SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The West Coast dominance continued during Friday’s second round of the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River, with four native Californians taking over the top of the standings.

Aaron Martens, who grew up in California and now lives in Alabama, caught five bass Friday that weighed 26 pounds, 9 ounces and took the lead with a two-day mark of 51-4.

The total was just enough to push him past Chris Zaldain, who is 6 ounces back in second with 50-14. After catching 30-7 Thursday, Zaldain added 20-7 Friday to stay within good striking distance of his second career win with B.A.S.S.

Justin Lucas – another California native who now resides in Alabama – is in third with 47-11, and California resident Ish Monroe is fourth with 45-4.

Most anglers near the top of the leaderboard are targeting shallow spawning fish 80 to 100 miles downriver in the California Delta, and they said some are easier to catch than others.

“I caught a 6-pounder right before I left to come back, and I made it back with two minutes to spare,” said Martens. Had he been late, he would have been penalized 1 pound per minute. “Some of these fish aren’t really spawning or even guarding fry; they’re just kind of there. The mornings are tough, because it’s been cold.

“It’s hard to find a big one that’s catchable.”

Martens said the tournament may hinge on deciding quickly which fish can be caught and which ones can’t.

“You’ve got to pick and choose which ones you’re going to spend an hour on,” Martens said. “That’s going to be the key to it. I’m making a long run, and I just don’t have much time to waste on a fish that’s never going to bite.”

Zaldain, whose Thursday catch was anchored by a 12-pound lunker, turned in a respectable effort Friday with five fish that averaged more than 4 pounds apiece. But the lack of a true giant allowed Martens to slip past him.

The San Jose native fished new areas Friday, trying to avoid the ever-increasing boat traffic in the Delta.

“Where I caught the 12-pounder yesterday, I just went right past it today,” Zaldain said. “There were a lot of boats in there, and I know there’s a tournament coming up tomorrow. So I went to a new area, just a discreet main-river bank.”

With less pressure from boat traffic, Zaldain caught a 5-pounder and a 6-pounder off a single bed in one of the new areas he fished Friday. But his technique options were limited compared to what he experienced Thursday.

“The three patterns that worked yesterday shriveled down to only one that worked today,” Zaldain said. “But that could be a different story tomorrow. Today, it was slick, calm and hot, and it seemed like every fish in my area wanted to go to the banks to spawn.”

Zaldain said he hopes to keep making the right decisions as conditions change in the Delta.
“I’m just being reactionary,” he said. “If something changes — like the weather or the tide — I just want to react to it. I’m not going to go and lock into one certain thing or one certain area.”

After catching 21-13 Thursday, Lucas began Friday’s round just hoping to catch enough fish to make the Top 52 cut. But his day evolved in a way that pleased the large contingent of friends, family and fans he had in the crowd.

“My goal this morning was to go out and get 10 pounds to make sure that I was going to make the cut and get a $10,000 check,” Lucas said. “I got a huge bonus fish – a 6-10 that I didn’t expect to catch – and a couple of 3-pounders.”

From there, Lucas decided to rely on his past knowledge of the California Delta to upgrade a five-fish limit that weighed about 16 pounds. He said he went to areas he hadn’t fished in 10 years and found they were still productive.

“I made a long run just trying to find new fish,” Lucas said. “I wanted some stuff that guys haven’t seen and haven’t been through yet. Bedding fish generally use the same hard banks, and they were right in the same places I used to find them.”

Some of the 52 remaining anglers who will fish Saturday were concerned about possible heavy boat traffic this weekend. The Delta will host the Coors Light “Silver Bullet” Delta Championship on Saturday and Sunday, and the California Bass Federation event on Sunday.

Monroe said other tournaments won’t be an issue for him as he begins Saturday in fourth place.

“The Coors Light tournament is a 60-boat tournament, and that’ll basically be the 60 boats we’re going to lose (from the Elite field) today,” Monroe said. “The 60-boat tournament on Saturday will be cut down to 20 for Sunday, and the Federation tournament on Sunday will only have 40 boats.

“Some people are blowing that out of proportion. There’s plenty of fish out there for everybody.”
The tournament will resume Saturday with a 6:15 a.m. PT take-off from Discovery Park in Sacramento. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3:15 p.m., with only the Top 12 anglers advancing to Sunday’s final round.
2015 Bassmaster Elite Series Sacramento River 4/30-5/3
Sacramento River, Sacramento  CA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL               10  51-04  100     $500.00
Day 1: 5   24-11     Day 2: 5   26-09
2.  Chris Zaldain          San Jose, CA            10  50-14   99
Day 1: 5   30-07     Day 2: 5   20-07
3.  Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL        10  47-11   98
Day 1: 5   21-13     Day 2: 5   25-14
4.  Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA             10  45-04   97
Day 1: 5   22-02     Day 2: 5   23-02
5.  Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  44-04   96
Day 1: 5   24-13     Day 2: 5   19-07
6.  Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  43-14   95
Day 1: 5   24-00     Day 2: 5   19-14
7.  Ken Iyobe              Tokoname  Aichi JAPAN   10  43-01   94
Day 1: 5   21-12     Day 2: 5   21-05
8.  Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL            10  38-15   93
Day 1: 5   21-02     Day 2: 5   17-13
9.  Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL        10  38-11   92
Day 1: 5   20-10     Day 2: 5   18-01
10. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ    10  38-06   91
Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   21-10
11. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI           10  37-09   90
Day 1: 5   22-05     Day 2: 5   15-04
12. Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL       10  37-07   89
Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   18-00
13. Randy Allen            Shreveport, LA          10  37-00   88
Day 1: 5   19-12     Day 2: 5   17-04
14. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              10  36-14   87
Day 1: 5   25-08     Day 2: 5   11-06
15. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           10  36-02   86
Day 1: 5   20-06     Day 2: 5   15-12
16. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            10  35-03   85
Day 1: 5   19-02     Day 2: 5   16-01
17. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX         10  34-13   84
Day 1: 5   18-07     Day 2: 5   16-06
18. Koby Kreiger           Bokeelia, FL            10  34-04   83
Day 1: 5   21-00     Day 2: 5   13-04
19. David Walker           Sevierville, TN         10  34-03   82
Day 1: 5   19-01     Day 2: 5   15-02
20. James Elam             Tulsa, OK               10  33-13   81
Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   14-14
21. Billy McCaghren        Mayflower, AR           10  33-04   80
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   17-14
22. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  33-00   79
Day 1: 5   21-13     Day 2: 5   11-03
23. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  32-15   78
Day 1: 5   14-08     Day 2: 5   18-07
24. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           10  32-13   77
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   18-14
24. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  32-13   77
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   18-14
26. Jordan Lee             Vinemont, AL            10  32-12   75
Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 5   20-11
27. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL            10  32-08   74
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   20-09
28. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  32-07   73
Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   20-10
29. John Murray            Phoenix, AZ              8  32-01   72
Day 1: 3   08-13     Day 2: 5   23-04
30. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL          10  31-13   71
Day 1: 5   16-10     Day 2: 5   15-03
31. Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA       10  31-12   70
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   16-10
32. Dennis Tietje          Roanoke, LA             10  31-09   69
Day 1: 5   18-01     Day 2: 5   13-08
33. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL           10  31-01   68
Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   13-08
34. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC          10  31-00   67
Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 5   13-05
35. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  30-13   66
Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   10-06
36. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                 10  30-08   65
Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 5   13-04
37. Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN           10  30-07   64
Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 5   12-12
38. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL           10  30-06   63
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   13-11
39. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, OK             10  30-05   62
Day 1: 5   20-13     Day 2: 5   09-08
40. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  30-04   61
Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   09-13
41. Chad Pipkens           Holt, MI                10  30-04   60
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   17-14
42. Kelly Jordon           Flint, TX               10  30-00   59
Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   12-07
43. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL        10  30-00   58
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   15-13
44. Brandon Coulter        Knoxville, TN           10  29-14   57
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 5   14-01
45. Randy Howell           Springville, AL         10  29-11   56
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   16-09
46. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA        10  29-08   55
Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   11-04
47. Seth Feider            Bloomington, MN         10  29-07   54
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   17-05
48. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS        10  29-01   53
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   14-12
49. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID             9  29-00   52
Day 1: 4   11-13     Day 2: 5   17-03
50. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             10  28-03   51
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   12-03
51. Kenyon Hill            Norman, OK              10  28-03   50
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   15-13
52. Kevin Short            Mayflower, AR           10  28-03   49
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   13-01
53. Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA         10  28-02   48
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   12-08
54. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX              10  28-01   47
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   12-05
55. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK              10  27-15   46
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 5   16-07
56. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  27-15   45
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   12-04
57. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  27-15   44
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   15-00
58. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH    10  27-12   43
Day 1: 5   09-13     Day 2: 5   17-15
59. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC              10  27-11   42
Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   08-04
60. Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR           10  27-11   41
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   15-09
61. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ             10  27-10   40
Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   17-01
62. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA            10  26-15   39
Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   08-01
63. Kurt Dove              Del Rio, TX             10  26-14   38
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   12-11
64. Kevin Hawk             Guntersville, AL        10  26-13   37
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 5   14-01
65. Chad Morgenthaler      Coulterville, IL        10  26-13   36
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   13-04
66. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL         10  26-09   35
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   13-01
67. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY           10  26-04   34
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   11-15
68. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         10  26-03   33
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   12-11
69. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC               10  26-02   32
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 5   10-11
70. Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA       10  26-00   31
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   12-07
71. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK             10  25-12   30
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   11-03
72. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC          10  25-09   29
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   13-15
73. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX              10  25-03   28
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 5   09-11
74. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, AL             10  25-02   27
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   11-12
75. Kotaro Kiriyama        Moody, AL               10  25-00   26
Day 1: 5   15-05     Day 2: 5   09-11
76. Nate Wellman           Newaygo, MI             10  24-13   25
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   11-03
77. Matt Lee               Auburn , AL             10  24-09   24
Day 1: 5   09-14     Day 2: 5   14-11
78. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              10  24-02   23
Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   08-15
79. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR         10  24-00   22
Day 1: 5   08-08     Day 2: 5   15-08
80. Cliff Pace             Petal, MS               10  23-15   21
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   07-10
81. David Williams         Maiden, NC              10  23-15   20
Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   14-04
82. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS               9  23-09   19
Day 1: 4   10-09     Day 2: 5   13-00
83. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  23-09   18
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   11-11
84. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX              10  23-06   17
Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   08-03
85. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR         10  23-06   16
Day 1: 5   09-06     Day 2: 5   14-00
86. Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR         10  23-02   15
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   11-06
87. Charlie Hartley        Grove City, OH          10  22-15   14
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   12-03
88. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC          10  22-14   13
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   10-14
89. Stephen Longobardi     Northford, CT           10  22-06   12
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   10-08
90. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                 10  22-04   11
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   06-14
91. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ             10  22-03   10
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   08-11
92. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC             10  22-02    9
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   10-15
93. Jared Miller           Norman, OK              10  22-00    8
Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   11-10
94. Joseph Sancho          New Windsor, NY         10  21-13    7
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   11-13
95. Fred Roumbanis         Bixby, OK               10  21-10    6
Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   07-09
96. Morizo Shimizu         Suita, Osaka JAPAN      10  20-06    5
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 5   08-14
97. Casey Scanlon          Lanexa, KS               9  19-15    4
Day 1: 4   07-03     Day 2: 5   12-12
98. Randall Tharp          Port St. Joe, FL        10  18-13    3
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   08-02
99. Kevin Ledoux           Choctaw, OK              6  18-10    2
Day 1: 1   01-04     Day 2: 5   17-06
100. Zell Rowland           Montgomery, TX          10  18-10    1
Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 5   09-09
101. Mike Kernan            Wylie, TX               10  18-04    0
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 5   06-12
102. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI            6  17-00    0
Day 1: 2   06-03     Day 2: 4   10-13
103. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 10  16-06    0
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   05-09
104. Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX               8  16-05    0
Day 1: 3   09-05     Day 2: 5   07-00
105. Brandon Card           Caryville, TN            9  15-04    0
Day 1: 4   05-07     Day 2: 5   09-13
106. Derek Remitz           Grant, AL               10  14-06    0
Day 1: 5   07-00     Day 2: 5   07-06
107. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX                8  12-09    0
Day 1: 3   04-15     Day 2: 5   07-10
108. Matt Reed              Madisonville, TX         5  11-05    0
Day 1: 2   07-04     Day 2: 3   04-01
109. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  10-02    0
Day 1: 5   03-10     Day 2: 5   06-08
110. David Smith            Del City, OK            10  09-13    0
Day 1: 5   02-05     Day 2: 5   07-08
111. Scott Ashmore          Broken Arrow, OK         4  09-04    0
Day 1: 3   06-14     Day 2: 1   02-06
112. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL             5  08-13    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 5   08-13
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       100       533      1607-03
2       109       553      1512-07
———————————-
209      1086      3119-10