Posted  March 7th, 2008  5:42 pm CST

Brian Snowden Takes the Day Two Lead with 37-3

Story by Brent Conway - Photos by Mark Jeffreys

Leesburg, FL – Weather seems to always be the wildcard in any bass tournament - whether you’re fishing for fun or competing in a million-dollar derby. It’s either too sunny, or too hot. Sometimes it’s too windy…or too not. And in the second day of the Sunshine Shootout on the Harris Chain in Leesburg, FL, the weather was the foe to an otherwise tranquil story…whether you liked it or not.

The fishing unfolded as expected – a slower-than-most-would’ve-liked morning gave way to a pig-fest of an afternoon. Right after lunch, a storm strong system began to approach the Leesburg area, and by 2:00 thunder could be heard booming a short distance away.

With the field being sliced to 50 at the conclusion of the day’s festivities, the thunder wasn’t the only thing booming. The leader board changed continually throughout the weigh-in, and for those who thought that day one would be the day for the big bite; Friday’s demonstration stood them on their collective ear. 

Bill Lowen’s day one lead of 21-10 was strong but susceptible to a good kicker. This was true with each pro at the top, so the test heading out this morning was to not only repeat Thursday’s performance but better it by nabbing that one (or two) big bites needed to not only advance, but remain in contention. 

With the expected rain holding off until after the weigh-in, angler after angler brought a limit to the scales (over 70 in fact), and at the end of day two Brian Snowden held down the top spot with a combined limit weighing 37-3, thanks in part to his day two weight of 20-0.

The leaders continued to shuffle as Mark Menendez came all the way from 47th into second place by bringing a limit to the scales weighing 24-9, giving him 34-13 for a two-day total. In third after the second-day slug out was Bobby Lane, who set the day’s Berkley Heavy onto the scales Thursday weighing 26-9, giving him a two-day combined weight of33-15.

Fourth place belonged to Rick Morris, with a combined weight of 31-14, who brought 18-05 to the weigh-in on day two. Rounding out the top five was Mike McClelland with a total weight of 31-1, thanks to a second-day limit weighing 15-4.

The last man into the Super Six was the first day’s leader Bill Lowen, anchored by Thursday’s big bag, with a total weight of 30-14.

Snowden Makes up Ground
Brian Snowden’s day one should’ve been much better, but that’s Florida fishing…you’re just going to lose a few. He made up ground in a big way Friday, and cured the Florida jinx. “I caught some good fish, and kept them on today,” he said.

Done by lunch, Snowden spent the afternoon practicing for the weekend. “I left pretty early, and spent the rest of the day looking,” he said. “I have a couple of spots that I haven’t touched yet, so I can promise that I’ll be out all day tomorrow.”

Menendez Keyed on Wind
Mark Menendez, clad in lucky blue boots, had a very good day. Climbing halfway up the leader board to end the day in second, Menendez made it look easy. “It was all about how the big fish positioned,” he said. “They were positioned a particular way today, so I had to cover a lot of water. When you came across the right situation, they would be sitting exactly where they were supposed to be.”

Like Snowden, execution was instrumental in overriding a day one deficit for Menendez. “I only lost one good fish today that would’ve helped me a little,” he explained, “but to have the chance to catch five big ones, and get four of them to the boat? It’s been a pretty successful day.”

Wind for Saturday is almost a guarantee – in fact, there’s a strong chance that it will be near gale-force at times. Regardless, Mark has his game plan set. “It all depends on the weather,” he said. “I’ve got a back-up area that’s a little more protected, so if it gets real bad I can pull in there and fish. With what I’ve been able to refine, I think I’ll be okay.”

Lane Has a Day
Bobby Lane came into the tournament’s first day thinking that flipping would be the way to go. As they say, the best of plans often go asunder. Fortunately, he learned from his day one miscalculation and didn’t pull a repeat Friday. “Yesterday, I should’ve had around 13 pounds,” he said. 

"I just dropped the (trolling) motor this morning and wouldn’t let off until I found something that I liked.”

Mother Nature also aided in the eye-popping creel. “With the wind blowing the way that it was, it set up perfect for me,” he said. “I never practiced this way because the conditions weren’t right. It was one of those days where I could do no wrong. When the conditions are right, they just flat go to chewing here – and today was just that way.”

What works once must work again…at least that’s the way Lane is thinking for Saturday. “I’m just going to go with it again tomorrow,” he said. “Regardless of what the weather’s doing, I know exactly what I’ll be doing.”

Morris Has a Friend in the Wind
While Rick Morris had enough weight to move himself into contention for Sunday, he lost a big fish that would’ve pushed him even higher. However, the Virginia angler doesn’t necessarily see it as a bad thing – it’s just fishing. “I went through a couple limits, and lost one that would’ve been close to 10,” he said. “It’s all about covering ground, so the one that got away was just a part of the day…that’s all.”

McClelland In the Thick of It
Mike McClelland went through over two limits Thursday, but Friday was an exact opposite for the Arkansas pro. “It definitely wasn’t as easy as yesterday,” he said. “I had a limit about 9:30 yesterday, and really struggled during the morning today. My first two were little bitty ones, but when I caught the big one it took a lot of pressure off and allowed me to really slow down.”

“I only caught six keepers today, so it really was tough because I caught twice that yesterday morning,” he added. “I was able to spend a little bit of time, once I was sure that I’d made the cut, looking around for some new areas.”

Working the same general area from the first day, McClelland is confident he’s on the right fish; however, to hedge his bet, he spent some time expanding for the weekend. “I stayed in Harris and Eustes primarily all day,” he said. “I did expand a little bit into Little Harris today, but I pretty well worked the same area. 

“I feel like these fish are just milling around in the same areas and coming into feed, so I really feel like if I keep my head down I’ll be here Sunday.”

Lowen Loses Ground
It’s tough when you leave the launch with as the guy to beat. The "tough factor" is made grows in exponents when you dump a bruiser that would’ve been the much-needed kicker. “I lost one today that I just hope doesn’t come back to haunt me,” Lowen said. “I never really got to see her, but I can guarantee you that she was all I wanted. 

“She was pulling harder than the one that I caught yesterday. She would’ve been the key – the difference between 18 pounds and 10.”

Lowen is confident that he’s around the winning fish, and he’s fishing the way that he’s most at home...but he also has a lot of company. “I’m around the right fish, but it’s taking a pretty big hit because of all the pressure,” he said. “The guys that are catching them up there are all doing pretty much the same thing.” 

“It’s going to be interesting,” Lowen said, when asked about the upcoming weather change. “ I’m just hoping to be able to get back up there tomorrow and sneak away with a top 12.”
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DAY TWO STANDINGS