Working through more than 200 bass and burning nearly 10,000 calories, Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., was looking for a frosty beverage and some empty calories to rejuvenate the senses after a scorching Thursday on Alabama's Lake Guntersville. And the 2007 Bassmaster Angler of the Year certainly deserves a mild celebration after toting 29 pounds, 3 ounces, to the scales, at the Synergy Southern Challenge, which put him in the familiar position at the top of the leaderboard.
This week, Reese is bidding for his fifth consecutive top 5 finish in Elite competition, which is unprecedented territory. But he will have to hold off two decorated veterans and fellow AOY winners Gary Klein (second) and Mark Davis (third) to accomplish that feat.
Perhaps the only thing that can steal the headlines from Reese is fish-factory Lake Guntersville. Guntersville is turning on at the opportune time, cranking out 40 limits that weighed more than 20 pounds. And if anyone knows how to take advantage of a primed Guntersville, it's Reese, who scored a second-place finish here in 2009.
"I'm dog-tired right now," said Reese, a five-time Bassmaster winner. "It's an absolute grind. My hands are so shredded right now from catching fish, it's crazy. It's almost every cast. My first cast, literally, I caught a five-plus off the bat."
If not for two lost brutes, Reese said his limit would have weighed more than 30 pounds, but all in all, he was pleased with his execution. He was keying in on schools of bass that he located in practice and was milking them until he felt it became counter-productive.
After practice, Reese - similar to many others in the field - felt that weights would be significantly down from last year's slugfest on Guntersville. The 40-year-old was finding schools in practice but wasn't exploiting the areas, instead saving them for competition. Initially, he thought 18 pounds a day would get an angler into the top-47 cut, but after his first cast, he knew he needed to change his mindset.
Amazingly, Reese is fishing all different areas than the ones he used to post the second-place last year. He still has some back-up water that he hasn't visited but felt that his schools would regenerate and would concentrate on those areas first-thing Friday.
"I've saved some schools but that doesn't mean that I will need them," said Reese, who declined to reveal specifics of his pattern. "It was a fun day but I'm going to need to keep it up to have a shot."
Klein, the 1989 AOY, registered 28 pounds, 4 ounces, and is less than 1 pound behind Reese, a gap that means little on Guntersville. With a late launch position, Klein, who located a number of productive areas in practice, knew he had to nail his decision and pick the right one or risk having to scramble. He picked correctly, finding himself alone and caught his entire total by Noon. He spent the rest of the day defending his spot and didn't see another boat come into the area.
He is fishing a transition area that sets up so the fish come directly to him. He knew he could have totally milked the area and perhaps built a bigger total, but the 52-year-old decided to save the area in hopes of it remaining productive throughout the four-day event.
The Weatherford, Texas, pro is having a stellar season, heading into Guntersville in 16th in the AOY standings, and in good position to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason.
"You can pretty much catch them anyway you want to," said Klein, 52. "I've got a little deal that's working and I just hope it holds up Friday.
Davis, the 1995 AOY, was the first angler to weigh in, coming back to the check-in point 1 hour early. The Mt. Ida, Ark., pro quit fishing at 10 a.m. and essentially practiced the remainder of the day.
"I had the best practice I've ever had in 28 years of tournament fishing," said Davis, who amassed 27 pounds, 12 ounces. "The sheer numbers of fish are so astounding. It's going to be a four-day horserace and it should be exciting."
Behind Davis in fourth was Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., with 27-11. Rounding out the top five was 1982 Bassmaster Classic champion Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., with 26-12.
After Friday, only the top 47 anglers will qualify for Saturday. And of those, only the top 12 will move on to Sunday.
Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., took home the $100,000 first-place prize and the Southern Challenge trophy last year for his fifth career BASS victory. Martens struggled Thursday, posting a 43rd-place finish.
Guntersville has been the site of 20 top-level BASS events, including the 1976 Bassmaster Classic, won by Elite Series pro Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo. The Elites competed at the fishery in 2009, when the top four overall weights for the four-day tournament crashed the scales at more than 100 pounds. Elite anglers caught nearly 1,300 fish and more than 5,300 pounds over the course of four days.
2010 Guntersville, AL 5/6-5/9 Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 29-03 305 Day 1: 5 29-03 2. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 28-04 295 Day 1: 5 28-04 3. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 27-12 290 Day 1: 5 27-12 4. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 27-11 285 Day 1: 5 27-11 5. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 26-12 280 Day 1: 5 26-12 6. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 26-01 276 Day 1: 5 26-01 7. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 5 26-00 272 Day 1: 5 26-00 8. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 25-04 268 Day 1: 5 25-04 9. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 5 24-09 264 Day 1: 5 24-09 10. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 24-07 260 Day 1: 5 24-07 10. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 24-07 260 Day 1: 5 24-07 12. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 24-06 254 Day 1: 5 24-06 13. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 24-05 251 Day 1: 5 24-05 14. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 24-04 248 Day 1: 5 24-04 15. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 5 24-03 245 Day 1: 5 24-03 16. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 5 24-00 243 Day 1: 5 24-00 17. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 23-15 241 Day 1: 5 23-15 18. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 23-12 239 Day 1: 5 23-12 19. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 23-06 237 Day 1: 5 23-06 19. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 5 23-06 237 Day 1: 5 23-06 21. Marty Stone Fayetteville, NC 5 23-04 233 Day 1: 5 23-04 22. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 23-02 231 Day 1: 5 23-02 23. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 5 23-00 229 Day 1: 5 23-00 23. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 23-00 229 Day 1: 5 23-00 25. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 5 22-12 225 Day 1: 5 22-12 26. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 5 22-08 223 Day 1: 5 22-08 27. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 22-04 221 Day 1: 5 22-04 28. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 5 22-02 219 Day 1: 5 22-02 29. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 22-00 217 Day 1: 5 22-00 30. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 22-00 215 Day 1: 5 22-00 31. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 5 21-12 213 Day 1: 5 21-12 32. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 5 21-12 211 Day 1: 5 21-12 33. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 5 21-11 209 Day 1: 5 21-11 33. Alton Jones Waco, TX 5 21-11 209 Day 1: 5 21-11 35. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 21-10 205 Day 1: 5 21-10 36. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 5 21-03 203 Day 1: 5 21-03 37. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 21-02 201 Day 1: 5 21-02 38. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 20-10 199 Day 1: 5 20-10 39. Clark Reehm Russellville, AR 5 20-07 197 Day 1: 5 20-07 40. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 20-03 195 Day 1: 5 20-03 41. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 19-15 193 Day 1: 5 19-15 42. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 19-13 191 Day 1: 5 19-13 43. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 19-11 189 Day 1: 5 19-11 44. Randy Howell Springville, AL 5 19-06 187 Day 1: 5 19-06 45. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 19-04 185 Day 1: 5 19-04 45. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 5 19-04 185 Day 1: 5 19-04 47. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 5 19-03 181 Day 1: 5 19-03 48. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 19-01 179 Day 1: 5 19-01 48. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 19-01 179 Day 1: 5 19-01 50. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 18-15 175 Day 1: 5 18-15 51. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 18-14 173 Day 1: 5 18-14 51. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 18-14 173 Day 1: 5 18-14 53. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 5 18-13 169 Day 1: 5 18-13 53. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 5 18-13 169 Day 1: 5 18-13 53. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 5 18-13 169 Day 1: 5 18-13 56. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 18-08 163 Day 1: 5 18-08 57. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 5 18-07 161 Day 1: 5 18-07 58. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 5 18-05 159 Day 1: 5 18-05 59. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 18-03 157 Day 1: 5 18-03 60. John Crews Salem, VA 5 18-00 155 Day 1: 5 18-00 61. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 17-13 153 Day 1: 5 17-13 62. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 17-11 151 Day 1: 5 17-11 63. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 17-09 149 Day 1: 5 17-09 64. Vince Fulks Purcell, OK 5 17-09 147 Day 1: 5 17-09 65. Zell Rowland Austin, TX 5 17-02 145 Day 1: 5 17-02 66. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 17-00 143 Day 1: 5 17-00 67. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 16-14 141 Day 1: 5 16-14 68. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 5 16-13 139 Day 1: 5 16-13 69. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 5 16-12 137 Day 1: 5 16-12 69. Keith Poche Troy, AL 5 16-12 137 Day 1: 5 16-12 71. Matt Greenblatt Palm Beach Gardens, FL 5 16-06 133 Day 1: 5 16-06 72. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 5 16-05 131 Day 1: 5 16-05 73. Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 5 16-00 129 Day 1: 5 16-00 74. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 15-13 127 Day 1: 5 15-13 75. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 15-04 125 Day 1: 5 15-04 76. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 15-03 123 Day 1: 5 15-03 77. Pat Golden High Point, NC 5 15-00 121 Day 1: 5 15-00 77. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 15-00 121 Day 1: 5 15-00 79. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 14-06 117 Day 1: 5 14-06 80. Mark Burgess Norton, MA 5 14-05 115 Day 1: 5 14-05 80. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 14-05 115 Day 1: 5 14-05 82. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 13-15 111 Day 1: 5 13-15 83. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 13-09 109 Day 1: 5 13-09 84. Byron Haseotes Centerville, MA 5 12-13 107 Day 1: 5 12-13 85. Jeff Connella Bentley, LA 5 12-12 105 Day 1: 5 12-12 86. Mark Tyler Vian, OK 5 12-04 103 Day 1: 5 12-04 87. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 4 12-04 101 Day 1: 4 12-04 88. Jeremy Starks Charleston, WV 5 12-03 99 Day 1: 5 12-03 88. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 5 12-03 99 Day 1: 5 12-03 90. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, MD 5 11-05 95 Day 1: 5 11-05 91. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, SC 5 11-03 93 Day 1: 5 11-03 92. David Smith Del City, OK 4 10-00 91 Day 1: 4 10-00 93. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 4 08-01 89 Day 1: 4 08-01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 90 462 1805-09 ---------------------------------- 90 462 1805-09