Jones Still On Top, But Lead Reduced To 2 1/2

Alton Jones is still on track for a wire-to-wire victory at the St. Johns River Bassmaster Elite Series in Florida, but he no longer has anywhere near the cushion that he began today with. An 11-04 bag – not even half the weight of either of the first two he brought to the scales – has reduced his lead to 2 1/2 pounds and has allowed multiple anglers to pull within striking distance at a place that still has double-digit fish sitting on beds.

The 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion bumped his total to 60-10, but everyone in the Top 5 is now within 7 pounds. He started day 3 with a lead of 7 1/2.

Edwin Evers sacked 19-04 today and moved up three places to 2nd with a 58-01 total. Todd Faircloth roped 20-02 and climbed five spots to 3rd at 54-01.

Hometown favorite Terry Scroggins didn't have the huge day he'd envisioned after catching nearly 23 pounds on day 2, but he remained in the hunt with a 13-15 sack that left him in 4th with 53-15. J. Todd Tucker caught 12 pounds even today and completed the Top 5 with a 53-13 aggregate.

Here's a look at the numbers for the group that'll return to the water tomorrow, with deficit margin from the leader noted by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Alton Jones: 60-10
2. Edwin Evers: 58-01 (2-09)
3. Todd Faircloth: 54-01 (6-09)
4. Terry Scroggins: 53-15 (6-11)
5. J Todd Tucker: 53-13 (6-13)
6. Dustin Wilks: 49-03 (11-07)
7. Steve Kennedy: 48-05 (12-05)
8. Kelly Jordon: 47-09 (13-01)
9. Kevin VanDam: 47-02 (13-08)
10. Keith Combs: 46-13 (13-13)
11. Bill McCaghren: 44-04 (16-06)
12. Casey Ashley: 44-02 (16-08)

The winning total won't be anywhere near the 100 pounds that many predicted for this event, but 25-pound-plus sacks are still out there. Kennedy boated 26 pounds today and jumped 32 places in the standings.

Sight-fishing is still the predominant technique, but other tactics are in now in play. Faircloth, in particular, noted that he's having better success by staying farther away from the spooky, late-spawn females.

Tomorrow could be the toughest sight-fishing day of any of the four during the event. In addition to the depleted number of spawners, a few clouds are expected to move in and an east/northeast wind is predicted to blow at 17 mph. The wind could be an enormous factor as many of the Top 12, including Jones, Faircloth, Tucker, Jordon and McCaghren, are fishing the west side of Lake George.

The winner will be crowned after the weigh-in based on highest cumulative weight.

Tougher Day for Jones

> Day 3: 5, 11-04 (15, 60-10)

Jones didn't come across any big fish today, and thus came in with a much lighter sack. He said he'll have to wait and see what Mother Nature does tomorrow before determining whether he'll continue with the gameplan that's brought him this far or switch to something else.

"If the conditions will let me, I'll keep doing what I'm doing, which is blind-casting early and then sight-fishing later in the day," he said. "If they won't let me, then I will go to plan B, but I'm not sure what plan B is. It may be a just a different area where I can sight-fish out of the wind, or I might change baits.

"What's going to win this tournament tomorrow is the spur-of-the-moment, seat-of-the-pants decisions. It's going to take a nice limit with a 7- or 8-pounder on top of it, and all it takes is one cast for that big fish. I'll have to keep my wits about me and I plan to fish like (son) little Alton and I are out for a fun day. I'm not going to get locked in to any one thing unless the conditions will let me."

He revealed today that his primary bait is a 6-inch Yum Dinger in junebug, containing the company's new F2 formula.

"Any fish over 4 pounds, she'll react to that right now unlike anything else. It's always important in a tournament to have a bait that you're confident will make those quality fish bite."

He said he doesn't feel the need to take any major risks because whatever the winning total's going to be, he's closer to it right now than anybody else.

"The Lord is the one who decides what I'm going to catch and what I'm not going to catch, and I trust Him for that, whatever it is. The first part of Jonah 1:17 says, 'Now the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah.' If He can do that, He can provide one to swallow my Yum Dinger."

2nd: Evers Saw 'em All

> Day 3: 5, 19-04

Evers' bag was compiled exclusively by sight-fishing, and it was considerably lighter than it could've been. He said he lost one that was at least 7 pounds and another in the 5-pound class, and had to throw back a 5 1/2-pounder because it was hooked in the tail.

"I'm just excited that I've still got a chance even though I missed those opportunities," he said.

His bag was topped by a 6-pounder that he caught late in the day, and it also contained a 5.

He's a bit concerned about the expected wind tomorrow, but doesn't view it as entirely negative at this point.

"It could make it kind of hard, but it might help. The water might not get as low in there and it could make those fish a little more comfortable.

"If it gets blown out, I'll just go somewhere else and try to find some protected water."

3rd: Faircloth Backing Off

> Day 3: 5, 20-02 (15, 54-01)

Faircloth looked at one fish he brought to the scale today, but caught the rest blind-casting.

"It was a good day," he said. "I know I'm around some big ones, so that makes me feel good. I've still got a shot and that's all I can ask for.

"Depending on how hard the wind blows tomorrow, it could pose a problem for me. I'm fishing real slow and I'm having to pick the area apart with a slow-moving bait. It's not like I'm just chunking and winding it."

If the wind thrashes the west side of George, he might try the other side. The biggest issue with the east side is the water's usually not as clear because it lacks the natural springs that feed the western portion, but that may not be the case tomorrow.

"I could go over there, but I'd rather stay where I'm at. There was a few boats in there today, but it wasn't near as bad as it was (before the cut)."

4th: Scroggins a Bit Frustrated

> Day 3: 5, 13-15 (15, 53-15)

Like Evers, Scroggins failed to capitalize on some of his best bites – he lost a 4-pounder and two 3s.

"It was kind of a frustrating day," he said. "All those big ones (he'd found on day 2) had left. I didn't see any of them today."

He sight-fished for part of the day and then threw a crankbait. He said the crank produced eight or nine keepers and has accounted for some of his best fish throughout the event.

"The area I'm in has got some good fish, but I just didn't get any of the real big ones today."

He sits higher in the standings than any other angler who's not fishing the west side of George (he's not in George at all), so he hopes that bodes well for him tomorrow.

"If the wind does what (forecasters) say it's going to do, it could take the west part of George out of the equation. Whoever's fishing down there might be in trouble.

"Where I am should be fine – I don't think it'll mess with it too much."

5th: Tucker Comes in Lighter

> Day 3: 5, 12-00 (15, 53-13)

Tucker experienced the same phenomenon that Jones did – today's bag was by far the lightest he's weighed in the event. He did catch another 7-pounder, though, which gave him five such fish in 3 days.

"It got really tough today and I was lucky I had that 7-02," he said. "You need to get at least one big one every day and I don't know why all of mine have been so close to the same size, but I've been fortunate.

"I saw one today that was 10 pounds and I hope she's still there tomorrow. If she is, I'll catch her and get the day started on a good note."

He lost a couple of fish this morning while he was throwing a topwater and waiting for the sun to come up to make the bed-fish visible.

"They didn't feel real big, but I'd love to have even 2 more pounds. I've fished pretty clean, though, to be honest. All of my big ones have stayed buttoned up."

He has a backup plan if his area on George gets blown out, but he'd rather not have to utilize it.

"I'd have to lock through to Rodman and it's a swimbait bite in there. Because of the lock, it's one of those things you either have to commit to, or you'd better forget about it."

7th: Kennedy Connects

> Day 3: 5, 26-00 (15, 48-05)

Kennedy's bag was the biggest since Jones weighed 26-09 on day 1. About 15 1/2 pounds of it came courtesy of two bites – an 8-12 and a 7-09.

He's fishing Lake George.

"I just stumbled across two big fish," he said. "I caught a 10-pound limit pretty easy and then I saw one of the big ones at about 10:00. I went right over her with the boat and she just disappeared, but I came back at about 1:00 and caught her on the first cast with a Kinami Flash on a spinning rod."

The other one entered his livewell with about 30 minutes left in the day.

"I ran over the top of her, too, on my way to a place where I was throwing a swimbait. I didn't catch any (of those fish), so I turned the boat around and lined up where she was sitting, and on my first cast I caught the buck. Then two or three casts later I caught the female.

"From the looks of them, they'd just moved up. That 8-12 looked as fresh as she could be."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 46 limits, 3 threes, 1 one.

> Jones extended an invitation to fishing fans to friend him on Facebook, where he'll be giving away prizes throughout the season. The address is www.Facebook.com/AltonJonesFishing.

> BassFan Big Stick Brent Chapman failed to crack the 10-pound mark today and dropped from 11th place to 17th – and thus out of the tournament. To read his competition wrapup, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., March 20 - Mostly Sunny - 80°/58°
- Wind: From the E/NE at 17 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 15, 60-10
Day 1: 5, 26-09 -- Day 2: 5, 22-13 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04

2. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 15, 58-01
Day 1: 5, 16-08 -- Day 2: 5, 22-05 -- Day 3: 5, 19-04

3. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas -- 15, 54-01
Day 1: 5, 23-10 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05 -- Day 3: 5, 20-02

4. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, Fla. -- 15, 53-15
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 22-13 -- Day 3: 5, 13-15

5. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga. -- 15, 53-13
Day 1: 5, 20-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-05 -- Day 3: 5, 12-00

6. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, N.C. -- 15, 49-03
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 5, 9-05 -- Day 3: 5, 21-07

7. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Ala. -- 15, 48-05
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 8-13 -- Day 3: 5, 26-00

8. Kelly Jordon -- Palestine, Texas -- 15, 47-09
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-01 -- Day 3: 5, 15-14

9. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 15, 47-02
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13 -- Day 3: 5, 12-02

10. Keith Combs -- Huntington, Texas -- 15, 46-13
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09 -- Day 3: 5, 12-12

11. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 15, 44-04
Day 1: 5, 20-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-11 -- Day 3: 5, 7-14

12. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, S.C. -- 15, 44-02
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03 -- Day 3: 5, 11-06

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not be fishing on day 4.

13. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 15, 43-12 -- 251 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10 -- Day 3: 5, 18-11

14. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Calif. -- 15, 43-00 -- 248 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-14

15. Pat Golden -- High Point, N.C. -- 15, 43-00 -- 245 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00 -- Day 3: 5, 18-02

16. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 15, 42-15 -- 243 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02 -- Day 3: 5, 20-06

17. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 15, 42-00 -- 241 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 25-04 -- Day 2: 5, 6-14 -- Day 3: 5, 9-14

18. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fla. -- 15, 41-07 -- 239 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09 -- Day 3: 5, 12-10

19. Peter Thliveros -- St Augustine, Fla. -- 15, 39-12 -- 237 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 7-06 -- Day 3: 5, 17-07

20. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 15, 39-10 -- 235 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 21-03 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03 -- Day 3: 5, 8-04

21. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, La. -- 15, 39-04 -- 233 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02 -- Day 3: 5, 9-07

22. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, Ala. -- 15, 38-04 -- 231 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 8-07 -- Day 3: 5, 13-14

23. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 15, 38-02 -- 229 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01 -- Day 3: 5, 11-03

24. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 15, 37-15 -- 227 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 9-09 -- Day 3: 5, 17-04

25. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, S.C. -- 11, 37-03 -- 225 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 22-05 -- Day 2: 1, 1-02 -- Day 3: 5, 13-12

26. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 15, 37-00 -- 223 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 7-13 -- Day 3: 5, 10-15

27. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, Okla. -- 13, 36-09 -- 221 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-03 -- Day 3: 3, 4-12

28. Ott Defoe -- Knoxville, Tenn. -- 15, 36-04 -- 219 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15 -- Day 3: 5, 10-03

29. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tenn. -- 15, 36-04 -- 217 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09 -- Day 3: 5, 8-13

30. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 15, 36-02 -- 215 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-14 -- Day 3: 5, 11-06

31. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 15, 35-15 -- 213 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 8-06 -- Day 3: 5, 15-09

32. Russell Parrish -- Riesel, Texas -- 15, 35-11 -- 211 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 8-04

33. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 15, 35-04 -- 209 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 9-03 -- Day 3: 5, 13-14

34. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 15, 34-13 -- 207 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 22-04 -- Day 2: 5, 6-11 -- Day 3: 5, 5-14

35. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, Ind. -- 15, 34-07 -- 205 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03 -- Day 3: 5, 10-15

36. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, Ala. -- 15, 34-03 -- 203 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06 -- Day 3: 5, 5-09

37. Clark Reehm -- Lufkin, Texas -- 13, 33-10 -- 201 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 20-10 -- Day 2: 3, 5-08 -- Day 3: 5, 7-08

38. Ryan Said -- Wixom, Mich. -- 13, 33-08 -- 199 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 3, 3-12 -- Day 3: 5, 11-05

39. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ark. -- 15, 33-05 -- 197 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07 -- Day 3: 5, 11-00

40. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, Ariz 15 -- 33-02 -- 195 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00 -- Day 3: 5, 6-11

41. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, N.C. -- 13, 32-07 -- 193 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 9-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07 -- Day 3: 5, 10-04

42. Keith Poche -- Troy, Ala. -- 11, 31-10 -- 191 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 5-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10

43. Matt Herren -- Trussville, Ala. -- 15, 31-03 -- 189 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-13 -- Day 3: 5, 6-15

44. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, Ala. -- 15, 31-02 -- 187 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07 -- Day 3: 5, 9-05

45. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 14, 31-00 -- 185 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 8-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00 -- Day 3: 5, 10-01

46. Craig Schuff -- Watauga, Texas -- 15, 30-07 -- 183 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 9-00 -- Day 3: 5, 5-15

47. John Murray -- Phoenix, Ariz. -- 13, 30-07 -- 181 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08 -- Day 3: 3, 6-07

48. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 15, 29-13 -- 179 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 6-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12 -- Day 3: 5, 9-04

49. Zell Rowland -- Austin, Texas -- 13, 28-10 -- 177 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-02 -- Day 3: 3, 7-07

50. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Texas -- 11, 26-05 -- 175 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01 -- Day 3: 1, 1-04