ALABAMA PROS DOMINATE BASSMASTER CLASSIC
Three Alabamians Vie to Become First Homestate Angler to Win the Classic
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Three Alabama pros took the first step toward reversing the “Classic curse” for homestate anglers. Thirty-six Bassmaster Classics have been completed and an angler hailing from the host state of the Classic site has never won the marquee event. Cotton State anglers scored three of the top four positions with Classic rookie Boyd Duckett from Demopolis in the lead. The winner of the event on Alabama’s Lay Lake will take home the $500,000 top prize and the most important title in competitive fishing.
Coverage of bass fishing’s equivalent to the Super Bowl kicks off Saturday morning on ESPN2 at 7 a.m. ET. ESPN2 will air 10 ˝ hours of coverage over Saturday and Sunday.
Duckett, who qualified for the Classic as well as the 2007 Bassmaster Elite Series via his performance in the 2006 Bassmaster Southern Tour, boated five bass weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces. He leads Springville, Ala., angler Randy Howell, who boated 17 pounds, 15 ounces, and California’s Skeet Reese with 17 pounds, 8 ounces.
Muscle Shoals, Ala., pro Tim Horton was in fourth with 17-5. Florida pro Terry Scroggins rounded out the top five with 17 pounds, 0 ounces.
Duckett’s five-fish limit was anchored by an 8-pound, 2-ounce largemouth that was the Purolator Big Bass of the Day, earning him a $1,000 premium.
“Obviously, that 8-pounder is what’s got me in the lead today,” said Duckett, who has a wealth of experience on Lay Lake. “I tried to put myself in position to get big bites. I hope I can keep executing when I get the chance to put one in the boat.”
Duckett is fishing his first Classic. The 46-year-old said he made a decision to target the lake’s largemouth bass instead of the fishery’s more abundant spotted bass. He played it close to the vest on the specifics of his leading pattern.
“I’m fishing a little bit different than the traditional Lay Lake patterns most anglers fish this time of year,” he said. “Traditionally at Lay, you fish a jig right in the heart of the grass. But that’s not what I’m doing.”
In contrast to Duckett, Howell is a veteran Bassmaster Elite Series competitor who is fishing his sixth Classic and also holds a BASS win. Howell and Reese were fishing in close proximity on 12,000-acre Lay.
“I’m fishing a jig, which is no secret,” Howell said. “There is not much else you can do”
Reese, a two-time BASS winner and part of an emerging contingent of successful West Coast anglers, surprised himself with a third-place start after enduring the worst pre-Classic practice effort in his seven appearances.
“When I started out this morning I had no areas that I felt were productive,” the 37-year-old said. “I had one area where I caught two three-pounders in practice. I only had five bites in two days of practice.”
There are nine Alabama pros participating in the 37th Classic. Warrior’s Gerald Swindle is ninth with 14-10; Aaron Martens of Leeds and Prattville’s Russ Lane are tied for 14th with 13-13.
After Saturday, the field will be cut to the top 25. Extensive Web coverage of the event can be found on www.ESPNOutdoors.com and www.Bassmaster.com.
The 2007 Bassmaster Classic is hosted by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. The tournament will receive 11 1/2 hours of television coverage on ESPN2.
2007 Bassmaster Classic 02/23-02/25
Lay Lake, Birmingham Ala.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, Ala. 5 19-14 300 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-14
2. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 5 17-15 295
Day 1: 5 17-15
3. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 5 17-08 290
Day 1: 5 17-08
4. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 5 17-05 285
Day 1: 5 17-05
5. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Fla. 5 17-00 280
Day 1: 5 17-00
6. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 5 16-11 276
Day 1: 5 16-11
7. Terry McWilliams Greenfield, Ind. 5 15-09 272
Day 1: 5 15-09
8. Ishama Monroe Hughson, Calif. 5 15-00 268
Day 1: 5 15-00
9. Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 5 14-10 264
Day 1: 5 14-10
10. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 5 14-09 260
Day 1: 5 14-09
11. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, Calif. 5 14-06 257
Day 1: 5 14-06
12. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 5 14-00 254
Day 1: 5 14-00
13. Matt Reed Madisonville, Texas 5 13-15 251
Day 1: 5 13-15
14. Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. 5 13-13 246
Day 1: 5 13-13
14. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 5 13-13 246
Day 1: 5 13-13
16. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 5 13-09 243
Day 1: 5 13-09
17. James Niggemeyer Van, Texas 5 13-07 241
Day 1: 5 13-07
18. Dean Rojas Grand Saline, Texas 5 13-04 239
Day 1: 5 13-04
19. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 5 13-01 237
Day 1: 5 13-01
20. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 5 12-10 235
Day 1: 5 12-10
21. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 5 12-09 233
Day 1: 5 12-09
22. James Charlesworth Saint Cloud, Fla. 5 12-07 231
Day 1: 5 12-07
23. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 5 12-06 229
Day 1: 5 12-06
24. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark. 5 12-05 227
Day 1: 5 12-05
25. Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 5 12-02 225
Day 1: 5 12-02
26. Kevin Waterman Laplata, Md. 5 11-14 223
Day 1: 5 11-14
27. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 5 11-12 221
Day 1: 5 11-12
28. Lee Bailey Boaz, Ala. 5 11-11 219
Day 1: 5 11-11
29. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, Mo. 5 11-10 217
Day 1: 5 11-10
30. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 5 11-06 215
Day 1: 5 11-06
31. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 5 11-02 213
Day 1: 5 11-02
32. John Crews Salem, Va. 5 11-00 210
Day 1: 5 11-00
32. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, S.C. 5 11-00 210
Day 1: 5 11-00
34. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 5 10-15 207
Day 1: 5 10-15
35. Jeff Reynolds Idabel, Okla. 5 10-11 205
Day 1: 5 10-11
36. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 5 10-10 203
Day 1: 5 10-10
37. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 5 10-03 201
Day 1: 5 10-03
38. Shigeru Tsukiyama Tokyo, Japan 5 10-01 199
Day 1: 5 10-01
39. Royce Dennington Barnsdall, Okla. 5 9-15 197
Day 1: 5 9-15
40. Bill Lowen North Bend, Ohio 5 9-14 194
Day 1: 5 9-14
40. Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 4 9-14 194
Day 1: 4 9-14
42. Tom Hamlin Lizella, Ga. 5 9-09 191
Day 1: 5 9-09
43. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 5 9-08 189
Day 1: 5 9-08
44. Rick Clunn Ava, Mo. 5 9-06 187
Day 1: 5 9-06
45. Derek Remitz Hemphill, Texas 5 9-04 185
Day 1: 5 9-04
46. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 5 8-03 183
Day 1: 5 8-03
47. Chris Novack Willington, Conn. 5 7-02 181
Day 1: 5 7-02
48. Russell Colwell Baltimore, Md. 3 6-08 179
Day 1: 3 6-08
49. Sam Lashlee Camden, Tenn. 2 4-15 177
Day 1: 2 4-15
50. Brent Long Catawba, N.C. 2 4-14 175
Day 1: 2 4-14
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Purolator Big Bass
Day
1 Boyd Duckett Demopolis, Ala. 8-02 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 0 241 606-11
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0 241 606-11