Just as Clear Lake is starting to warm up, so is Byron Velvick. Velvick, a West Coast transplant who now resides in Del Rio, Texas, wasn't able to land a monster bass, like Thursday, but the two-time BASS winner managed 22 pounds Friday, building his two-day total to 51 pounds. Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., upgraded his total to 46-10, enough to keep Velvick honest heading into the weekend.
Velvick has considerable big-fish chops - he established the BASS three-day bass fishing tournament record here with 83 pounds, 5 ounces, -- and is tapping into his extensive knowledge of Clear Lake. Still, Elite events are all about learning and adapting and Velvick says he has been able to accrue new knowledge of the fishery each day. And things are setting up to be a slugfest.
"It's going to be like an Easter egg hunt on Sunday," said Velvick of the fish being susceptible to sight fishing. "It is just going to be sick."
Velvick has been mining areas that have produced for him in the past. In fact, one - his primary - was the area that yielded the three-day record. This week, he hasn't pigeonholed himself into one technique. Instead, he is changing up his lure presentation between three choices.
Some of his strategy has involved protecting his areas from other anglers -both locals and pros. And with the lake turning on and pleasant conditions in store, the lake could be a madhouse over the weekend.
But Velvick has a sound contingency plan. He has formulated something that he can go to and feel confident in scrounging a solid limit if necessary.
"I've learned a lot over the past two days," said Velvick, 45. "I have a little something figured out where I know what I can do no matter what happens."
The two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier said he missed a couple of key bites Friday but Velvick was able to consistently land bites - he totaled 15 to 18 -- throughout the day.
While Velvick has been running and gunning, Howell has sat on one spot the entire tournament. The area is comprised of spawning flats and the fish are coming in waves. The early bite has proved stout - Howell landed a limit in 15 minutes - but it gives way to a sporadic bite later in the day.
Howell has been fearful of vacating his area, allowing other competitors to work it and like Velvick, has been playing defense. He has been switching up between two baits, a 10-inch cut tail worm and a football jig. Those produced 14 bites, which included an 8-pounder that ended up coming off at the boat.
"This is the first time in a long time that I feel like I have an area with the potential to win," said Howell, 36. "I have a lot of confidence and I plan to either win it or lose it on that area."
The nine-time Classic qualifier is no stranger to fast starts. Countless times in 2009 Elite competitions, Howell started off strong but faltered a bit in the end. Still, he was able to compile a bundle of top-20 finishes and qualified for the inaugural Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason.
Strangely enough, Howell and Velvick were neck-and-neck last week at the Elite season-opener on the California Delta. But they were fighting it out for 82nd with Velvick edging out Howell, who finished 83rd. Both are looking for redemption here and to put themselves back in the top half of the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.
In third was Bill Lowen of North Bend, Ohio with 45 pounds, 7 ounces. In fourth was Guy Eaker of Cherryville, N.C., with 44-4. Eaker and Lowen are sharing an area that continues to produce but the question remains if the area can withstand the heavy assault both anglers are applying to it.
On the opposite end of the experience spectrum from the 70-year-old Eaker is 19-year-old Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky. Roy is right behind Eaker in the standings though with 41-9, enough to settle into fifth place.
Local favorite Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande slipped from second to sixth. He still remains within striking distance at 41-2. Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., made the move of the tournament up 37 places from Thursday to seventh.
He was buoyed by the second double-digit bass Clear Lake has yielded this week. Lane boated an 11-pound, 1-ounce, behemoth Friday - tops for the tournament thus far - on his 10th cast of the morning. The brute fell for a 9-inch Osprey swimbait.
Prohibitive favorite Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., was 11th with 39-0. Five-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam fell to 59th and missed the Saturday cut. VanDam's struggles are surprising but with the schedule setting up well for himself, the 2010 Classic champion is still certain to be a factor in the AOY race this year.
Other notables in the cutline were 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion Boyd Duckett (13th), 2006 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Michael Iaconelli (20th) and Elite rookie Matt Greenblatt of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (22nd). Only the top 47 advanced to Saturday's competition. The top 12 will move on to Sunday and fish for the $100,000 top prize.
Clear Lake is the largest natural lake to lie entirely within California. In sharp contrast to the sprawling, shallow Delta system - where last week's Elite event was held -- Clear Lake is 19 miles long, measures eight miles wide at its widest point, and has an average depth of 27 feet.
Fans are invited to the daily launches and weigh-ins at Library Park, located at 3rd and 5th streets in Lakeport. Boats launch at 7 a.m. PT; weigh-ins will begin at 3:30 p.m. PT.
All events are free and open to the public.
2010 Lakeport, CA 3/18-3/21 Clear Lake, Lakeport CA. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 10 51-00 310 Day 1: 5 29-00 Day 2: 5 22-00 2. Randy Howell Springville, AL 10 46-10 295 Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 23-07 3. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 10 45-07 290 Day 1: 5 22-14 Day 2: 5 22-09 4. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 10 44-04 285 Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 22-06 5. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 41-09 280 Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 22-01 6. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 41-02 276 Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 17-14 7. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 10 41-00 272 Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 24-13 8. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 10 40-03 268 Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 18-06 9. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 10 40-00 264 Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 21-13 10. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, MD 10 39-07 260 Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 20-05 11. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 39-00 257 Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 18-12 12. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 38-14 254 Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 22-05 13. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 10 38-12 251 Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 20-14 14. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 38-09 248 Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 21-03 15. Clark Reehm Russellville, AR 10 38-06 245 Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 20-11 16. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 38-05 243 Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 21-13 17. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 38-04 241 Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 17-00 18. Pat Golden High Point, NC 10 37-13 239 Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 18-06 19. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 10 37-08 237 Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 19-05 20. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 37-06 235 Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 19-05 21. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 10 36-12 233 Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-12 22. Matt Greenblatt Palm Beach Gardens, FL 10 36-09 231 Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-12 23. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 36-09 229 Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 17-00 24. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 36-06 227 Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-06 25. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 36-00 225 Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-02 26. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 10 35-15 223 Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 14-07 27. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 35-15 221 Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 17-14 28. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 10 35-12 219 Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 14-03 29. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 10 35-10 217 Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 16-00 30. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 8 35-08 215 Day 1: 3 13-01 Day 2: 5 22-07 31. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 10 35-02 213 Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 20-13 32. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 35-00 211 Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 19-14 33. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 34-11 209 Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 18-03 34. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 10 34-10 207 Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 18-10 35. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 34-08 205 Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-07 36. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 34-07 203 Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 16-10 37. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 10 34-02 201 Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 18-00 38. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 34-01 199 Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 15-15 39. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 34-00 197 Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 15-01 40. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 33-14 195 Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 18-11 41. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 10 33-13 193 Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 18-05 42. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 10 33-11 191 Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 14-02 43. Keith Poche Troy, AL 10 33-10 189 Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-06 44. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 9 33-06 187 Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 4 15-05 45. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 33-03 185 Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 18-00 46. Marty Stone Fayetteville, NC 8 33-00 183 Day 1: 3 12-01 Day 2: 5 20-15 47. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 10 32-12 181 Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 17-10 48. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 32-10 179 Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 14-08 49. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 10 32-05 177 Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 15-08 50. Mark Tyler Vian, OK 10 32-05 175 Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 16-10 51. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 32-04 173 Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 16-15 52. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 9 31-13 171 Day 1: 4 13-00 Day 2: 5 18-13 53. David Smith Del City, OK 10 31-10 169 Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-14 54. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 31-06 167 Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 15-05 55. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 31-05 165 Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 12-02 56. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 10 31-04 163 Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 17-03 57. Zell Rowland Austin, TX 10 31-03 161 Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 14-15 58. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 10 31-01 159 Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 15-11 59. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 31-00 157 Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 15-10 60. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 30-14 155 Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 16-01 61. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 30-11 153 Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 18-02 62. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 10 30-11 151 Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-15 63. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 8 30-07 149 Day 1: 3 13-01 Day 2: 5 17-06 64. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 30-02 147 Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 15-05 65. Alton Jones Waco, TX 10 30-01 145 Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 17-04 66. Vince Fulks Purcell, OK 9 29-15 143 Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 4 14-12 67. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 9 29-05 141 Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 4 13-00 68. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, SC 10 28-07 139 Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 13-12 69. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 10 28-03 137 Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 13-12 70. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 9 27-14 135 Day 1: 4 11-10 Day 2: 5 16-04 71. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 8 27-06 133 Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 3 11-04 72. John Crews Salem, VA 9 26-07 131 Day 1: 4 12-02 Day 2: 5 14-05 73. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 8 26-01 129 Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 5 18-02 74. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 9 25-13 127 Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 4 11-09 75. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 8 25-13 125 Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 17-09 76. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 8 24-12 123 Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 3 10-01 77. Mark Burgess Norton, MA 9 24-04 121 Day 1: 4 11-10 Day 2: 5 12-10 78. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 7 24-03 119 Day 1: 2 05-15 Day 2: 5 18-04 79. Jeff Connella Bentley, LA 7 24-00 117 Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 2 07-03 80. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 8 23-05 115 Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 3 08-08 81. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 7 23-03 113 Day 1: 4 11-10 Day 2: 3 11-09 82. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 7 22-13 111 Day 1: 2 07-06 Day 2: 5 15-07 83. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 8 21-14 109 Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 3 08-13 84. Jeremy Starks Charleston, WV 6 21-08 107 Day 1: 1 03-07 Day 2: 5 18-01 85. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 8 20-15 105 Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 12-11 86. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 7 20-14 103 Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 2 06-14 87. Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 7 19-03 101 Day 1: 3 07-11 Day 2: 4 11-08 88. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 6 19-03 99 Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 4 14-01 89. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 3 11-05 97 Day 1: 2 07-15 Day 2: 1 03-06 90. Byron Haseotes Centerville, MA 4 10-12 95 Day 1: 2 05-15 Day 2: 2 04-13 91. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 4 10-04 93 Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 1 01-14 92. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 2 07-12 91 Day 1: 1 03-02 Day 2: 1 04-10 93. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 2 05-10 89 Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 05-10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 72 416 1429-12 2 75 425 1496-09 ---------------------------------- 147 841 2926-05