Duckett leads Classic day one
Published 7:32 pm Friday, February 20, 2009
BOSSIER CITY, La. — Boyd, oh, Boyd. Again.
Boyd Duckett, the Elite Series angler who won the Bassmaster Classic in his first appearance two years ago, weighed in the only 20-plus-pound stringer on Day One of this, the 39th Classic.
Immediately behind him in the standings is the unlikely Jami Fralick, a fellow Elite Series pro who had to fish the Opens in order to qualify for this, his first Classic. Fralick, whose 19 pounds, 3 ounces is in his words “one 5-pound fish” behind Duckett’s 20-3, has never won a BASS tournament but milked an old favorite Red River fishing hole for all five of his fish.
In close pursuit behind Fralick is Fred Roumbanis, with 18-4, and Aaron Martens, with 18-1.
With two days left to fish, the leaderboard is far from set. The most certain surprise to come out of Day One: Kevin VanDam, the two-time Classic champ and the reigning Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, took himself fully out of contention with a 4-4 four-fish stringer that left him in a dismal 45th place.