Brent Ehrler of Newport Beach, Calif., maintains the lead on the second day of the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with a two-day total weight of 47 pounds, 11 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 18, 2017

 

LUFKIN, Texas — After two days, the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has turned into an all-out slugfest with some of the biggest names in professional bass fishing at the top of the leaderboard.

The Top 10 anglers have all averaged more than 20 pounds apiece the first two days on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, and the top two pros have averaged better than 23.

California pro Brent Ehrler holds the top spot for the second day in a row with a two-day mark of 47-11. He caught 22-5 Thursday in the 90-degree Texas heat to maintain that lead.

Idaho pro Brandon Palaniuk is just 2 ounces behind Ehrler with 47-9 after catching 23-2 during Thursday’s second round.

Ehrler still holds the lead in the race for Toyota Big Bass of the week with a 9-1 he caught Wednesday. The winner of that award will receive a Toyota Tundra pickup valued at $50,000.

“I didn’t really find any new stuff today,” Ehrler said. “I checked one spot where I thought I could catch a good one, and I caught about a 4 1/2-pounder later in the day. But I still didn’t get that real clear feeling for what I’m going to do the rest of the week.”

Like many of the 109 pros who started the event, Ehrler has been splitting his time between deep and shallow water, trying to stay in front of bass that are clearly in transition from the spring spawning areas to their summer haunts.

With the field now trimmed to the Top 51 for Friday’s semifinal round, Ehrler said he thinks the tournament’s $100,000 first-place prize will likely be won away from the shoreline.

“I still believe that the guy who wins this is going to have a couple of schools out deep,” he said. “They’ll have one or two spots out deep where they can pull up and catch a 4-, a 5- and then all of a sudden a 10-pounder.”

With the fish moving, Ehrler referred to the event as a “volatile tournament” and said he “wouldn’t be surprised to go out and catch 12 pounds Friday — or 25.”

Palaniuk still had a distinct air of confidence Thursday as he inched up the standings on Ehrler’s heels.

Under a catch/weigh/release format that is being used for the first time in an Elite Series event with a full field, the pros were only allowed to bring one bass to the scales — and it had to be at least 21 inches long. All other bass were weighed on the water by judges and immediately released.

Ehrler’s longest fish — a largemouth that weighed just over 5 pounds — measured only 19 inches. So he came to the weigh-in stand empty-handed.

Palaniuk had one fish over 6 pounds, and said the techniques he’s using seem to be holding up well, even as the lake changes.

“I have a general pattern that I feel like applies all the way from 3 feet out to 30 feet,” he said. “I had fewer rods on the deck of my boat today, so I’m slowly narrowing it down.”

One thing Palaniuk hasn’t been able to avoid is losing good fish. He said he’s probably losing “about a third” of the ones that he’s actually hooking.

He agreed with Ehrler’s assessment that many things are changing on the lake.

“All the fish right now are moving,” Palaniuk said. “They’re following bait, moving toward their summertime stuff. You can intercept them at any time, at any depth range.”

Indiana angler Jacob Wheeler caught 23-7 Thursday and jumped from 10th place into third with 44-14.

While Wheeler agreed the bass are in transition, he believes there is enough going on to keep plenty in the shallower depths where he has scored this week.

“You have bait that is still shallow,” Wheeler said. “You have grass that’s going to keep them there. You have bluegill spawning.

“Then on top of all that, two weeks before we got here, the water rose a foot, which pushed a lot of fish back to the banks.”

The Top 51 will fish Friday’s semifinal round, and the field will take a break Saturday for a special event that will feature seminars, boat demos and an outdoors expo. Only the Top 12 remaining anglers will compete on Championship Sunday. A special Get Hooked On Fishing program will take place Friday, when hundreds of area schoolchildren will be bused in to the George H. Henderson Jr. Expo Center in Lufkin.

Daily takeoffs will be at 7 a.m. CT at Cassels-Boykin Park in Zavalla, Texas. The weigh-ins and Saturday activities will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the Expo Center.

The event is hosted by the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau.

2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Platinum and Title Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Phoenix Boats, Shimano, T-H Marine, Advance Auto Parts, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance

2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Beneficiary: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

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Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 5/17-5/21
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Lufkin TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

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

1. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 10 47-11 110
Day 1: 5 25-06 Day 2: 5 22-05
2. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 10 47-09 109
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 23-02
3. Jacob Wheeler Indianapolis, IN 10 44-14 108
Day 1: 5 21-07 Day 2: 5 23-07
4. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 10 43-12 107
Day 1: 5 23-15 Day 2: 5 19-13
5. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 43-01 106
Day 1: 5 21-02 Day 2: 5 21-15
6. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 42-08 105
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 23-15
7. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 42-03 104
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 18-11
8. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 41-15 103
Day 1: 5 23-01 Day 2: 5 18-14
9. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 10 40-10 102
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 23-07
10. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 40-08 101
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 20-01
11. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 10 40-01 100
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 26-10
12. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 40-01 99
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 18-08
13. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 39-11 98
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 17-13
14. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 10 39-07 97
Day 1: 5 22-10 Day 2: 5 16-13
15. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 39-02 96
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 18-05
16. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 38-10 95
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 18-04
17. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 38-05 94
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 18-04
18. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 37-09 93
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 19-13
19. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 36-15 92
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 17-07
20. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 36-11 91
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 20-06
21. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 10 36-10 90
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 22-08
22. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 36-07 89
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 24-09
23. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 36-06 88
Day 1: 5 22-03 Day 2: 5 14-03
24. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 10 36-06 87
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 19-03
25. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 36-00 86
Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 15-02
26. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 35-15 85
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-02
27. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 35-15 84
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 17-04
28. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 35-15 83
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 18-07
29. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 10 35-13 82
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 19-05
30. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 10 35-12 81
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 16-03
31. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 35-09 80
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 19-01
32. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 35-02 79
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 16-13
33. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 34-14 78
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 13-15
34. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 10 34-14 77
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-13
35. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 34-12 76
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 16-05
36. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 10 34-11 75
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 15-00
37. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 34-03 74
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 19-11
38. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 10 34-01 73
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 16-02
39. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 33-14 72
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 16-06
40. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 33-12 71
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 17-01
41. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 33-11 70
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 19-12
42. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 33-11 69
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 17-04
43. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 10 33-10 68
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 13-10
44. Fred Roumbanis London, AR 10 32-15 67
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 18-07
45. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 32-13 66
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 20-02
46. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 10 32-13 65
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 19-02
47. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 32-11 64
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 18-03
48. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 10 32-10 63
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 16-04
49. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 32-08 62
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 17-14
50. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 32-04 61
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 13-15
51. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 32-04 60
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 17-06
52. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 32-03 59
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 18-04
53. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 32-01 58
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 20-05
54. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 32-01 57
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 16-09
55. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 31-12 56
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 13-09
56. Gary Klein Mingus, TX 10 31-10 55
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 20-06
57. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 10 31-10 54
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 19-11
58. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 31-06 53
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 19-03
59. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 31-04 52
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 12-05
60. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 31-02 51
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 16-14
61. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 10 31-02 50
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 14-05
62. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 30-15 49
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 17-12
63. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 10 30-15 48
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 17-07
64. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 30-15 47
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 16-15
65. Seth Feider Isle, MN 10 30-14 46
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 14-00
66. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 30-13 45
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 15-14
67. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 30-12 44
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 17-09
68. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 10 30-06 43
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 16-12
69. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 30-06 42
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 15-12
70. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 10 30-04 41
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 15-01
71. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 30-02 40
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 16-09
72. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 30-02 39
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 14-06
73. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 29-11 38
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 13-15
74. David Fritts Lexington, NC 10 29-08 37
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 13-08
75. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 10 29-07 36
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 13-15
76. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 29-05 35
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 15-02
77. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 29-03 34
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 11-10
78. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 29-03 33
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 13-09
79. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 29-02 32
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 13-13
80. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 29-01 31
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 14-06
81. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 10 28-09 30
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 13-13
82. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 10 28-06 29
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 12-10
83. John Murray Spring City, TN 10 28-05 28
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-02
84. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 10 28-00 27
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 13-09
85. David Williams Newton, NC 10 27-13 26
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 13-04
86. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 10 27-09 25
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 14-07
87. Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 10 27-08 24
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 10-04
88. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 27-08 23
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 11-06
89. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 27-05 22
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 18-08
90. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 27-05 21
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 11-08
91. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 10 27-03 20
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 15-09
92. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 27-02 19
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 15-05
93. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 26-11 18
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 12-10
94. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 10 26-07 17
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-01
95. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 26-06 16
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 13-04
96. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 25-15 15
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 14-11
97. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 10 25-06 14
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 14-07
98. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 10 24-15 13
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 14-03
99. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 24-07 12
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 10-13
100. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 24-03 11
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 12-05
101. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 24-01 10
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 13-12
102. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 23-05 9
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 13-14
103. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 10 23-01 8
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 10-03
104. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 10 22-14 7
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-08
105. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 10 22-14 6
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 11-05
106. Darrell Ocamica New Plymouth, ID 9 21-06 5
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 5 13-07
107. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 20-13 4
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 13-03
108. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 10 20-01 3
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 10-05
109. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 10 20-00 2
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 11-02