Greensboro Site of Bassmaster American Presented by Advance Auto Parts
$250,000 Top Prize awarded to Champion
What’s at stake: $601,400 in cash to the top 25 pros, including $250,000 to the champion.
Telecast: Tournament coverage of the Bassmaster American presented by Advance Auto Parts will be featured on EPN2 at 9 a.m. ET May 26 on The Bassmasters. Additionally, www.ESPNOutdoors.com will have complete coverage, including a live video of the weigh-ins, a real-time leaderboard and analysis.
The Pros Said It
“Right now the bass are few and far between. It’s been very tough, but a bad practice doesn’t necessarily mean a bad tournament. The weather has kind of got them knocked down but tonight that could change. My goal is get three to five really good fish, rather than five small keepers. You want to go for the big bite and that’s what I’m going to do.” – Chris Lane, 31, Winter Haven, Fla., 32nd in combined Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings for 2006 and 2007.
“Right now the lake is tough and it’s hard to catch them (bass). I always heard this place was pretty good, and when you do catch a keeper they weigh well, but I think it’s going to be hard to catch a limit. If I can catch a limit a day, I’ll be tickled to death. Hopefully I’m clued in to a little something. I feel OK about it.” – Jeff Kriet, turns 38 on Saturday, Ardmore, Okla., four-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier 13th in combined Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings for 2006 and 2007.
“So far the practice has been very hard and a bit frustrating. I fished all three Bassmaster Classics here in the ‘90s and the fishing was easier, but they were also summertime events. I tried some of the areas I’d done well in in the past, but have not had good results at all. I’m basically in start-over mode. I knew my way around very well and had some key summertime areas, but I feel a little lost here. I know I’m fishing the right stuff, but the bass are just not aggressive and I’m not getting many bites. I’ve been trying to fish shallow, but all the bites have been few and far between. They may have already moved to deep water.”– Denny Brauer, 58, Camdenton, Mo., winner of the 1998 Bassmaster Classic on High Rock Lake, currently 31st in combined Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings for 2006 and 2007.
The Strategy
Lane: Strategy is to work the banks of High Rock Lake in search of big bass. He is fishing anywhere from 1½ to 8 feet where the bank drops off. His primary lure is a black cane toad, which he says is good for the water color of the lake. Lane estimates that 8 to 10 pounds a day will make the cut to the top 12.
Kriet: Mixing up his strategy and fishing offshore points, humps and ridges in the morning and then moving to shallower water, targeting boat docks in the afternoon. His primary lure is a large crankbait and he estimates that anglers will need 20 pounds to advance to the top 12.
Brauer: Fishing shallow water, 10 feet or less and targeting docks, wood, rocks and, as he describes, “anything that might hold a fish.” He is fishing a variety of lures and has at least 10 rods rigged for tomorrow.
Location
and Field
Bassmaster American
High Rock Lake: Days 1 & 2
Lake Townsend: Days 3 & 4
Greensboro, NC
May 17-20, 2007
Field
51 pro anglers
Cut to top 12 after Day 2
Cut to top 6 after Day 3
Launch
Days 1 & 2
Southmont Abbots Creek
US Coast Guard Auxiliary
1 Wildlife Recreation Access Rd.
Southmont, NC 27351
6:15 a.m. ET
Days 3 & 4
Lake Townsend Marina
6332 Townsend Road
Brown Summit, NC 27214
6:15 a.m. ET
Weigh-in
Greensboro Coliseum Complex
1921 West Lee Street
Greensboro, NC 27403
4 p.m. ET
Background
Previous BASS Events
High Rock Lake:
2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2005 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2005 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
1998 Bassmaster Classic
1995 Bassmaster Classic
1994 Bassmaster Classic
Previous winners on lake
22-12, Steve Sink, 2005
17-15, Jimmy Cannoy, 2005
46-3, Denny Brauer, 1998
47-14, Mark Davis, 1995
36-7, Bryan Kerchal, 1994
Heaviest winning weight
47-14, Mark Davis, 1995
Lowest winning weight
14-1, Danny Haire, 2006
Temperature
84 degrees
Lake level
High Rock Lake: 653.4 ft. above mean sea level
Lake Townsend: 29.11 ft. above mean sea level
A complete list of qualifying anglers is below.
Local Sponsors: Local sponsors include the Greensboro Sports Commission and The Greensboro Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.
Bassmaster Majors Sponsors: Sponsors of the Bassmaster Majors include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Costa Del Mar, Ramada Worldwide and Evan Williams Bourbon.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
2007 Bassmaster Majors
May 17-20 Bassmaster American, High Rock Lake Greensboro, N.C.
July 26-29 Bassmaster Memorial, Oneida Lake Syracuse, N.Y.
Aug. 23-26 Bassmaster Legends, Arkansas River Little Rock, Ark.
2007 MAJORS QUALIFIERS
After Guntersville, AL ending 04-29-2007, Day 3
2007 Classic Champion : Boyd Duckett
2006 Angler of the Year : Michael Iaconelli
2007 Rookie of the Year Leader: Derek Remitz
2006 Bassmaster American - Dave Wolak
Top 47 2006,2007 Angler of the Year Combined Standings
Place Angler Name Total 2 Day Weight
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1. Kevin VanDam 5 524-15
2. Skeet Reese 8 537-00
3. Steve Kennedy 11 520-04
4. Aaron Martens 12 510-04
5. Jared Lintner 21 497-14
6. Kelly Jordon 24 505-11
7. Tommy Biffle 25 494-12
7. Gerald Swindle 25 486-09
9. Dean Rojas 32 517-15
10. Mike McClelland 33 487-12
10. Alton Jones 33 479-01
12. Kevin Wirth 38 505-02
13. Jeff Kriet 39 474-01
14. Ishama Monroe 41 465-12
15. Todd Faircloth 42 470-03
16. Terry Scroggins 44 492-01
17. Jason Quinn 47 507-07
18. John Murray 48 470-02
19. John Crews 50 492-14
20. Edwin Evers 53 490-13
21. Timmy Horton 55 472-07
22. Peter Thliveros 57 463-09
22. Scott Rook 57 454-06
24. Greg Hackney 58 482-11
25. Brent Chapman 59 446-15
26. Jeff Reynolds 60 472-02
27. Gary Klein 65 469-08
27. Stephen Browning 65 446-06
29. Russ Lane 66 483-06
30. Randy Howell 70 422-08
31. Denny Brauer 75 458-08
32. Fred Roumbanis 76 435-02
32. Paul Elias 76 427-15
32. Chris Lane 76 411-11
35. Mark Tucker 78 438-04
36. Greg Gutierrez 80 448-01
37. Takahiro Omori 84 449-00
38. Matt Reed 85 462-12
39. Brian Snowden 90 418-00
40. Shaw Grigsby, Jr 91 419-12
41. Bill Lowen 92 452-11
41. Mark Menendez 92 428-12
43. Lee Bailey 94 432-00
44. Davy Hite 95 445-04
44. Ray Sedgwick 95 420-13
46. Zell Rowland 97 445-01
47. Mike Wurm 98 447-07