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Arey Takes Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Eufaula
 

Eufaula-Day 2-Leader.jpg

Matt Arey, of Shelby, N.C., is leading after Day 2 of the 2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula with a two-day total of 43 pounds, 5 ounces.     Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

Arey Takes Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Ala. — For the first two days of the DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula, the burning question has been, “Should I fish shallow or should I fish deep?”

At least for now, the answer seems to be, “Both.”

North Carolina pro Matt Arey caught five bass during Thursday’s second round that weighed 22 pounds, 15 ounces. Combined with his Wednesday catch of 20-6, he now has a two-day total of 43-5 and less than a 2-pound lead over his closest competition.

A combination of shallow and deep fishing has led to Arey’s success.

“I’ve started shallow both days, but I’m bouncing back and forth between the two,” he said. “That works for me. I’ve never really had a ‘strength,’ so to speak. When I started fishing professionally, I wanted to learn a little bit of everything.”

Of the 10 bass he has weighed in so far, Arey said seven came from shallow water and three came deep. Those three deeper fish bit for him Thursday, but his biggest bass during the second round — a 6-5 largemouth — came from shallow grass.

“I rolled into a spot and saw some bream instantly, and I saw this bass cruising,” Arey said. “I couldn’t tell how big it was because it was pretty far down the bank.

“But I threw my frog in there, and it got hung on a piece of grass.”

Things got better from there.

“The bass turned immediately when it heard the frog touch the water, and I twitched it really fast to get it out of that grass,” he said. “It grabbed the actual legs of the frog, pulled it down and then just sucked it right in.

“If I hadn’t been able to see the fish, I would have jerked when the frog first disappeared and probably missed it.”

Arey said it’s no real secret that his deeper fish are coming off the brushpiles that seem to dot Lake Eufaula by the thousands. But rising water — the lake is up more than 1 1/2 feet — and an abundance of shallow cover are making it hard right now to leave the shoreline.

He said he’ll likely continue bouncing back and forth for the remainder of the tournament.

“I don’t have much experience here,” he said. “But obviously, you look around the bank and you see a lot of good stuff. It can draw a man to the bank pretty easily — and with the water up like it is right now, it’s hard to resist.”

Another North Carolina pro, former Elite Series Rookie of the Year Jake Whitaker, caught 20-8 Thursday and now sits in second place with 41-10. Unlike Arey, Whitaker spent all of his time shallow Thursday — and he didn’t seem sure he’d have enough fish left to keep his momentum rolling.

“Today, I caught these fish in places where I didn’t even practice,” Whitaker said. “Three or four of the fish that I weighed in today came out of one creek. Yesterday it was the same way, but it was another creek.”
Whitaker said the creeks were similar because they were both a little deeper than surrounding tributaries.

“I’m really catching them from about a foot to 8 feet,” he said. “Brush and grass are key.

“I feel like I can find more stuff that looks like that. But I could honestly come in with nothing tomorrow and not be shocked.”

Reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Scott Canterbury — the Alabama angler who rooms with Arey — is in third place after catching 20-12 Wednesday and 20-13 Thursday for a total of 41-9.

Canterbury, who has vast experience on Lake Eufaula, came into the event planning to fish the lake’s famed offshore ledges. And while he’s spent much of his time offshore this week, he, too, was lured to the shallows during the latter stages of Thursday’s round.

“I haven’t been shallow during practice or during the tournament until the last hour today,” Canterbury said. “Since I know the shallow part of the lake, I spent most of practice just idling and looking offshore.

“But today, I saw a shallow place that just looked so good I thought I should try it. That’s where two of the fish I weighed in today came from — and that gives me some confidence about fishing shallow because I might have figured something out.”

Texas pro Chris Zaldain caught 17-7 and slipped from third place to 10th with 39-9. But he took the lead in the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week with a 7-5 largemouth.

After two days, it took 31-10 to make the Top 40 semifinal cut. Tennessee pro Brandon Card was the final angler to make the field.

Competition resumes Friday with the Top 40 remaining anglers taking off at 5:25 a.m. CST from Lakepoint State Park. The weigh-in will be back at the park at 2 p.m., with only the Top 10 advancing to Championship Saturday for a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.

Live coverage of the event will be available from 7-10 a.m. and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Bassmaster Live at Bassmaster.com with simulcasts on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Check local listings for ESPN2 times.

2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite At Lake Eufaula Title Sponsor: DEWALT

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partners: Huk, AFTCO

2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite At Lake Eufaula Local Host: Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce

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 515,000-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 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.

2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula 6/10-6/13
Lake Eufaula, Eufaula  AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$
1.  Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              10  43-05  100
  Day 1: 5   20-06     Day 2: 5   22-15  
2.  Jake Whitaker          Fairview, NC            10  41-10   99
  Day 1: 5   21-02     Day 2: 5   20-08  
3.  Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           10  41-09   98
  Day 1: 5   20-12     Day 2: 5   20-13  
4.  Kyle Welcher           Opelika, AL             10  41-02   97
  Day 1: 5   20-03     Day 2: 5   20-15  
5.  Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI           10  40-14   96
  Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   22-02  
6.  Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX             10  40-12   95
  Day 1: 5   22-00     Day 2: 5   18-12  
7.  Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           10  40-03   94
  Day 1: 5   19-03     Day 2: 5   21-00  
8.  Kyle Monti             Okeechobee, FL          10  39-15   93
  Day 1: 5   22-15     Day 2: 5   17-00  
9.  Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  39-12   92
  Day 1: 5   23-04     Day 2: 5   16-08  
10. Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX          10  39-09   91   $1,000.00
  Day 1: 5   22-02     Day 2: 5   17-07  
11. Drew Benton            Blakely, GA             10  39-08   90
  Day 1: 5   20-12     Day 2: 5   18-12  
12. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             10  38-15   89
  Day 1: 5   21-13     Day 2: 5   17-02  
13. Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI             10  38-05   88
  Day 1: 5   20-13     Day 2: 5   17-08  
14. Seth Feider            New Market, MN          10  38-03   87
  Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   21-14  
15. John Cox               Debary, FL              10  38-02   86
  Day 1: 5   19-13     Day 2: 5   18-05  
16. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          10  37-10   85
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   17-05  
17. Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         10  37-08   84
  Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   21-01  
18. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  37-08   83
  Day 1: 5   18-05     Day 2: 5   19-03  
19. Buddy Gross            Chickamauga, GA         10  37-05   82
  Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   20-07  
20. Drew Cook              Midway, FL              10  37-03   81
  Day 1: 5   18-10     Day 2: 5   18-09  
21. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC          10  37-00   80
  Day 1: 5   21-15     Day 2: 5   15-01  
22. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN          10  35-15   79
  Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   16-08  
23. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          10  35-12   78
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   16-15  
24. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        10  35-11   77
  Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   19-15  
25. Skylar Hamilton        Dandridge, TN           10  35-10   76
  Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   18-01  
26. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI              10  35-04   75
  Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   15-13  
27. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  35-04   74
  Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   16-04  
28. Lee Livesay            Gladewater, TX          10  34-07   73
  Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   12-12  
29. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             10  34-07   72
  Day 1: 5   16-08     Day 2: 5   17-15  
30. Frank Talley           Temple, TX              10  34-02   71
  Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   18-02  
31. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX              10  33-15   70
  Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   15-03  
32. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             10  33-08   69
  Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   15-02  
33. Hunter Shryock         Newcomerstown, OH       10  33-05   68
  Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   21-08  
34. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          10  33-00   67
  Day 1: 5   16-15     Day 2: 5   16-01  
35. Wes Logan              Springville, AL         10  32-05   66
  Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   14-02  
36. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            10  32-02   65
  Day 1: 5   17-08     Day 2: 5   14-10  
37. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  31-15   64
  Day 1: 5   19-04     Day 2: 5   12-11  
38. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN        10  31-13   63
  Day 1: 5   17-08     Day 2: 5   14-05  
39. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  31-12   62
  Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   13-04  
40. Brandon Card           Knoxville, TN           10  31-10   61
  Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   15-03  
41. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC          10  31-03   60   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   16-13  
42. Taku Ito               Chiba JAPAN             10  31-02   59   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   13-02  
43. Jeff Gustafson         Keewatin Ontario CANADA 10  31-02   58   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-08     Day 2: 5   13-10  
44. Jesse Tacoronte        Kissimmee, FL           10  31-01   57   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   15-13  
45. Derek Hudnall          Baton Rouge, LA         10  30-14   56   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   15-12  
46. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  30-12   55   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   13-14     Day 2: 5   16-14  
47. Cody Hollen            Beaverton, OR            9  30-09   54   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-14     Day 2: 4   09-11  
48. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              10  30-09   53   $5,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-08     Day 2: 5   13-01  
49. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            10  30-08   52   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-12     Day 2: 5   16-12  
50. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  30-08   51   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   14-02  
51. Bob Downey             Hudson, WI              10  30-08   50   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   15-15  
52. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  30-08   49   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   14-13  
53. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  30-05   48   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 5   13-01  
54. Quentin Cappo          Prairieville, LA        10  30-02   47   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 5   18-07  
55. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA            10  30-01   46   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   17-02  
56. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                 10  30-00   45   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-15     Day 2: 5   13-01  
57. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL              10  29-15   44   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-09     Day 2: 5   13-06  
58. Chris Groh             Spring Grove, IL        10  29-12   43   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   13-06  
59. Chris Johnston         Peterborough Ontario CA 10  29-09   42   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   13-04  
60. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  29-07   41   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 5   12-02  
61. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  29-01   40   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   12-05  
62. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD               10  29-00   39   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 5   11-12  
63. Greg DiPalma           Millville, NJ            9  28-15   38   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 4   11-06  
64. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 10  28-13   37   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   13-04  
65. Mike Huff              Corbin, KY              10  28-10   36   $3,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   10-04  
66. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              10  28-00   35   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-00     Day 2: 5   14-00  
67. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            10  27-14   34   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   15-01  
68. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA            10  27-14   33   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-13     Day 2: 5   14-01  
69. Rob Digh               Denver, NC              10  27-09   32   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-08     Day 2: 5   11-01  
70. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA         10  27-03   31   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-01     Day 2: 5   11-02  
71. Jay Yelas              Lincoln City, OR        10  26-08   30   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-11     Day 2: 5   12-13  
72. David Fritts           Lexington, NC           10  25-07   29   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-11     Day 2: 5   11-12  
73. Destin DeMarion        Grove City, PA          10  24-07   28   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   15-03  
74. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                10  24-05   27   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   11-09     Day 2: 5   12-12  
75. Dale Hightower         Mannford, OK            10  23-13   26   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   14-02  
76. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO        10  23-12   25   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   11-12  
77. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  23-09   24   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   11-09  
78. Tyler Carriere         Youngsville, LA          8  23-03   23   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-05     Day 2: 3   07-14  
79. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            10  22-09   22   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 5   10-08  
80. Randy Sullivan         Breckenridge, TX        10  22-01   21   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   10-07  
81. Harvey Horne           Bella Vista, AR          9  21-15   20   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 4   08-12     Day 2: 5   13-03  
82. Randy Pierson          Oakdale, CA             10  21-14   19   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   08-04  
83. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               8  21-05   18   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 3   08-03     Day 2: 5   13-02  
84. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA            10  20-14   17   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   09-04  
85. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA               8  20-04   16   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 3   07-00  
86. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            0  00-00    0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00  
86. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY              0  00-00    0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
 1   Mike Huff                Corbin, KY          06-12      $1,000.00
 2   Chris Zaldain            Fort Worth, TX      07-05      $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1        83       422      1413-06
 2        81       419      1291-09
----------------------------------
         164       841      2704-15

 
 

 

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