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Reigning Classic
Champion Takes Guntersville Lead
 Temperatures
are still frigid at the Bassmaster Tour event at Lake Guntersville, AL.
However, anglers prevailed over the weather again by bringing in heavy sacks
of bass. Although the mercury plunged overnight, weights remained high
at what many pros regard as the top lake in the Southeast.
New Jersey's Mike Iaconelli, the reigning Classic Champion brought in a
limit weighing 24-6 to leap from second and snatch the lead. Texan Zell
Rowland took Ike's second place spot with 23-8, a mere 10 ounces off the
lead. Former Classic Champion Kevin VanDam of Michigan dropped from his Day
1 lead to 5th place today.
Iaconelli, who used his signature "power fishing" technique all day, was
pleased that his two-day weight of 48-9 helped him make today's field cut to
the top 12.
"I'm catching staging fish (mostly) pre-spawn females," Iaconelli said.
"But, the one negative thing is that I'm not getting a lot of bites, but
when I get a bite, it's a big one. I'm throwing it down. I'm fishing the
outside edge of a weed line. The key depth is about 8-15 feet. That's where
I'm getting my bites. I'd say, by Sunday, if it starts warming up, those
fish will start
coming up."
Zell Rowland, who was fishing a Booyah spinnerbait, agreed that the
temperatures were a big hurdle, but had a lot to say about Guntersville as a
fishery.
"I'd love to be here in about a month," Rowland said. "... This lake is the
best. ... When you'd throw a spinnerbait up there and it hits the water, you
wouldn't turn the handle three times and one would grab it."
Missouri's Stacy King had a big day Friday as he jumped up to third spot and
became the Busch Heavyweight of the day with a 28-pound, 2-ounce catch.
Along with the $1,000 prize, King will have the opportunity to fish at a
mystery lake Sept. 18 in the Busch Shootout tournament if his catch remains
one of the top 10 heaviest from the Tour and Bassmaster Elite 50 series.
Fellow Missourian Chad Brauer (46-12) is tied with King for third with
VanDam (46-5), Arkansas's George Cochran (46-1), Kentucky's Mike Auten
(41-14), Texas's David Wharton (39-14), Mississippi's Paul Elias (38-14),
Florida's Jim Bitter (38-9), Ohio's Charlie Hartley (37-15) and Tennessee's
David Walker (37-12) joining them to make the top 12 for the third day of
competition.
On the amateur side, Alabama's Philip Dukes took the lead with a two-day
weight of 33-13, followed by North Carolina's Mark Lamb and Alabama's
William Carter with 27-7 and 26-9 respectively.
The Purolator Big Bass of the day went to pro Dennis Kolender from Nevada,
who hauled in a 9-pound, 1-ounce bass and $1,000 from Purolator. On the
amateur side, Virginia's William Robinson landed a 9-10 lunker that awarded
him $500 for the day puts him in contention for a $1,000 bonus if it holds
out to become the Purolator Big Bass of the Tournament after Sunday's final
round.
The CITGO Bassmaster Tour event on Lake Guntersville will continue Saturday.
Launch begins at 6:30 a.m. from the Lake Guntersville State Park. Weigh-in
will be held at the State Park as well beginning at 3 p.m.
Fans can watch "The CITGO Bassmasters" telecast of the Lake Guntersville
tournament on Saturday, March 6 at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
Day 2 Pro Standings
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
| 1 |
Michael Iaconelli |
Runnemede, N.J. |
10 |
48-09 |
| 2 |
Zell Rowland |
Montgomery, TX |
10 |
47-15 |
| 3 |
Chad Brauer |
Osage Beach, MO |
10 |
46-12 |
| 3 |
Stacey D. King |
Reeds Spring, MO |
10 |
46-12 |
| 5 |
Kevin VanDam |
Kalamazoo, MI |
10 |
46-05 |
| 6 |
George Cochran |
Hot Springs, AR |
10 |
46-01 |
| 7 |
Mike Auten |
Benton, KY |
10 |
41-14 |
| 8 |
David Wharton |
Sam Rayburn, TX |
10 |
39-14 |
| 9 |
Paul L. Elias |
Pachuta, MS |
10 |
38-14 |
| 10 |
Jim Bitter |
Fruitland Park, FL |
10 |
38-09 |
| 11 |
Charlie Hartley |
Grove City, OH |
10 |
37-15 |
| 12 |
David Walker |
Sevierville, TN |
10 |
37-12 |
The following anglers did not qualify to fish the final two days.
Rank Angler Hometown
Bass Weight Points Winnings
13. Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Ark. 10 37-11 251 $5,400.00
Day 1: 5 23-01 Day 2: 5 14-10
14. Aaron Martens Castaic, Calif. 10 37-02 248 $5,300.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 21-05
15. Robert Lee Angels Camp, Calif. 10 37-01 245 $5,200.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 17-11
16. David Fritts Lexington, N.C. 10 37-00 243 $5,100.00
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 15-10
17. Scott Rook Little Rock, Ark. 10 36-04 241 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 15-03
18. Brent Chapman Shawnee, Kan. 10 35-07 239 $4,900.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 16-12
19. Jimmy D Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 10 35-05 237 $4,800.00
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 18-08
20. Gerald Gostenik Dearborn, Mich. 10 34-12 235 $4,700.00
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 14-03
21. Randy Blaukat Lamar, Mo. 10 34-11 233 $4,600.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 17-11
22. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, Mo. 10 34-04 231 $4,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 21-13
23. Joe Thomas Milford, Ohio 9 34-00 229 $4,400.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 4 16-02
24. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 10 33-15 227 $4,300.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 16-13
25. Brian Snowden Springfield, Mo. 10 33-07 225 $4,200.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 18-02
26. Lee Bailey Hebron, Conn. 9 33-01 223 $4,100.00
Day 1: 4 13-06 Day 2: 5 19-11
27. Marcel Veenstra Brighton, Mich. 10 32-14 221 $3,900.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 16-03
28. Jimmy Houston Cookson, Okla. 9 32-12 219 $3,800.00
Day 1: 4 14-15 Day 2: 5 17-13
29. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 10 32-07 217 $3,700.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 17-14
30. Harold Allen Shelbyville, Texas 10 31-14 215 $3,600.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 14-08
31. Guy H Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 10 31-13 213 $3,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 13-06
32. Coby Carden Shelby, Ala. 10 31-12 211 $3,400.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 18-01
33. Chris Price Church Hill, Md. 10 29-15 209 $3,300.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 16-02
34. Jason Barber Gun Barrel City, Texas 10 29-13 207 $3,150.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 16-15
34. Mark Rizk Arab, Ala. 9 29-13 207 $3,150.00
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 4 10-06
36. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 10 29-04 203 $2,950.00
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 11-12
36. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 8 29-04 203 $2,950.00
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 3 11-12
38. Brett Hite Phoenix, Ariz. 8 28-15 199 $2,800.00
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 3 7-12
39. Tim Loper Terry, Miss. 10 28-13 197 $2,700.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 12-11
40. David Mansue Robbinsville, N.J. 10 28-05 195 $2,600.00
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 15-06
41. Randy Yarnall Womelsdorf, Pa. 9 28-02 193 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 10-01 Day 2: 5 18-01
42. Tim Horton Tuscumbia, Ala. 9 28-01 191 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 10-09 Day 2: 5 17-08
43. Kevin Short Mayflower, Ark. 8 27-14 189 $2,400.00
Day 1: 4 10-12 Day 2: 4 17-02
44. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 10 27-12 187 $2,375.00
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 12-09
44. Elton Luce Jr Brookeland, Texas 9 27-12 187 $2,375.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 4 14-08
46. Thomas O O'Bryant Drummonds, Tenn. 8 27-10 183 $2,350.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 3 9-01
47. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 9 27-08 181 $2,266.67
Day 1: 4 9-07 Day 2: 5 18-01
47. Mike O'Shea Westlake Village, Cali 8 27-08 181 $2,266.67
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 3 9-09
47. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 7 27-08 181 $2,266.67
Day 1: 2 10-02 Day 2: 5 17-06
50. Steve Daniel Clewiston, Fla. 8 27-02 175 $2,200.00
Day 1: 3 12-00 Day 2: 5 15-02
By Brandon Shook
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