Maybe it was the prohibition on forward-facing sonar. Maybe it was the moon phase. Maybe it’s just a Mississippi thing. But for the first time in a long time, three pros born in the Nixon administration are at the top of the Progressive Elite Series leaderboard.
Among them, Bill Lowen, Mike Iaconelli and Randy Howell have 48 Bassmaster Classic appearances, including two wins. They’re also used to shallow and occasionally stingy river fisheries.
“I grew up on the Ohio River,” Lowen said. “It’s just like this, minus the stumps, the weeds and the bass.”
Ike is from Philly and had a notable Elite win on the Delaware River, as well as a Classic win on the Louisiana Delta. What a coda it would be to his Hall of Fame career if he were to bring his distinct form of northern aggression to Mississippi. Howell, meanwhile, has been on tour longer than any of them. Not only does he have crankbaits older than half the field, but he also has offspring older than them, too.
But this tournament is still young, and while the numbers so far have been higher than the sandbaggers had prognosticated, there’s a chance that some aspect of their negativity will prove correct – there’s not an endless supply of bass here, and today’s hero could easily zero tomorrow.
That’s an uncharitable and perhaps unreasonably negative way of saying that this tournament’s going to come down to who can survive, get a few breaks along the way, and outlast the others in his area. There’s likely no magic spot, no ability to get rich by making the same cast over and over again. Anyone who contends for the victory is going to earn it and have the stump-issued scars to prove it.
Here are my impressions of Day 1 from a first-time Elite venue, along with what I saw and heard at the weigh-in:
Cut Weight Anomaly – The cut weight is always important, because if you’re on the wrong side of it you earn an early ticket home or to work the expo. This week, it’s less predictable than normal. “We go a lot of places where double or double plus a pound is the cut weight,” said Steve Kennedy (14th, 13-15, also born in the early months of the Nixon administration) “It cannot double here.” That’s because the fish have been beaten up. There is tons of water in this system but the fish are concentrated, and few anglers expect them to replenish, especially the bass that are in the act of spawning.
Cut Weight Math – Despite what I wrote above, after Day 1 the 50th place angler (Russ Lane) has 11-5. Double that and it could take 22-10 to get to fish on Saturday. How close is it? Go up 1 pound to 12-5 and you’re in 30th. Go down 1 pound to 10-5 and you’re in 68th. Another reason to expect some movement tomorrow: One or two good bites or ill-timed mistakes can easily mean a dozen places or more in one direction or the other.
Howell’s Back – Randy Howell returned to the Elite Series last season, but didn’t have the success he expected, finishing 70th in the AOY race. Then this year started worse, with a 99th place finish on his home waters at Guntersville, followed by a 90th place at Lake Martin. Now he finds himself in position for his second Top 10 Elite finish since his return. He led the first day at Hartwell almost exactly a year ago before falling to third, then fifth and finally sixth at tournament’s end. Before that, his last Top 10 had been at Winyah Bay in 2016, almost precisely a decade before this tournament. His last B.A.S.S. win was at the 2015 Northern Open on Oneida.
Talkin’ Bout My Generation – Pake South (6th, 16-2) was born three months after Howell’s first Bassmaster victory.
Yogi Berra-ism – “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” Kennedy said that there were at least 20 boats within sight of him most of the day, and “at least 30 in the same general area.” He caught three on the first pass, then watched two boats hit his best stretch before he got to fish it again. Fortunately for him, a small bank of clouds moved in just at that moment, and that triggered another quick flurry, albeit from smaller bass. His bite shut down mid-morning. The Alabama pro said he plans to start there again tomorrow, but expects to explore some other water tomorrow, possibly targeting some bedding fish he’s saved.
Teeners – Twenty-seven anglers weighed in 13 pounds or more today, but they weren’t evenly spread along the continuum – 14 of them were between 13 pounds and 13-15.
Bryan New (84th, 9-2) – “There aren’t any minnows in the boat. No minnows, but I do have Coikes.”
Ebare Rolling – Dakota Ebare started off his Elite career horribly, missing the cut in his first five events, Then he finished an unremarkable but check-earning 46th at the Sabine and hasn’t missed a check since. That’s six Elites, plus a 17th place finish at the Open on Rayburn and then ninth at the Classic. He finds himself in 16th after Day 1 with 13-10. “I like this place,” he said. “I feel like I’m at home.” There were no meanmouths in his bag, although to be fair no scale samples or fin clips were taken to confirm that assessment.
Get Five – Word on the dock this morning was, “I just hope to get five.” Well, lots of them accomplished that basic goal, including the top 79, and 87 anglers overall. But five alive doesn’t mean anything if there’s not some quality mixed in. Matt Robertson, the lowest-ranked angler to weigh a limit, finds himself in 92nd with 7-15.
Taku Ito (25th, 15-4) – “I’m a Japanese John Cox. No LiveScope, it’s ok.” He characterized himself later in the conversation as “Super Japanese John Cox” and said that by the time we get to Muskogee he’ll be “Hyper Japanese John Cox.”
In Search of New Places – With multiple pools at their disposal, anglers are effectively only limited by the amount of time in their fishing day and the amount of fuel their boats hold. “I don’t know how many locks I can go, but I might go to Mobile,” said Gerald Swindle (91st, 8-4). “I am done with this pool.” Even anglers who had better days today might elect to flip-flop their game plan tomorrow. Not only have some areas been substantially depleted, but with much longer or much shorter days, the “cost” of locking can swing wildly.
Dave Mercer on the Fishery’s Hazards – “The dude with the nicest truck in town. Is that the guy who sells the props?”
Mississippians – Good day for the home team. Cliff Pace is in 15th and Brock Mosley is in 21st, while Alabama resident and Mississippi native Justin Atkins is in ninth.
Mark Menendez (30th, 12-10) – “Old guys fish slow.”
Surging – All four members of the Surge Squad are inside the cut, with Paul Marks (10th, 14-10) the highest ranking among them.
Team Geritol – Of the 13 members of the field over 50 years old, nine are inside the cut, with three in the top four, and five overall in the Top 16. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns, though. There are three in 91st or worse.
Tough Day for the Rookies – While Pake South is in sixth, no other true rookie is inside the cut. The closest are Nick Trim in 62nd and Caleb Hudson in 65th. Returning Elite Russ Lane is the last man inside in 50th.
Jason Christie (37th, 12-5) – “It never ceases to amaze me how these guys catch ‘em.”
International Contingent – It’s the rare day when there are zero Japanese pros and zero Canadians in the Top 10. Taku Ito is the top-ranked international angler in 25th. Cooper Gallant is second to last and Evan Kung is last. Jeff Gustafson, in 42nd, is the only Canadian inside the cut.
Pat Schlapper (72nd, 10-2), releasing a short fish — “That’s a kicker on the Sabine.”
Most Unexpected Ronnie Pop Culture Reference – Maury Povich’s Classic Meanmouth Paternity Test.
Favorite New Tributary Name — Buttahatchee River
Bass on a Hot Tin Roof – Columbus, Mississippi is the birthplace of playwright Tennessee Williams.
If Kennedy is right, and the weights go down tomorrow, what does that mean for those who find themselves outside the cut? It’s potentially good news. Let’s say that it takes right around 20 pounds to get to Saturday. In that case, all but a few lost souls have a legit shot to be competing on Sunday.
It’s a matter of getting on the right rotation. Or getting someplace where no one else has gone….and getting back.
