Mount Ida’s Davis keeps lead on Dardanelle

RUSSELLVILLE — Others had larger stringers Sunday, but Mount Ida angler Mark Davis clung to the lead in the semifinals of the Bassmaster Elite tournament here on Lake Dardanelle.

Davis weighed in his third consecutive fivebass limit, 14 pounds, 15 ounces, for a total of

48-8 entering today’s final round. Jamie Hartman is a close second at 47-15 with Steve Kennedy third at 47-3.

First-round leader Kevin Van Dam is seventh at 43-11 with limits of 12-8 and 12-0 after Friday’s haul of 19-3. Benton’s Stetson Blaylock is 21st at

39-15 and Bella Vista’s Mike McClelland 23rd at

38-11.

With $100,000 on the line for the champion, Davis still thinks 16 to 17 pounds will be required to win, consistent with his average of slightly more than 16 pounds.

“I’ve really beat up on the fish I’ve been depending on this week,” he said. “I believe the right fish are still there and that I can catch a decent limit tomorrow. But I didn’t get as many big bites today as I had hoped.”

Davis said his spot received some additional local pressure before he could there, contributing to the reduced action during Sunday’s competition.

“I have no problem sharing with local anglers; heck, they’ve got just as much right to fish there as I do — if not more so,” he said. “When I arrived he moved off and let me have it, which was appreciated.

“I will go back there again tomorrow; there’s no way around it; I have to,” he said. “It’s a commitment, though, 40 miles from takeoff. It’s the only spot I have on that part of the lake, and it’s a small area, but it’s been key to my success this week. I’ll give it the time it requires in the morning, and hopefully it will pay off.”

Hartman, a 44-year-old angler from New York, seeks to better his three top-12 Elite Series finishes in his first year on tour.

“I’m very surprised. I didn’t think I could be this consistent. It’s certainly been a grind,” he said. “I’m fishing a very specific ledge with a couple specific presentations, and I managed to get a couple quality bites that kept me in the hunt for this title. … I’m not catching very many fish, but when I do they’re pretty good ones. I’ll probably need 19 to 20 pounds tomorrow to have a shot at winning.”

Championship Monday begins with takeoff at 6:15 a.m. at Lake Dardanelle State Park, where weigh-in follows at 3:15 p.m. Econo Lodge is the tournament’s presenting sponsor.