Skip to main content

First Day Results for Bassmaster Elite on St. Johns



He refused to give up on the behemoth bass sitting on the bed. Twice he thought he had her, twice he lost her. The third time was the proverbial charm as the bass committed to J Todd Tucker's bait.

“That was the key to my day,” he said of the bass that weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces, as he took the lead with 24-0 on the first day of the St. Johns River Showdown, the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series season opener.

Catching the 8-6 was just how he started his day. He repeated with an 8-3 taken off a bed in another spot. That one was somewhat of a surprise for Tucker, who said he had counted on only one kicker a day from the areas he scouted in practice earlier in the week.

Tucker, of Moultrie, Ga., has three more days before he can claim his first Elite Series win, and there are many challengers for the $100,000 title. Tucker was only 2 ounces in front of Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., who had 23-14 Thursday. Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind., was third with 22-3; Rick Morris of Lake Gaston, Va., was fourth with 21-12; and Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, La., was fifth with 21-5.

Yet, Tucker hinted, there's another giant out there. He saw it Thursday sitting on a bed. He caught two male bass on the same bed.

“And she left,” he said. “I don't know if she'll be back or not, but I'll certainly be checking her out tomorrow. That's all I've got going now, other than being patient, getting on that push pole and easing around, not making any noise at all.”

Confidence in what he was doing, and having enough patience to wait until the big fish moved onto the beds was his approach. He stuck to two tiny areas that yielded all his fish. The size of those two spots was the biggest difference between the St. Johns competition this year and last year, said Tucker, who finished in sixth place in the 2011 event on St. Johns.

“Last year, I was on five acres of fish. This year my area is much, much smaller — the size of that stage,” said Tucker, gesturing to the Bassmaster weigh-in stage.

First prize in the St. Johns River Showdown is $100,000 and a qualification for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. Pros are also fishing to rack up points that count toward postseason entry, Classic qualification and the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.

Like Tucker, Hackney landed a huge bass, but he didn't have its twin. Hackney's big one was a 10-9, his anchor and the day's largest bass brought in by the 99-angler field. The catch set the bar for the tournament's Carhartt Big Bass award.

The 10-9 was a one-cast fish.

"I saw just half of her — I thought it was a 6- or 7-pounder. I pitched in the hole and she took it, first cast.”

Hackney said some of his fish came from sight fishing tactics, but some did not.

“I'm mixing it up a little bit, he said. “You can catch them both ways.”

He said he junk fished many spots along a 60-mile run of the river.

“It's junky, but I knew it was going to be that way today because there are fish coming, and there are fish going (to and from beds). There's not one thing to be doing, but you need one big one every day.”

The two Elite Series pros with a home-water advantage, Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla., and Cliff Prince of Palatka, ended the first day in mid-field. Prince came to the scales with 15-10 for 24th place, and Scroggins had 14-0 for 35th.

Defending champion Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., who came from behind to win in 2011 on the St. Johns, was seventh after one day with 20-4.

The public is invited to watch the St. Johns River Showdown at Palatka's Riverfront Park. The pros will launch at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The weigh-in will begin at 4 p.m. There's no admission charge.

Coverage at Bassmaster.com will continue each day. Fans have free, full access to live streaming, real-time leaderboards, results, reports and photo galleries. On Saturday and Sunday, the new War Room feature will provide updates of the pros' catches along with analysis and commentary.

Fans can also track the tournament on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bass) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/BASS_nation).




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Gear

Sea Trials: Bait Stop

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Gear

Sea Trials: Edge Quest

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Gear

Sea Trials: Reef Roundup

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

Crescent Kayak's Fly-Weight Rigs & Ultra-Affordable Primo!

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

Newport NK180PRO: Empower YOUR Fishing Utility!

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

Native Titan X Rigged with Newport NK300 really MOVES

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

Hyper-Versatile K-Craft Paddle & Powerskiff!

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

Cover Up With Sun-Protective Clothing

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

Inflation We Can Live With! Mustang Convertible PFD

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

Converting and Re-Arming Mustang Inflatable A/M PFD

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

YakAttack Rod Management Systems Set the Bar for Kayak Anglers

As kayaks have evolved and anglers have added tremendous amounts of tackle and accessories, the weight factor must be co...
Videos

YakAttack Kayak Carts Will Get You There

Florida Sportsman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

Preview This Month's Issue

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Florida Sportsman App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Florida Sportsman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use