Ott DeFoe Holds On As Third-Round Leader In Bassmaster Elite On The Mississippi River

DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., weighed in 16 pounds, 7 ounces in the third round of the four-day Elite Series tournament for a total of 51 pounds, 9 ounces. That’s 2 1/2 pounds ahead of second-year Elite pro Seth Feider of Bloomington, Minn., who has 48-15. DeFoe had a 1-14 lead Friday.

Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., maintains the lead on the third day of the Plano Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing, bringing 16 pounds, 7 ounces to the scales on Saturday for a three-day total weight of 51-9.
Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

That doesn’t sound like much of a margin, but in a fishery where big bass of the day is usually under 5 pounds and only ounces separate many of the positions in the standings, it will take a stumble by DeFoe and a stellar day for Feider. In fact, most of the difference between the two can be accounted for by the 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth — a giant in this fishery — DeFoe caught at the end of the day Friday.

DeFoe only has two hot spots paying off with good-size bass, but they have been consistently reliable. Alternating between them, which requires a 20-mile boat run one-way, he has checked in limits weighing 17-7, 17-11 and 16-7. He said he’s using a swimbait with a treble hook rigged on it in his “starting place,” which features heavy current, and he’s flipping in his midday hole.

Jordan Lee of Grant, Ala, another young angler making a name for himself in the Elites, fell from second to third after turning in a smaller limit today, 14-10, than he did in earlier rounds. He is fishing floating frogs almost exclusively.

If anyone can catch DeFoe, Feider has demonstrated that he can. He bagged the heaviest limit of the tournament on Friday, 19-5, which moved him from 39th to third in the standings that day. A veteran of tournament fishing on other sections of the Upper Mississippi, Feider has more than a dozen fishing holes to choose from as the final round of fishing begins.

He described them as sandbars that would be out of the water if the river weren’t so high. Current is washing over them, and he’s catching big smallmouth with a combination of lures, including a drop shot, Carolina rig and swim jig.

Interestingly, fourth through seventh places are held by former GEICO Bassmaster Classic champions. They are Alton Jones, fourth with 46-15; Takahiro Omori, fifth with 45-5; Skeet Reese, sixth with 44-4; and Casey Ashley, seventh with 43-9. In fact, seven of the final 12 anglers fishing Sunday are Classic winners; Mark Davis, Edwin Evers and Randy Howell also made it.

Jones said he can’t wait to go fishing Sunday morning because awaiting him is the finest fishing hole he has ever found in 26 years as a B.A.S.S. pro. He found the spot during an Elite tournament in 2013 and, although he never had a bite there, he thought then that it should pay off in some situation.

It paid off in spades this week. Today, for example, he caught more than 50 bass, including five weighing 16-8, and quit at 12:45 p.m. so he could be assured of making it through navigation locks on time.

Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., solidified his lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race by climbing into the Top 12. None of his closest competitors did so.
With all but a dozen anglers eliminated from the competition, the field for the upcoming Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship next week on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, has mostly been set. The Top 50 in season-long AOY points will be competing on Mille Lacs for $1 million, which is apportioned according to AOY points standings at the end of the championship.

The final round on the Mississippi begins with takeoff Sunday from Veterans Freedom Park at 6:15 a.m. CT. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3:15 p.m. The Bassmaster Elite Series Expo and festival activities begin at 11 a.m. at Freedom Park.

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN           15  51-09  110     $500.00
Day 1: 5   17-07     Day 2: 5   17-11     Day 3: 5   16-07
2.  Seth Feider            Bloomington, MN         15  48-15  109
Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   19-05     Day 3: 5   16-09
3.  Jordan Lee             Grant, AL               15  47-14  108
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   16-02     Day 3: 5   14-10
4.  Alton Jones            Lorena, TX              15  46-15  107
Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   15-12     Day 3: 5   16-08
5.  Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX               15  45-05  106
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   13-12     Day 3: 5   18-04
6.  Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              15  44-04  105
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   14-11     Day 3: 5   16-01
7.  Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC             15  43-09  104
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   12-12     Day 3: 5   13-03
8.  Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA       15  43-01  103
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   13-12     Day 3: 5   14-01
9.  Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR           15  42-14  102
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 5   11-14     Day 3: 5   14-12
10. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        15  42-08  101
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   13-07     Day 3: 5   15-08
11. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK              15  42-03  100
Day 1: 5   16-13     Day 2: 5   13-15     Day 3: 5   11-07
12. Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL        15  42-02   99
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   13-13     Day 3: 5   15-00
13. Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL            15  41-12   98  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   12-12     Day 3: 5   13-07
14. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             15  41-02   97  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   16-05     Day 3: 5   12-00
15. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL        15  41-01   96  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-03     Day 2: 5   15-09     Day 3: 5   13-05
16. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK             15  40-14   95  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-11     Day 2: 5   14-01     Day 3: 5   13-02
17. Randall Tharp          Port St. Joe, FL        15  40-05   94  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   12-14     Day 3: 5   12-05
18. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          15  40-05   93  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-00     Day 2: 5   12-12     Day 3: 5   13-09
19. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC              15  40-00   92  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   12-10     Day 3: 5   15-00
20. Fred Roumbanis         London, AR              15  40-00   91  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   14-10     Day 3: 5   12-13
21. Matt Lee               Guntersville, AL        15  39-11   90  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   12-08     Day 3: 5   12-14
22. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         15  39-09   89  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   14-11     Day 3: 5   14-03
23. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC          15  39-09   88  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-14     Day 2: 5   14-02     Day 3: 5   12-09
24. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI           15  39-08   87  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   10-09     Day 3: 5   14-09
25. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              15  39-06   86  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 5   14-10     Day 3: 5   09-15
26. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        15  39-05   85  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   14-06     Day 3: 5   14-08
27. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL          15  39-04   84  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   14-11     Day 3: 5   12-10
28. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL        15  39-02   83  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   11-12     Day 3: 5   12-07
29. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            14  39-02   82  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   12-10     Day 3: 4   12-01
30. Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL               15  39-02   81  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   13-04     Day 3: 5   12-04
31. Adrian Avena           Vineland, NJ            14  38-07   80  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   12-15     Day 3: 4   12-02
32. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX              14  38-06   79  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-08     Day 2: 5   15-06     Day 3: 4   08-08
33. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO        15  38-00   78  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   11-15     Day 3: 5   12-12
34. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            15  37-08   77  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   14-00     Day 3: 5   12-11
35. Brandon Card           Caryville, TN           13  37-06   76  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-09     Day 2: 5   13-03     Day 3: 3   07-10
36. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              15  37-05   75  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   13-12     Day 3: 5   10-06
37. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           15  37-04   74  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   12-01     Day 3: 5   11-11
38. Chris Zaldain          Laughlin, NV            15  37-04   73  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   13-07     Day 3: 5   10-13
39. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR         15  37-02   72  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   13-00     Day 3: 5   11-01
40. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA        14  36-10   71  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   13-05     Day 3: 4   08-01
41. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL         15  36-02   70  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   11-14     Day 3: 5   11-01
42. Morizo Shimizu         Suita, Osaka JAPAN      15  36-01   69  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   11-10     Day 3: 5   11-05
43. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC          15  35-09   68  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   13-13     Day 3: 5   10-09
44. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            13  35-08   67  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   13-07     Day 3: 3   07-08
45. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL           14  35-00   66  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   13-10     Day 3: 4   08-13
46. Casey Scanlon          Rocky Mount, MO         13  34-14   65  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   13-13     Day 3: 3   08-02
47. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           12  34-09   64  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-12     Day 2: 5   15-11     Day 3: 2   04-02
48. John Murray            Spring City, TN         13  33-03   63  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   12-09     Day 3: 3   07-08
49. Kelly Jordon           Flint, TX               12  28-04   62  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   13-00     Day 3: 2   03-05
50. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          10  24-13   61  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-00     Day 2: 5   10-13     Day 3: 0   00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        88       485      1225-03
2        87       487      1239-02
3        38       226       593-15
———————————-
213      1198      3058-04