PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — This time last month, Buddy Gross was struggling to walk after suffering a freak ankle injury while horseback riding. His right ankle is still grotesquely swollen, but it didn’t slow him down on the water Thursday as he caught five bass that weighed 21 pounds, 13 ounces to take the opening-round lead in the Bassmaster Elite tournament at Lake Champlain.
“I made some good calls today,” said Gross, who weighed in four largemouth and one smallmouth. “I hit some stuff that I’d hit before and managed to catch a few.
“I had two smallmouth in my bag for the biggest part of my day, but I stopped on one more spot on the way in and caught another 4-pound largemouth to cull one of those fish.”
With three days left before the tournament is done, Gross didn’t go into specifics about where and how he was catching either species. But he did say he only hit about three of the 30 places he found to fish for largemouth during practice. He had all but one of the bass he weighed in by noon.
“I’ve got a bunch of stuff left to fish, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good,” said Gross, who picked up his first career Elite Series victory last year on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula. “They weren’t there like I expected them to be for most of practice, but they seem to be showing up now.
“If I can make it to Saturday when the sun is supposed to come out, I think it could be really good.”
As for the injured right ankle that dogged him during a 52nd-place finish at last month’s Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts, Gross said it is just a matter of being careful.
“If I hit it just wrong in the boat, it still sends a sharp pain,” he said. “It’s still swollen really badly. I know I need to see a specialist, but right now I just want to fish.”
Gross holds less than a 1-pound lead over second-place pro Bryan Schmitt of Maryland (21-11) and third-place angler Randy Pierson of California (21-0).
Unlike Gross who focused mainly on largemouth, Schmitt targeted smallmouth most of the day. But he switched occasionally to largemouth when he was near the right type of habitat, and it was a decision that paid big dividends.
“I sampled a bunch of stuff I thought I could get a bite on early,” Schmitt said. “Some of it worked, some didn’t. Then about 11 o’clock, I ran some new stuff and caught a couple of big smallmouth and a couple of big largemouth.
“I probably caught 20 or so fish, but a lot of small ones.”
Schmitt said he fished roughly half the areas he identified as good possibilities in practice. Then with a good limit already in his livewell, he spent about an hour idling and looking for new water before weigh-in. While he admitted 4-pound-plus largemouth are hard to come by on Champlain, he said the talk that 4-plus smallmouth are hard to find is false.
“I caught three of them today, and I don’t even know what I’m doing,” Schmitt said. “There’s a lot more big smallmouth in here than largemouth.”
Pierson, the 2018 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship winner, weighed in all largemouth, but that wasn’t necessarily his plan. He spent his day targeting smallmouth and then switching tactics when he saw something he said looked “largemouthy.”
“I’m pretty much throwing four baits,” Pierson said. “I’m throwing a Senko, a drop shot, a River2Sea S-Waver and a River2Sea Rover. It was just a matter of bouncing around through smallmouth stuff and moving shallow when things looked right for largemouth.
“Everything just went exactly right. It was a special day.”
Nine anglers caught more than 20 pounds of bass Thursday, and Minnesota pro Seth Feider barely missed that benchmark, finishing in 10th place with 19-11. That total was more than enough to help Feider maintain his lead in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. The Minnesota pro, who was visibly nervous for the first 30 minutes on Bassmaster LIVE, has 693 points, while Oklahoma pro Jason Christie (627) and South Carolina pro Patrick Walters (622) trail distantly behind him.
“I feel a lot better now than I did this morning,” Feider said. “I scrapped my plan to fish for smallmouth right away. I gave it maybe an hour and just wasn’t feeling it.”
That’s when he switched to flipping for largemouth.
“When I decided to go flip milfoil, I caught one the first five minutes,” he said. “It wasn’t a big one, about 3 1/2 pounds. But at that point, I knew I was gonna do it the rest of the day and that made me feel a lot better.”
Oklahoma pro Dale Hightower took in the lead in the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass with a 5-15.
Competition will resume Friday with takeoff scheduled for 7 a.m. ET from Plattsburgh City Marina. Weigh-in will be held back at the marina at 3 p.m. After Friday’s round, only the Top 45 pros will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.
Live coverage for each day of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.
2021 Bassmaster Elite Tournament at Lake Champlain 7/8-7/11
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 5 21-13 100
Day 1: 5 21-13
2. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 21-11 99
Day 1: 5 21-11
3. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 5 21-00 98
Day 1: 5 21-00
4. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 20-11 97
Day 1: 5 20-11
5. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 5 20-07 96
Day 1: 5 20-07
6. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 20-05 95
Day 1: 5 20-05
6. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 20-05 95
Day 1: 5 20-05
8. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 20-03 93
Day 1: 5 20-03
9. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 20-01 92
Day 1: 5 20-01
10. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 19-11 91
Day 1: 5 19-11
11. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 19-10 90
Day 1: 5 19-10
12. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 19-08 89
Day 1: 5 19-08
13. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 19-06 88
Day 1: 5 19-06
13. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 5 19-06 88
Day 1: 5 19-06
15. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 19-05 86
Day 1: 5 19-05
15. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 19-05 86
Day 1: 5 19-05
15. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 19-05 86
Day 1: 5 19-05
18. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 19-01 83
Day 1: 5 19-01
19. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 18-15 82
Day 1: 5 18-15
19. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 18-15 82
Day 1: 5 18-15
21. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 18-14 80
Day 1: 5 18-14
22. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 18-11 79
Day 1: 5 18-11
23. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 18-09 78
Day 1: 5 18-09
23. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 18-09 78
Day 1: 5 18-09
25. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 18-08 76
Day 1: 5 18-08
25. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 18-08 76
Day 1: 5 18-08
27. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 18-05 74
Day 1: 5 18-05
28. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 18-04 73
Day 1: 5 18-04
29. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 18-03 72
Day 1: 5 18-03
30. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 18-02 71
Day 1: 5 18-02
30. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 18-02 71
Day 1: 5 18-02
30. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 18-02 71
Day 1: 5 18-02
33. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 18-01 68
Day 1: 5 18-01
33. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 18-01 68
Day 1: 5 18-01
35. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 18-00 66
Day 1: 5 18-00
35. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 5 18-00 66
Day 1: 5 18-00
37. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 5 17-12 64
Day 1: 5 17-12
38. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
38. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
38. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
38. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 17-11 63
Day 1: 5 17-11
42. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
42. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
42. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
42. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 17-09 59
Day 1: 5 17-09
46. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 17-08 55
Day 1: 5 17-08
47. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 17-07 54
Day 1: 5 17-07
48. John Cox Debary, FL 5 17-06 53
Day 1: 5 17-06
48. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 5 17-06 53
Day 1: 5 17-06
50. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 17-04 51
Day 1: 5 17-04
51. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
51. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
51. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
51. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 17-03 50
Day 1: 5 17-03
55. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 17-02 46
Day 1: 5 17-02
55. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 17-02 46
Day 1: 5 17-02
57. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 17-01 44
Day 1: 5 17-01
58. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 16-14 43
Day 1: 5 16-14
59. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 16-12 42
Day 1: 5 16-12
59. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 16-12 42
Day 1: 5 16-12
59. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 16-12 42
Day 1: 5 16-12
62. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 5 16-11 39
Day 1: 5 16-11
62. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 5 16-11 39
Day 1: 5 16-11
62. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 16-11 39
Day 1: 5 16-11
65. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 16-09 36
Day 1: 5 16-09
65. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 16-09 36
Day 1: 5 16-09
65. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 16-09 36
Day 1: 5 16-09
68. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 16-08 33
Day 1: 5 16-08
69. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 16-06 32
Day 1: 5 16-06
70. Mike Huff London, KY 5 16-05 31
Day 1: 5 16-05
71. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 16-04 30
Day 1: 5 16-04
72. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 16-03 29
Day 1: 5 16-03
73. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 16-02 28
Day 1: 5 16-02
73. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 16-02 28
Day 1: 5 16-02
75. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 15-15 26
Day 1: 5 15-15
76. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 15-13 25
Day 1: 5 15-13
76. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 15-13 25
Day 1: 5 15-13
78. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 5 15-08 23
Day 1: 5 15-08
79. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 15-03 22
Day 1: 5 15-03
80. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 15-02 21
Day 1: 5 15-02
80. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 15-02 21
Day 1: 5 15-02
82. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 14-14 19
Day 1: 5 14-14
83. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 14-13 18
Day 1: 5 14-13
83. Rob Digh Denver, NC 5 14-13 18
Day 1: 5 14-13
83. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 14-13 18
Day 1: 5 14-13
86. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 14-10 15
Day 1: 5 14-10
87. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 14-07 14
Day 1: 5 14-07
88. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 14-01 13
Day 1: 5 14-01
89. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 13-14 12
Day 1: 5 13-14
90. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 13-12 11
Day 1: 5 13-12
91. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 13-07 10
Day 1: 5 13-07
91. Bryan New Belmont, NC 5 13-07 10
Day 1: 5 13-07
93. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 12-14 8
Day 1: 5 12-14
94. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 12-02 7
Day 1: 5 12-02
95. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 2 05-01 6
Day 1: 2 05-01
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BIG BASS
Day
1 Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 05-15 $1,0000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 94 472 1633-14
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94 472 1633-14