Biffle Leads Compacted Top 12 Into Final Day

By BassFan Staff

It's anybody's ball game tomorrow. Really, it is.

Just about 4 pounds separates the Top 12 entering the final day of competition at the West Point Lake Bassmaster Elite Series, which is shaping up as the one of the toughest tournaments on record in terms of weight. Four pounds at West Point can be made up in a hurry, however, as a good population of 5- to 7-pounders swim there. There have been a few show themselves this week and just one bite of that class tomorrow will have a major impact on the outcome.

For now, Tommy Biffle occupies the top spot on the leaderboard. The longtime pro, who's chasing his fourth Elite Series win, finally caught a limit today for 10-06 and it gave him 33-09 through 3 days.

Asked what he thinks he'll need to close out the win, Biffle aimed high.

"I'd be comfortable with 20 pounds," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "Anything else and I might be nervous. If I can catch 15 that might do it."

Pete Ponds climbed into 2nd place, thanks to an 11-05 stringer that pushed his total to 33-00. He has a shot at not only his first Elite Series win, but his first single-digit finish since 2007 when he was 3rd at Clarks Hill Lake.

After catching 7-12 today, day-2 leader Aaron Martens slipped to 3rd, but he's less than a pound behind Biffle with 32-10. Todd Faircloth rode the day's heaviest sack into the Top 5. His 15-09 stringer drove him to 4th from 33rd with 32-01. Chris Zaldain, fresh off a Top-12 finish at Bull Shoals Lake, rounds out the top 5 with 31-15 after boxing 10-07 today.

Here's a look at the rest of the 12 anglers who'll fish tomorrow, with the deficit margin from Biffle indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

6. Casey Ashley: 31-12 (1-13)
7. Skeet Reese: 31-02 (2-07)
8. Hank Cherry: 30-06 (3-03)
9. Rick Clunn: 30-02 (3-07)
10. Greg Vinson: 29-15 (3-10)
11. Cliff Crochet: 29-15 (3-10)
12. Cliff Pace: 29-08 (4-01)

For the second time this season, the record for the lowest weight to win an Elite Series event is in jeopardy. Kevin Short's 43-03 winning total at the Mississippi River in 2009 currently stands as the mark. Faircloth's 49-06 at the Sabine River in March was the second-lowest total by a winner. For the record to fall, it’ll mean the winner will have weighed less than 10 pounds tomorrow. It seems unlikely, but it's been a strange week at West Point by most accounts.

At this point, anything's possible on a lake that's proved real stingy as the fish seem to be in their post-spawn funk. After Jason Christie rallied from 11th place on the final day to win at Bull Shoals 2 weeks ago, there's no reason to count out reigning Classic champ Cliff Pace, who sits in 12th, just 4-01 behind Biffle.

It rained non-stop today and took the topwater bite out of play. Some resorted to slower, finesse-style presentations to catch their fish. It remains to be seen how much the water will come up or if the gates at West Point Dam will be opened to move some water out. The coves and pockets that some pros are fishing could muddy up and be taken out of play. Tomorrow's forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies with some early-morning fog and highs near 65 with a light wind out of the south.

After tomorrow, the Elite Series scene shifts to the Alabama River out of Montgomery, Ala., where the fifth event of the season starts Thursday.

Biffle Eyeing Fourth Elite Win

> Day 3: 5, 10-06 (13, 33-09)

The highlight of Biffle's day?

"I got five bites, that was the highlight," he deadpanned.

The consolation prize, then, would be carrying the lead into the final day, a position he knows is tenuous at best considering he's weighed in just one limit this week.

"It's a good feeling (to be leading), but it's going to come down to who gets the good bite or two or who catches a big bag," he said.

He hadn't yet seen the day 3 standings so when he was told the Top 12 is separated by 4 pounds, he said, "That's one bite here."

"I might go out and not catch a fish tomorrow, though," he added. "I didn't think it would be this tough. I had a terrible practice so I'm tickled to be in the Top 12. For the practice I had, I figured I'd be in the 70s or 80s. I've just been fishing and looking and been able to catch four or five a day."

Finding new, clean water will be tops on his to-do list tomorrow as he's yet to get bit twice through the same stretch of water.

"I'm sure it's going to get muddy," he said. "I've been hunting every day so I'll just have to hunt again tomorrow. I'll just have another day of practice. It could be tomato soup with as much as it rained today. It might be a case of pulling into an area and then turning right back around and leaving because it's muddy."

Closing out his seventh career Bassmaster win would push his career B.A.S.S. earnings past the $2 million mark.

"It would be a big relief because I need to make the (Bassmaster) Classic," he said. "I haven't started off the year real well and to be this close, I'll be sick if I don't do it."

2nd: Solid Day for Ponds

> Day 3: 5, 11-05 (15, 33-00)

Ponds sounds confident he can continue the pace he's set for himself (11 pounds a day) and has designs on improving upon it. If he does that, it could result in his first Elite Series trophy.

"I have a plan and a strategy and the fish are biting," he said. "I've been getting six or seven bites a day and they're the right size of fish. If I can get five of them, I think I can win."

The one thing he's erasing from tomorrow's game plan is fishing for spotted bass.

"I said I wasn't going to do it today, but it's hard out there when you don't have a keeper," he said. "I'm going for the win tomorrow. The worst I can do is 12th so I'm good either way. Making the Classic would be everything and an Elite Series win would be an awesome deal. A lot of guys have been in this position before and do things differently. Not me. I'm going to stick with what's working."

He caught five keepers today and a few dinks, but the highlight was hand-lining a 2 1/2-pounder back to the boat after he hit his rod on a overhanging tree limb upon setting the hook. When he did that, he mashed the button on his reel and created a backlash in his line that prevented him from reeling the fish in. His rod and reel wound up in the water, but he grabbed the line and landed the fish moments later.

"It's not a finesse deal," he said. "I feel like the fish are post-spawn and I feel like the fish are moving to me. It's definitely a current deal where you can catch them on a spinnerbait or a crankbait or a stick worm. I have one little deal working with drains and with the rain today, that could work tomorrow. The sun shouldn't hurt me tomorrow, especially if it warms the water up."

3rd: Martens Happy He's in the Mix

> Day 3: 5, 7-12 (15, 32-10)

A day after boating nearly three dozen keepers, Martens saw his catch rate fall dramatically today, but he's still well within striking distance of capturing his third Elite Series victory.

"I lost a 3-pounder today and bounced a 1 1/2-pounder off the windshield and back into the water," he said, adding that he boated 12 keepers. "Catching 7-12 is irritating, but one more good bag tomorrow could do it. I had a good chance to pull ahead today. I should've caught them better."

He fished some of the same areas that have produced earlier in the event, but mixed in plenty of new water as well as that seems to the theme this week.

"I should've slowed down more today," he said. "I'd been catching them on a topwater and on jerkbaits. I didn't slow down enough."

He thinks the winner will need a double-digit bag tomorrow and he likes that he's given himself an opportunity to do it.

"Of course, I can win this," he said. "I just have to catch them tomorrow. I could win with 10 or 11 (pounds), but I'd like to have 13. It's so close, though, someone behind me could catch 13 and win it."

4th: Change of Fortunes for Faircloth

> Day 3: 5, 15-09 (15, 32-01)

Faircloth wasn't a big fan of the weather today.

"I felt like a wet dog all day on the front of that boat," he said.

He was, however, a fan of how the fishing turned out as he rocketed up the standings thanks to just the third 15-pound bag of the tournament.

"I wasn't expecting that," he said. "I didn't set the world on fire by catching a lot of fish. I just got some quality bites. The first couple of days I'd been fishing for spots just trying to get a check, but today I dedicated the entire day to fishing for largemouth."

He said he went back to a bait that worked earlier in the week and late on day 2 (he wouldn't reveal any more detail) and "built on what I learned yesterday. I ran some new water and fished some I hadn't practiced even."

"I'm targeting something real specific and I have something that I've caught all of my quality fish off of," he added. "I'm running around and looking and when I see that, that's what I'm fishing. Whether it's the (winning) deal, I don't know. I just know it's working for me."

His big rally today has him in position to claim his second win of the year.

"I definitely think I have a shot at winning," he said. "I also have a shot at not catching a fish as well. This place just seems to be real moody right now. It's one of those lakes you have to fish on the fly."

He's guessing they'll pull some water out of the lake overnight considering the amount of rain that fell today. He's just not sure the effect it'll have on the areas he's been fishing.

"It may come up to where it was in practice," he said. "The only thing that could affect me is the runoff. It could muddy up some of my stuff in the pockets and coves."

5th: Zaldain Feeling Good

> Day 3: 5, 10-07 (15, 31-15)

Zaldain is less than 2 pounds behind Biffle so he's thinking his chances to win are as good as anyone's.

"I feel good about this one," said the Californian who's already earned as many checks (three) this season as he did during his rookie campaign a year ago. "It's anyone's game in the Top 12 and this lake is weird because there seem to be a lot more 5- to 7-pounders than 3s."

He came into the event thinking the swimbait bite would play again after Steve Kennedy put everybody on it when he won at West Point in 2011. It did to some extent, but he opted to switch to a more finesse presentation to get to where he's at now. Tomorrow, with some sun expected in the forecast, the jointed, wooden swimmer could get a workout as he tries to coax that one bite that could be the difference between his first career win and another Top 12 finish.

"Tomorrow, a 5 or a 6 will win it for me," he said. "Legitimately, it could only take one bite here. A good one here is a 2-pounder. Those we're thrilled with. Or it's a 5 or 6. There's not a lot of in between. It's the weirdest thing."

Today he fished a weightless Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Shim E Stick on 8-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line.

"I was pitching it in 6 to 8 feet or water along the old shoreline and by old shoreline, I mean 3 weeks ago," he said. "I've found that every day there's a feeding period until about 9 where they're on the bank feeding. From 10 on, it becomes more of blind bed fishing. With the water coming up, you just had to look at the bank and the lay of the land and find those sand flats and drains because you know they're spawning in there. It's more of a blind pitch to those areas. It's a real slow presentation, but you have to do whatever it takes."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 37 limits, 5 fours, 5 threes, 3 twos.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., May 5 – Mostly Cloudy - 64°/46°
- Wind: From the S at 5 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 13, 33-09 -- 100
Day 1: 4, 12-10 -- Day 2: 4, 10-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-06

2. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 15, 33-00 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 08-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 5, 11-05

3. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 15, 32-10 -- 98 -- $500
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09 -- Day 3: 5, 07-12

4. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 15, 32-01 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12 -- Day 3: 5, 15-09

5. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 15, 31-15 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12 -- Day 3: 5, 10-07

6. Casey D Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 15, 31-12 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08 -- Day 3: 5, 09-05

7. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 15, 31-02 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 09-10 -- Day 3: 5, 08-08

8. Hank Cherry -- Maiden, NC -- 15, 30-06 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12 -- Day 3: 5, 09-06

9. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 14, 30-02 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00 -- Day 3: 4, 08-07

10. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 15, 29-15 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03 -- Day 3: 5, 05-02

11. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 29-15 -- 90
Day 1: 3, 10-13 -- Day 2: 3, 09-10 -- Day 3: 4, 09-08

12. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 15, 29-08 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 07-04 -- Day 3: 5, 08-02

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

13. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 15, 29-06 -- 88 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02 -- Day 3: 5, 08-13

14. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 15, 29-04 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 07-04 -- Day 3: 5, 06-02

15. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 15, 28-09 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11 -- Day 3: 5, 07-05

16. Fletcher Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 15, 28-02 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 05-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05 -- Day 3: 5, 09-05

17. Alton Jones -- Lorena, TX -- 14, 28-01 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 04-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11 -- Day 3: 5, 11-10

18. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 15, 27-12 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-06 -- Day 3: 5, 11-05

19. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 12, 27-10 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 04-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08 -- Day 3: 5, 13-01

20. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 15, 27-05 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05 -- Day 3: 5, 08-04

21. Nate Wellman -- Newaygo, MI -- 15, 27-04 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-00 -- Day 2: 5, 07-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-03

22. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 15, 27-04 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10 -- Day 3: 5, 05-06

23. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 15, 27-03 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-01 -- Day 3: 5, 12-03

24. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 13, 27-03 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00 -- Day 3: 3, 05-14

25. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 15, 26-12 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-13 -- Day 2: 5, 09-08 -- Day 3: 5, 09-07

26. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 13, 26-10 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 04-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06 -- Day 3: 5, 10-14

27. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 15, 26-04 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05 -- Day 3: 5, 06-12

28. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 14, 25-11 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 06-03 -- Day 2: 5, 08-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-13

29. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 13, 25-10 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-07 -- Day 2: 4, 08-15 -- Day 3: 4, 09-04

30. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 12, 25-08 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06 -- Day 3: 2, 03-06

31. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 13, 25-07 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 06-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07 -- Day 3: 3, 07-07

32. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 15, 25-02 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 06-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08 -- Day 3: 5, 08-03

33. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 12, 25-01 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 07-11 -- Day 3: 3, 07-00

34. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 14, 24-14 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15 -- Day 3: 4, 04-05

35. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15, 24-04 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 06-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-02 -- Day 3: 5, 06-12

36. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 15, 24-03 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08 -- Day 3: 5, 07-07

37. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 15, 23-15 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-07 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12 -- Day 3: 5, 06-12

38. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 15, 23-09 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-14 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12 -- Day 3: 5, 05-15

39. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 14, 23-01 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-06 -- Day 3: 5, 06-07

40. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 15, 23-01 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-10 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05 -- Day 3: 5, 07-02

41. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 13, 22-09 -- 60 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-11 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15 -- Day 3: 3, 05-15

42. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 15, 22-02 -- 59 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-09 -- Day 2: 5, 07-06 -- Day 3: 5, 07-03

43. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 22-01 -- 58 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-14 -- Day 2: 5, 06-06 -- Day 3: 5, 07-13

44. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 9, 21-10 -- 57 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 2, 08-14 -- Day 3: 2, 03-01

45. Kelly Jordon -- Palestine, TX -- 14, 21-01 -- 56 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 05-13 -- Day 2: 5, 08-06 -- Day 3: 5, 06-14

46. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 15, 20-05 -- 55 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-01 -- Day 2: 5, 07-03 -- Day 3: 5, 05-01

47. Clark Reehm -- Shreveport, LA -- 15, 19-15 -- 54 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 06-10 -- Day 3: 5, 05-10

48. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 14, 19-10 -- 53 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-04 -- Day 2: 5, 07-09 -- Day 3: 4, 04-13

49. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 13, 19-02 -- 52 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 08-02 -- Day 3: 3, 03-04

50. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 12, 17-11 -- 51 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 06-07 -- Day 2: 5, 08-03 -- Day 3: 2, 03-01