Maryland’s Grant Goldbeck Surges to Day 1 Lead at Bassmaster Elite Event on Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A first-timer on the tournament waters for the sixth Bassmaster Elite Series event of 2008, Grant Goldbeck of Gaithersburg, Md., ignored his instincts and claimed the lead Thursday with a limit of 20 pounds, 4 ounces, in the Carolina Clash presented by Evan Williams Bourbon on Lake Murray. Goldbeck holds less than a 1-pound advantage over Oklahoma’s Edwin Evers, whose five-fish limit weighed 19 pounds, 5 ounces.

Fishing fans can watch the on-the-water action from the Carolina Clash on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, May 24, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. As always, streaming video of the daily weigh-ins in addition to photo galleries and analysis can be accessed on www.Bassmaster.com.

Goldbeck found a pattern during the three-day practice period and stuck with it. After losing two 5-plus-pounders early Thursday, he eventually settled on three or four favorite spots, returning to them repeatedly throughout the day.

The 37-year-old said he experienced a Kevin VanDam kind of day – running from the front of the boat to the livewell and not locking the lid before running back to the front to catch another and another. After the weigh-in, though, Goldbeck wasn’t ready to offer the details of his successful day.

“Things started off kind of slow, and I was kind of stressed out about it,” he said. “Then I got a 2-pounder in the boat and decided it was time to run and gun and I’ve got some spots out there that are holding pretty good fish.

“It seemed like if I let them go for 20, 30 minutes, I could go catch another fish. Leave them alone, let them rest for a while, go give them a fresh bait again every once in a while, I’d get two or three bites.”

Pleased with his early flight time for Friday’s Day 2, Goldbeck was confident his luck and his lead could hold. If so, the victory would be his first in the Elite Series, worth $100,000 and valuable points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. Goldbeck is 98th in the AOY standings with 573 points, nearly 700 points behind leader Todd Faircloth of Texas. Goldbeck and the other top anglers could stand to gain significant ground on Faircloth, who struggled Thursday and is in 90th place.

“As long as there’s a little bit of wind, a little bit of cloud coverage or something to generate a reason for those fish to be up off the bottom, I think it’ll hold out,” Goldbeck said.

Evers, who led Days 2 and 3 this month at the Pride of Georgia on Clarks Hill Lake, said he, too, found it crucial on Lake Murray to let his spots rest, though unlike Goldbeck he was working crowded waters.

“Once the fish sees your bait and you don’t catch that fish, it educates that one, and the rest of them,” said Evers, whose practice made him think he’d get a much stronger bite during the tournament. “I caught them probably until about 12 o’clock. I just didn’t get as many bites – maybe eight or nine, 10.”

Behind Evers was Matt Sphar of Pavilion, N.Y., in his sophomore season as an Elite pro, with 18-14. Placing fourth was Chris Lane of Winter Haven, Fla., with 18-10. Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark., currently in second place in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, was fifth with 18-7.

In the co-angler division, amateurs are battling for a top prize of $25,000. Georgia’s Travis McDermott is on top with 13 pounds, 11 ounces, leading South Carolina’s Lad Hunter (13-4) and North Carolina’s Clay Lowder (12-11).

Activities at the Carolina Clash include live musical performances at 12:45 p.m. Saturday and Sunday by Black Bottom Biscuits, and Cherry Dillinger. There will be a Berkley Beginner fishing class at 2 p.m. and a “Boat Performance with Skeeter” class daily at 2:15 p.m. both days.

On Saturday, fans can talk to the Elite pros during “Ask the Experts” at Bassmaster University, set for 2:30 p.m. at the weigh-in site.

Sunday’s activities include the live taping at 2:30 p.m. of Hooked Up, hosted by ESPN Outdoors personalities Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona. The show, which airs on Bassmaster.com, will preview the final weigh-in. Live, streaming video of the Carolina Clash’s daily weigh-ins begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Bassmaster.com.