Posted  May 2nd, 2008  6:30 pm CST

Kenyon Hill in Second, Brauer Falls to Third

Story by Brent Conway - Photos by Mark Jeffreys

Augusta, GA – Coming into the fifth stop of the 2008 Elite Series tour, at Clarks Hill Reservoir, everyone knew that it wasn’t going to be a record-setting event; however, most felt sure that the bite would be consistently good given the lake’s population of Blue Back Herring.

The herring, you see, are the key to victory anytime you’re fishing a lake where they are present. At the Pride of Georgia this week though, the herring aren’t through their spawning cycle making them tough to pinpoint. Thus, the consistency the 108-angler field had hoped for just isn’t there. 

This tournament is always about location, and this week is not any different. If you’re fortunate enough to find the herring – which again aren’t in their usual haunts – you’ll most likely find quality bass with them. If you’re not on a school of herring, you’re scrambling for scraps, and in looking at the Day One results, the “scraps” many in the field found weren’t enough to keep up with the pace require to make the Top 12.

That’s not to say that the fishing the first day was bad – just off. On Day Two of the event, however, anglers confessed that things had changed…and not for the better. With fish scattered in all phases of the cycle – and the herring in the same state of confusion – warming weather was the best hope for stabilization.

The warming weather helped many in the field make a charge to be in contention for Saturday’s cut. Among them was Edwin Evers, who bettered himself by 11 spots by bringing 18-13 to the scales Friday giving him the lead with 33-14. Kenyon Hill climbed three places and ended Friday in second place with a combined weight of 31-13, thanks in part to his second day weight of 14-13.

Day One leader and living legend Denny Brauer sat in third place Friday, after weighing 9-12, with a total weight of 31-12, and Greg Gutierrez sat just 10 ounces away in fourth with a two-day total weight of 31-2 after bringing 16-10 to the scales on the second day.

Fifth place belonged to defending Classic Champion Alton Jones, with total weight of 30-5, who brought 13-9 to the weigh-in stage Friday. Rounding out the Super Six was David Smith with 29-15 overall after bringing 12-11 to the scales.

Evers Working Hard for the Lead 
It seems that if there’s the potential for a the fishing to be tough and the weights to be tight, Edwin Evers is the guy you expect to be near the top at the end of the day. Such is the case this week, though Edwin admits that he’s burning a ton of gas to get there. “I’m fishing a ba-zillion different spots just running a pattern,” he said.  

“I’m discovering a ton of new water and not having to really mess with any schooling fish in the process. I’m just trying to fish as many different spots as I can, but the wind really helped me today too.”

Or maybe it was a little luck too as on his third cast, Evers tanked his kicker, a 6-7 giant. “I threw out and was bringing it threw some rocks, and almost messed up,” he admitted. “I wasn’t really paying attention and thought that I had caught up with my bait when I see this big fish come flying out the water. 

“That was a gift from above, I can tell you that much.”

Evers is fishing a classic post-spawn pattern in areas where the bass are headed versus where they’ve been. “I think my spots are reloading with fish that are coming off of beds,” he said. “A lot of the fish that I’m catching are so skinny and poor that you can tell they’re just coming off the bed.”

Edwin, a noted deep-water specialist, made a key change in his game planning this go round. “I’m fishing a lot shallower than I have in the past, and I’ve learned that you don’t have to be that deep here,” he said. “It really blows my mind the way this lake fishes…I don’t really have a clue as to what or why it is exactly.”

Evers admits that the clouds won’t be an ally Saturday, but to combat their presence, his intention is to be patient. “I’m just going to have to grind it out and stay with them,” he explained. “I really need a little bit of wind I think, so we’ll hope that it blows. Either way, I’m going to be doing everything I can to catch me five good ones.”

Hill Going for Good Enough
Kenyon Hill didn’t have as good a day as he’d hoped for, but admits that it was obviously good enough – which is pretty much the key to his game plan this week. “I didn’t catch them quite as well as far as numbers go, but I really sort of steered away from baits that would produce numbers towards baits that would produce quality,” he explained. 

“I’m trying to scale down the number of rods on my deck to only those that I can get big bites with.”

Kenyon disclosed that while many anglers in the field have a casting deck littered with rods, he only wants four rods on deck – and hopefully only one by the time the tournament is over Sunday. “I’m going to simplify it a little more from what I’ve got right now,” he said. 

“The absolute best-case scenario is that each day you can refine what you’ve got and take another step forward.”

Rather than going back to the area that had produced so well for him Thursday, Hill made a move, and adds that he could do that over and over given the areas he’s fishing. “I moved to some new water today and caught one decent fish off of it,” he said. 

“Most of my fish are coming from points where post-spawn fish are feeding up after the spawn. The cool thing is that the herring will come up to these same points, so the bass are just waiting for them.”

Like Evers, Kenyon explained that it’s all about patience right now. “It’s all a matter of being patient and waiting for the right bite,” he said. “I looked around a little today, and have two or three other spots where I feel like they’ll be coming up. 

“I feel confident that at the absolute worst I can pick up a rig and catch them all day.”

Brauer Keeping his Options Open
Denny Brauer opened the show with the heaviest sack of the tournament, but explained then that it was more to do with luck than being on the fish. However, he’s confident that he’s around the right fish – the key is to get them to cooperate. “This morning was real tough,” he said. 

“I don’t know what the deal was really because I started in the same area that I really thought was a key place, but it just didn’t produce like it has been.”

“I ran to another spot that I’d caught a few fish on in practice and caught three real quick,” Denny added. “I had about the same amount of bites as I did yesterday, but they were all little swimmers. I struggled for what I caught.”

“I’m also going to run some water that I haven’t even looked at this year, and just sort of gamble a little. When you get halfway in position, you sort of have to give yourself a shot at winning instead of beating on the same old stuff.”

Gutierrez Got Blessed
Greg Gutierrez climbed from 16th place to end the day in fourth, and contends that it was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. “The fish that I went up there for originally was one that I’d lost three times yesterday,” he explained. “When I got up there, and as the sun go higher, I started seeing a lot of other cruisers. 

“I was really blessed because I was able to really take advantage of a situation that I didn’t fully anticipate. It was really cool.”

While making the long run for a single fish might have been the purpose to begin with, by the time the day was done Greg had discovered something. “At the end of the day I started checking some stuff that I hadn’t fished since practice,” he explained. “I figured that I’d made the cut, so made a 30-minute run and caught a four-pounder. It was just one of those kind of days.”

Gutierrez is blind casting a drop shot to areas where he knows bedding fish are, but cites the key is distance between him and the bass. “The key to it is making long, long casts,” he explained. “I have these key areas in my GPS, and I know where the primary beds are, but I’m invariably pulling into other nests.”

Greg is confident that he can continue his bed-fishing ways until Sunday. “I know that there are more fish on beds, and that there are more still moving up,” he said. “I’ve really only fished a few key areas, and haven’t seen anything like this during practice so I know that there’s another wave coming.”

Jones is Surprised 
To be a Classic winner, Jones has learned that you have to keep moving forward. Traditionally, catching more than the other guy does that; however, often times the averages play to your advantage. “I’m really surprised that my catch dropped a little bit but I still managed to move up,” he said. 

“I feel like the points I’m fishing have subtle sweet spots and that I know where they’re at. All in all, if I can grind it out and just be patient, I like my chances.”

One of the older pros fishing the Elites this year, Smith contends that he’s using all the tools at his disposal in order to maximize his opportunity this week; however, it all boils down to one thing. “It’s all about confidence for me right now,” he said. 

“I just have a tremendous amount of confidence in what I’m doing and the equipment that I’m using right now. When you’re 62 years old, you need all the confidence you can get so I’m optimistic right now for sure.”
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DAY 2 STANDINGS