Former Classic Champion Casey Ashley Claims Early Lead In Bassmaster Elite

Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., takes the lead on the first day of the Plano Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing, bringing 17 pounds, 10 ounces to the scales on Thursday. 

Sept. 8, 2016

Former Classic Champion Casey Ashley Claims Early Lead In Bassmaster Elite

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LA CROSSE, Wis. — Casey Ashley has only a slim lead following the first round of the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing, yet he almost oozed confidence as he left the weigh-in stand today.

“I feel like I’ve got another shot at winning,” he said after weighing in a limit of four smallmouth and one largemouth weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces. The Elite pro from Donalds, S.C., knows that feeling, having won the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. He aims to add another $100,000 to his career total on the Mississippi River this week.

Nevermind that two other skilled young fishermen are breathing down his neck. Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn., is second with 17-7, and Jordan Lee, the former College standout from Grant, Ala., is third with 17-2.

Reigning Classic champion Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., is fourth with 16-13, and Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn., rounds out the Top 5 with 16-9.

Card’s success may actually help Ashley’s dream of winning become reality.

DeFoe revealed that he has two great spots. One gave up three of the bass he weighed in today, and the other produced two.

They’re good enough holes to produce another remarkable catch, he said, but neither will hold up through the end of the tournament Sunday. That’s especially true because one of those two spots yielded most of Card’s fifth-place limit.

Card, who lives just 20 miles from DeFoe and has competed against him for years, said he saw DeFoe nearby when he found the place in practice. “I figured Ott would find it, too,” he said.

As Card arrived at the spot today, DeFoe was finishing up his limit. “He was smiling and I knew he caught them,” Card related. “I said, ‘Is there going to be a strategy we need to work out?’”

To his credit, DeFoe invited Card to finish out his limit there. Card said he expects the two friendly competitors will be able to work out a schedule to share the hole by the time round two begins Friday morning.

In contrast, Ashley said none of the 106 other Elite anglers is fishing anywhere near his areas. “I found it the first day of practice and went back to it this morning,” he said. “My first fish was a 4 1/2-pounder (a 4-7 that currently leads for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award), and I caught my limit there in about 20 minutes.”

He tried other, similar locations and caught good-size bass — 3- and 4-pounders — at most of them. After he had culled up to the 17-10 limit, he vacated the area and went scouting for more spots in another part of the river.

Lee, too, feels confident about his chances in this, the final regular-season tournament of the Bassmaster Elite Series. A second-year pro on the Elites, Lee did not have the benefit of two previous tournaments on the Upper Mississippi, and his practice fishing wasn’t especially good this week.

“The key was just being patient,” he discovered. “I caught four on four casts at about 10 o’clock in a place I thought I was only going to catch one, and they were all good fish. It told me to really slow it down. I did and hit a couple of little groups of fish and was able to cull up.” He found several other hot spots fitting his pattern, and he expects them to hold up in the later rounds.

For many of the Elite Series anglers in the field this week, the La Crosse Elite is their last chance to redeem their seasons. At the conclusion Sunday, the Top 50 in season-long Angler of the Year points will be invited to compete in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, which begins next week. Those making that cut will divvy up the $1 million prize fund, $100,000 of which will go to the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

The angler with the best chance of claiming that crown, Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., helped his cause by climbing into 24th place today with 13-9.

The full field of 107 anglers will take off from Veterans Freedom Park in downtown La Crosse at 6:15 a.m. Friday, with the weigh-in taking place at the park at 3:15 p.m.

2016 Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing 9/8-9/11Mississippi River, La Crosse  WI.Standings Day 1

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts

1.  Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC              5  17-10  110Day 1: 5   17-102.  Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN            5  17-07  109Day 1: 5   17-073.  Jordan Lee             Grant, AL                5  17-02  108Day 1: 5   17-024.  Edwin Evers            Talala, OK               5  16-13  107Day 1: 5   16-135.  Brandon Card           Caryville, TN            5  16-09  106Day 1: 5   16-096.  Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR            5  16-04  105Day 1: 5   16-047.  Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL             5  15-09  104Day 1: 5   15-098.  Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA        5  15-04  103Day 1: 5   15-048.  Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA         5  15-04  103Day 1: 5   15-0410. Randall Tharp          Port St. Joe, FL         5  15-02  101Day 1: 5   15-0211. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL         5  14-15  100Day 1: 5   14-1512. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               5  14-13   99Day 1: 5   14-1313. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            5  14-12   98Day 1: 5   14-1214. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX               5  14-11   97Day 1: 5   14-1115. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL             5  14-09   96Day 1: 5   14-0916. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX               5  14-08   95Day 1: 5   14-0817. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA             5  14-07   94Day 1: 5   14-0718. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI            5  14-06   93Day 1: 5   14-0619. Matt Lee               Guntersville, AL         5  14-05   92Day 1: 5   14-0520. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5  14-00   91Day 1: 5   14-0020. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL           5  14-00   91Day 1: 5   14-0022. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK              5  13-11   89Day 1: 5   13-1123. Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL                5  13-10   88Day 1: 5   13-1024. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL         5  13-09   87Day 1: 5   13-0925. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK            5  13-08   86Day 1: 5   13-0825. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                  5  13-08   86Day 1: 5   13-0825. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA               5  13-08   86Day 1: 5   13-0828. David Williams         Newton, NC               5  13-06   83Day 1: 5   13-0629. Adrian Avena           Vineland, NJ             5  13-06   82Day 1: 5   13-0630. Jay Brainard           Enid, OK                 5  13-05   81Day 1: 5   13-0530. Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL         5  13-05   81Day 1: 5   13-0530. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO         5  13-05   81Day 1: 5   13-0530. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX                5  13-05   81Day 1: 5   13-0534. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX          5  13-04   77Day 1: 5   13-0435. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL          5  13-03   76Day 1: 5   13-0335. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               5  13-03   76Day 1: 5   13-0337. John Murray            Spring City, TN          5  13-02   74Day 1: 5   13-0237. Morizo Shimizu         Suita, Osaka JAPAN       5  13-02   74Day 1: 5   13-0239. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR          5  13-01   72Day 1: 5   13-0139. Seth Feider            Bloomington, MN          5  13-01   72Day 1: 5   13-0141. Chris Zaldain          Laughlin, NV             5  13-00   70Day 1: 5   13-0042. Casey Scanlon          Rocky Mount, MO          5  12-15   69Day 1: 5   12-1543. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC           5  12-14   68Day 1: 5   12-1444. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC              5  12-13   67Day 1: 5   12-1345. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL             5  12-12   66Day 1: 5   12-1246. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL          5  12-09   65Day 1: 5   12-0946. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL            5  12-09   65Day 1: 5   12-0946. Fred Roumbanis         London, AR               5  12-09   65Day 1: 5   12-0949. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC               5  12-06   62Day 1: 5   12-0650. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX               5  12-05   61Day 1: 5   12-0551. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ              5  12-04   60Day 1: 5   12-0452. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL         5  12-03   59Day 1: 5   12-0352. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA              5  12-03   59Day 1: 5   12-0354. Brandon Coulter        Knoxville, TN            5  12-01   57Day 1: 5   12-0155. Kelly Jordon           Flint, TX                5  11-15   56Day 1: 5   11-1555. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL           5  11-15   56Day 1: 5   11-1555. Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR          5  11-15   56Day 1: 5   11-1558. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA             5  11-14   53Day 1: 5   11-1459. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, OK              5  11-11   52Day 1: 5   11-1159. Luke Clausen           Otis Orchards, WA        5  11-11   52Day 1: 5   11-1159. Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL        5  11-11   52Day 1: 5   11-1159. Dave Lefebre           Erie, PA                 5  11-11   52Day 1: 5   11-1159. Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI              5  11-11   52Day 1: 5   11-1164. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            5  11-10   47Day 1: 5   11-1065. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH     5  11-08   46Day 1: 5   11-0866. Koby Kreiger           Bokeelia, FL             5  11-07   45Day 1: 5   11-0766. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC           5  11-07   45Day 1: 5   11-0768. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC           5  11-03   43Day 1: 5   11-0369. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL              5  11-02   42Day 1: 5   11-0269. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY            5  11-02   42Day 1: 5   11-0271. Fabian Rodriguez       Ocean City, DE           5  11-01   40Day 1: 5   11-0172. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS         5  10-15   39Day 1: 5   10-1573. James Elam             Tulsa, OK                5  10-14   38Day 1: 5   10-1474. Chad Grigsby           Maple Grove, MN          5  10-13   37Day 1: 5   10-1374. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID             5  10-13   37Day 1: 5   10-1374. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ     5  10-13   37Day 1: 5   10-1377. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5  10-12   34Day 1: 5   10-1278. David Walker           Sevierville, TN          5  10-12   33Day 1: 5   10-1279. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ          5  10-11   32Day 1: 5   10-1179. Ken Iyobe              Tokoname  Aichi JAPAN    5  10-11   32Day 1: 5   10-1181. Kotaro Kiriyama        Moody, AL                4  10-10   30Day 1: 4   10-1082. Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL         5  10-08   29Day 1: 5   10-0882. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY              5  10-08   29Day 1: 5   10-0884. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5  10-07   27Day 1: 5   10-0785. Billy McCaghren Jr     Mayflower, AR            5  10-04   26Day 1: 5   10-0485. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI            5  10-04   26Day 1: 5   10-0487. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA               5  10-01   24Day 1: 5   10-0188. Cliff Pace             Petal, MS                5  09-13   23Day 1: 5   09-1389. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ              5  09-09   22Day 1: 5   09-0990. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC                4  09-03   21Day 1: 4   09-0391. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  4  08-07   20Day 1: 4   08-0792. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           4  08-01   19Day 1: 4   08-0193. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          3  06-14   18Day 1: 3   06-1494. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA               3  06-13   17Day 1: 3   06-1395. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL            3  06-11   16Day 1: 3   06-1196. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC           3  05-10   15Day 1: 3   05-1097. Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA          2  05-08   14Day 1: 2   05-0898. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA  3  05-07   13Day 1: 3   05-0799. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            2  05-05   12Day 1: 2   05-05100. John Hunter Jr         Shelbyville, KY          3  04-07   11Day 1: 3   04-07101. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS         2  03-15   10Day 1: 2   03-15102. Dennis Tietje          Roanoke, LA              2  03-12    9Day 1: 2   03-12103. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO         1  02-13    8Day 1: 1   02-13104. Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA        1  02-12    7Day 1: 1   02-12105. Randy Allen            Shreveport, LA           1  02-10    6Day 1: 1   02-10106. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS               0  00-00    0Day 1: 0   00-00106. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR          0  00-00    0Day 1: 0   00-00———————————————————————–TotalsDay   #Limits    #Fish      Weight1        88       485      1225-03———————————-88       485      1225-03

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