Oklahomans in hunt at Bassmaster Classic
BY KELLY BOSTIAN World Outdoors Writer
Saturday, February 25, 2012
2/25/12 at 4:36 AM
View slideshows and watch videos from the Bassmaster Classic.
SHREVEPORT, La. - They say no one can win the Bassmaster Classic on the first day, but they can certainly put themselves out of the running.
All three Oklahomans who qualified this year are still in the Classic for Saturday's Day 2, but a couple of them will need to have their sneakers laced up extra tight.
Edwin Evers of Talala is in the hunt for his first Bassmaster Classic title, while Jeff Kriet of Ardmore and Fred Roumbanis of Bixby are still in the tournament mix. All 49 anglers in the Classic launch from the Red River South Marina at 7 a.m. to fish again today. The field will be cut to the top 25 for Sunday's finale.
Evers is in eighth place with 16 pounds, 3 ounces. Roumbanis is in 30th place with 10-10, and Kriet is in 34th place with 10-6. All the anglers boated their limit of five fish on Friday.
While the placement numbers look shaky for Roumbanis and Kriet, they are still in the hunt. Only two pounds separate 18th and 34th place in the standings. One day and one fish can make a huge difference.
That fact had Kriet a little down on himself.
"I just didn't fish very good," he said. "I lost maybe four or five, missed four or five. ... I should have had maybe 13, 14 pounds anyway."
As he warned prior to the contest, those with company on the river have struggled. He ended up fishing a stone's throw from heavy-hitters and past Classic champions Kevin VanDam and Alton Jones first thing in the morning.
"None of us wanted to see each other in there," he said.
Watching the weights climb on the Bassmaster leaderboard in the CenturyLink Center media room, Kriet didn't like what he saw.
"I'm going to have to adjust," he said.
Roumbanis didn't have as much company, but he had the wrong kind of company.
"The fish moved from practice day," he said. "They were on the other side, and I saw another guy catching them first rattle out of the box. That's not how you want to start your day."
Roumbanis said he fished cleanly and made few mistakes. The fish he caught just lacked size. He planned to "slow down" for Saturday's portion of the contest. He plans to pick a section he thinks will be productive and work it hard until he finds the bite.
"You pretty much have to because if you move, then someone else is moving in," he said.
Evers was secretive about his fishing and, with other anglers in proximity, offered only cryptic answers about his day on the water.
He answered, "I caught them early, but it was pretty much an all-day thing," to an inquiry about whether the bite turned on for him in the afternoon as they had for another angler.
He, too, fished in a crowd.
"I can't find any place by myself," he said.
He said he wasn't excited about his prospects yet.
"I'm not yet," he said. "I'm just tired right now, ready to go home, go to sleep. There's a long ways to go yet. If I catch 'em tomorrow, then I'll get excited."
Prior to the contest, Evers said the angler or anglers who find a spot with little competition will win. That prediction might come true as two anglers said they stumbled into a spot during practice time prior to the tournament that is difficult to find and difficult to get into.
Close tour friends Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., and Greg Vinson of Wetumpka, Ala., are leading the Classic with 17 pounds, 13 ounces and 17-12, respectively. Their practice time together apparently paid off.
Poche is a Natchitoches, La., native who now lives relatively close to Vinson in Alabama but still has ties to his home state and has friends in the area.
"We kind of feed off each other a little," he said. "I guess it's kinda workin' out."
2012 Bassmaster Classic
Where: Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
When: Friday-Sunday
Launch: Red River South Marina
Weigh-In: CenturyLink Center
Expo: Hilton Shreveport Convention Center
2013 Bassmaster Classic
Where: Tulsa-Grand Lake, Okla.
When: Feb. 22-24, 2013
Launch: Grand Lake of The Cherokees
Weigh-in: BOK Center
Expo: Tulsa Convention Center
2012 Bassmaster Classic
Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
Friday-Sunday
2013 Bassmaster Classic
Tulsa-Grand Lake • Feb. 22-24, 2013
Launch: Grand Lake of The Cherokees
Weigh-in: BOK Center
Expo: Tulsa Convention Center
The favorites according to Oklahomans
Anything can happen on Day 2 of the Bassmaster Classic. The launch order is reversed and the front of the pack can become the back of the pack both in terms of standings and take-off order.
Before they hit the water Friday we asked Oklahoma Elite anglers in this year's Classic - Edwin Evers of Talala, Jeff Kriet of Ardmore and Fred Roumbanis of Bixby - to list who they think is most dangerous on the Red River this weekend; other than themselves, obviously.
Edwin Evers' picks
Jeff Kriet: Because he can slow down and really figure out how to pick something apart.
Shaw Grigsby: Because I'd just love to see him win it.
Bobby Lane: He's a good flipper and he did real well in the last tournament at Shreveport.
Greg Hackney: He's another one who is great at slowing down and figuring out the fish.
Jarod Lintner: He's just a phenominal flipper, also.
Jeff Kriet's picks
Ott DeFoe: He's proven himself. He's a shallow water superstar.
Greg Hackney: He's just a really good shallow water fisherman, always.
Mike Iaconelli: He fishes with an intensity and was good on the Red River last time.
Kevin VanDam: He's a threat but he doesn't scare me as much here as on other water.
Todd Faircloth: No doubt he's one of the best competitive fishermen out there.
Fred Roumbanis' picks
Mike Iaconelli: He has such a good history on the Red River.
Bobby Lane: He's good in shallow water and he came back strong in 2009.
Kevin VanDam: Because he's a threat in any tournament.
Mike Iaconelli: He just has such good history here.
Ott DeFoe: He's a river genius.
Bill Lowen: He's an extremely creative shallow water fisherman.
2012 Bassmaster Classic: Day 1 results
Shreveport, La.
|
Name | Fish | Weight |
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1. Keith Poche | 5 | 17-13 |
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2. Greg Vinson | 5 | 17-12 |
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3. Dustin Wilks | 5 | 16-9 |
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4. David Walker | 5 | 16-8 |
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5. Ott DeFoe | 5 | 16-6 |
|
6. Chris Lane | 5 | 16-4 |
|
6. Bobby Lane | 5 | 16-4 |
|
8. Edwin Evers | 5 | 16-3 |
|
9. Jamie Horton | 5 | 14-15 |
|
10. Bill Lowen | 5 | 14-13 |
|
11. Matt Reed | 5 | 14-8 |
|
11. Terry Scroggins | 5 | 14-8 |
|
13. Greg Hackney | 5 | 13-15 |
|
14. Aaron Martens | 5 | 13-14 |
|
14. Takahiro Omori | 5 | 13-14 |
|
16. Alton Jones | 5 | 13-13 |
|
17. Keith Combs | 5 | 13-9 |
|
18. Davy Hite | 5 | 13-8 |
|
19. Marty Robinson | 5 | 12-8 |
|
19. Andrew Upshaw | 5 | 12-8 |
|
21. John Crews | 5 | 11-15 |
|
21. Stephen Kennedy | 5 | 11-15 |
|
23. Brent Chapman | 5 | 11-14 |
|
24. Randy Howell | 5 | 11-11 |
|
25. Stephen Browning | 5 | 11-3 |
|
25. Josh Polfer | 5 | 11-3 |
|
27. Kevin VanDam | 5 | 11-0 |
|
28. Allan Glasgow | 5 | 10-15 |
|
29. Timmy Horton | 5 | 10-11 |
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30. Fred Roumbanis | 5 | 10-10 |
|
31. Michael Iaconelli | 5 | 10-7 |
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31. Tom Jessop | 5 | 10-7 |
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31. Chris Price | 5 | 10-7 |
|
34. Jeff Kriet | 5 | 10-6 |
|
35. Fletcher Shryock | 5 | 10-3 |
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36. Ishama Monroe | 5 | 9-10 |
|
37. Todd Faircloth | 5 | 9-9 |
|
38. Kevin Wirth | 4 | 8-15 |
|
39. Denny Brauer | 3 | 8-13 |
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40. Gerald Swindle | 5 | 8-12 |
|
41. John Diaco | 4 | 6-12 |
|
42. Jared Lintner | 3 | 6- 8 |
|
43. Dean Rojas | 2 | 6-0 |
|
44. Mark Tucker | 2 | 5-7 |
|
45. Shaw E Grigsby | 2 | 4-5 |
|
46. Matt McCoy | 1 | 1-14 |
|
47. Kelly Pratt | 1 | 1-13 |
|
48. Casey Ashley | 1 | 1-11 |
|
49. Brandon Palaniuk | 0 | 0-0 |
Original Print Headline: Locals in the hunt
Kelly Bostian 918-581-8357
kelly.bostian@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Jeff Kriet unhooks a fish Friday on the first day of competition at the Bassmaster Classic. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Jeff Kriet fishes on the first day of competition at the Bassmaster Classic in Shreveport, La., on Friday. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Edwin Evers holds up fish at the CenturyLink Center in Shreveport, La., during the weigh-in on the first day of competition at the Bassmaster Classic. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Crowds line up to watch the launch on the first day of competition at the Bassmaster Classic. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
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