SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Checking social media reports helped Randy Elliott develop the game plan that has him leading the pro division of the Bassmaster Northern Open tournament at Oneida Lake.
“I didn’t see anybody posting anything for the last week on big largemouth so I decided to stay with all smallmouth,” said Elliott, a veteran angler of Bassmaster Northern and Southern Opens. The Bowie, Md., angler caught a five-fish limit of smallmouth bass weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces to take over the pro-division lead. The smallmouth bite was early and often for most of the top contenders including Elliott, who had his limit by about 8 a.m. However, while other anglers struggled to catch fish later in the day, Elliott kept catching them.
“The fish are postspawn,” he said. “They are hungry and feeding up. There are lots of baitfish around. Every time I caught a fish it was coughing (baitfish) up.”
The weather was sunny with a light north wind today, but the forecast calls for clouds and rainstorms throughout Friday. Elliott doesn’t expect the weather to change his pattern. Bird watching is usually a good way to find schooling smallmouth on Oneida as the diving seagulls indicate baitfish and bass activity on the surface, but neither Elliott nor Thursday’s runner-up Derek Yasinski relied on the birds to find their fish.
“I found five or six places this week (in practice) where I knew fish were there,” said Elliott. The government contractor decided to key on those spots rather than run around looking for bird activity.
“We saw some birds later this afternoon, pulled up on them and caught a few little fish, but I am not fishing the birds,” Yasinski said.
Yasinski caught his limit in about his first 30 minutes of fishing and finished the day with 18-9.
“Then we jumped around and caught one or two here or there,” said the 29-year-old machinist from Senoia, Ga. “I tried to catch a bigger fish (after catching his limit), but I mostly went prefishing so I could hopefully catch a decent limit tomorrow.”
Other pro division anglers in the Top 5 include Jesse Tacoronte, Orlando, Fla., third place, 18-0; Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., fourth, 17-7; and Mike Shumanis, Bethlehem, Pa., fifth, 17-6.
Local angler Andrew Hammond took advantage of a one-hour spurt in the middle of the day to catch a three-fish limit weighing 11-3 to move into first place in the co-angler division. The 38-year-old sales rep for a paint coating company lamented losing a fish that would have padded his lead.
“I dropped about a 4 1/2-pounder on my second cast, so I would have had about 13 pounds today,” said the Fulton, N.Y., angler.
Hosting this tournament is Visit Syracuse. The competitors will take off the next two days at 5:30 a.m. ET at Oneida Shores Park. Tomorrow’s weigh-in will be held at 2 p.m. at Oneida Shores Park, with the final weigh-in on Saturday being held at 3 p.m. at the Bass Pro Shops in Utica, N.Y.
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open Oneida Lake 6/30-7/2
Oneida Lake, Syracuse NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Randy Elliott Bowie, MD 5 19-03 200
Day 1: 5 19-03
2. Derek Yasinski Senoia, GA 5 18-09 199
Day 1: 5 18-09
3. Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 5 18-00 198
Day 1: 5 18-00
4. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 5 17-07 197
Day 1: 5 17-07
5. Mike Shumanis Bethlehem, PA 5 17-06 196
Day 1: 5 17-06
6. Wil Hardy II Harlem, GA 5 17-04 195
Day 1: 5 17-04
7. Ed Loughran III Mechanicsville, VA 5 17-02 194
Day 1: 5 17-02
8. Ian Renfrew Phoenix, NY 5 17-01 193
Day 1: 5 17-01
9. Larry Mazur East Aurora, NY 5 16-15 192
Day 1: 5 16-15
10. Tyler Berger Westerville, OH 5 16-14 191
Day 1: 5 16-14
11. Buddy Cipoletti West Islip, NY 5 16-11 190
Day 1: 5 16-11
12. Jacob Wheeler Indianapolis, IN 5 16-10 189
Day 1: 5 16-10
13. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 5 16-07 188
Day 1: 5 16-07
13. Tom Graziano Chester, NY 5 16-07 188
Day 1: 5 16-07
15. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 5 16-06 186
Day 1: 5 16-06
15. Tim Grein Winston Salem, NC 5 16-06 186
Day 1: 5 16-06
15. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 5 16-06 186
Day 1: 5 16-06
15. Tyler Morgan Pine Grove, PA 5 16-06 186
Day 1: 5 16-06
19. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 16-04 182
Day 1: 5 16-04
20. Michael Cooper Sellersville, PA 5 16-03 181
Day 1: 5 16-03
21. Chris Noffsinger Interlochen, MI 5 16-03 180
Day 1: 5 16-03
22. Jason Dudek Excelsior, MN 5 16-02 179
Day 1: 5 16-02
22. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 16-02 179
Day 1: 5 16-02
22. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 16-02 179
Day 1: 5 16-02
25. Josh Douglas Mound, MN 5 16-01 176
Day 1: 5 16-01
25. Alvin Shaw Roaring Gap, NC 5 16-01 176
Day 1: 5 16-01
27. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 16-00 174
Day 1: 5 16-00
28. Jonathan Carter Glenburn, ME 5 15-15 173
Day 1: 5 15-15
28. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 15-15 173
Day 1: 5 15-15
30. David Dudley Lynchburg, VA 5 15-12 171
Day 1: 5 15-12
30. Stanley Sypeck Sugarloaf, PA 5 15-12 171
Day 1: 5 15-12
32. Derek Cummings Clayton, NC 5 15-11 169
Day 1: 5 15-11
32. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 15-11 169
Day 1: 5 15-11
34. Jon Englund Farwell, MN 5 15-10 167
Day 1: 5 15-10
35. Aaron Busch Cicero, NY 5 15-08 166
Day 1: 5 15-08
35. Jason Chier Binghamton, NY 5 15-08 166
Day 1: 5 15-08
37. Eddie Levin Westerville, OH 5 15-08 164
Day 1: 5 15-08
38. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 15-06 163
Day 1: 5 15-06
39. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 15-06 162
Day 1: 5 15-06
40. Matthew Sphar North Java, NY 5 15-05 161
Day 1: 5 15-05
41. Cody Pike Powhatan, VA 5 15-04 160
Day 1: 5 15-04
41. Brent Shores Boise, ID 5 15-04 160
Day 1: 5 15-04
43. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 5 15-02 158
Day 1: 5 15-02
43. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 15-02 158
Day 1: 5 15-02
43. Paul Pagnato Jr Reston, VA 5 15-02 158
Day 1: 5 15-02
46. Tim Gillies Union City, MI 5 15-02 155
Day 1: 5 15-02
47. Ron Johnson Chandler, AZ 5 15-01 154
Day 1: 5 15-01
47. Randy Lamanche Marcellus, NY 5 15-01 154
Day 1: 5 15-01
49. Trait Crist Fort Worth, TX 5 15-00 152
Day 1: 5 15-00
49. Dave Davenport Milford, OH 5 15-00 152
Day 1: 5 15-00
49. Sam George Athens, AL 5 15-00 152
Day 1: 5 15-00
49. Kraig Kettelkamp Clifton Springs, NY 5 15-00 152
Day 1: 5 15-00
49. Michael Simonton Fremont, OH 5 15-00 152
Day 1: 5 15-00
49. Carl Svebek III Orangefield, TX 5 15-00 152
Day 1: 5 15-00
49. Joseph Zombek II Scranton, PA 5 15-00 152
Day 1: 5 15-00
56. Chris Daves Spring Grove, VA 5 14-14 145
Day 1: 5 14-14
57. Jeff Lugar Cross Junction, VA 5 14-12 144
Day 1: 5 14-12
58. Jess Salmon Milford, NJ 5 14-12 143
Day 1: 5 14-12
59. Mike Morrin Waterloo, NY 5 14-11 142
Day 1: 5 14-11
60. Travis Manson Conshohocken, PA 5 14-09 141
Day 1: 5 14-09
61. Shin Fukae Palestine, TX 5 14-09 140
Day 1: 5 14-09
62. Cameron Smith Mashpee, CA 5 14-08 139
Day 1: 5 14-08
63. Tony Dorman Taylor, PA 5 14-07 138
Day 1: 5 14-07
63. Mike Lavallee Sandy, UT 5 14-07 138
Day 1: 5 14-07
65. Jeff Barth Marshfield, WI 5 14-06 136
Day 1: 5 14-06
65. Glenn Browne Ocala, FL 5 14-06 136
Day 1: 5 14-06
65. Seiji Kato Shiga JAPAN 5 14-06 136
Day 1: 5 14-06
68. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 14-05 133
Day 1: 5 14-05
68. Brian Kelly Liverpool, NY 5 14-05 133
Day 1: 5 14-05
68. Trevor Lo Maplewood, MN 5 14-05 133
Day 1: 5 14-05
68. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 14-05 133
Day 1: 5 14-05
72. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 14-04 129
Day 1: 5 14-04
73. Michael Neal Dayton, TN 5 14-03 128
Day 1: 5 14-03
73. David Smith Del City, OK 5 14-03 128
Day 1: 5 14-03
75. Ross Rhodes Mattawan, MI 5 14-02 126
Day 1: 5 14-02
75. Whitney Stephens Waverly, OH 5 14-02 126
Day 1: 5 14-02
77. Bret Loomis Groveland, NY 5 14-01 124
Day 1: 5 14-01
77. Edward Naydihor Jr Kenosha, WI 5 14-01 124
Day 1: 5 14-01
79. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 5 14-00 122
Day 1: 5 14-00
80. Joe Hamilton Fairfield, OH 5 14-00 121
Day 1: 5 14-00
81. Jim Bianchi Rush, NY 5 13-15 120
Day 1: 5 13-15
82. Shayne Berlo Fairfax, VA 5 13-14 119
Day 1: 5 13-14
82. Gary Clouse La Vergne, TN 5 13-14 119
Day 1: 5 13-14
84. Grae Buck Harleysville, PA 5 13-14 117
Day 1: 5 13-14
85. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 13-13 116
Day 1: 5 13-13
86. Gaspare Costabile Niagara Falls ONTARIO C 5 13-13 115
Day 1: 5 13-13
87. Pete Garnier Trenton ONTARIO CANADA 5 13-12 114
Day 1: 5 13-12
87. Sean Wieda Florence, KY 5 13-12 114
Day 1: 5 13-12
89. Frank Miller Berwick, PA 5 13-11 112
Day 1: 5 13-11
90. Lee Rogers Swartswood, NJ 5 13-10 111
Day 1: 5 13-10
91. Paco Giner Danbury, CT 5 13-10 110
Day 1: 5 13-10
92. Gerald Sensabaugh Kingsport, TN 5 13-09 109
Day 1: 5 13-09
93. Luke Shrader Moorestown, NJ 5 13-09 108
Day 1: 5 13-09
94. Timothy Reams Morgantown, WV 5 13-09 107
Day 1: 5 13-09
95. Gregg Johnson Oxford, NY 5 13-08 106
Day 1: 5 13-08
96. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 13-07 105
Day 1: 5 13-07
96. Carmen Peluso Ambridge, PA 5 13-07 105
Day 1: 5 13-07
96. Jason Root Fostoria, OH 5 13-07 105
Day 1: 5 13-07
99. Jason Burger Bridgeton, NJ 5 13-06 102
Day 1: 5 13-06
99. Wayne Vaughan Jr Chester, VA 5 13-06 102
Day 1: 5 13-06
101. Dylan Fulk Concord, NC 5 13-06 100
Day 1: 5 13-06
102. Greg Dipalma Millville, NJ 5 13-05 99
Day 1: 5 13-05
102. John Lorenzo Kane, PA 5 13-05 99
Day 1: 5 13-05
102. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 5 13-05 99
Day 1: 5 13-05
105. Rick Hawkins Vinton, VA 5 13-05 96
Day 1: 5 13-05
105. Mark Hicks Glouster, OH 5 13-05 96
Day 1: 5 13-05
105. Todd Sterner Mechanicsburg, PA 5 13-05 96
Day 1: 5 13-05
108. Pete Gluszek Mount Laurel, NJ 5 13-04 93
Day 1: 5 13-04
109. Robert Pepe Plainville, CT 5 13-03 92
Day 1: 5 13-03
109. Douglas Reed Bridgeton, NJ 5 13-03 92
Day 1: 5 13-03
109. Mark Rose West Memphis, AR 5 13-03 92
Day 1: 5 13-03
112. Anthony Gagliardi Prosperity, SC 5 13-02 89
Day 1: 5 13-02
112. Robert Kerber Ava, NY 5 13-02 89
Day 1: 5 13-02
114. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 13-00 87
Day 1: 5 13-00
114. Matthew Martin Chittenango, NY 5 13-00 87
Day 1: 5 13-00
114. John Murray Spring City, TN 5 13-00 87
Day 1: 5 13-00
117. Chad Van Slyke Cicero, NY 5 12-15 84
Day 1: 5 12-15
118. Kyle Kempkers Hamilton, MI 5 12-14 83
Day 1: 5 12-14
119. Stephen Mui Bartlett, IL 5 12-13 82
Day 1: 5 12-13
120. James Plessinger Mechanicsville, VA 5 12-12 81
Day 1: 5 12-12
121. Christopher Liobis Branchburg, NJ 5 12-10 80
Day 1: 5 12-10
122. Nick Ray Ingleside, IL 4 12-09 79
Day 1: 4 12-09
123. Al Farace Jr Cockeysville, MD 5 12-03 78
Day 1: 5 12-03
124. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 5 12-03 77
Day 1: 5 12-03
125. Howard Brown Jr Bridgeton, NJ 5 12-02 76
Day 1: 5 12-02
126. Kendall Ulsh Schoolcraft, MI 5 12-01 75
Day 1: 5 12-01
127. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 5 12-00 74
Day 1: 5 12-00
128. Lancen Halbert Simpsonville , SC 5 11-12 73
Day 1: 5 11-12
128. Shawn Richard Hatfield, PA 5 11-12 73
Day 1: 5 11-12
128. Tommy Stalb Manheim, PA 5 11-12 73
Day 1: 5 11-12
131. Tyler Ashby Swanton, MD 4 11-11 70
Day 1: 4 11-11
132. Timothy Macknair Rices Landing, PA 4 11-10 69
Day 1: 4 11-10
133. Donald Holt Jr Perrysburg, OH 5 11-09 68
Day 1: 5 11-09
133. Justin McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 11-09 68
Day 1: 5 11-09
135. Denis Kreze Fort Erie CANADA 5 11-06 66
Day 1: 5 11-06
136. William Horton Vassar, MI 5 11-05 65
Day 1: 5 11-05
137. Steve York Bronson, MI 5 11-04 64
Day 1: 5 11-04
138. Jeff Antenucci Danville, CA 4 11-01 63
Day 1: 4 11-01
139. Buck Mallory Lawton, MI 5 10-12 62
Day 1: 5 10-12
140. Frankie Appaluccio Franklin, NJ 5 10-09 61
Day 1: 5 10-09
141. Brad Olson Byron, IL 4 10-09 60
Day 1: 4 10-09
142. Bridget Allen Philadelphia, PA 4 10-07 59
Day 1: 4 10-07
143. Rob Jordan Flowery Branch, GA 4 10-06 58
Day 1: 4 10-06
144. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 4 10-03 57
Day 1: 4 10-03
145. Kyle Albers Durham, NC 4 10-02 56
Day 1: 4 10-02
146. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 3 09-13 55
Day 1: 3 09-13
147. Daniel Goykhman Budd Lake, NJ 4 09-12 54
Day 1: 4 09-12
148. Tommy Little Chester, VA 4 09-11 53
Day 1: 4 09-11
149. Ben Nielsen Lowell, MI 4 09-06 52
Day 1: 4 09-06
150. Nicky Diamandas Oak Ridge, NJ 5 08-15 51
Day 1: 5 08-15
151. Aaron Limber Millbury, OH 3 08-14 50
Day 1: 3 08-14
152. Rick Nitkiewicz Pittsburgh, PA 4 08-12 49
Day 1: 4 08-12
153. Jason Young Port St Lucie, FL 5 08-11 48
Day 1: 5 08-11
154. William Shipes Williston, SC 3 08-11 47
Day 1: 3 08-11
155. Terry Baksay Easton, CT 3 08-09 46
Day 1: 3 08-09
156. JT Kenney Palm Bay, FL 3 08-05 45
Day 1: 3 08-05
157. Kenny Garippa Tobyhanna, PA 3 08-04 44
Day 1: 3 08-04
158. Tom Huynh Moorehead, MN 4 08-03 43
Day 1: 4 08-03
159. Jeremiah Johnson North Branch, MN 3 08-03 42
Day 1: 3 08-03
160. Craig Nelson Mather, PA 3 08-01 41
Day 1: 3 08-01
161. Charlie Machek Midlothian, VA 4 08-00 40
Day 1: 4 08-00
162. Craig Workman Fort Worth, TX 4 07-14 39
Day 1: 4 07-14
163. Shane Rees Middletown, IN 3 07-06 38
Day 1: 3 07-06
164. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 3 07-04 37
Day 1: 3 07-04
165. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 3 07-03 36
Day 1: 3 07-03
166. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 3 07-02 35
Day 1: 3 07-02
167. Gary Isgrigg Mt Washington, KY 4 07-00 34
Day 1: 4 07-00
168. Vince Troiano Chesterfield, NJ 3 06-12 33
Day 1: 3 06-12
169. Joseph Vacanti Mount Laurel, NJ 2 06-06 32
Day 1: 2 06-06
170. John Malzahn Sparrow Bush, NY 2 06-03 31
Day 1: 2 06-03
171. Tyler Ferris Webberville, MI 2 06-02 30
Day 1: 2 06-02
172. Scott Johnson Nashville, OH 3 05-13 29
Day 1: 3 05-13
173. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 2 05-13 28
Day 1: 2 05-13
174. Mike Elsea Mooresville, IN 2 05-12 27
Day 1: 2 05-12
175. Brian Wilhoit Oxon Hill, MD 2 05-08 26
Day 1: 2 05-08
176. George Yund Albany, NY 2 04-15 25
Day 1: 2 04-15
177. Kevin Brockner Ferndale, NY 2 04-14 24
Day 1: 2 04-14
178. Arnie Duck Jr Williamsport, PA 3 04-13 23
Day 1: 3 04-13
179. Scott Shafer Glenville, NY 2 04-10 22
Day 1: 2 04-10
180. Robert Whitehurst Henrico, VA 2 04-09 21
Day 1: 2 04-09
181. Scott Pellegrin Eau Claire, WI 2 04-08 20
Day 1: 2 04-08
182. Randy Caruso Liberty, NY 2 04-04 19
Day 1: 2 04-04
182. Allen Crutchley Jr Fulton, NY 2 04-04 19
Day 1: 2 04-04
184. Jonathan Evans Horseheads, NY 2 04-03 17
Day 1: 2 04-03
185. Tom Balachvili Brooklyn, NY 2 03-03 16
Day 1: 2 03-03
186. Randy Morrison Piedmont, SC 1 02-15 15
Day 1: 1 02-15
187. Jeff Hippert Hamburg, NY 1 02-11 14
Day 1: 1 02-11
188. Lucas Bogosian Harrington Park, NJ 1 02-07 13
Day 1: 1 02-07
189. Thomas Waltz St. Albans, VT 1 02-06 12
Day 1: 1 02-06
190. Keith Evans Queenstown, MD 1 02-05 11
Day 1: 1 02-05
190. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 1 02-05 11
Day 1: 1 02-05
192. Bill Gallagher III Swedesboro, NJ 1 02-03 9
Day 1: 1 02-03
193. Chris Dillow Waynesboro, VA 1 01-14 8
Day 1: 1 01-14
194. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 1 01-09 7
Day 1: 1 01-09
195. James Hanson Yulan, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
195. Mark Inman Greensboro, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
195. Steve Schubert Rayland, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
195. Jeff Sinkic Innisfil CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
195. Tim Stackus Lyons, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 138 842 2358-12
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138 842 2358-12