Carl Jocumsen’s experience on tidal waters in his native Australia might have something to do with his Day 1 lead. Maybe it was risking the run to the Cooper River. Or maybe it’s just karma.
The world could just have been paying Jocumsen back with a 19-pound, 11-ounce bag that leads the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by GoRVing.
Jocumsen might have nabbed some kismet when he stopped during practice to assist the ailing pelican pictured above. Pelicans are considered a symbol of peace and good luck in cultures around the world, so maybe, just maybe, Jocumsen loaded up on karma points with the rescue.
He described his first day of practice as long and tough, that he didn’t get many bites and he made a run of more than 100 miles up the Cooper River. He posted the following with the photo.
“Saved this Pelican from discarded fishing line when I saw it struggling on the water. Hope someone sees this and decides to pick up their mess next time. Let’s keep our waterways clean!”
Great point. You ever get tangled in someone else’s discarded line? It can be a cumbersome mess. Think how a bird, or most any other animal, would fare if they got ensnared.
Good on Carl. And hey, Down Under, you certainly taught him right, and now you all will be rewarded with at least one more late night.
The Wallabeast will host camera No. 1 on Bassmaster LIVE starting at 7:30 a.m. ET Friday morning, That will be 9:30 p.m. Friday night in Sydney, Australia, which is 14 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast. That means the Day 2 weigh-in that begins in Georgetown, S.C., at 3:30 p.m. ET Friday will have Aussies awake at 5:30 a.m. Saturday to watch. At least it’s a weekend.
Jocumsen’s fans had fun staying up late when he was on LIVE during last year’s Elite on Lake Guntersville, as we chronicled in Down Under up and at ’em for Jocumsen. We certainly hope you get your fill of Carl and once again leave “stuffed” — that’s Aussie slang for tired.
Either here, or when you dial up LIVE, be sure to tell us where you’re watching from and any snazzy details. Clue us in if you have any neat stories on Carl. (Could also use some help on my Aussie slang.)
WIN-YAH GONNA CATCH A BIG’UN?
Big fish were at a premium on Day 1 — a 7-3 and a late 6-9 boosted Jocumsen into the lead. Others with kickers are among the leaders, and some who only caught kickers are still in the hunt.
John Murray and Kelly Jordon only weighed one fish each Thursday, but they were the “right ones.” Murray’s 8-9 holds the Big Bass Lead and puts him 42nd, while Jordon’s 8-5 lunker has him 47th. Reigning Classic champ Edwin Evers had an interesting take when he took the weigh-in stage.
“I was just hoping my stringer would beat John and Kelly,” Evers said of their giants.
Evers sure would have liked at least one large. He caught a limit that went 10-2, but that does have him tied for 18th.
David Williams sits at the 50 cut point with 8-2. Brandon Card, the last angler with fish, shows how miniscule the Winyah Bay bass can be. He is 101st with two fish totaling 1-3.
There are eight anglers, including three former Classic champs, who zeroed. Casey Ashley, Luke Clausen and Skeet Reese could still recover and get inside the estimated cut of just over 15 pounds. All they need is to find one of them kickers, oh, and four other healthy bass.
PALANIUK’S EXPENSIVE FISH
You sure don’t want the kind of fortunes Brandon Palaniuk experienced. He passed the Ben Sawyer Memorial Swing Bridge (above) — referred to as the ‘turn bridge at Isles of Palms by Marshal Richard Petty … naw) — on his long ride to the Cooper River, and he came back disappointed, weighing three fish for 5-5 and a dismal 78th place.
“This is the most expensive five pounds I’ve ever caught,” he said.
Palaniuk timed his run and said it was one hour, 58 minutes from start to first cast. He brought another fish back that measured 12 inches “but after a 2-hour run back it shrunk,” and he had to release it.
MERLE JUST WANTED TO FISH, WRITE SONGS
One headline on a Merle Haggard obituary this week pointed out “all he really wanted to do was fish and write songs.”
Haggard, a country music legend with hits like “Okie from Muskogee,” and “Fightin’ Side of Me,” died Wednesday on his 79th birthday. There are so many great stories on this hard-drinking common man, which you can go Google your own selves.
Did find a touching video of him, along with this shot of him fishing. This video is pretty special. It shows his son, Ben, fishing and him performing a rare acoustic version of Harlan Howard’s “Take Him Fishing” from the “All Gone Fishin’” CD. Enjoy.
ASHLEY KINDA YOUNG TO BE IN MUSEUM
Casey Ashley, 32, seems kind of young to be a museum piece, but he is being featured in a new exhibit in the Anderson County Museum. His Classic win is the focus of a Lake Hartwell Exhibit, “62 Years in the Making,” that opened in mid-March.
Not only does it feature a historical look at Lake Hartwell, but Ashley’s 2015 Bassmaster Classic Trophy as well as other memorabilia from Ashley is on display. The ACM is located at 202 East Greenville Street, in downtown Anderson, just up the road from his hometown of Donalds, S.C.
“Hosting the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell further validated our lake as a championship-caliber fishery … We are very excited to receive this recognition and look forward to hosting B.A.S.S. in our community again,” said Neil Paul of Visit Anderson.
For more information, call the Museum at (864) 260-4737.
CULLING
- Our Marshals, the guys who ride with the pros, often surprise us. Sometimes they forget to say which angler they are with, but then there are nuggets like the following:
- “I’ve seen more casts today than I make in a week,” Marshal Steve Herring emailed in. “Accuracy is incredible. Great experience and learning a lot.”
- Sometimes they capture the scenes that our pro photographers don’t get. Of course, there’s 110 of them spread out all over and maybe four of our guys shooting. (BTW, there is only one James Overstreet — that can be said about Steve Bowman.)
- Below is an incredible image of an “old plantation amongst the Cypress and Willow trees,” as photographed by Marshal Jason D’Amico.
- But the email from Kyle Johnson, which came late Thursday night, should be used to recruit other Marshals. “Do it! I had the pleasure of spending the day with a young man named Bradley Roy. It was an extremely rewarding experience. This young man is the definition of a true Professional. His skill, attitude, mental strength, and knowledge of what he does is simply amazing.
- “I am a true local. Three miles is how far I live from these tournament waters. What I learned from him in 8 hours on waters that I have fished religiously for 25 years absolutely blew my mind. I have been fishing these waters as long as he has been alive!
- “As impressed as I was at his ability, the way this young man carries and conducts himself was even more amazing. This was a day I will forever remember. So, if you are on the fence or would love to learn things about waters you think you know, do yourself a favor and sign up. You will not regret it.”