Alexander Takes Open Lead At Lake Amistad
Category: press release
Apr 9th, 2010 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Apr 9th, 2010 at 12:00 AM
DEL RIO, Texas – As predicted, winds gusting more than 30 mph pounded Lake Amistad Friday, and as expected, the Bassmaster Central Open leaderboard changed, too. Texas angler Dean Alexander, in eighth after Thursday’s opening round, took over the lead with a two-day total of 45 pounds, 11 ounces.
That put him 12 ounces ahead of Bassmaster Elite pro Clark Reehm, who had a share of the lead after Thursday’s opening round; Reehm brought in 20-15 for the day and has a total of 44 pounds, 15 ounces.
They’re followed by Craig Schuff in third with 44-9; Aaron Johnson with 42-15; and another Elite pro, Jami Fralick, in fifth with 41-14.
“The lake isn’t fishing the way it normally does for me this time of year,” explained Alexander, whose 23-pound, 1-ounce catch was the second heaviest of the day. “I’m having to work several different areas and different depths. Yesterday I caught all post-spawn bass but today I caught only pre-spawn fish.”
Reehm admitted he spent more time running to different areas today than on Thursday, and that he, too, was using a wide variety of lures and techniques and catching bass at different depths, some deeper than 30 feet.
“I think the key is not spending a lot of time on one spot if you have other places to fish,” he said. “You can be fooled by the sheer number of bass in this lake, but I don’t think you can take the time to wade through 15 or 20 two-pounders and keep hoping the next one will be larger.
“I’m catching about 30 keepers a day, but if I get three or four small fish from one spot, I leave.”
Most of the successful anglers are not only fishing a variety of lures and techniques, they’re trying to key on places bass are using as migration routes or holding zones so they can catch both pre-spawn and post-spawn fish. While sight-fishing played an important part in Thursday’s overall catch, the wind definitely hurt the shallow fishing on Friday.
“The wind actually helped me today,” noted fifth place pro Jami Fralick, whose father Monty is in eighth place just 10 ounces behind him, “because in the calm conditions Thursday I could see bass about 20 feet deep, and I’m sure they could see me, too. I don’t think I’m the only one hoping for wind again on Saturday because this lake is so clear.”
The lead also changed on the non-boater side, with Sam Koebcke taking over the top spot with six bass weighing 30 pounds, 11 ounces. Day One leader Buz Craft dropped to second with a two day total of 27-11.
Only the top 30 pros and non-boaters will fish on Saturday. For the pros, veteran Texas angler Dickie Newberry claimed the final qualifying spot with a weight of 35-10, while Mark Powers of Colorado qualified in 30th in the non-boater division with 21-1.
The launches and weigh-ins for the Open are at Lake Amistad Resort and Marina, Highway 90 W., Del Rio, TX 78840. Takeoff is set for 7 a.m. CT; weigh-ins will begin at 3 p.m. CT. All events are free and open to the public.
The series will move from Amistad to the Red River out of Shreveport, La., on June 3-5. The circuit will close out on Oct. 21-23 on Lake Texoma out of Denison, Texas.
Complete tournament coverage, including real-time leaderboards, will be available at www.Bassmaster.com each day of the event. Other coverage will include extensive daily photo galleries, BASSCam video interviews, and standings and results.
The local sponsor of the Lake Amistad Bassmaster Central Open is the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, www.drchamber.com
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.