 19-01

4. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 15, 59-00 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 20-01 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07 -- Day 3: 5, 17-08

5. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 15, 58-11 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 19-12 -- Day 2: 5, 18-10 -- Day 3: 5, 20-05

6. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 15, 57-08 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 19-13 -- Day 2: 5, 19-02 -- Day 3: 5, 18-09

7. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, ON -- 15, 57-06 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 21-08 -- Day 3: 5, 18-11

8. Taku Ito -- Chiba, JAPAN -- 15, 57-05 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 19-06 -- Day 3: 5, 19-07

9. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 15, 57-04 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-07 -- Day 3: 5, 19-09

10. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 15, 57-00 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-13 -- Day 3: 5, 17-15

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 4.

11. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 15, 56-04 -- 90 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 19-03 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02 -- Day 3: 5, 16-15

12. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, GA -- 15, 55-04 -- 89 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 21-02 -- Day 2: 5, 17-06 -- Day 3: 5, 16-12

13. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 15, 55-02 -- 88 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 20-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-14 -- Day 3: 5, 16-12

14. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 15, 55-01 -- 87 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-08 -- Day 3: 5, 19-03

15. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, ON -- 15, 54-15 -- 86 -- $12,000
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 18-05 -- Day 3: 5, 19-07

16. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 15, 54-05 -- 85 -- $11,000
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 18-11 -- Day 3: 5, 20-05

17. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 15, 54-01 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08 -- Day 3: 5, 17-09

18. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 15, 53-12 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-04 -- Day 3: 5, 18-08

19. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 15, 53-12 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11 -- Day 3: 5, 18-01

20. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15, 53-10 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 18-13 -- Day 3: 5, 16-01

21. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 15, 53-00 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11 -- Day 3: 5, 18-02

22. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, AL -- 15, 53-00 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00 -- Day 3: 5, 17-11

23. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 15, 52-13 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-09 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08 -- Day 3: 5, 15-12

24. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 15, 52-13 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 17-10 -- Day 3: 5, 17-09

25. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 15, 52-11 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-11 -- Day 3: 5, 17-15

26. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 15, 52-09 -- 75 -- $11,000
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-04 -- Day 3: 5, 14-15

27. Hunter Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 15, 52-06 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 19-06 -- Day 3: 5, 16-00

28. Patrick Walters -- Summerville, SC -- 15, 52-06 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-05 -- Day 3: 5, 18-00

29. Garrett Paquette -- Canton, MI -- 15, 52-06 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00 -- Day 3: 5, 16-15

30. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, ON -- 15, 52-04 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12 -- Day 3: 5, 16-02

31. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 15, 52-03 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 19-12 -- Day 2: 5, 17-05 -- Day 3: 5, 15-02

32. Drew Cook -- Midway, FL -- 15, 50-14 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11 -- Day 3: 5, 16-07

33. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 15, 50-09 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-05 -- Day 3: 5, 16-03

34. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 15, 50-04 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-12 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08 -- Day 3: 5, 15-00

35. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 15, 50-01 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 19-11 -- Day 3: 5, 14-08

36. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 15, 47-00 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02 -- Day 3: 5, 12-10

37. Rob Digh -- Denver, NC -- 15, 46-13 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-14

38. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 15, 44-11 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10 -- Day 3: 5, 10-08

39. Derek Hudnall -- Denham Springs, LA -- 15, 44-07 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10

40. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 12, 40-02 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13 -- Day 3: 2 -- 03-13