Only 1 Tops 15 Pounds On 1st Day At Smith

By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff

CULLMAN, Ala. — As predicted, catching a big bag on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Smith Lake wasn’t the easiest proposition. But a handful of competitors gutted out a tough day on the 21,000-acre fishery and gave themselves a slim edge as the derby opened in north-central Alabama.

Hunter Shryock, a 35-year-old resident of Ooltewah, Tenn., caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces to take the Day 1 lead. He’s just ahead of Canada’s Cory Johnston, who’s 2nd with 14-12, and Ohio’s Alex Redwine, in 3rd with 14-8.

In all, 76 of the 98 competitors are within 6 pounds of Shryock’s lead – underscoring not only how tough the fishing was on Smith, but also the unlikelihood anyone will run away with the lead.

Shryock did all he could, however, to put some distance between himself and the field on Day 1. Like most, he weighed spotted bass, but he added a trio of heftier largemouth to his catch, which isn’t exactly common on Smith Lake in June. One of them was a 4-7, earning Shryock $1,000 for having the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day.

With the leaderboard as close as it is, Shryock wasn’t sharing much after he weighed in the day’s best bag.

“There’s not a lot of bites, obviously, and I’m kinda playing with fire,” he said. “But I learned some stuff today. I only had two fish at 11 a.m. and then I went on a little run. Sunshine helps me, so I think the cloud cover earlier today messed me up a lot. But honestly, I’m not sure. I’m still trying to figure it all out.”

Despite having only two bass by the lunch hour, Shryock said he probably couldn’t have asked for a much better start on Smith.

“I qualified for the Elites here (in a 2017 Southern Open), so I’ve fished here quite a bit,” he said. “One thing I learned then is that however you catch them one day, you can pretty much forget about it the next day. Just start over. Every time I’ve fished here it’s been like that. You take the days one by one and don’t fight it.”

Johnston shared that sentiment on Day 1, when he pulled five spotted bass from different locations and on different lures.

“This place is extremely hard to find the better-than-average size fish right now,” Johnston said.

“I’m covering a lot of water, using the LiveScope, looking for a lot of individual fish,” he continued. “I caught a few on a jig, a few on a minnow, a few on dropshots. They’re biting pretty short, but when you see them on the LiveScope, you get a pretty good idea if they’re big or not. You just have to cover water and hope the bigger ones bite.”

Johnston said he just missed some bigger bass Thursday, and that gives him some confidence heading into Day 2 and, perhaps, the weekend.

“It was a good day,” he said, “and I think I figured a few things out. But you never know with this place. You could catch 8 pounds tomorrow or it could be 16 pounds. I’m just trying to get in the right area and cast in front of the right ones.”

Redwine, 24 and from Blue Ash, Ohio, said Day 1 was a study in patience.

“It was a decent one here, a decent one there,” he said. “I felt like I was catching slightly above-average fish all day.”

But it wasn’t much more than that, he said.

“There are qualify fish out here, bigger than the ones it seems like everyone’s catching,” Redwine noted. “You can see them on the electronics. I think they’re a little bit smarter, a little bit older. It might take a little more time and better execution to catch them, but those are the ones you need to win.”

Bryan New, of Leesville, S.C., is in 4th place with a 14-3 total. Steve Kennedy, of Auburn, Ala., is 5th with 14-2. All but six of the 98 Elites caught a limit on Thursday.

The Alabama summer wasn’t nearly as unrelenting as it could have been on Day 1, with temperatures hovering in the mid-80s and intermittent rain showers throughout the morning. Friday’s forecast calls for highs near 90 with mostly sunny skies and a slim chance for scattered showers.

How those conditions help, or hurt, competitors is anyone’s guess – fitting for this summer showdown on Smith.

Day 2 will begin with a 6 a.m. CT take-off from Smith Lake Park. Weigh-in is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. The Top 50 anglers after Friday’s weigh-in will advance to fish on Day 3 and then the Top 10 will make the cut to compete on Championship Sunday.

The winning angler will take home a top prize of $100,000.

Day 1 Standings

1. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 5, 15-15 -- 103
Day 1: 5, 15-15

2. Cory Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 5, 14-12 -- 102
Day 1: 5, 14-12

3. Alex Redwine -- Blue Ash, OH -- 5, 14-08 -- 101
Day 1: 5, 14-08

4. Bryan New -- Leesville, SC -- 5, 14-03 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 14-03

5. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 14-02 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 14-02

6. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 5, 14-01 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 14-01

7. Cody Huff -- Ava, MO -- 5, 13-13 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 13-13

8. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 13-12 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 13-12

9. Jay Przekurat -- Plover, WI -- 5, 13-11 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 13-11

10. Taku Ito -- Dalton, GA -- 5, 13-10 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 13-10

11. Kyle Patrick -- Cooperstown, NY -- 5, 13-08 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 13-08

12. John Garrett -- Union City, TN -- 5, 13-08 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 13-08

13. Robert Gee -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 13-07 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 13-07

14. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 5, 13-06 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 13-06

15. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 13-05 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 13-05

16. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 13-04 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 13-04

17. Ben Milliken -- New Caney, TX -- 5, 12-15 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 12-15

18. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 12-14 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 12-14

18. Tyler Williams -- Belgrade, ME -- 5, 12-14 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 12-14

20. Kyoya Fujita -- Yamanashi, JAPAN -- 5, 12-13 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 12-13

21. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 12-12 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 12-12

22. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka, JAPAN -- 5, 12-11 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 12-11

23. JT Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 5, 12-10 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 12-10

24. Cole Sands -- Calhoun , TN -- 5, 12-10 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 12-10

25. Bob Downey -- Detroit Lakes, MN -- 5, 12-07 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 12-07

25. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 12-07 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 12-07

27. Wesley Gore -- Clanton, AL -- 5, 12-07 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 12-07

28. Bryant Smith -- Roseville, CA -- 5, 12-06 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 12-06

29. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 5, 12-04 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 12-04

30. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 5, 12-02 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-02

30. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 5, 12-02 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-02

30. Trey McKinney -- Carbondale, IL -- 5, 12-02 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 12-02

33. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 5, 12-01 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 12-01

34. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 12-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 12-00

34. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 5, 12-00 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 12-00

36. Timothy Dube -- Nashua , NH -- 5, 11-14 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 11-14

36. Kyle Welcher -- Valley, AL -- 5, 11-14 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 11-14

38. Joey Cifuentes III -- Clinton, AR -- 5, 11-14 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 11-14

39. Cooper Gallant -- Bowmanville, ON -- 5, 11-13 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-13

39. Logan Parks -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 11-13 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-13

39. Joseph Webster -- Hamilton, AL -- 5, 11-13 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 11-13

42. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, AL -- 5, 11-12 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 11-12

43. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 5, 11-11 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 11-11

43. Matty Wong -- Honolulu, HI -- 5, 11-11 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 11-11

45. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 5, 11-08 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 11-08

46. Jacob Foutz -- Charleston, TN -- 5, 11-07 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 11-07

47. Jordan Lee -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 11-06 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 11-06

47. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 5, 11-06 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 11-06

47. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 5, 11-06 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 11-06

50. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 11-06 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 11-06

51. Patrick Walters -- Eutawville, SC -- 5, 11-05 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 11-05

51. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 5, 11-05 -- 53
Day 1: 5, 11-05

53. Jeff Gustafson -- Kenora, ON -- 5, 11-05 -- 51
Day 1: 5, 11-05

54. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 5, 11-03 -- 50
Day 1: 5, 11-03

55. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 5, 11-00 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 11-00

55. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS -- 5, 11-00 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 11-00

55. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 5, 11-00 -- 49
Day 1: 5, 11-00

58. KJ Queen -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 10-15 -- 46
Day 1: 5, 10-15

59. Kyle Norsetter -- Cottage Grove, WI -- 5, 10-11 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 10-11

59. John Soukup -- Sapulpa, OK -- 5, 10-11 -- 45
Day 1: 5, 10-11

61. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 5, 10-10 -- 43
Day 1: 5, 10-10

62. Todd Auten -- Clover, SC -- 5, 10-10 -- 42
Day 1: 5, 10-10

63. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 5, 10-09 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 10-09

63. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 10-09 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 10-09

65. Jake Whitaker -- Hendersonville, NC -- 5, 10-08 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 10-08

66. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 10-07 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 10-07

66. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 5, 10-07 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 10-07

68. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 10-05 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 10-05

69. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 10-04 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 10-04

69. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 10-04 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 10-04

69. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 5, 10-04 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 10-04

72. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 5, 10-04 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 10-04

73. Mike Huff -- London, KY -- 5, 10-04 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 10-04

74. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 5, 10-03 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 10-03

75. Will Davis Jr -- Sylacauga, AL -- 5, 10-02 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 10-02

76. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 10-02 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 10-02

77. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 09-15 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 09-15

78. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 09-14 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 09-14

78. Alex Wetherell -- Middletown, CT -- 5, 09-14 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 09-14

80. Logan Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 09-13 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 09-13

81. Frank Talley -- Belton, TX -- 5, 09-12 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 09-12

82. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 09-10 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 09-10

82. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 5, 09-10 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 09-10

84. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 5, 09-07 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 09-07

85. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 5, 09-05 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 09-05

86. Jason Christie -- Dry Creek, OK -- 5, 09-00 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 09-00

87. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 08-15 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 08-15

87. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 5, 08-15 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 08-15

89. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 08-14 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 08-14

90. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 08-12 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 08-12

91. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 3, 08-09 -- 13
Day 1: 3, 08-09

92. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 5, 08-05 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 08-05

93. Buddy Gross -- Chattanooga, TN -- 4, 08-04 -- 11
Day 1: 4, 08-04

94. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 5, 07-15 -- 10
Day 1: 5, 07-15

95. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, PA -- 3, 07-03 -- 9
Day 1: 3, 07-03

96. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 4, 06-13 -- 8
Day 1: 4, 06-13

96. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 4, 06-13 -- 8
Day 1: 4, 06-13

98. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 2, 03-02 -- 6
Day 1: 2, 03-02

99. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 0, 00-00 -- 0
Day 1: 0, 00-00