By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff
PALATKA, Fla. — Cory Johnston knew he was playing a high-stakes game, but the Canadian pro believed the potential payoff justified his day’s commitment.
Cashing in on his gamble, Johnston sacked up a five-bass limit of 27 pounds, 8 ounces to lead Day 2 of the Bassmaster Elite Series event at the St. Johns River.
After placing second on Day 1 with 23-3, Johnston now has a two-day mark of 50-11. The only competitor to break 20 pounds on both of the first two days, Johnston heads into Saturday with a lead of 11-9 over North Carolina’s Matt Arey.
Repeating his Day 1 strategy of targeting bed-fish in Salt Springs, which runs off the northwest side of Lake George, Johnston described the requisite plodding pace.
“It takes a lot of patience; it’s not like it’s fast and furious,” he said. “You fish all day and it’s one of those high-risk, high-reward things.
“I went probably three hours midday without catching a fish. It was a lot of looking at them and trying to see which fish are going to bite. Sometimes, you waste an hour on one and it never even bites.”
Well-schooled in the ways of bed-fish, Johnston said he expected nothing less. Several fish pushed him to the limit of exasperation, but persistence proved to be his best tool.
“Every fish is different, you just have to see what they’re doing and see if you can get them to react,” he said. “Some you can get close to, some you can’t. They’re super finicky in that clear water and they’re not easy to catch.”
Fortunately, his biggest fish — a 7-10 that bit around 8:40 a.m. — was fired up and ready to bite. While neighboring fish often required multiple presentations, this bass made the day’s highlight reel.
“Nothing I love more than a one-flipper,” Johnston said. “I don’t usually get too excited, but that one got me excited.”
Noting that he caught his bass by flipping a variety of plastics, Johnston said he’s hoping Day 3 brings a complexion similar to the second day’s warm, calm conditions.
“We’ll see how it goes; weather dictates a lot of what I’m going to do,” he said. “If we get weather that isn’t conducive to what I want to do, I’m gonna have to switch it up and do something totally different. I’m just hoping I can get one more day out of it.
"I was shocked that this place held up. I thought after yesterday, it was done. Hopefully a couple more stay locked on and we can go back and do it again tomorrow.
Arey started strong with a fourth-place Day 1 limit that weighed 21-0. Adding 18-2 lifted him two spots with a total weight of 39-2.
Beginning his day by flipping main-river pads, Arey caught a small limit and then relocated to Salt Springs, where he flipped soft plastics and culled four of his fish. Arey said he was thankful his second locale delivered because his first stop was leaner than he’d expected.
“I only had about 6 pounds when I went into Salt Springs,” he said. “Yesterday, I had about 10-11 when I went in there. I did lose a couple fish this morning and one was about a 2 1/2-pounder.”
Arey said he’s encouraged with the Salt Springs potential.
“I need to catch 25 to 30 pounds and I’ve seen it swimming around in there,” he said. “They’re not locked down and you can’t catch them right now, but who knows what’s in store for tomorrow.”
Bob Downey of Detroit Lakes, Minn., is in third place with 38-12. Posting a respectable limit of 16-1, Downey placed 28th on Day 1. Adding 22-1 Friday, he raced 25 spots up the standings.
Mixing up his tactics, Downey said he spent most of his time winding reaction baits. He opted to keep the details thin, but he said picking up the pace served him well.
“Yesterday, I went through this area kind of methodically and had a couple nip at my worm,” Downey said. “I started winding through there and it turned out that’s what they wanted."
Bracing his limit with a pair of kickers — a 7-0 and a 7-10 — Downey said he was thankful for the numerical advantage.
“My other three were 2 1/4- to 2 3/4-pounds and just two giants today,” he said. “Yesterday, I had three good ones and two rats. Today, I had a better average.”
John Cox of DeBary, Fla., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 8-0.
The Top 50 remaining anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET Saturday from Palatka City Dock & Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held back at the ramp at 3 p.m., with only the Top 10 advancing to Sunday with a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.
Day 2 Standings
1. Cory Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 10, 50-11 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 23-03 -- Day 2: 5, 27-08
2. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 10, 39-02 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 21-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-02
3. Bob Downey -- Detroit Lakes, MN -- 10, 38-12 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 22-11
4. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 10, 38-00 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07
5. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 10, 37-00 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 17-06 -- Day 2: 5, 19-10
6. Jacob Foutz -- Charleston, TN -- 10, 36-07 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-12
7. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 36-02 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 19-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-13
8. Jake Whitaker -- Hendersonville, NC -- 10, 35-07 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 20-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01
9. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 10, 34-06 -- 95 -- $1,000
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 20-15
10. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 10, 34-03 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 19-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-04
11. Jason Christie -- Dry Creek, OK -- 10, 33-14 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 21-13
12. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 10, 33-00 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 21-00 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00
13. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 10, 32-14 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12
14. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 10, 32-12 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 22-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12
15. Todd Auten -- Clover, SC -- 10, 32-07 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 16-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02
16. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 10, 32-06 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 17-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08
17. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 6, 32-03 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 28-08 -- Day 2: 1, 03-11
18. Logan Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 32-03 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 11-01 -- Day 2: 5, 21-02
19. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 32-03 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 20-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06
20. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 31-08 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04
21. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 31-04 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11
22. Kyle Norsetter -- Cottage Grove, WI -- 10, 31-03 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05
23. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 30-14 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10
24. Wesley Gore -- Clanton, AL -- 10, 30-12 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 17-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13
25. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 10, 30-05 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 19-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04
26. Trey McKinney -- Carbondale, IL -- 10, 29-15 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 20-14 -- Day 2: 5, 09-01
27. Cooper Gallant -- Bowmanville, ON -- 10, 29-14 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-05
28. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 10, 29-07 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15
29. Derek Hudnall -- Zachary, LA -- 10, 29-06 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14
30. Jordan Lee -- Cullman, AL -- 10, 29-06 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04
31. Cody Huff -- Ava, MO -- 10, 29-04 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 13-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14
32. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 10, 29-02 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-03
33. Alex Redwine -- Blue Ash, OH -- 10, 29-01 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15
34. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, PA -- 10, 28-11 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06
35. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 10, 28-10 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 16-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08
36. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 7, 28-09 -- 68
Day 1: 2, 08-09 -- Day 2: 5, 20-00
37. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 10, 28-05 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04
38. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 10, 28-02 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04
39. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 10, 27-15 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01
40. Kyle Welcher -- Valley, AL -- 10, 27-15 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00
41. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 27-14 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11
42. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 10, 27-08 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12
43. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 10, 27-07 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-00
44. Alex Wetherell -- Middletown, CT -- 10, 27-07 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 16-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03
45. Robert Gee -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 27-06 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-07
46. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 10, 27-03 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07
47. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 10, 27-02 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07
48. Ben Milliken -- New Caney, TX -- 10, 26-15 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04
49. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 10, 26-13 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 15-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-00
50. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 10, 26-13 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on Day 3
51. Tyler Williams -- Belgrade, ME -- 10, 26-11 -- 53 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06
52. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 10, 26-11 -- 52 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12
53. Cole Sands -- Calhoun , TN -- 10, 26-08 -- 51 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12
54. Buddy Gross -- Chattanooga, TN -- 10, 26-08 -- 50 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01
55. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 10, 26-04 -- 49 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 05-09 -- Day 2: 5, 20-11
56. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 26-04 -- 48 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-03
57. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 10, 26-03 -- 47 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04
58. Timothy Dube -- Nashua, NH -- 10, 26-03 -- 46 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13
59. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 10, 26-02 -- 45 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11
60. John Garrett -- Union City, TN -- 10, 25-12 -- 44 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 10-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15
61. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 10, 25-04 -- 43 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12
62. Frank Talley -- Belton, TX -- 10, 25-01 -- 42 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07
63. Jay Przekurat -- Plover, WI -- 10, 24-13 -- 41 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14
64. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 24-10 -- 40 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12
65. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 10, 23-11 -- 39 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01
66. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 10, 23-10 -- 38 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08
67. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 23-09 -- 37 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07
68. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 10, 23-08 -- 36 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 09-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00
69. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka, JAPAN -- 10, 23-08 -- 35 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11
70. Kyle Patrick -- Cooperstown, NY -- 10, 23-06 -- 34 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10
71. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 10, 23-06 -- 33 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08
72. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 9, 23-05 -- 32 -- $2,500
Day 1: 4, 14-13 -- Day 2: 5, 08-08
73. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA 10 -- 23-04 -- 31 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11
74. Bryant Smith -- Roseville, CA -- 10, 23-04 -- 30 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03
75. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 10, 23-03 -- 29 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 09-00
76. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 10, 23-03 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07
77. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS -- 10, 23-02 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12
78. Matty Wong -- Honolulu, HI -- 10, 22-15 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 08-07
79. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 10, 22-15 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 09-06
80. Taku Ito -- Dalton, JAPAN -- 10, 22-14 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 09-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02
81. John Soukup -- Sapulpa, OK -- 10, 22-14 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13
82. Patrick Walters -- Eutawville, SC -- 10, 22-13 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07
83. Will Davis Jr -- Sylacauga, AL -- 10, 22-12 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11
84. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 10, 22-11 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-02
85. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 10, 22-08 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10
86. Bryan New -- Leesville, SC -- 10, 21-08 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 08-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10
87. Joseph Webster -- Hamilton, AL -- 10, 21-08 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 09-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10
88. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 21-05 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09
89. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 21-02 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 07-07
90. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 10, 20-09 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 09-10 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15
91. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, AL -- 10, 20-07 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03
92. KJ Queen -- Catawba, NC -- 10, 19-00 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 07-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03
93. Mike Huff -- London, KY -- 10, 19-00 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01
94. JT Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 7, 18-15 -- 10
Day 1: 2, 04-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09
95. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 10, 18-15 -- 9
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15
96. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 18-10 -- 8
Day 1: 5, 08-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05
97. Joey Cifuentes III -- Clinton, AR -- 10, 18-07 -- 7
Day 1: 5, 10-07 -- Day 2: 5, 08-00
98. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 17-13 -- 6
Day 1: 5, 08-14 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15
99. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 10, 16-14 -- 5
Day 1: 5, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03
100. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 10, 16-00 -- 4
Day 1: 5, 06-13 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03
101. Jeff Gustafson -- Kenora, ON -- 10, 15-05 -- 3
Day 1: 5, 06-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10
102. Logan Parks -- Auburn, AL -- 9, 14-09 -- 2
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 4, 04-00
103. Kyoya Fujita -- Yamanashi, JAPAN -- 8, 12-07 -- 1
Day 1: 3, 05-11 -- Day 2: 5, 06-12
