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Classic Day 2
Kansan Brent Chapman finishes in 27th with limit
New Jersey Pro Assumes Lead In
CITGO Bassmaster Classic
Iaconelli Holds 2-Plus-Pound
Cushion
Entering Sunday's Final Round
Michael Iaconelli leads round 2 after a challenging day,
or engine trouble and Mother Nature.
(Aug. 02, 2003 - NEW ORLEANS, LA)... Thirty-three-year-old New Jersey pro Michael Iaconelli
on Saturday morning recovered from mechanical problems that left
him temporarily adrift in the Gulf of Mexico to take the lead
in the $700,000 CITGO Bassmaster Classic presented by Busch Beer
entering Sunday's final round.
Kansan Brent Chapman advanced
one position to 27th, just missing the cutoff of the top 25 anglers
to head into the final day of competition. Chapman finished the
two days with two days of limits of five, but had difficulty
finding the larger fish. His first day total was five pounds
plus and his second day was eight pounds plus. Four more ounces
would have put Chapman in 25th place.
After his rocky start, Iaconelli
rebounded to catch 10 legal-size bass, the five heaviest weighing
in at 11 pounds, 10 ounces (for a two-day total of 27 pounds
even).
Hot on his heels are three veteran
anglers: South Carolina's Davy Hite, who won the 1999 Classic
on these Louisiana Delta waters, with 24-5; 21-time Classic contender
Gary Klein of Texas (24-4); and Texan Harold Allen, a 14-time
Classic competitor (22-5).
Starting the day in second place,
Iaconelli was in his bass boat en route to the Venice area where
the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico when his vessel
suddenly lost power.
"For about 15 to 20 minutes,
as I was floating in that big pond, the whole Classic kind of
flashed before my eyes," he said. "The service crew
got me running again pretty quick, but I lost about 40 minutes
of fishing time, which I really believe hurt my fishing today
because I had been on a good early bite in my area.
"Because of the time I
lost I felt like I had to go fish for numbers instead of the
quality bass I caught there (Friday). I didn't throw the jig
today, but I can't wait to throw it tomorrow for those quality
fish."
Iaconelli's success came primarily
by briskly working a prototype Mann's plastic worm through shallow
vegetation and then following up with a Mann's Super Finesse
Worm on bass that chased but missed the bait.
For the first time, the four-time
Classic qualifier enters the final day as the leader in the race
for the $200,000 top prize and the most important title in competitive
fishing.
"It's a great feeling to
be going into the last day of the Classic leading ... and actually
leading two of the guys I've always admired," said Iaconelli,
who sports a colorful bass tattoo on his right bicep. "They're
my heroes.
"But I'm not worried about
Davy Hite and Gary Klein ... because they are uncontrollables.
I'm only concerned about my fishing tomorrow, which is the only
thing I can control."
Hite, 38, had Thursday's biggest
jump, with a second-round catch of 13-14. His success came on
a Gambler worm fished in the same area (Bayou Boeuf), where he
won the Classic four years early.
"I'm really excited about
tomorrow," said Hite, the 2002 Angler of the Year. "It's
going to be a shootout."
Klein, 47, is a two-time BASS
Angler of the Year who has never won the Classic. He came close
on two occasions.
"I'm in the hunt and that's
when bass fishing is really fun - to go into the last day with
a chance to win," said Klein, who switched from a jig to
a soft-plastic creature bait on Saturday. "It's going to
be a war."
North Carolina's Dustin Wilks,
the youngest angler in the Classic field at 26, took Saturday's
big-bass honors with a 5-pound, 6-ounce largemouth.
The 61-man Classic field was
pared to 25 for the final round. First-round leader Mark Menendez
struggled to catch just 4 pounds, 3 ounces of bass and fell to
seventh place, at 20-13. Defending Classic champion and Busch
BASS Angler of the Year Jay Yelas posted a weight of 91/2
pounds and sits in 10th place with 20 pounds even.
BASS is the world's largest
fishing organization, sanctioning more than 20,000 tournaments
worldwide through its Federation. The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament
Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass-fishing tournament
circuit and continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism
and sportsmanship as it has since 1968.
Sponsors of the CITGO Bassmaster
Classic presented by Busch Beer include CITGO Petroleum Corp.,
Busch Beer, Chevrolet Trucks, Yamaha Outboards, Mercury Marine,
Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster
Exhaust Systems, Kumho Tires, Progressive Insurance, Abu Garcia,
Berkley, Diamond Cut Jeans, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, and BankOne.
Associate Sponsors include Bryant
Heating and Air Conditioning and G3 Boats.
Local sponsors include the State
of Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, the
Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, and Jefferson Parish.
Iaconelli Holds 2-Plus-Pound
Cushion Entering Sunday's Final Round
by BASS Communications/ BASS
August 1-3, 2003 Louisiana Delta, New Orleans, La. Day 2 standings
The Day 2 Classic weigh-in.
PL Angler
Hometown #Fish Lbs-oz
1. Michael Iaconelli Woodbury Heights, N.J. 10 27-00 Day 1: 5
15-06 Day 2: 5 11-10
2. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 10 24-05 Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2:
5 13-14
3. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 10 24-04 Day 1: 5 13-15 Day
2: 5 10-05
4. Harold Allen Shelbyville, Texas 10 22-05 Day 1: 5 11-10 Day
2: 5 10-11
5. Jeff Reynolds Platter, Okla. 10 21-05 Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2:
5 11-00
6. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 10 20-14 Day 1: 5 8-04 Day 2: 5
12-10
7. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 7 20-13 Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 2
4-03
8. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 9 20-12 Day 1: 5 12-04 Day
2: 4 8-08
9. Curt Lytle Suffolk, Va. 10 20-10 Day 1: 5 8-06 Day 2: 5 12-04
10. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 10 20-00 Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 9-08
11. Jay Kendrick Ooltewah, Tenn. 10 19-14 Day 1: 5 10-08 Day
2: 5 9-06
12. Roland Martin Clewiston, Fla. 10 19-11 Day 1: 5 10-02 Day
2: 5 9-09
13. Mark Kile Payson, Ariz. 10 19-01 Day 1: 5 9-01 Day 2: 5 10-00
14. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 10 17-15 Day 1: 5 8-08 Day 2: 5 9-07
15. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, S.C. 8 17-11 Day 1: 3 4-12 Day 2:
5 12-15
16. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 10 17-01 Day 1: 5 9-02 Day 2:
5 7-15
17. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 6 16-04 Day 1: 1 1-09 Day 2:
5 14-11
18. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, S.C. 8 15-09 Day 1: 3 4-05 Day 2:
5 11-04
19. David Lefebre Erie, Pa. 10 15-06 Day 1: 5 7-06 Day 2: 5 8-00
20. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 8 15-05 Day 1: 5 10-01
Day 2: 3 5-04
21. Matt Reed Madisonville, Texas 10 15-04 Day 1: 5 8-09 Day
2: 5 6-11
22. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 8 15-01 Day 1: 5 10-07 Day
2: 3 4-10
23. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 10 14-12 Day 1: 5 8-00 Day 2:
5 6-12
24. Tom Hamlin, Jr Macon, Ga. 10 14-10 Day 1: 5 7-04 Day 2: 5
7-06
25. Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 7 14-07 Day 1: 3 7-06 Day 2:
4 7-01
PL Angler
Hometown #Fish Lbs-oz Total $$$
26. Dustin Wilks Enfield, N.C. 8 14-05 $6,000.00 Day 1: 3 4-03
Day 2: 5 10-02
27. Brent Chapman Shawnee, Kan. 10 14-04 $5,900.00 Day 1:
5 5-13 Day 2: 5 8-07
28. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 9 14-02 $5,800.00 Day 1: 4
5-08 Day 2: 5 8-10
29. Joel St. Germain Cumberland, R.I. 7 13-12 $5,700.00 Day 1:
2 5-15 Day 2: 5 7-13
30. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 10 13-06 $5,500.00 Day 1: 5 6-03
Day 2: 5 7-03
31. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 10 13-03 $5,350.00 Day 1: 5 6-04
Day 2: 5 6-15
31. Greg Hackney Oak Ridge, La. 6 13-03 $5,350.00 Day 1: 5 10-04
Day 2: 1 2-15
33. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 6 13-02 $5,200.00 Day 1: 1 1-10
Day 2: 5 11-08
34. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 5 12-07 $6,100.00 Day 1: 2
4-01 Day 2: 3 8-06
35. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, Ill. 9 12-05 $5,000.00 Day
1: 4 4-13 Day 2: 5 7-08
36. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 7 12-02 $4,900.00 Day
1: 3 4-07 Day 2: 4 7-11
37. Jack L Wade Knoxville, Tenn. 6 12-01 $4,800.00 Day 1: 1 1-09
Day 2: 5 10-08
38. Homer Humphreys, Jr Minden, La. 8 11-06 $4,700.00 Day 1:
5 7-09 Day 2: 3 3-13
39. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 6 11-05 $4,600.00 Day 1: 1 1-04
Day 2: 5 10-01
40. Wesley A Strader Spring City, Tenn. 7 9-12 $4,500.00 Day
1: 2 3-00 Day 2: 5 6-12
41. Cole Garrett Calvin, La. 6 9-09 $4,000.00 Day 1: 1 1-04 Day
2: 5 8-05
42. Michael Johnson Talking Rock, Ga. 6 8-14 $3,900.00 Day 1:
2 2-15 Day 2: 4 5-15
43. Lee Bailey, Jr Amston, Conn. 6 8-09 $3,800.00 Day 1: 3 5-00
Day 2: 3 3-09
44. Mike Gough Gainesville, Fla. 6 8-05 $3,700.00 Day 1: 1 1-03
Day 2: 5 7-02
45. Karl Guegold Westerville, Ohio 3 8-04 $3,600.00 Day 1: 0
0-00 Day 2: 3 8-04
46. Jerry Shawver, II Jacksonville, Fla. 4 8-01 $3,500.00 Day
1: 1 1-12 Day 2: 3 6-05
47. Tommy Stiles Mcminnville, Tenn. 5 7-12 $3,400.00 Day 1: 2
2-13 Day 2: 3 4-15
48. Roger Boler Slidell, La. 6 7-07 $3,300.00 Day 1: 1 1-08 Day
2: 5 5-15
49. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 4 7-06 $3,200.00 Day 1: 3 3-09
Day 2: 1 3-13
50. Randall R Romig Barto, Pa. 6 7-01 $3,100.00 Day 1: 1 1-05
Day 2: 5 5-12
51. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 3 6-15 $3,000.00 Day 1: 1 2-14
Day 2: 2 4-01
52. Edwin Evers Mannsville, Okla. 6 6-14 $3,000.00 Day 1: 4 4-06
Day 2: 2 2-08
52. Ron Shuffield Bismarck, Ark. 3 6-14 $3,000.00 Day 1: 2 3-05
Day 2: 1 3-09
54. Ishama Monroe Patterson, Calif. 5 6-08 $3,000.00 Day 1: 0
0-00 Day 2: 5 6-08
55. Elton Luce Jr Brookeland, Texas 5 6-01 $3,000.00 Day 1: 1
1-04 Day 2: 4 4-13
56. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 3 5-13 $2,500.00 Day 1: 2 2-07
Day 2: 1 3-06
57. Tom Schachten Driggs, Idaho 3 5-07 $2,500.00 Day 1: 3 5-07
Day 2: 0 0-00
58. Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 3 5-01 $2,500.00 Day 1: 1
1-11 Day 2: 2 3-06
59. Tom Mann, Jr Buford, Ga. 3 4-11 $2,500.00 Day 1: 2 3-01 Day
2: 1 1-10
60. Koby Kreiger Okeechobee, Fla. 2 2-07 $2,500.00 Day 1: 0 0-00
Day 2: 2 2-07
61. Bud Pruitt Spring, Texas 1 1-04 $2,500.00 Day 1: 1 1-04 Day
2: 0 0-00
Big Bass
Day 1 Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 6-02 $1,000.00
Day 2 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 5-06 $1,000.00
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
2 36 239 445-15
62 434 800-01
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