Forget all the talk about the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Lake Dardanelle being a low weight affair.
Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., put that idea to rest Friday by catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces to lead the first round of the tournament, which runs through Monday.
Right behind VanDam was Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., who caught five bass weighing 18-12, followed by Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala. (5/18-7), Shane Lineberger of Lincolnton, N.C. (5/17-7) and Jamie Hartman of Newport, N.Y. (5/17-5).
The entire field of 109 anglers will fish today. For Sunday's third round, the field will be cut to the top 51 anglers with the heaviest combined two-day weights. The top 12 anglers will fish in Monday's championship round, with the winner claiming $100,000.
VanDam, a four-time Bassmaster Classic champion and seven-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year, averaged nearly 4 pounds fishing in Big Piney Creek. He said he was surprised at how much weight it required to crack the top 10.
"I thought it was going to take a lot less weight, but today was a great day," VanDam said. "I'm thrilled to have a good start."
High, fast, muddy water has created intensely difficult conditions that are so bad in the upper part of Lake Dardanelle that no anglers fished upstream from Little Spadra Creek on Thursday. Almost everybody concentrated in the central and lower parts of the lake.
"Honestly, I wasn't sure where I was going to get my first bite today," VanDam said. "With the conditions the way they are, it's just challenging. They're sucking it hard [through Dardanelle Dam]. It's super low on this end, and it's super high on the other end, and it's just right on a small stretch in the middle, so it's challenging to find something unique and special."
VanDam said he doesn't know whether his pattern will hold today, but he's glad to have momentum entering the second round.
DeFoe said that landing all of his biggest bites was the key to his success. A 6-pounder anchored his bag, which included a pair that weighed nearly 4 pounds each.
"Having a 6-pounder goes a long way to having 18-12," DeFoe said.
DeFoe said his pattern is limited to a spot. The water there is clearing, he added, but a hard rain probably would ruin it by bringing in more mud.
Like DeFoe, Horton said he didn't catch many fish Friday, but those he caught were big.
"I didn't expect to catch them that good," Horton said. "I thought 13 to 14 pounds would be a good day. You run everything you find, and sometimes it turns out a little better than you expect. Maybe doing something a little different had something do with that."
Horton declined to say what he did differently nor did he divulge the depth at which he got his best bites, or his most effective lure speed.
He said an influx of muddy water would hurt him, but it would be an equal opportunity obstacle.
Takeoff today will be at 6:15 a.m. at Lake Dardanelle State Park. Weigh-in will be at the state park starting at 3:15 p.m.
Sports on 06/03/2017