Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, is leading after Day 3 of the 2022 Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork with a three-day total of 87 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
May 21, 2022
Livesay Maintains Lead In Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Fork
QUITMAN, Texas — Despite a lifetime of fishing Lake Fork and several years of guiding on the East Texas powerhouse, Lee Livesayfound something he’d never seen before and that revelation delivered a Day 3 limit of 27 pounds, 5 ounces that kept him atop the Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork with a three-day weight of 87-15.
Livesay heads into Championship Sunday with a 3 1/2-pound advantage over Idaho superstar Brandon Palaniuk — and he credits much of his success to that new discovery.
“Most of the fish I’ve caught this week have come from a spot I’ve never even caught a bass on,” said Livesay, who won his first St. Croix Bassmaster Open presented by Mossy Oak Fishing at Ross Barnett on April 30. “I found them the first day of practice and thought they were little, but they grew. I got lucky yesterday and got an 8-pounder on another spot where it was just her.”
Livesay knows Fork intimately, but the spot he’s leveraging this week was so unassuming that it had never caught his eye. During practice, another tournament crowded the lake’s diminished waters — the lake level is down 5 1/2 feet for dam repairs — so Livesay searched for less obvious spots.
“I went looking at off-the-wall stuff I’d never looked at,” he said. “When I found them, I thought they were catfish. I came back the second day of practice and caught two under 4 pounds.
“I kind of wrote it off because usually a big one will bite before the little ones. But I went to it (during the tournament) and caught most of my bag there yesterday and all but my biggest one there today.”
Livesay described his spot as a small point reaching into the standing timber with a high spot. That 30-foot by 30-foot section has hard bottom where bass pull up to feed.
While the first two days saw Livesay catching fish early and securing all of his weight by late morning, Saturday kept him waiting until 9:15 a.m. for his first keeper. Another difference: Livesay couldn’t find the big afternoon bites the first two days, but he caught an 8-2 Saturday shortly after noon.
That kicker came off a deep point that was loaded with white bass — a common forage for Lake Fork giants.
Livesay caught all of his bass on a 6th Sense Divine Hybrid Jig with a Netbait Paca Craw.
Palaniuk caught 26-9 on Day 1 to place eighth before adding a second-round limit of 30-1 — his first limit of 30-plus in Bassmaster competition — to rise to second. His Day 3 bag of 27-13 gave the former Bassmaster Angler of the Year a total of 84-7.
While many anglers reported flurries of activity, Palaniuk caught one good fish each hour from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. He started with a 5-1 at 7:21, added a 3-9 at 8:44, then a 3-10 (9:01), a 6-6 (10:03), a 5-15 (11:46) and a 6-13 (12:06).
“Yesterday, I had a major flurry; today I just didn’t,” Palaniuk said. “The fish were moving around a lot, they wouldn’t stay in my places and really set up.
“I would have thought that with today’s lighter wind, they would have hunkered down, but with less wind, the bait’s probably moving differently, it’s not pushed up against there and the bass just moved with the bait.”
Returning to the same spots in the lake's lower basin where he fished the previous two days, Palaniuk caught his bass over hard bottom with a variety of Rapala crankbaits and a big spoon.
Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., is in third place with 80-14. After placing third on Day 1 with 29-7, he added 22-5 and slipped to fourth on Day 2. His Day 3 limit of 29-2 helped him move up a notch with 80-14.
Swindle said the key to surging ahead Saturday was switching locations and baits. He spent the majority of his day flipping a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm on a 3/4-ounce shaky head amid trees in the Lake Fork Creek arm. With more than half his day gone, Swindle relocated to a point in 25 feet of water and picked up a deep-diving crankbait.
“I left that area and I had about 26 pounds; I’d done all I could do and I guarded it a while to make sure they didn’t keep biting,” Swindle said. “At noon, I was convinced they were not going to bite the rest of the day, so I went and checked one more point.
“I graphed the point and (the fish) that were there the second day of practice hadn’t been there in the tournament, but I pulled in there today and I’m like, ‘Well, there they are.’ I caught a 6-4 and a 5-6 off of it. I caught two more 4s and a 3 that wouldn’t help me.”
Notably, Swindle had just switched to a lighter-action rod prior to catching his 5-6. That fish was hooked in the top of the head — a common occurrence with treble-hook baits — and the new rod’s flexibility allowed him to finesse it to the boat without popping the hook loose.
Chad Pipkens of DeWitt, Mich., still leads for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with an 8-11 largemouth.
Day 1 leader Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., leads the race for VMC Monster Bag with his 32-5 limit from Day 1.
Palaniuk leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 442 points. John Cox of DeBary, Fla., is in second with 422, followed by David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., with 401, Drew Benton of Blakely, Ga., with 381 and Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., with 377.
Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., leads the Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year standings with 320 points.
The Top 10 remaining anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT Sunday from SRA Headquarters — Lake Fork. The weigh-in will be held at the same location at 3:10 p.m., with the winner earning $100,000. Coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 7 a.m.
The Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork is being hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.
2022 Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork 5/19-5/22
Lake Fork, Quitman TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 87-15 100
Day 1: 5 32-00 Day 2: 5 28-10 Day 3: 5 27-05
2. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 84-07 99
Day 1: 5 26-09 Day 2: 5 30-01 Day 3: 5 27-13
3. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 80-14 98
Day 1: 5 29-07 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 5 29-02
4. Bryan New Saluda, SC 15 75-05 97
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 28-14 Day 3: 5 23-00
5. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 15 74-12 96
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 27-00 Day 3: 5 30-10
6. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 15 72-15 95
Day 1: 5 26-11 Day 2: 5 24-07 Day 3: 5 21-13
7. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 15 72-08 94
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 25-05 Day 3: 5 26-04
8. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15 71-03 93
Day 1: 5 26-04 Day 2: 5 20-03 Day 3: 5 24-12
9. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 71-01 92
Day 1: 5 24-12 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 26-03
10. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 15 70-00 91
Day 1: 5 24-05 Day 2: 5 23-02 Day 3: 5 22-09
11. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 15 69-04 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 24-08 Day 3: 5 25-07
12. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 15 67-14 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-14 Day 2: 5 23-13 Day 3: 5 21-03
13. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 67-12 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 28-07 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 22-11
14. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 15 67-12 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 28-01 Day 3: 5 23-00
15. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 15 66-15 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 5 21-05 Day 3: 5 23-06
16. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 15 66-03 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 5 24-00
17. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 15 66-00 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 22-08
18. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 15 65-14 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 26-06 Day 3: 5 20-01
19. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 15 65-05 82 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 27-08 Day 3: 5 19-01
20. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 15 65-04 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 32-05 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 14-09
21. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 15 64-02 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 27-07 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 15-04
22. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 15 63-13 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 5 21-03
23. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 15 63-06 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 27-11 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 22-05
24. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 15 63-03 77 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 18-10 Day 3: 5 26-03
25. Seth Feider New Market, MN 15 62-09 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-05 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 20-14
26. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 15 60-15 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 25-14
27. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 60-15 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-11 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 20-15
28. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 15 60-11 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-00 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 5 19-13
29. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 60-02 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 18-14
30. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 15 59-15 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-06 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 17-01
31. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 15 57-10 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 24-15 Day 3: 5 17-14
32. John Cox Debary, FL 15 57-09 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 23-03 Day 3: 5 12-08
33. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 15 57-08 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 21-04 Day 3: 5 12-15
34. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 15 57-08 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 22-09 Day 3: 5 19-12
35. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 15 57-08 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 18-10
36. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 57-03 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 5 19-04
37. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 14 56-12 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 4 10-02 Day 3: 5 21-05
38. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 15 56-08 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 17-15
39. Darold Gleason Many, LA 15 56-03 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 13-07
40. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 14 54-09 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 17-15 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 18-08
41. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 15 54-07 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 17-06
42. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 53-14 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 19-00
43. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 15 51-06 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 16-10
44. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 15 51-00 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 14-15
45. Jay Yelas Turner, OR 10 46-03 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 22-15 Day 3: 0 00-00
46. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 13 45-07 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 23-13 Day 3: 3 05-08
47. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 9 37-00 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 11-12 Day 2: 5 22-09 Day 3: 1 02-11
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 08-10 $1,000.00
2 Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 08-11 $1,000.00
3 Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA08-09 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 85 447 1676-05
2 81 441 1605-01
3 44 224 931-15
----------------------------------
210 1112 4213-05
2022 Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork 5/19-5/22
Lake Fork, Quitman TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 32-05 100
Day 1: 5 32-05
2. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 32-00 99
Day 1: 5 32-00
3. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 29-07 98
Day 1: 5 29-07
4. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 28-07 97
Day 1: 5 28-07
5. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 5 27-11 96
Day 1: 5 27-11
6. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 27-07 95
Day 1: 5 27-07
7. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 26-11 94
Day 1: 5 26-11
8. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 26-09 93
Day 1: 5 26-09
9. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 26-04 92
Day 1: 5 26-04
10. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 5 25-05 91
Day 1: 5 25-05
10. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 25-05 91
Day 1: 5 25-05
12. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 24-12 89
Day 1: 5 24-12
13. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 24-11 88
Day 1: 5 24-11
14. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 24-05 87
Day 1: 5 24-05
14. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 5 24-05 87
Day 1: 5 24-05
16. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 5 24-00 85
Day 1: 5 24-00
17. Bryan New Saluda, SC 5 23-07 84
Day 1: 5 23-07
18. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 23-06 83
Day 1: 5 23-06
19. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 23-05 82
Day 1: 5 23-05
20. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 23-04 81
Day 1: 5 23-04
20. Jay Yelas Turner, OR 5 23-04 81
Day 1: 5 23-04
22. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 23-02 79
Day 1: 5 23-02
23. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 22-14 78
Day 1: 5 22-14
24. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 22-04 77
Day 1: 5 22-04
25. John Cox Debary, FL 5 21-14 76
Day 1: 5 21-14
26. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 21-08 75
Day 1: 5 21-08
26. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 21-08 75
Day 1: 5 21-08
28. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 5 21-06 73
Day 1: 5 21-06
28. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 21-06 73
Day 1: 5 21-06
30. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 21-03 71
Day 1: 5 21-03
31. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 20-15 70
Day 1: 5 20-15
32. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 20-13 69
Day 1: 5 20-13
33. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 20-10 68
Day 1: 5 20-10
34. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 19-07 67
Day 1: 5 19-07
35. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 19-05 66
Day 1: 5 19-05
36. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 19-02 65
Day 1: 5 19-02
37. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 18-14 64
Day 1: 5 18-14
38. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 18-13 63
Day 1: 5 18-13
39. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 18-12 62
Day 1: 5 18-12
40. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 4 18-11 61 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 18-11
41. Cody Huff Ava, MO 5 18-07 60
Day 1: 5 18-07
42. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 18-06 59
Day 1: 5 18-06
43. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 18-02 58
Day 1: 5 18-02
44. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 4 17-15 57
Day 1: 4 17-15
45. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 17-12 56
Day 1: 5 17-12
45. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 17-12 56
Day 1: 5 17-12
47. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 17-04 54
Day 1: 5 17-04
48. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 17-02 53
Day 1: 5 17-02
49. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 17-01 52
Day 1: 5 17-01
50. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 16-15 51
Day 1: 5 16-15
51. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 16-13 50
Day 1: 5 16-13
51. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 16-13 50
Day 1: 5 16-13
53. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 16-12 48
Day 1: 5 16-12
54. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 16-11 47
Day 1: 5 16-11
55. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 5 16-10 46
Day 1: 5 16-10
56. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 5 16-03 45
Day 1: 5 16-03
57. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 5 16-02 44
Day 1: 5 16-02
57. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 16-02 44
Day 1: 5 16-02
59. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 15-14 42
Day 1: 5 15-14
60. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 15-10 41
Day 1: 5 15-10
61. Mike Huff London, KY 5 15-03 40
Day 1: 5 15-03
61. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 15-03 40
Day 1: 5 15-03
63. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 15-02 38
Day 1: 5 15-02
64. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 14-15 37
Day 1: 5 14-15
65. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 14-13 36
Day 1: 5 14-13
65. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 14-13 36
Day 1: 5 14-13
67. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 3 14-10 34
Day 1: 3 14-10
68. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 5 14-07 33
Day 1: 5 14-07
69. David Williams Newton, NC 5 14-05 32
Day 1: 5 14-05
70. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 14-02 31
Day 1: 5 14-02
71. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 5 14-00 30
Day 1: 5 14-00
72. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 13-10 29
Day 1: 5 13-10
73. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 13-08 28
Day 1: 5 13-08
73. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 13-08 28
Day 1: 5 13-08
75. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 13-04 26
Day 1: 5 13-04
76. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 13-00 25
Day 1: 5 13-00
77. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 12-14 24
Day 1: 5 12-14
78. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 12-13 23
Day 1: 5 12-13
78. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 12-13 23
Day 1: 5 12-13
80. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 12-10 21
Day 1: 5 12-10
81. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 5 11-13 20
Day 1: 5 11-13
82. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 3 11-12 19
Day 1: 3 11-12
83. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 11-07 18
Day 1: 5 11-07
83. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 5 11-07 18
Day 1: 5 11-07
85. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 5 11-00 16
Day 1: 5 11-00
85. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 11-00 16
Day 1: 5 11-00
87. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 10-02 14
Day 1: 5 10-02
88. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 09-02 13
Day 1: 5 09-02
89. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 3 08-14 12
Day 1: 3 08-14
90. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 5 08-08 11
Day 1: 5 08-08
91. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 2 06-10 10
Day 1: 2 06-10
92. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 3 06-02 9
Day 1: 3 06-02
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 08-10 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 85 447 1676-05
----------------------------------
85 447 1676-05