Caleb Sumrall caught some big spawning fish Thursday despite being one of the last anglers to leave the docks at the start of the day.
April 18, 2024
By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff PALATKA, Fla. — A little bit of water can make big things happen. Leveraging that logic, Caleb Sumrall sacked up a massive Day 1 limit of 28 pounds, 8 ounces to lead the Bassmaster Elite Series event at the St. Johns River.
“That was the best day of fishing in my life,” the pro from New Iberia, La., said. “I’m trying not to get too excited because I don’t know what’s left on my spot.”
Leading Canada's Cory Johnston by 5-5, Sumrall said he fished in Salt Springs and focused on sight fishing for bedding bass. Notably, Sumrall had not initially intended to fish that area, largely due to his take-off number.
“I was boat 99 today, so I didn’t even start there because I figured it would be loaded with boats,” he said. “But when I got in there around 9 o’clock, there was just one boat in there. I rolled up in there and immediately got a bite, then got another bite. I culled about every hour.”
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Typically, a late arrival on a key area relegates an angler to picking through the leftovers. On Thursday, Sumrall benefitted from recent meteorological factors.
“What I think saved me was Wednesday’s practice was really windy,” he said. “I think the guys that were in there looking for fish couldn’t see them.
“The wind came in fluctuations today. I’m looking for the ones that are out a little farther. I think that was the key to catching a big bag.”
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With an outgoing tide in the morning, Sumrall fared well by working with the falling water. His best action came in the afternoon, as he drew upon his Southern Louisiana tidal bass fishing know-how.
“I think the tide was key and I think a couple other guys that fished (in Salt Springs) didn’t key in on something specific,” Sumrall said. “Anytime you’re fishing for spawning fish on a tide, 6 inches (of water) over their head is a big deal.
“That can make them go to lock (onto the bed) and bite. There can be a window where those fish go to snapping. I really think that was key. From 11 to 2 is when I got some really good bites.”
Sumrall said he caught his bed-fish by pitching a mix of Texas-rigged plastics. Patience, he said, was essential, but a couple of persnickety fish tested his resolve.
“I fished the slowest I’ve fished in my entire life,” he said. “I was just calm and in my zone and I got the bites.
“I worked on one fish for about two hours. Then, I switched to a Missile Baits 48 and on the first cast, I got her to eat it.
Sumrall said he’ll return to Salt Springs for Friday’s second round. He’s not sure what to expect, but the potential is too great to resist.
“I have to go back; it would be silly not to,” he said. “I have boat No. 5 (for Day 2) so I could be the first one in there. Today, I saw an 8-pounder and a 10.
“If the weather remains stable and the wind lays down, there’s the potential for a 35-pound bag — easily.”
Johnston is in second place with 23-3. Notwithstanding his well-documented northern prowess, which included a century belt for catching 100-plus pounds of smallmouth during his second-place finish at the 2022 Elite at the St. Lawrence River, Johnston said the St. Johns suits his background.
“I grew up fishing just like this — flipping reeds, flipping pads, flipping matted vegetation,” Johnston said of his youth, prior to smallmouth coming into prominence. “There were no smallmouth that played when I was younger, so I grew up fishing largemouth.”
Day 1 saw Johnston employing many of his early fishing lessons. His success required mobility and a diverse bait selection.
“I ran all over (the fishery) and checked a bunch of stuff,” he said. “I had a good bag by about 10 o’clock, so I ran back and covered a bunch of new water.”
Johnston said he got bit on reaction baits early and then switched to flipping later in the day. His targets varied from docks, to pads, to mats.
Wes Logan of Springville, Ala., is in third place with 22-0. Spending his day in the Little Lake George area, he fished various targets including shellbars, wood, pads and docks.
Catching his bass on mix of winding baits and flipping, Logan said the afternoon hours proved most productive.
“I lost some big fish earlier and I don’t know why they came off,” he said. “I don’t know if the sun helped, or maybe it was the tide changing, but later in the day, when they ate it, they ate it.
“I haven’t figured out the windows yet, but you can tell when they start biting. They’re really eating.”
Jake Whitaker of Hendersonville, N.C., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-15.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Palatka City Dock & Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held back at the ramp at 3 p.m., with only the Top 50 anglers advancing to Saturday.
Day 1 Standings
1. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 5, 28-08 -- 103
2. Cory Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 5, 23-03 -- 102
3. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 5, 22-00 -- 101
4. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 5, 21-00 -- 100
4. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 5, 21-00 -- 100
6. Trey McKinney -- Carbondale, IL -- 5, 20-14 -- 98
7. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 20-13 -- 97
8. Jake Whitaker -- Hendersonville, NC -- 5, 20-06 -- 96
9. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 5, 19-15 -- 95
10. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 19-05 -- 94
11. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 5, 19-04 -- 93
12. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 19-04 -- 92
13. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 5, 19-01 -- 91
14. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 5, 18-08 -- 90
15. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 5, 18-07 -- 89
16. Wesley Gore -- Clanton, AL -- 5, 17-15 -- 88
17. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 5, 17-14 -- 87
18. Jacob Foutz -- Charleston, TN -- 5, 17-11 -- 86
19. Cooper Gallant -- Bowmanville, ON -- 5, 17-09 -- 85
20. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 17-06 -- 84
21. Drew Benton -- Panama City, FL -- 5, 17-01 -- 83
22. Kyle Norsetter -- Cottage Grove, WI -- 5, 16-14 -- 82
23. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 5, 16-09 -- 81
24. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 5, 16-09 -- 80
25. Todd Auten -- Clover, SC -- 5, 16-05 -- 79
26. Alex Wetherell -- Middletown, CT -- 5, 16-04 -- 78
27. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 16-02 -- 77
28. Bob Downey -- Detroit Lakes, MN -- 5, 16-01 -- 76
29. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 5, 15-13 -- 75
30. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 5, 15-12 -- 74
30. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 5, 15-12 -- 74
32. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 5, 15-11 -- 72
33. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 5, 15-02 -- 71
34. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 5, 15-00 -- 70
35. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 4, 14-13 -- 69
36. Matty Wong -- Honolulu, HI -- 5, 14-08 -- 68
37. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, PA -- 5, 14-05 -- 67
38. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 5, 14-03 -- 66
38. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 5, 14-03 -- 66
40. Jordan Lee -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 14-02 -- 64
40. Alex Redwine -- Blue Ash, OH -- 5, 14-02 -- 64
42. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 5, 13-15 -- 62
42. Kyle Welcher -- Valley, AL -- 5, 13-15 -- 62
44. Ben Milliken -- New Caney, TX -- 5, 13-11 -- 60
44. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 5, 13-11 -- 60
46. Frank Talley -- Belton, TX -- 5, 13-10 -- 58
47. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA -- 5, 13-09 -- 57
47. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 5, 13-09 -- 57
49. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 5, 13-08 -- 55
50. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 5, 13-07 -- 54
50. Buddy Gross -- Chattanooga, TN -- 5, 13-07 -- 54
52. Timothy Dube -- Nashua , NH -- 5, 13-06 -- 52
52. Cody Huff -- Ava, MO -- 5, 13-06 -- 52
54. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 5, 13-02 -- 50
54. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 5, 13-02 -- 50
56. Will Davis Jr -- Sylacauga, AL -- 5, 13-01 -- 48
56. John Soukup -- Sapulpa, OK -- 5, 13-01 -- 48
58. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 5, 12-15 -- 46
58. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 5, 12-15 -- 46
60. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 5, 12-14 -- 44
60. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 5, 12-14 -- 44
62. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka, JAPAN -- 5, 12-13 -- 42
63. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 12-12 -- 41
64. Derek Hudnall -- Zachary, LA -- 5, 12-08 -- 40
65. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 5, 12-07 -- 39
66. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS -- 5, 12-06 -- 38
67. Jason Christie -- Dry Creek, OK -- 5, 12-01 -- 37
67. Bryant Smith -- Roseville, CA -- 5, 12-01 -- 37
69. Jay Przekurat -- Plover, WI -- 5, 11-15 -- 35
70. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 5, 11-14 -- 34
70. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 11-14 -- 34
72. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 5, 11-12 -- 32
73. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 11-10 -- 31
74. Logan Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 11-01 -- 30
75. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 5, 11-00 -- 29
76. Robert Gee -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 10-15 -- 28
77. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 5, 10-14 -- 27
78. John Garrett -- Union City, TN -- 5, 10-13 -- 26
79. Kyle Patrick -- Cooperstown, NY -- 5, 10-12 -- 25
80. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 5, 10-09 -- 24
80. Logan Parks -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 10-09 -- 24
82. Joey Cifuentes III -- Clinton, AR -- 5, 10-07 -- 22
83. Patrick Walters -- Eutawville, SC -- 5, 10-06 -- 21
84. Tyler Williams -- Belgrade, ME -- 5, 10-05 -- 20
85. David Gaston -- Sylacauga, AL -- 5, 10-04 -- 19
86. Joseph Webster -- Hamilton, AL -- 5, 09-14 -- 18
87. Taku Ito -- Dalton GA -- 5, 09-12 -- 17
88. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 5, 09-10 -- 16
89. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 5, 09-08 -- 15
90. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 5, 09-01 -- 14
91. Mike Huff -- London, KY -- 5, 08-15 -- 13
92. Bryan New -- Leesville, SC -- 5, 08-14 -- 12
92. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 5, 08-14 -- 12
94. Cole Sands -- Calhoun , TN -- 5, 08-12 -- 10
95. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 2, 08-09 -- 9
96. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 08-05 -- 8
97. KJ Queen -- Catawba, NC -- 5, 07-13 -- 7
98. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 5, 07-11 -- 6
99. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 5, 06-13 -- 5
100. Jeff Gustafson -- Kenora, ON -- 5, 06-11 -- 4
101. Kyoya Fujita -- Yamanashi, JAPAN -- 3, 05-11 -- 3
102. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 5, 05-09 -- 2
103. JT Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 2, 04-06 -- 1
