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Rain Shortened Day for
Anglers at Table Rock
 KIMBERLING
CITY, Mo. - All-stars packed the leader board after day one of the CITGO
Bassmaster Tour on Table Rock Lake, Thursday, with
former CITGO Bassmaster Classic champion Paul Elias leading the pack.
Elias, of Pachuta, Miss., weighed 20 pounds, 5 ounces of bass in front of
crowds at the What's Up Dock Marina, said a good practice early in the week
gave him a leg up, despite severe weather that delayed Thursday's launch by
an hour.
"Where I caught these fish, I knew they were in there," Elias said. "I
caught
a few good ones in there in practice and left them alone, and there's still
some fish in there. I had four others hit my bait today. They hit it pretty
hard, but didn't get it, didn't even touch a hook.
"I think I can catch some, but the wind is really going to howl (Friday). It
won't hurt me there. I had some jerkbait fish, and it'll hurt me there."
Elias' catch was the heaviest of the day, earning him the $1,000 Busch
Heavyweight award, given to the participating angler with the heaviest catch
each day of the event. Elias is currently qualified for September's Busch
Shootout, a $100,000 tournament on a mystery lake. Pros with the top 10
Heavyweights after the Tour and Bassmaster Elite 50 seasons will qualify for
the tournament. Elias's catch bumped Oklahoma's Edwin Evers out of the top
10.
Mark Tucker of Arkansas was second Thursday with 18-10, and considered
himself
lucky to have boated that many fish after the delayed takeoff. Despite the
delay, he was grateful for the stormy weather.
"A delay always hurts you because you lose fishing time," he said. "I think
the fishing's getting a little bit better. I caught some fish in practice,
but
I didn't catch fish quite this size. The fish have gotten a little bigger. I
think the water warming up has helped it quite a bit.
"I'm not catching them any one way, but I'm cranking some, I'm fishing a jig
some, I'm doing a lot of different things with some isolated schools of
fish,
but it's not a deep, dark secret or anything. Wind and rain are always good
on
these lakes."
Missouri's Chad Brauer, Arizona's John Murray, and Florida's Roland Martin
rounded out the top five Thursday with weights of 16-6, 15-9 and 15-3,
respectively.
On the amateur side, Arkansas's Billy McCaghren Jr. leads after day one with
12-2. Missouri's Jeff Stevens and Arkansas's John Harris are close on his
heels with 12-1 and 11-1, respectively.
Jarrett Edwards of Del Norte, Colo., had the big bass Thursday earning him
$1,000 on the pro side for the Purolator Big Bass of the Day. If his 6-18
lunker can hold out for all four days of the tournament, he will earn an
additional $1,000 from Purolator. On the amateur side, Ohio's Mitchell Lakes
caught a 5-11 bass that put $500 in his pocket for the Purolator Big Bass.
The CITGO Bassmaster Tour event on Table Rock Lake will continue through
Sunday. Friday's launch begins at 6:30 a.m. from the What's Up Dock Marina.
Weigh-in will also be held at the What's Up Dock Marina beginning at 2:45
p.m.
Fans can watch "The CITGO Bassmasters" telecast of the Table Rock Lake
tournament on Saturday, March 13 at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
The CITGO Bassmaster Tour events this season feature the highly interactive
and
family friendly BASS Sponsor Expo area. Sponsors present interactive
exhibits
and provide a fun family experience for all ages. The Expo will take place
from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday at
What's
Up Dock Marina.
The CastingKids program presented by CITGO will be held in conjunction with
the
BASS Sponsor Expo Saturday, from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the What's Up Dock
Marina. Children between the ages of 7 and 14 can participate in the contest
with the chance to earn a scholarship.
Day 1 Pro Standings
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
| 1 |
Paul Elias |
Pachuta, MS |
5 |
20-05 |
| 2 |
Mark Davis |
Mount Ida, AR |
5 |
18-10 |
| 3 |
Chad Brauer |
Osage Beach, MO |
5 |
16-06 |
| 4 |
John Murray |
Phoenix, AZ |
5 |
15-09 |
| 5 |
Roland Martin |
Naples, FL |
5 |
15-03 |
| 6 |
Edwin Evers |
Mannsville, OK |
4 |
14-09 |
| 7 |
Tom Burns |
Carbondale, IL |
5 |
14-05 |
| 8 |
Jack Wade |
Knoxville, TN |
5 |
14-01 |
| 9 |
Takahiro Omori |
Emory, TX |
5 |
13-12 |
| 10 |
David Walker |
Sevierville, TN |
3 |
12-11 |
| 11 |
Kevin VanDam |
Kalamazoo, MI |
4 |
12-10 |
| 12 |
Todd Auten |
Lake Wylie, S.C. |
3 |
12-02 |
| 12 |
Kevin Wirth |
Crestwood, KY |
4 |
12-02 |
Angler
Hometown
No./lbs-oz
14. Mike Auten
Benton, Ky.
4 12-00
Day 1: 4 12-00
14. Tommy Biffle
Wagoner, Okla. 5
12-00
Day 1: 5 12-00
16. Gerald Swindle Hayden,
Ala. 4
11-10
Day 1: 4 11-10
17. Marty Stone
Linden, N.C.
3 11-08
Day 1: 3 11-08
18. Kelly Jordon
Mineola, Texas 4
11-02
Day 1: 4 11-02
19. George Cochran Hot
Springs, Ark. 5 10-09
Day 1: 5 10-09
20. Harold Allen
Shelbyville, Texas 3 10-04
Day 1: 3 10-04
21. Danny Correia
Marlborough, Mass. 3 9-09
Day 1: 3 9-09
22. Chris Baumgardner Gastonia, N.C.
4 9-06
Day 1: 4 9-06
23. John Crews
Jetersville, Va. 3
9-01
Day 1: 3 9-01
24. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J.
3 9-00
Day 1: 3 9-00
25. Jarrett Edwards Del Norte,
Colo. 2 8-15
$1,000.00
Day 1: 2 8-15
25. Gerald Gostenik Dearborn,
Mich. 3
8-15
Day 1: 3 8-15
27. Mike O'Shea
Westlake Village, Cali 3 8-13
Day 1: 3 8-13
28. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, Ill.
3 8-11
Day 1: 3 8-11
29. Ken Cook
Lawton, Okla. 3
8-06
Day 1: 3 8-06
30. Guy Eaker
Cherryville, N.C. 4
8-04
Day 1: 4 8-04
30. Mark Rogers
Naples, Fla.
4 8-04
Day 1: 4 8-04
32. Mark Tucker
Saint Louis, Mo. 3
8-03
Day 1: 3 8-03
33. Jimmy Mize
Ben Lomond, Ark. 3
8-02
Day 1: 3 8-02
34. Art Ferguson III Saint Clair Shores,
Mi 3 8-00
Day 1: 3 8-00
35. Charles Ingram Santa Fe,
Tenn. 4
7-13
Day 1: 4 7-13
36. Scott Suggs
Alexander, Ark. 3
7-11
Day 1: 3 7-11
37. Duke McCardle
Marietta, Ga. 3
7-06
Day 1: 3 7-06
38. Kenyon Hill
Norman, Okla. 2
7-04
Day 1: 2 7-04
39. Bud Pruitt
Spring, Texas 2
7-02
Day 1: 2 7-02
40. Mark Tyler
Scottsdale, Ariz. 3
6-15
Day 1: 3 6-15
41. Stephen Daniel
Clewiston, Fla. 3
6-14
Day 1: 3 6-14
42. Doug Garrett
Cabot, Ark.
2 6-07
Day 1: 2 6-07
43. Greg Hackney
Gonzales, La. 3
6-04
Day 1: 3 6-04
44. Mark Shepard
Labelle, Fla. 2
6-03
Day 1: 2 6-03
45. Woo Daves
Spring Grove, Va. 2
6-02
Day 1: 2 6-02
46. Gary Klein
Weatherford, Texas 2 6-01
Day 1: 2 6-01
47. Mark Menendez
Paducah, Ky.
2 6-00
Day 1: 2 6-00
48. Lance Vick
Mineola, Texas 2
5-15
Day 1: 2 5-15
49. Randall Romig
Barto, Pa.
2 5-14
Day 1: 2 5-14
50. Brent Chapman
Shawnee, Kan. 2
5-11
Day 1: 2 5-11
From BASS
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