BASS day-2 Bassmaster Opens- Central Johnston Expands Lead on Day 2 to Lead at Bassmaster Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir by BASS Communications / BASS Page(s): 1 2 3 [Click to enlarge image] Stephen Johnston of Hemphill, Texas Photo by BASS Communications (Sep. 04, 2009 - Jasper, TX)... Texas’ Stephen Johnston expanded his lead to more than 8 pounds today on the strength of a 19-pound, 6-ounce stringer, but he had to adjust as thick clouds rolled in for the second day of the Bassmaster Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. "It’s grouping those fish when the sun’s shining, and when it’s cloudy they’re getting out of that grass and swimming around," Johnston said. "They’re just not bunched up at all, and it’s really got those fish to where you can hardly get a bite." Bassmaster Elite Series pros Bradley Hallman and Todd Faircloth held first-day positions of second and third, respectively. Despite the cloud cover, Johnston stuck with a deeper pattern for some time before giving up. "I made myself stay deep thinking the clouds didn’t hurt me that bad, but it did," Johnston said. "I stayed deep until about 11:30 (a.m.), and then started junk fishing after that. "I swung for the fence today, and caught everything I could." He could have upgraded even more, but he missed two quality bites and came in an hour early because he had fish that were ailing. "I had one that was a question and another one that turned up, and that’s a pound (in penalties)," Johnston said. "A pound could be important tomorrow." His decision to get the fish to the B.A.S.S. staff and cared for properly resulted in the five fish surviving the ordeal. Johnston said he was hoping for the best tomorrow even though the forecast was for more clouds. "I’m just going to go out there and do what I’m doing and see what happens," Johnston said. The low-light also impacted Hallman, who brought in 12-11. "I caught two 4-pounders, and by noon I had to realize it wasn’t going to happen," Hallman said. "I had to scramble and catch some keepers. All I had was two bass by 4 o’clock, and at 4:30 I found a spot and caught two more." He said he wasn’t sure what would happen tomorrow, although he believed the pattern that produced his first-day 20-5 limit was probably not going to happen in light of the forecast. "If it’s sunny, I’ll be able to catch them, I think," Hallman said. "If it’s cloudy, I won’t be able to catch them." A dark horse in the competition could be Texas’ Todd Castledine, who said he found a magical pattern after discarding his considerable local knowledge. That decision pushed him from 23rd all the way to fourth. "Basically, I live on this lake and I fish it all the time, and I did something I never did before," Castledine said. "I just decided I wasn’t going to get caught up in making my fish bite. "I’m going to let the fish tell me what to do." He said his 17-pound, 11-ounce limit could have been even greater had all his bites remained hooked up. "I had 10 over 5 (pound) that I missed," Castledine said. While he was 10 pounds behind leader Johnston, Castledine said he was confident the bite would hold because of the predicted cloud coverage for Saturday’s competition. "I went behind people all day long, and I got to where I could almost call my fish," he said. On the co-angler side, Colorado’s Michael Hubbard jumped from 43rd to take the lead after bringing in two fish that tipped the scales to 12-5. His stringer included a 9-pound, 9-ounce lunker that marked the heaviest bass of the tournament thus far. Only the top 30 pros and co-anglers will fish tomorrow. Blast-off begins at 6:45 a.m. at Umphries Family Pavilion, and the weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. Up next for the Central Opens is the final stop in the Central Open division, the Nov. 5-7 event on the Atchafalaya Basin out of Morgan City, La. Sponsors of the 2009 Bassmaster Opens: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine. About BASS For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content ? from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage ? to passionate audiences. The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually. BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla. Top30 Pro/Anglers 1. Stephen Johnston Hemphill, Texas 10 41-06 2. Bradley Hallman Norman, Okla. 9 33-04 3. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 10 32-01 4. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, Texas 10 31-06 5. Landon Ware Jewett, Texas 10 30-09 6. Kris Wilson Montgomery, Texas 10 30-02 7. Russell Parrish Robinson, Texas 10 29-06 8. Billy Hurt Spring Creek, Tenn. 10 28-09 9. Charles Hammack New Caney, Texas 8 28-08 10. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 10 28-02 11. Gary Key Laveen, Ariz. 10 27-13 12. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, La. 10 27-03 13. Dave Mansue Hemphill, Texas 9 27-03 14. Jerrel Pringle Hemphill, Texas 10 26-15 15. Tony Chachere Opelousas, La. 10 26-13 16. Justin Haynes Tulsa, Okla. 8 26-13 17. Jason Berg Minnetonka, Minn. 10 26-12 18. Mike Michalec Willis, Texas 10 26-09 19. Sandy Gaudet Belle Rose, La. 10 26-04 20. James Niggemeyer Van, Texas 10 26-00 21. Bryan Talmadge Moody, Ala. 10 25-12 22. Corey Waldrop Fort Worth, Texas 10 25-11 23. Todd Littleton Bossier City, La. 9 25-08 24. Brannon Long Longview, Texas 10 25-07 25. Chris McCall Jasper, Texas 10 25-04 26. Rob Burns Plano, Texas 10 25-04 27. Cody Bird Granbury, Texas 10 25-04 28. Chad Sposito Gray, La. 10 25-03 29. Tim Carmouche Gonzales, La. 10 25-02 30. Marvin Ettredge Shreveport, La. 10 24-10 Top-30 Co/Anglers Angler Hometown Day 1 & 2 Fish Points Total $$$ No. lbs-oz 1. Michael Hubbard Loveland, Colo. 5 18-12 2. John Hayen Hurst, Texas 6 17-12 3. Gary Robicheaux Centerville, La. 5 17-07 4. Travis Pattillo Silsbee, Texas 6 16-05 5. David Ozio Beaumont, Texas 6 15-14 6. Bill McCarty Morgan City, La. 5 15-13 7. Gary Mumphrey Gonzales, La. 6 15-09 8. Jeff Lobaugh Emory, Texas 6 15-05 9. David Koret Houston, Texas 5 15-05 10. Mark Richard Brookeland, Texas 6 15-04 11. William Loftin Youngsville, La. 6 15-04 12. Randy Hicks Lumberton, Texas 6 15-00 13. Robert Mink Roff, Okla. 6 15-00 14. Heath Willard Brookhaven, Miss. 6 14-11 15. Joe Brozak Orange, Texas 6 14-09 16. Claude Rabb Vidalia, La. 6 14-06 17. Jean Trahan Lafayette, La. 5 14-04 18. Brent Cutrer Natchez, Miss. 6 14-03 19. Cary Beard Baton Rouge, La. 6 14-02 20. Bobby Lanham Cave Crek, Ariz. 6 14-01 21. Glenn Robertson Shreveport, La. 5 13-15 22. Robert Bean Daisetta, Texas 6 13-14 23. Christopher Brewton San Antonio, Texas 6 13-12 24. Terry Blackmon Covington, La. 5 13-12 25. Rudy Guillen Houston, Texas 6 13-11 26. Rick Rickman Gainesville, Texas 6 13-10 27. Will Major Port Allen, La. 6 13-09 28. Carrol Mabile Pierre Part, La. 6 13-07 29. Austin Abadie Saint Amant, La. 6 13-07 30. James Harper Kirbyville, Texas 4 13-03