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Kansan Brent Chapman in fourth
Alabama’s Aaron Martens Leads the Bassmaster Classic
 
February 18, 2011 - NEW ORLEANS — Aaron Martens took about a 1-pound lead Friday on the first day of the Bassmaster Classic, the world championship of bass fishing being played through Sunday on the Louisiana Delta.
 
Martens’ 20 pounds, 7 ounces, kept him in front of Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., with 19-6. Rook snuck ahead of defending Classic champ Kevin VanDam, who had 19-3 for third place. Ending the day in fourth with 18-0 was Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan. (Photo Credit: B.A.S.S. / Seigo Saito) Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., with 16-12, was fifth.
 
Dense fog delayed the start of Friday’s competition by 70 minutes. The shorter day upped the ante on the gamble of using competition time to travel to far-flung hot spots.
 
Martens said he wasn’t making a long run, but he still would have preferred not to have lost the hour of highly productive morning fishing.
 
“The fog hurt a little bit,” said the Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Leeds, Ala. “I got three fish the first 10 minutes, and they shut off for a while.”
 
He hinted that he used reaction baits, “but I won’t say what yet.” He said he didn’t boat as many bass as he did during his practice time in the same area. His biggest bass was 5-9, also the tournament’s best catch of the day.
 
“I got nice fish, just not nearly as many bites as I thought I would,” Martens said. “It’s probably the weather, and the stage the fish are in.”
 
Rook, who finished in second place in the 2001 Classic on the Louisiana Delta, said he is sharing water with VanDam and Martens, but the area is large enough for sharing.
 
“It’s a huge spawning flats, 2 ½ to 3 feet deep,” said Rook. “It’s got thousands of cypress stumps. I know there’s fish in there spawning.”
 
Rook said his fish came slowly. He had two by noon, but then the bite turned on.
 
“Normally, with a full moon, they start biting again at noon, and they did,” he said. He had a 3 ½-pounder at noon, then two more, each about 10 minutes apart. His day’s total was 19 pounds, 6 ounces.
 
VanDam, the angler who bested Rook in 2001, described his day as “decent.”
 
“I was really hoping to have an outstanding day today and get a big bite or two,” he said. “The fish were a little bit fickle. They’re thinking about spawning and not eating real well, so the bite was a little funny. It was definitely a struggle, but there’s quality in the pattern I’m fishing.”
 
VanDam said he will trust his Day 1 success and return to his spots on Saturday.
 
Chapman said he hopes to duplicate his 18 pounds of Friday by returning to his southerly spot in the Venice area.
 
“I don’t think it showed itself,” Chapman said. “It’s got a lot of fish, I think I can do even better.”
 
Lane said he found numbers of bass today, but not of the quality he had hoped for.
 
“The tide was lower, and the bigger ones just didn’t bite,” he said.
 
Martens grimaced when told of Saturday’s forecast for early morning dense fog. He’s determined to stick with his spot.
 
“I’d like to get there early in the morning. They bite better then,” Martens said. “As much as I caught today, and the quality I’m seeing, hopefully I’ll get enough to maybe win this thing.”
 
Competing in his 12th Classic, Martens has ended up in the runner-up spot three times.
 
Unlike Martens and VanDam, Lane is making a long run to the Venice area. He said he got to his area by 10:30 a.m., fished until 12:30 p.m., then headed in and arrived 45 minutes early. He said another fog delay wouldn’t hurt him too much, and just three hours of fishing time on Saturday will suit him.
 
“That’s plenty of time — if you’re around them,” he said.
 
2011 Bassmaster Classic local hosts: Louisiana Office of Tourism, Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation
 
2011 Bassmaster Classic Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, Bass Pro Shops, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter, Triton, Yamaha
 
2011 Bassmaster Classic - New Orleans, LA 02/18-02/20 Louisiana Delta, New Orleans  La.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 1
 
  
Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$
 
1.  Aaron Martens          Leeds, Ala.             5  20-07    0
 
Day 1: 5   20-07  
2.  Scott Rook             Little Rock, Ark.       5  19-06    0
 
Day 1: 5   19-06  
3.  Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, Mich.        5  19-03    0
 
Day 1: 5   19-03  
4.  Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, Kan.      5  18-00    0
 
Day 1: 5   18-00  
5.  Bobby Lane             Lakeland, Fla.          5  16-12    0
 
Day 1: 5   16-12  
6.  Dale Hightower         Sand Springs, Okla.     5  15-09    0
 
Day 1: 5   15-09  
7.  Cliff Pace             Petal, Miss.            5  15-07    0
 
Day 1: 5   15-07  
8.  Todd Faircloth         Jasper, Texas           5  15-02    0
 
Day 1: 5   15-02  
9.  Skeet Reese            Auburn, Calif.          5  15-01    0
 
Day 1: 5   15-01  
10. Paul Elias             Laurel, Miss.           5  14-13    0
 
Day 1: 5   14-13  
11. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, Idaho         5  14-10    0
 
Day 1: 5   14-10  
12. Kelly Jordon           Palestine, Texas        5  14-03    0
 
Day 1: 5   14-03  
12. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, Ala.          5  14-03    0
 
Day 1: 5   14-03  
14. Edwin Evers            Talala, Okla.           5  14-02    0
 
Day 1: 5   14-02  
14. Kevin Wirth            Crestwood, Ky.          5  14-02    0
 
Day 1: 5   14-02  
16. John Crews             Salem, Va.              5  13-14    0
 
Day 1: 5   13-14  
17. Boyd Duckett           Demopolis, Ala.         5  13-12    0
 
Day 1: 5   13-12  
18. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, Okla.          5  13-05    0
 
Day 1: 5   13-05  
19. Keith Combs            Del Rio, Texas          5  13-02    0
 
Day 1: 5   13-02  
19. Dave Wolak             Wake Forest, N.C.       5  13-02    0
 
Day 1: 5   13-02  
21. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, N.J.       5  13-01    0
 
Day 1: 5   13-01  
22. Matt Herren            Trussville, Ala.        5  12-15    0
 
Day 1: 5   12-15  
22. Derek Remitz           Grant, Ala.             5  12-15    0
 
Day 1: 5   12-15  
24. Gary Klein             Weatherford, Texas      5  12-07    0
 
Day 1: 5   12-07  
25. Randall Tharp          Gardendale, Ala.        5  11-12    0
 
Day 1: 5   11-12  
26. Dave Watson            Sullivan, Ind.          5  11-04    0
 
Day 1: 5   11-04  
27. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, Okla.          5  11-01    0
 
Day 1: 5   11-01  
28. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, Ala.           5  10-10    0
 
Day 1: 5   10-10  
29. Ryan Mcmurtury         Abbeville, S.C.         5  10-09    0
 
Day 1: 5   10-09  
30. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, Mo.       5  10-08    0
 
Day 1: 5   10-08  
31. Brian La Clair         Denton, Md.             5  10-03    0
 
Day 1: 5   10-03  
32. Morizo Shimizu         Matsugaoka, Japan       5  10-00    0
 
Day 1: 5   10-00  
33. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, Fla.         5   9-11    0
 
Day 1: 5    9-11  
34. Terry Butcher          Talala, Okla.           5   9-09    0
 
Day 1: 5    9-09  
35. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, Ark.       4   9-05    0
 
Day 1: 4    9-05  
36. Shaw Grigsby           Gainesville, Fla.       5   9-03    0
 
Day 1: 5    9-03  
37. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, S.C.        4   9-02    0
 
Day 1: 4    9-02  
38. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, Ark.       5   8-12    0
 
Day 1: 5    8-12  
39. Sean Alvarez           Rutland, Vt.            5   8-00    0
 
Day 1: 5    8-00  
40. Bill Lowen             Brookville, Ind.        5   7-11    0
 
Day 1: 5    7-11  
41. Jason Williamson       Aiken, S.C.             5   7-01    0
 
Day 1: 5    7-01  
42. Mark Davis             Mount Ida, Ark.         5   7-00    0
 
Day 1: 5    7-00  
43. Tracy Adams            Wilkesboro, N.C.        2   5-02    0
 
Day 1: 2    5-02  
44. Ryan Said              Wixom, Mich.            3   4-15    0
 
Day 1: 3    4-15  
45. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, Ariz  2   4-04    0
 
Day 1: 2    4-04  
46. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, La.           3   4-03    0
 
Day 1: 3    4-03  
47. George Crain           Cropwell, Ala.          2   3-12    0
 
Day 1: 2    3-12  
48. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, Ala.            2   2-06    0
 
Day 1: 2    2-06  
49. Russ Lane              Prattville, Ala.        0   0-00    0
 
Day 1: 0    0-00  
49. Clark Reehm            Lufkin, Texas           0   0-00    0
 
Day 1: 0    0-00  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       40       222       555-08
----------------------------------
        
40       222       555-08
 

 

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