Reed in the Lead

The day started off slow for Matt Reed of Madisonville, Texas, at the Empire Chase presented by Farmer’s Insurance, but one quick, late-morning string of five fish was enough to convince him to head in for the day with four hours to spare. With his five-fish limit of 23 pounds, 3 ounces of Lake Erie smallmouth bass, Reed took the Day 1 lead Thursday at the 10th 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series event.

Reed is aiming for the $100,000 first-place prize in the four-day tournament as well as valuable points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. For the honor of the Empire Chase trophy, he’ll have to fight off second-place Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., who had 22 pounds, 0 ounces Thursday, and Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J. Martens and Iaconelli are former Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Anglers of the Year – Martens in 2005, Iaconelli in 2006.

Fishing fans can catch all of the action from the Empire Chase on The Bassmasters on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

More than the trophy is at stake at the Empire Chase, as the drama of the 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race continues to build. With just one event remaining after Buffalo, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, who is in second place in the AOY title race, is eighth after Day 1 with and 20-1. He again closed the gap between himself and leader Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., in the Trail to the Trophy. VanDam is 32nd at the Empire Chase after weighing in 16-11.

The winner of the AOY race will receive $250,000 and the points will also determine the brunt of the 2009 Bassmaster Classic qualifiers. The top 36 Elite pros will qualify for the Classic, set for Feb. 20-22 out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. Also derived from the AOY points will be the first 84 qualifiers for the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series roster.

With choppy conditions and powerful wind gusts, much of the 106-angler Elite field of pros struggled to find the smallmouth bite on the first day. But Reed persevered, catching his five around 11 a.m. and calling it a day.

“That was the first five I caught today,” Reed said. “It took me a while to catch them, but when I do get a bite, it’s the one you want.

“You can’t hide on Erie, you’re in it. I don’t know anywhere I can go where I won’t be affected by the wind. The wind had just about gotten to the point I was going to have trouble fishing anyway.”

On Thursday, Reed worked one of three groups of schooling fish that he found in deep water during practice.

“There’s a bunch of them there, but they won’t bite,” he said. “I’m seeing a lot of fish, but I’m not catching a lot. They made me crazy, OK? Last year, if I saw the same thing, they would bite like piranhas.”

Martens said the waves where he was hit about 5 feet, and he struggled with a boat that broke down while he fished in 40 to 60 feet of water.

Despite the rough conditions on the giant lake, Iaconelli said he was at the right depth at the right time Thursday. From roughly 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., he got his best bites of the day.

“When the waves get this big, everything seems exaggerated,” Iaconelli said. “A mile seems like 20 miles; that’s what you’ve got to deal with out here. If the wind shifts and it gets rainy, I feel like I’ve got enough places that I can keep running the pattern that I’m running, so I’m excited.”

With a victory, Reed would earn $100,000, adding to his Purolator Big Bass honors and a $1,000 premium Thursday after his big fish weighed in at 5-10. Reed, 46, last won a BASS event in 2004: the Bassmaster Open on the Ohio River.

Rounding out the top five: 2007 Empire Chase winner Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., in fourth with 21-3, and Kotaro Kiriyama of Moody, Ala., in fifth with 20-15.

In the co-angler division, Brad Brodnicki of Buffalo leads the chase for the $25,000 top prize with 13 pounds, 2 ounces. Trailing Brodnicki are fellow local angler Tim Creighton, with 13-0, and South Carolina’s Marcos Malucelli, with 12-11.

Daily tournament launches and weigh-ins will take place at the NFTA Small Boat Harbor, 111 Fuhrmann Blvd. Launches begin at 8 a.m. ET and weigh-ins at 5 p.m.

Before Saturday’s weigh-in, activities for fans at the park include Bassmaster University’s “Ask the Experts,” a Berkley Beginner Fishing Class, Skeeter boat demo rides and the Purolator Big Bass Fan $1,000 Giveaway.

On Sunday, Bassmaster.com will provide updates throughout the day and preview the final weigh-in with Hooked Up, live at 4:30 p.m., hosted by ESPN2 Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit http://www.Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.

The local sponsor of the Empire Chase is the Buffalo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.

Location and Field
Empire Chase presented by Farmer’s Insurance
Lake Erie/Niagara River
Buffalo
July 31-Aug. 3, 2008

Field
106 pros, 106 co-anglers
Cut to top 50 pros and co-anglers after Day 2
Cut to top 12 pro anglers after Day 3

Launch/Weigh-in
NFTA Small Boat Harbor
111 Furhmann Blvd.
Buffalo, NY
8 a.m./5 p.m. ET