MONETA, Va. – Looking to turn around a mediocre season, Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Texas, stuck to what he knows best and sight-fished his way to the Day One lead at the Advance Auto Parts Blue Ridge Brawl on picturesque Smith Mountain Lake. Jordon, a four-time BASS winner, amassed 20 pounds, 9 ounces -- enough to hold off another sight-fishing specialist, Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., by more than 2 pounds.
A perennial Bassmaster Classic qualifier, Jordon is working to shake off a slow start to his 2009 season. He is 47th in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, but a solid finish at Smith Mountain would put him in prime position to qualify for his eighth Bassmaster Classic.
With three events in the books, the competition for the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year and its $200,000 top prize is heating up. Heading into the tournament, Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, held a slight margin over Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark. Both faltered Thursday -- Jones is in 86th and Browning is 96th -- and the door is wide open for luminaries such as four-time AOY Kevin VanDam (fifth) and 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese (seventh). At the end of the regular season, the top 36 will advance to the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala.
“This certainly helps,” Jordon said. “I had a pretty solid practice so I expected to do well. It should be interesting the next couple of days. If the fish move up on the beds like they should, it will be wide open.”
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Blue Ridge Brawl on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, May 9, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the two postseason events will air live on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, while a wealth of unique content will also be available at Bassmaster.com.
Predicting that a 30-pound bag was possible, Jordon was confident that he could continue to pile on the pounds. What he wasn’t sure of was which day would be best for the sight-fishing bite. He also was unsure of how recreational boat traffic – a virtual certainty on Smith Mountain – would affect the sight bite.
“It could get magical here in the next couple of days,” said Jordon, 38. “I just can’t wait to get back out there.”
Meanwhile, Rojas, despite a draw for a late launch Thursday morning, caught all of his 18 pounds, 7 ounces, by 9 a.m. He was in areas that were void of other competitors and felt his seclusion was important. He used the rest of his competition day to look around and essentially practice for the remaining three days.
He has located several areas that are holding bedding bass and feels that another solid limit is well within his grasp Friday. Like Jordon, he felt that the spacious fishery could really turn on, but he was unsure of when.
Rojas, 37, fished flawlessly and while he could have upgraded his weight – perhaps within Jordon’s range – he made the decision to search for new water. He played it close to the vest on specifics of his pattern.
“Things are in motion right now and the lake is changing every day,” said Rojas, who has eclipsed $1 million in BASS career earnings. “Friday should be good, but I just don’t know what is in store for Saturday and Sunday.”
In third was Matthew Sphar of Pavilion, N.Y., with 17-13. In fourth was Elite rookie Matt Herren of Trussville, Ala., (17-11) and fifth was Derek Remitz of Grant, Ala. (16-15).
A deep, clear fishery, Smith Mountain showed its true colors as a productive bass fishery Thursday as 90 anglers boated five-fish limits. The scenic 20,600-acre lake nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains has been featured in four previous BASS events, the last of which was the 2007 Bassmaster Elite Series event won by then-rookie Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C. Ashley made history as the youngest pro – he was 23 at the time – to win an Elite Series event.
The Blue Ridge Brawl includes a top prize of $100,000 and awards valuable points in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title race. The top 12 pros in the AOY standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the two-event postseason, during which the Angler of the Year will be determined.
Fans are encouraged to attend the Blue Ridge Brawl’s daily launches (7:15 a.m. ET) and weigh-ins (4 p.m.) through Sunday at Parkway Marina, 16918 Smith Mountain Lake Parkway, Huddleston, Va. After Day Two’s competition Friday, the field will be cut to the top 50 anglers for Day Three. Only the top 12 will go on to compete in Day Four.
Other activities Saturday and Sunday at the Blue Ridge Brawl will begin at 1 p.m. ET at Parkway Marina, featuring the popular Dog Training & Retriever Demonstrations Brought To You By SportDog. The fun also includes a Saturday performance by local band Jordan Road, from 1:30-3 p.m.; a Bassmaster CastingKids event Saturday, hosted by the Virginia BASS Federation Nation; Skeeter boat demos; cooking demonstrations; and a beer garden from 1-4:15 p.m. both days.
At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, fans are invited to experience Bassmaster University, which includes the “Ask the Experts” session with Elite pros at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s activities include the live taping of Hooked Up, hosted by ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. The show, which will air live at 3:30 p.m. ET on www.bassmaster.com, will preview Sunday’s final weigh-in. All events at the Advance Auto Parts Blue Ridge Brawl are free and open to the public. Up next in the Elite Series is the May 7-10 Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville out of Guntersville, Ala.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.
Local sponsors of the Blue Ridge Brawl are Franklin and Bedford counties.
Official sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards
Supporting sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series: Bass Pro Shops, Costa Del Mar, Ramada, SpongeTech and Triton Boats.
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multimedia platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties in ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS annually sanctions more than 20,000 events.
BASS also 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.
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