High Water Moves Fish Shallow for Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers
at Sooner Run Presented by Longhorn
The Pros Said It
"It's really going to be a much different tournament this year than last year because of the high water level, and water color is really going to play havoc on anyone planning to structure fish. The fish just aren't out there deep, and I'm fishing much more shallow right now. Last year I was pretty zeroed in on one depth and style, but this year is different. I think there's going to be a couple of good bags caught, but I'm not sure if it will be consistent for one person every day. The bass are in different depths and you have to cover all facets and possibilities of where they may be." - Mike McClelland, 39, Bella Vista, Ark., 4-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and winner of the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series Sooner Run on Grand Lake.
"I'm catching a lot of fish, but not many big bass. The lake is high and it came down about 3 feet just before practice started, so it has started to level off now. I think the lake is off just a little bit because the water dirtied up quite a bit and slowed that deep bite down quite a bit. The fishing has been steady the last couple days, and the water is starting to clear, so I think you'll see some good sacks weighed in." - Terry Butcher, 35, Talala, Okla., one-time BASS winner, 96th in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.
"Last year I had a horrible tournament and was all prepared to fish outside the way it was won in 2006, but now it's way over pool and muddy water. I've changed up my game plan and started fishing shallow again. It's tough finding areas where you can get more than one or two bites. The fish are scattered and I haven't found an area with a whole school of them yet. I'm fishing a lot of areas and will hopefully come across some decent-sized bass. I'm fishing the way I like to fish, and now it's just a matter of getting the bites and getting them in the boat." Jared Lintner, 33, Arroyo Grande, Calif., one-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, ranked third in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.
The Strategy
McClelland: The Arkansan is targeting structure, and using the same pattern that propelled him to win the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series event on Grand Lake. But, he notes that the stained water color is making it more difficult to locate the bass. He plans to fish shallow and deep, covering a lot of water and using a variety of lures including Carolina rigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged worms. McClelland estimates it will take 60 pounds to win the tournament.
Butcher: He is fishing shallow and deep-water locations and using a variety of patterns and lures. For the shallow-water bite he is mainly flipping and for the deep-water bite he prefers crankbaits and soft plastics. He estimates close to 70 pounds will win the tournament.
Lintner: His primary patterns will be flipping and pitching in shallow water around bushes and covering as much water as possible. He also has fished outside points, humps and deeper rock piles to locate the deep-water bite. If he places his bait in the right areas, he is confident he'll come across a big bass.
Location and Field
Sooner Run presented by Longhorn — Bassmaster Elite Series
Grand Lake
Grove, Okla.
June 21-24
Field
108 pros, 108 co-anglers
Cut to top 50 after Day 2
Cut to top 12 pro anglers after Day 3
Launch
North Beach Development
61201 East 270 Rd.
Grove, OK
5:50 a.m. ET
Weigh-in
North Beach Development
61201 East 270 Rd.
Grove, OK
3 p.m. ET
Background
Previous BASS events
2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2006 Bassmaster Elite Series
2006, ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2006, ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2006, ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2006, ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2005, ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2005, ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
1995, Bassmaster Invitational
1992, Bassmaster Invitational
1991, Bassmaster Invitational
1980, Bassmaster Invitational
Previous winners on lake
13-11, Alan Kelly, 2006
17-13, John Wynn, 2006
79-7, Mike McClelland, 2006
13-11, Chuck Lawless, 2006
12-1, Leroy Rease, 2006
24-4, John Shore, 2006
15-10, Robbie Dodson, 2006
13-8, Steve Dowty, 2005
13-5, Luis Nolda, 2005
52-6, Tommy Martin, 1995
43-15, Jim Morton, 1992
49-1, Ron Shuffield, 1992
26-3, Ken Cook, 1980
Heaviest winning weight
79-7, Mike McClelland, 2006
Lowest winning weight
12-1, Leroy Rease, 2006
Weather
Temperature
93 degrees
Lake level
746.42 ft. above mean sea level
Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule The Western Run #1 March 8-11 Battle on the Border - Lake Amistad, Del Rio, Texas #2 March 22-25 Duel in the Delta - California Delta, Stockton, Calif. #3 March 29 — April 1 Golden State Shootout — Clear Lake, Lakeport, Calif.The Southern Swing #4 April 19-22 Pride of Georgia — Clarks Hill Lake, Evans, Ga. #5 April 26-29 Southern Challenge — Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Ala. #6 June 7-10 Blue Ridge Brawl — Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta, Va.
The Turn #7 June 21-24 Sooner Run - Grand Lake, Grove, Okla.
The Northern Run #8 July 12-15 Champion's Choice - Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y. #9 July 19-22 Empire Chase — Lake Erie/Niagara River, Buffalo, N.Y.
The Final Charge #10 Aug. 9-12 Capitol Clash - Potomac River, Charles County, Md. #11 Sept. 13-16 Sunshine Showdown — Lake Tohopekaliga, Kissimmee, Fla.
Local sponsors: Local sponsors include Grand Lake Association.
Bassmaster Elite Series sponsors: Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide and Costa Del Mar.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings
------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Skeet Reese Calif. 1573 2 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1460 3 Jared Lintner Calif. 1441 4 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 1361 5 Ishama Monroe Calif. 1350 6 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1338 7 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1327 8 Derek Remitz Texas 1292 8 Casey Ashley S.C. 1292 10 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1271 11 Aaron Martens Ala. 1268 12 Dean Rojas Texas 1244 13 John Crews Va. 1237 14 Stephen Browning Ark. 1236 15 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1226 15 Kelly Jordon Texas 1226 17 Chris Lane Fla. 1220 18 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 1217 19 John Murray Ariz. 1215 20 Gary Klein Texas 1204 21 Mark Tyler Okla. 1183 22 Scott Rook Ark. 1182 23 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1175 24 Peter Thliveros Fla. 1166 25 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 1162 25 Mark Menendez Ky. 1162 27 Jason Quinn S.C. 1161 27 Timmy Horton Ala. 1161 29 Mike McClelland Ark. 1160 30 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1157 31 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1155 32 Cliff Pace Miss. 1150 33 Takahiro Omori Texas 1149 34 Todd Faircloth Texas 1136 35 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 1121 36 Greg Hackney La. 1114 37 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 1109 38 Alton Jones Texas 1108 39 Edwin Evers Okla. 1104 40 Paul Elias Miss. 1100 41 Pete Ponds Miss. 1098 42 Randy Howell Ala. 1097 43 Brent Chapman Kan. 1096 44 Boyd Duckett Ala. 1084 45 Dave Wolak N.C. 1083 46 Brian Snowden Mo. 1075 47 Kevin Short Ark. 1066 48 Mark Tucker Mo. 1048 49 Shaw Grigsby, Jr Fla. 1046 50 Davy Hite S.C. 1038 51 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1036 52 Denny Brauer Mo. 1034 53 Russ Lane Ala. 1029 54 Mike Wurm Ark. 1025 55 Scott Campbell Mo. 1022 56 Jimmy Mize Ark. 1016 57 Jason Williamson S.C. 997 58 Ken Brodeur Conn. 991 59 Rick Morris Va. 980 60 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 979 61 Ken Cook Okla. 969 62 Lee Bailey Ala. 966 63 Rick Clunn Mo. 959 64 James Niggemeyer Texas 952 65 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 943 66 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 942 67 Ben Matsubu Texas 933 68 Matt Reed Texas 924 69 Kurt Dove Va. 917 70 Zell Rowland Texas 915 71 Britt Myers S.C. 914 72 James Charlesworth Fla. 912 73 Bernie Schultz Fla. 904 74 Marty Robinson S.C. 901 75 Bill Lowen Ohio 888 76 Jeff Connella La. 887 77 Marty Stone N.C. 885 78 Bradley Hallman Okla. 879 78 Bill Smith Ky. 879 80 Jami Fralick S.D. 877 81 Kenyon Hill Okla. 872 82 Jim Murray Ga. 870 83 James Kennedy La. 852 84 Kevin Langill N.C. 848 84 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 848 86 Grant Goldbeck Md. 843 87 Paul Hirosky Pa. 831 88 Charlie Hartley Ohio 828 89 Mark Rogers Fla. 821 90 Guy Eaker N.C. 815 91 Matt Amedeo Ohio 807 92 Preston Clark Fla. 801 93 Glenn Delong Ohio 767 94 Keith Phillips Ala. 734 95 Steve Daniel Fla. 732 96 Terry Butcher Okla. 715 97 Eric Nethery Ga. 709 98 Doc Merkin Ill. 706 99 Jimmy Mason Ala. 678 100 Darrin Schwenkbeck Md. 677 101 Jon Bondy Canada 672 102 Charlie Youngers Fla. 667 103 Bradley Stringer Texas 664 104 Dave Smith Okla. 660 105 Rick Ash Pa. 642 106 Byron Velvick Texas 564 107 Frank Scalish Ohio 560 108 Elton Luce Jr Texas 426
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