Augusta, GA – Say what you will, but fishing at the week’s Pride of Georgia has been brutal to say the least – to the point where veteran big-stick specialist Tommy Biffle actually picked
used a tactic to get a limit for the points. Another wave of spawners moved up over night to dust out vacant beds, but the sight-bite (as expected) never really materialized.
The absence of the primary forage of the bass at Clarks Hill this week, the transitional phase of the bass themselves, and a tight weight margin has set about to create a tournament where mere ounces – as opposed a wide margin of pounds – meant everything coming into Saturday’s top 12 cut.
Over the first two days of competition, anglers where running from spot to spot hoping to bag a good fish at each, but settling for whatever they could get. In the first three Elite events of the year we’ve been spoiled by the seeming ease with which anglers boated 30-pound limits, this week in Georgia though, it’s been about who can make 1,000 casts per day in hopes to muster the 19-pound sack required to hang with the leaders.
To do it, most have relied on a combination of lake-wide pattern fishing, where covering 75 spots in a day is a base requirement, and the ever-crucial early-morning bite. The scattered clouds and 15-mile-per-hour north wind hurt many of the gunners like Van Dam Friday, whereas other commented that wind or no wind made no difference. Saturday was very similar in terms of weather, but the weights dipped across the board for most.
Local
stick Casey Ashley led the first day of the tournament, but Chris Lane made the most of Ashley’s light Friday to steal the lead by two ounces over jig specialist Mike McClelland. All in all, the top 10 started the day separated by only seven pounds – not that wide if your fishing the Delta, but considerable the way Clarks is holding onto is bass this week.
Chris Lane wasn’t about to concede to tough transitional fishing Saturday as he bested Friday’s weight by over a pound with 18-13. Lane will head Sunday’s top 12 out of launch on Sunday with a three-day combined weight of 56-12. Lane’s goal of creating distance between himself and second place was accomplished, but at what cost will remain unseen until Sunday.
Pete Ponds was able jump four spots into the second slot with a combined three-day total of 51-12. Ponds crossed the stage Saturday with a solid five-fish limit weighing 16-5. In third was Friday’s second-place finisher Mike McClelland, who weighed five bass for 12-11, with a three-day total weight of 50-8.
Fourth place belonged to Kevin Short who has quietly climbed up the leaderboard all week. Short brought five bass to the scales today weighing 15-7, giving him 47-4 for three days of fishing. Rounding out the top five was rookie phenom Derek Remitz, who brought five to the stage today weighing 10-11, giving him a three-day combined weight of 46-4.
The days Berkley Heavyweight and Purolator Big Bass winner was Ish Monroe who weighed 19-12 Saturday, anchored by a 7-10 kicker, giving him a three-day total weight of 43-15. The last man into the top 12 was Delta winner Aaron Martens with a total combined weight of 43-1.
Lane Ready for the Win
Chris Lane told us yesterday that he would fish his primary area until he felt that he’d put enough distance between himself and second place. He accomplished his goal, but was forced to stay longer than he’d planned. “I stayed there a little bit longer than I’d planned,” he said.
“I didn’t think that I had as much as I did, but I’m glad that I stayed in there because I caught my biggest one at around 1:15.”
Lane commented that he had company in his primary area today, but explained that the locals were more than generous with the water they shared. “The local traffic didn’t really hurt me at all today, and it was a real blessing,” he said. “I saw four or five local tournament boats in there, but they showed me a tremendous amount of respect and never came in on me. I commend them greatly for what they did.”
On his area, Land admitted that he hit it hard knowing that he would need all he could get in order to stay afloat at the top spot. “I milked it today, and I’m going to do the same tomorrow, but today was the day that I had to separate myself,” he said. “There are still some guys that can catch up, so there’s no holding off on anything.” |
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“The lack of wind today caused them to hit a little bit funny,” he added. “They weren’t schooling up the way that they have been.”
Tomorrow, the goal is clear – it’s either go big or go home. “I know what I’m doing – I’m staying in there all day,” he said. “It’s do or die right there. I’m excited to be fishing by myself in the boat tomorrow because my partners have been catching some big bags behind me.”
Ponds Stays Put
Like Lane, Pete Ponds explained that he had to milk his area in order to stay, hopefully, within striking distance Sunday. “I did pretty much the same deal as I’ve been doing all week, but I had to hit my fish a little bit harder today,” he said. “I had a four-pounder on my first cast, so it got off to a bang even though the bite was a little bit tougher on the big fish.”
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Being the second boat out Sunday morning doesn’t really phase Pond…it’s the five-pound differential that’s got him concerned. “I don’t mind being in second, even though five pounds is a lot to make up on this lake,” he said. “I know that there’s another 21-pound sack in the area that I’m fishing.” |
Ponds explained that there wasn’t necessarily an absence of activity in his area, but that the fish weren’t responding in the same way that they have been. “Most of my fish are schooling, but they’re really finicky right now,” he said. “I’m having to change up my baits a little bit by throwing a little bit bigger bait that what I think these fish are really wanting.
“That’s a variable that’s working against me because most of the schoolers would eat a smaller bait. The thing is, when one gets it in there mouth they’re going to be a good sized keeper.”
Rather than running all over the lake, Ponds has committed to one small area all week. He feels that it’s been to his advantage to do so. “I think I have an advantage because of just fishing one spot,” he said. “If you’re running 60 points, you’re having to compete against all the local fishermen which might reduce your spots by half. In one spot, you can protect it a little better.”
McClelland Wants Warmth
Mike McClelland’s weights, since coming out the first day with a bang, have been sliding the wrong direction. He feels certain that the shift in wind from the south to the north has hurt his bite. “The wind direction has hurt me a little bit the last couple of days,” he said.
“I’m hoping that the overnight warming will get some bigger fish back in there. Plus, my area has really be hurt by local traffic, and I’m hoping that after how the fishing was in there today, they won’t come back.”
| Mike explained that the day was a grind to get five, and that in order to get them he was forced to look for new water. “It was a real struggle to just catch five in there today,” he said. “I have some real key spots that are holding better fish when they move up, but I actually had to run around and find some other little spots today. They should be better afternoon spots.” |
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McClelland is all about the jig, and with it in his hand he feels confident that he’s at least got a shot at cashing in big Sunday. “I just feel like whenever I’ve got a jig in my hand I have an opportunity to win,” he said. “I know that I could pick up a drop-shot or shaky-head and catch a limit pretty quick. With the jig I have fewer bites, but they’re generally better quality.”
McClelland will take what few areas he has and swing for the fences Sunday. To him, the key is what happens overnight. “The biggest key for tomorrow is the water warming up,” he said. “Hopefully the big ones will be on there tomorrow.”
Short – Pink is Green……
Kevin Short is not short when it comes to consistency this week at Clarks Hill. He’s brought a limit to the scales each day that’s almost identical of the one the day before. “There’s something to be said for consistency, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “I really got a little frustrated this morning to tell you the truth.
“My crankbait fish didn’t fire like they have been because the water had cleared up a little bit. I finally made myself slow down. I picked out one point and wouldn’t move the boat and was finally able to get bit.”
“The fish are just funky right now,” he added. “They’re in a bad mood because they’re post-spawn, or transitional, so they just aren’t excited about eating.”
Consistency aside, Short feels certain that he’s got too much ground to make up to have a realistic shot at the title…but there’s still a chance. “I think I’m too far behind to realistically win it, so I’m going out tomorrow to try and catch 15 pounds and we’ll see how it goes from there,” he said. |
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“I’m going to really need some help from the guys in front of me – they’re going to have to stumble a little bit. If they do, hopefully I’ll be right behind them.”
Remitz a Cut
Above…..Again
Like everyone else in the top five, rookie sensation Derek Remitz expressed his frustration over the pace of the day’s fishing. “It was a real slow day today,” he said. “I only got like six keeper bites all day – and I was thankful for each one of them.
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“I feel like I was fortunate to get them…it was that slow.”
There was no generation today, and as a result Remitz said that his pattern all but dried up. “They didn’t pull water today, and that’s probably the main reason I didn’t catch them,” he said. “It helps to have the current to pull them up on the points – or at least hold them there.
“I also thought that the early topwater bite would be better, but it went downhill pretty fast.”
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For tomorrow, Remitz has no changes planned – it’s do or die. “I’m just going to keep running points that have little flats on them,” he said. “If they bite, the bite. If not, I had a great time trying.”
Day
Three Standings
The
Top 12
| Place |
Pro
Angler |
Hometown,
State |
Total |
Total |
| 1. |
Chris
Lane |
Winter
Haven, Fla. |
15 |
56-12 |
| 2. |
Pete
Ponds |
Madison,
Miss. |
15 |
51-12 |
| 3. |
Mike
McClelland |
Bella
Vista, Ark. |
15 |
50-08 |
| 4. |
Kevin
Short |
Mayflower,
Ark. |
15 |
47-04 |
| 5. |
Derek
Remitz |
Hemphill,
Texas |
15 |
46-04 |
| 6. |
Casey
Ashley |
Donalds,
S.C. |
15 |
46-03 |
| 7. |
Bryan
Hudgins |
Orange
Park, Fla. |
15 |
45-03 |
| 8. |
Skeet
Reese |
Auburn,
Calif. |
15 |
44-10 |
| 9. |
John
Crews |
Salem,
Va. |
15 |
44-05 |
| 10. |
Ishama
Monroe |
Hughson,
Calif. |
15 |
43-15 |
| 11. |
Fred
Roumbanis |
Auburn,
Calif. |
15 |
43-14 |
| 12. |
Aaron
Martens |
Leeds,
Ala. |
15 |
43-01 |
In
the Money
| Place |
Pro
Angler |
Hometown,
State |
Total |
Total |
Total
$$$ |
| 13. |
Jon
Bondy |
Windsor,
Canada |
15 |
42-12 |
$10,800.00 |
| 14. |
Randy
Howell |
Springville,
Ala. |
15 |
42-08 |
$10,700.00 |
| 15. |
Jason
Quinn |
Lake
Wylie, S.C. |
13 |
42-07 |
$10,600.00 |
| 16. |
Jared
Lintner |
Arroyo
Grande, Calif. |
15 |
41-14 |
$10,500.00 |
| 17. |
Rick
Morris |
Virginia
Beach, Va. |
15 |
41-02 |
$10,500.00 |
| 18. |
Peter
E Thliveros |
Jacksonville,
Fla. |
15 |
40-12 |
$10,500.00 |
| 19. |
Edwin
Evers |
Talala,
Okla. |
15 |
39-09 |
$11,500.00 |
| 20. |
Bernie
Schultz |
Gainesville,
Fla. |
15 |
39-07 |
$10,500.00 |
| 21. |
Jim
Murray |
Arabi,
Ga. |
14 |
39-06 |
$10,250.00 |
| 22. |
Ken
Brodeur |
Niantic,
Conn. |
15 |
39-04 |
$10,250.00 |
| 23. |
Lee
Bailey |
Boaz,
Ala. |
15 |
39-02 |
$10,250.00 |
| 23. |
Shaw
E Grigsby, Jr |
Gainesville,
Fla. |
15 |
39-02 |
$10,250.00 |
| 25. |
Jason
Williamson |
Aiken,
S.C. |
14 |
38-12 |
$10,250.00 |
| 26. |
James
Niggemeyer |
Van,
Texas |
15 |
38-08 |
$10,000.00 |
| 27. |
Gerald
Swindle |
Warrior,
Ala. |
15 |
38-03 |
$10,000.00 |
| 28. |
Kevin
Wirth |
Crestwood,
Ky. |
15 |
36-15 |
$10,000.00 |
| 29. |
Brent
Chapman |
Moneta,
Va. |
15 |
36-10 |
$11,000.00 |
| 30. |
Gary
Klein |
Weatherford,
Texas |
15 |
36-09 |
$10,000.00 |
| 31. |
Paul
Elias |
Laurel,
Miss. |
15 |
36-07 |
$10,000.00 |
| 31. |
Russ
Lane |
Prattville,
Ala. |
13 |
36-07 |
$11,000.00 |
| 33. |
Jeff
Reynolds |
Idabel,
Okla. |
13 |
36-04 |
$10,000.00 |
| 34. |
Dave
Wolak |
Wake
Forest, N.C. |
15 |
35-15 |
$10,000.00 |
| 35. |
Kelly
Jordon |
Mineola,
Texas |
15 |
35-03 |
$10,000.00 |
| 36. |
Guy
Eaker |
Cherryville,
N.C. |
15 |
35-01 |
$10,000.00 |
| 37. |
Eric
Nethery |
Acworth,
Ga. |
15 |
35-00 |
$10,000.00 |
| 37. |
Matt
Amedeo |
Clinton,
Ohio |
15 |
35-00 |
$10,000.00 |
| 39. |
Dean
Rojas |
Grand
Saline, Texas |
15 |
34-13 |
$10,000.00 |
| 40. |
Cliff
Pace |
Petal,
Miss. |
15 |
34-04 |
$10,000.00 |
| 41. |
Tommy
Biffle |
Wagoner,
Okla. |
15 |
33-13 |
$10,000.00 |
| 42. |
Mark
Menendez |
Paducah,
Ky. |
15 |
33-01 |
$10,000.00 |
| 42. |
Jeff
Kriet |
Ardmore,
Okla. |
15 |
33-01 |
$10,000.00 |
| 44. |
Timmy
Horton |
Muscle
Shoals, Ala. |
13 |
33-00 |
$10,000.00 |
| 45. |
William
Smith |
Somerset,
Ky. |
13 |
32-10 |
$10,000.00 |
| 46. |
Scott
Campbell |
Springfield,
Mo. |
12 |
31-13 |
$10,000.00 |
| 47. |
Jeff
Connella |
Bentley,
La. |
15 |
30-07 |
$10,000.00 |
| 48. |
Jimmy
Mize |
Ben
Lomond, Ark. |
14 |
29-06 |
$10,000.00 |
| 49. |
Matthew
Sphar |
Pavilion,
N.Y. |
13 |
28-03 |
$10,000.00 |
| 50. |
Paul
Hirosky |
Guys
Mills, Pa. |
11 |
25-05 |
$10,000.00 |
|
