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 Day One StorySouth Carolina Pro Tops Tight-Knit FieldCHICAGO, July 20 - It took Carl Maxfield several years and considerable effort to qualify for the prestigious BASS Masters Classic and the South Carolina pro is making the best of his first opportunity. Maxfield plied the waters of the Calumet River to catch a five- bass limit weighing 10 pounds, 1 ounce to take a slim first-round lead in the Chicago Classic. Maxfield, who has finished as the odd-man out on the Classic qualifying list an agonizing five times, holds a 1-ounce lead over California's Aaron Martens. Michael Iaconelli of New Jersey and Texan Jay Yelas are tied for third with 9-14, followed by four-time Classic winner Rick Clunn of Missouri with 9-5. It is a tight-knit field with less than 3 pounds separating the top 20 pros. Maxfield, 47, competing in his first Classic, put himself in prime position to make a run at the $100,000 top prize and the most important title in competitive fishing. "I'm really tickled with what I caught and to be in this position," he said. "I caught 18 fish total and was fortunate to catch some good ones." Most of those bass and all of Maxfield's keeper-sized largemouths came from a single spot in the river - a small, wind-laden point of a break wall. His success came on small jigs, tubes and lizards fished on 10-pound test line. "If the wind changes, I won't even go back there tomorrow," Maxfield said. "I had one little key area and the wind on that spot made the fish aggressive. If the wind changes, I have a couple of other spots where I hope I can catch fish." Maxfield, who has never won a national tournament, was asked if he felt any pressure as the early Classic leader. "I try to look at this as just another tournament," he replied. "Yeah, I know it's the BASS Masters Classic, the Super Bowl of fishing and all that. But when they call your boat number for the take-off, it's just you and the fish. You had better forget about all of the hoopla when you're doing it or you will forget why you're there." Martens, 27, culled through 35 bass to bring his five best to the scales. He fished among an estimated 30 boats in the Calumet River, but was unfazed by fishing in a crowd. "That's California fishing," Martens said. "It's right up my alley - fishing in a crowd, around a lot of pressure, light-line finesse fishing." The Classic continues Friday and Saturday. Sponsors of the 30th BASS Masters Classic: Ranger Boats, RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Outboards, Chevrolet Trucks, ACDelco Voyager Batteries, Worldwaters.com, Humminbird/Zercom electronics, Pennzoil Marine, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, First USA Visa Card, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Gore-Tex Outerwear, GMAC Insurance, State of Illinois, City of Chicago, and the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. |
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