Omori Leads, But Many In Hunt To Start Final Day

By BassFan Staff

Of the two anglers who caught 20-pound bags on day 1 of the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, one managed only about half that amount on day 2 and the other boxed less than a third. That means more than a dozen competitors will have a shot at winning the sport's premier event when the final day gets under way at South Carolina's Lake Hartwell.

Takahiro Omori, the 2004 Classic champion who detests fishing in cold weather, is now the surprise leader in the chilliest Classic on record with a 2-day total of 31-11. He has a 2-ounce advantage over Dean Rojas, who plummeted from more than 21 pounds on day 1 to 10 1/2 today.

Their positions are flip-flopped from 11 years ago, when Omori overtook Rojas on the last day to win a summer Classic at Lake Wylie right here in the Palmetto State.

"It feels good to be back on top at the Classic because the last couple I've fished in I've sucked," said Omori, whose best Classic finish since winning 11 years ago was 10th at Lay Lake in 2010.

Mike Iaconelli, the '03 Classic winner, is just 11 ounces back in 3rd after a 16 1/2-pound haul today. Next is defending champion Randy Howell, who trails Omori by an even pound after catching 15-06.

In 5th is Casey Ashley, the local favorite with more knowledge of Hartwell and its many quirks than anyone in the field. His 14-11 stringer keeps him within 2 pounds of the top slot.

Here's how the Top 12 stacks up with 1 day to fish, with red numbers in parentheses indicating deficit margins from the leader:

1. Takahiro Omori: 31-11
2. Dean Rojas: 31-09 (0-02)
3. Mike Iaconelli: 31-00 (0-11)
4. Randy Howell: 30-11 (1-00)
5. Casey Ashley: 29-14 (1-13)
6. Brett Hite: 29-07 (2-04)
7. Coby Carden: 29-00 (2-11)
8. Paul Mueller: 27-15 (3-12)
9. Bobby Lane: 27-14 (3-13)
10. Skeet Reese: 27-01 (4-10)
11. David Kilgore: 26-11 (5-00)
12. Chris Lane: 26-01 (5-10)

The Top 12 features a bit of just about everything – five former Classic winners, three non-tour pros and two guys (the Lane brothers) who grew up in the same Florida household. All have a shot at victory tomorrow, as do several others in the 25-man contingent that'll return to the water for day 3.

The final day will bring about yet another set of weather conditions that could generate the best bite of the event. A half-inch or more of rain is expected to fall by mid-morning and the air temperature is forecast to rocket up to 60 degrees, giving the fish – and the anglers – some respite from the frigidity under which the event began.

Carden, an Alabamian who's fishing his second straight Classic as a B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier, made the biggest move of the day. The former tour pro sacked a day-best 19-13 to jump from 24th to 7th, and tomorrow he'll have a chance to join the late Bryan Kerchal as a Classic champion from the grassroots ranks.

Connecticut resident Mueller, another B.A.S.S. Nation entrant who'll be a rookie on the Elite Series this year, is in contention again after finishing as the runner-up to Howell last year at Lake Guntersville. He gained five positions today with a 14-03 stringer.

Reese, who brought 20-02 to the scale on day 1, caught just two for 6-15 and surrendered eight positions. Keith Combs fell even more precipitously – from 3rd to 24th with two measly keepers that totaled 3-14.

Quality fish continue to inhabit depths from just off the bank down to 50 feet. The prevailing idea is that the shallower specimens will be the most eager to chomp on the final day, but no one is certain due to the nomadic nature of both the Hartwell bass and the blueback herring on which they often feast.

Omori Has Unfinished Business

> Day 2: 5, 16-11 (10, 31-11)

Omori gave BassFans one of the great highlights in Classic history in 2004 when his late-day crankbait flurry at Lake Wylie helped him overtake Rojas to become the first foreign-born winner of the Classic.

He hopes to add another clip to the highlight reel Sunday, and who knows, it might require more dramatics.

“I have a lot of stuff to think about to do my job right,” he said. “I don’t want to be jerking on my hooksets too hard and break my line or be too excited. I don’t want to miss something out there because I’m going crazy.

“I just want to have another (good) day out there.”

He said his primary area fished a lot different today, but he still hung around it until 1:30 p.m.

“On Friday, I had five fish in the first hour, but we started at 9,” he said. “It was different. Yesterday was sunny, today was cloudy so the fishing was different.”

He left there with four fish and finished his limit in the last 90 minutes. He intends to go back to the main-lake point that produced 10 keepers for him today.

“I know every little bump down there over that 200-yard stretch,” he said. “I had a good day today.”

Regarding the weather forecast for Sunday, Omori said he’s not a fan of fishing in inclement conditions, but he’ll need to overcome that and remain focused on the fishing.

“I don’t like cold, I don’t like rain, I don’t like wind,” he said, “but the fish don’t care.”

2nd: Rojas' Fish Were Smaller

> Day 2: 5, 10-07 (10, 31-09)

Rojas was pleasantly surprised by the size of the fish he caught on day 1. The surprise factor was present again on day 2, but without the positive slant.

"The quality just wasn't as good as yesterday," he said. "Today when I'd get a bite it'd be a pound-and-a-half or 2-pound fish and I only caught five.

"I'm fishing perfect and I'm not losing anything and that's all you can ever ask for. Tomorrow's going to be an exciting day and I'm going to go out and have fun with it. I'm in position to win and now it's time to go out and catch that big bag."

He had four of his fish in the livewell by 10 o'clock and then got just one more bite over the next 5 hours. His bag was headed up by a 3-pounder.

"I think anything over 17 pounds tomorrow would probably be pretty good, but I just don't know. The bigger fish just didn't bite today and I'm definitely going to do something different tomorrow.

"I think the potential is there for another 20-pound bag tomorrow. At least, I want it to be there."

3rd: Iaconelli Likes His Chances

> Day 2: 5, 16-09 (9, 31-00)

Iaconelli thought he’d frittered away his shot to become a two-time Classic winner on Friday when he weighed in just four fish. He rebounded in a big way today with a 16-09 limit and has a sense that his patterns will only continue to produce good fish.

“You can look at the negatives and positives of everything,” he said. “The negative part of it was I keep thinking if I’d have caught that fifth fish yesterday, but it was enough to keep me there. I adjusted today and didn’t lose any so I feel like what I’m doing is the right thing to win this tournament. That’s a great thing.”

He racked up 11 keepers today, mixing a morning jerkbait pattern in drains and pockets where there’s plenty of baitfish – he calls it the “Weapon Bite” – along with throwing a jig around brush set up on the bottom. He sees no reason to deviate from what’s been working.

“I have a plan and I’m going to stick with it and I’m very confident that it’s the right formula,” he said. “It might not win, but I feel for me it’s the right formula and that’s what I’m going to do tomorrow.”

His jerkbait strategy is heavily reliant on locating bait in the pockets and drains.

“The problem is finding the pocket with the bait because it only happens if you see the bait and the birds,” he said. “I ran three or four pockets this morning real quick and didn’t see anything. Finally, in my last pocket, I saw a loon coming out and I was like, ‘Ooooohhh.’”

He came out of there with a 4-pounder and a 2-pounder before picking up his jig and plying it around the bottom in 20 to 40 feet.

“It was a great way to start because my issue out deep is number of bites – there are very few bites out there,” he said. “I’m literally hitting 50 or 60 places a day and I know I’m going to get five or 10 bites out there, but they’re good ones. So if you can get out there and already have two, three or four in your livewell, that’s big.”

He believes whomever emerges victorious Sunday will have to catch at least 17 or 18 pounds.

“These Classics are great when there’s not a blowout,” he said. “We all live for these. At least I do. I’d like to be in the mix going into the last day. Ideally, in the Top 5 or 6 and just a couple pounds out of the lead – that’s where I want to be because there’s no pressure.”

4th: Howell Hoping For Repeat

> Day 2: 5, 15-06 (10, 30-11)

Howell has a chance to become the third back-to-back Classic champion in history and sixth angler with two or more Classic titles to his credit. He said he’s visualized this scenario for a while, but it started to come into focus just recently.

“I definitely have envisioned myself being here again all year, especially the past couple weeks,” he said. “I’ve been planning for it and expecting great things to happen. I’ve been praying for this to happen for a long time.”

The section of bridge riprap he started day 1 on didn’t produce today and he attributed that to a lack of current.

“I was a little concerned that it may be different and sure enough I didn’t catch one there,” he said. “I started going down the bank and actually caught a 3-pounder suspended. I knew they’d be roaming more today. After that, it was a grind.”

He checked a half-dozen other areas that had kicked out fish yesterday, but got skunked there as well. He changed course late in the day and began skipping a jig around docks rather than reel a crank. It resulted in a 5-pounder and a 2 1/2-pounder.

He totaled six bites for the day, four on a Livington Howeller crankbait and two on a jig.

“I think a combination of the two is going to work for me and I’m going to more of the dock deal because I know now that’s how you catch a big one,” he said. “The cloud cover doesn’t really determine if they’re going to be under a dock or not on this lake.

“I’m going to cover a lot of water and I’m going to be hoping they run some of that current with all of the rain we’re supposed to get tonight. That’d be a big help for me.”

5th: Ashley Within Striking Distance

> Day 2: 5, 14-11 (10, 29-14)

Ashley stands less than 2 pounds behind Omori and is confident that given the conditions predicted for Sunday, he could easily make that up and then some.

“It’s definitely doable,” he said. “Nobody’s really had a blowout day yet and it’ll be hard to come by. A solid bag of 20 to 21 pounds will really scare the leader and that’s what I’m shooting to do. Tomorrow is the day to do it.

“If I had to pick a day to go catch a big bag on Lake Hartwell, it would be a day like tomorrow’s going to be as far as the weather.”

He estimates he caught 15 to 18 keepers today – he weighed four spotted bass and one largemouth – and he stayed in his primary morning area for an hour or so before going to seek out kicker bites.

“It’s not like I’ve been saving anything,” he said. “What I’ve been doing the last 2 days as far as trying to catch a good fish later in the day I did that for 6 hours today and never caught a good one – that I’m not going to do tomorrow. I’ll run totally different stuff and it’ll be first thing in the morning and all day long. That’ll play with the clouds and the rain.”

He figures he’ll be more excited than nervous at takeoff tomorrow with the chance to claim his first Classic win at his home lake.

“Man, it’s hard to make me nervous,” he said. “I know I have a lot of ground to make up, but it’s the Bassmaster Classic. I know where they live and know where to spend my time and I know what not to do tomorrow. I figured that out the last 2 days.

“To win the Classic would be awesome and a dream come true, but to win it at home would mean a lot to me. It would also mean a lot to the area. I feel like I want it for them. It’d be very special. Any time you can win at home is a very special feeling, but to win a Bassmaster Classic at home would be big time.”

6th: Hite Honed In

> Day 2: 5, 14-00 (10, 29-07)

Brett Hite posted his second straight respectable stringer to stay in the top 10, but thinks he’ll have to step it up on the final day to make a run at the win.

“I definitely have the potential of catching 18 pounds,” he said.

He ended today by catching a 3-pounder in the final half hour to score himself some additional valuable ounces.

“It was a pretty decent day,” he said. “Around the middle of the day, I was struggling a little bit.”

After weighing a mixed bag of spots and largemouths on day 1, he brought all spots to the stage today.

“I hit the same spots, but kept rotating through them,” he added. “I saw a lot more activity fishing deep today than my secondary pattern. I only caught one doing that yesterday and today I caught them all doing that.”

He said he’s been mostly fishing dropshots around brush piles, points and other structure.

“I have some other stuff to go to,” he said. “You catch one or two and they kind of spook out and then you have to let them set back up. When the fish are there, they’re there for a while.”

7th: Better Quality for Carden

> Day 2: 5, 19-13 (10, 29-00)

Carden said he ran pretty much the same program he did on day 1, but returned to the launch with more than twice as much weight. He's fishing shallow with a small bait.

His stringer was topped by a 5 1/2-pounder.

"I didn't do anything different and I got the same amount of bites – eight or nine keepers," he said. "Yesterday I had a bad day. There was ice on half the stuff I was fishing and that changed them.

"I think they're kind of suspended off the side of the banks and as the water gets a little warmer they're moving closer to the bank. A lot of it has to do the sun and if it's raining tomorrow, I might have to do something different."

He said his experience in last year's Classic (in which he finished 24th) helped him prepare for this year's edition and having competed at the tour level in the early 2000s aids him in staying calm in high-profile events.

He builds trusses in his regular job and when asked if he'd return to pro fishing if he won the Classic, his answer was emphatic.

"Absolutely not," he said. "The best part about winning would be that I'd be qualified for next year's Classic."

8th: Mueller Will Have To Go Hunting

> Day 2: 5, 14-03 (10, 27-15)

Mueller is thinking he may have to start from scratch on Sunday after picking over his main area that he believes is only capable of producing 10 to 12 pounds.

“I got one good one at the end of the day that pretty much gave me my weight,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow because I pretty much burned up everything I have.”

His primary goal today was to catch enough to make the top-25 cut and then worry about Sunday when it became necessary. Now that he’s done that, it’s back to the drawing board.

“On this lake, honestly, I think you have to go out and go fishing and hopefully you can get on some fish and have a productive day,” he said. “I’ve rechecked stuff that was good in practice and it hasn’t been good.”

The area he’s had the most success is a mostly flat bottom spot, but bait seems to hold there consistently despite a lack of any real structure or cover elements.

“There’s really nothing there,” he added. “It’s a weird deal. I honestly wasn’t going to go to it in the tournament because I had better areas. It’s good for about 10 pounds and that’s what I caught there today. I think I burned them up.”

9th: Lane Connected Late

> Day 2: 5, 17-04

Bobby Lane's weight improved by more than 6 1/2 pounds over day 1 and that resulted in an 11-place improvement in the standings.

"The fishing is just getting better all-around," he said. "They seem to be biting batter. I haven't used the weather as an excuse, but the bottom line is the cold hurt the bite. Today you could see a difference."

He's fishing both shallow and deep. His bag contained a pair of 4 1/2-pounders, one of which he caught in the closing minutes.

"I made a few key adjustments late in the day. I think I'm around a good school and I think I know how to catch them first thing in the morning. I like my chances for a 20-pound-plus stringer.

"The first 2 to 3 hours tomorrow are going to be extremely important and I'm excited for the opportunity to go out there."

10th: Lost Bite Haunts Reese

> Day 2: 2, 6-15

Reese would still be very near the top of the leaderboard had he not lost a fish in excess of 4 pounds.

"I was in the wrong position and I got a bad hookset," he said. "I pulled to my left side and I didn't even get a quarter-set on it."

The fish came from the same spot where he caught the two he weighed. That flurry occurred at about 9 o'clock and he didn't have another nibble the rest of the day.

"I think the fish moved – the shallow ones went deeper," he said. "All day long I felt like I was going to catch more fish, but it didn't happen.

"I'm going to change some areas tomorrow, but also run some of the same stuff I ran this morning. I know the potential is there to catch 15 to 20 pounds in the morning if I find the right school in the right place."

11th: Kilgore Kicking Himself

> Day 2: 5, 12-10 (10, 26-11)

David Kilgore is still hanging around the Top 10 despite losing a 5-pound caliber fish today.

“I was fishing around a dock and I just threw out in the middle the channel and the fish picked it up and I was like, ‘Oh God, this is a monster.’ It swam up to the top just sort of kicking and then went back down and it went ‘tink.’”

That “tink” represented the sound of the fish coming off.

“The place I was fishing is a point that they have a to come around and every now and then I’d see one swim right under the boat,” he said. “About the fourth or fifth time it happened, I fired out in the middle and that’s when it hit. If I’d have caught that, I’d have been way up in the Top 6.”

He fished some different areas because the water temperature around some of his other spots had dropped into the 30s.

“We’ll see about tomorrow,” he said. “They’re going to bite something. I shook so many big ones off there in practice. The big ones will eat tomorrow. There’s potential, if the stars line up, for a 22- or 23-pound bag.”

12th: Lane Salvaged Day With Spots

> Day 2: 4, 12-01 (9, 26-01)

Chris Lane's shallow-water pattern fell apart on day 2, so he went away from the banks and caught a solid four-fish bag of spotted bass that allowed him to retain his place in the standings.

"Everything has to go right to win one of these things," the 2012 Classic champion said. "On the positive side, I'm glad I weighed that big spot (4-02) – if I caught five of those (on Sunday), that'd be 20 pounds and 10 ounces, and that would force the guys up at the top to catch them.

"There's a lot of pressure that goes with leading the Bassmaster Classic. With that said, I'm mad at the fish and I'm hungry. I've tasted how sweet it is before and I want to taste it again."

He had an opportunity to fill out his limit, but said he was caught with his guard down.

"I missed one on a shaky-head – I just jerked because it hit so hard and it scared me. It might've been a 2-pounder.

"I'm not going to look back on the what-ifs, though. I'm focused on tomorrow morning and I'm ready to rock and roll."

13th: Wheeler Still Confident

> Day 2, 5, 12-14 (10, 25-08)

Jacob Wheeler caught 2 ounces more than he bagged on day 1 and gained one spot in the standings. He caught seven keepers, all before 10 o'clock, and the biggest one weighed 4 1/4 pounds.

"I've eliminated a lot of stuff and now I can put everything else away except for two or three things," he said. "Twenty pounds is definitely not out of the question with the conditions we're going to have tomorrow.

"It's a herring lake and those bass should gorge up. I'm planning to stay shallow for the majority of the day. I'm super-excited to be fishing on the third day of the Bassmaster Classic."

He can envision himself making a long run to the top like the one Howell pulled off last year, when he went from 11th to 1st on the final day.

"It might be difficult, but it's not impossible."

14th: Better Day for Lester

> Day 2: 5, 14-06 (10, 25-06)

Brandon Lester's weight was up by nearly 3 1/2 pounds over day 1.

"I'm catching everything on the bank – I'm not fishing offshore at all," he said. "I caught some really shallow today."

He handled 10 keepers and the biggest was a 3 1/2-pounder.

"With the rain and the (air) temperature up around 60 tomorrow, I'm guessing that'll only help."

15th: McClelland One Shy

> Day 2: 4, 13-04 (9, 25-06)

Mike McClelland improved his weight by a little over a pound on day 2, but he'd be considerably higher on the leaderboard if he could've boated his fifth fish. He said he had No. 5 hooked up on three different occasions and it was a fish in excess of three pounds that pulled off each time.

"I put myself in position to have 16 1/2 or 17 pounds, and that would have me within striking distance (of the lead)," he said. "It just seemed like it was one of those days when it wasn't meant to be."

He compiled most of his day-1 weight with a Spro McStick jerkbait, but said that wasn't nearly as effective under the overcast skies of day 2. He enticed six bites from deep water on a Big Bite Baits Swim Minnow.

"I haven't started deep this week, but I've been seeing quality on a couple of the drains I'm fishing so I'll see what happens if I go early tomorrow. I'm going to mix up my rotation a little more than what I did today."

16th: Lintner Caught A Bunch

> Day 2: 5, 14-10 (10, 25-03)

Jared Lintner fished deep for the first half of day 2 and returned with a strong bag that improved his position in the standings by five places. He boated 20 keepers – an extremely high number for this week – and the biggest weighed 4 pounds.

"I'm encouraged by what I saw today and it was fun for awhile," he said. "What I did wasn't my plan and I didn't feel like I had the right baits.

"I caught them out to 40 feet – I got one (weigh-in fish) shallow, but the rest were all out there. They just kept biting and they were getting progressively bigger, so I stuck it out a little longer."

He said the deep fish were obviously keyed in on the herring.

"Every fish I caught had forked tails coming out their mouths and my livewell is just caked with them. I was digging around for swimbaits and I didn't have any with me, but I will tomorrow."

It's also likely that he'll spend significant time in the shallows.

"If it's rainy and breezy, I know me and I know I'll want to go to the bank. I'm going to start deep, though, because they were biting too good out there this morning."

29th: Tharp Missed Jerkbait Bite

> Day 2: 4, 16-03 (6, 20-11)

Randall Tharp did his best to salvage what ultimately was a disappointing Classic. He started today on an area where he’d lost a 5-pounder toward the end of day 1.

“I caught one good one there, but the light bulb didn’t quite go off,” he said. “I started running isolated docks and the next bite was when it came clear.”

The light bulb moment was throwing a jerkbait, specifically the new Rapala Shadow Rap, around docks.

“I’d throw it down each side and down the middle of docks,” he said. “I’d fish it slow, but move it fast, if that makes any sense.

“If I had it to do over again, obviously there were key docks, but I was running all new water and I felt like I had wasted time on unproductive docks.”

33rd: Crews Thinks He Fished Too Fast

> Day 2: 5, 10-04 (7, 17-12)

John Crews totally changed up where he fished today, opting to bypass an area where he’d caught bass keying on blueback herring, for an area in one of the river arms.

“It took me 5 hours to find a 50-yard stretch,” he said. “I caught a limit there and culled 20 minutes later. I fished other stuff that had been productive, but didn’t get any bites. I’m still scratching my head as to why those fish won’t go.

“I think I underestimated the drop in water temperature and it’s effect on the fish. Maybe, I didn’t fish quite slow enough.”

Notable

> Day 2 stats: 56 anglers, 31 limits (7 more than yesterday), 5 fours, 6 threes, 5 twos, 5 ones, 4 zeroes (same as yesterday).

Weather Forecast

> Sun., Feb. 22 – Morning Rain, Afternoon Clouds - 59°/42°
- Wind: From the WSW at 4 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 10, 31-11
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11

2. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 31-09
Day 1: 5, 21-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07

3. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 9, 31-00
Day 1: 4, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-09

4. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 10, 30-11
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-06

5. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 29-14
Day 1: 5, 15-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

6. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, AZ -- 10, 29-07
Day 1: 5, 15-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00

7. Coby Carden -- Shelby, AL -- 10, 29-00
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 19-13

8. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 10, 27-15
Day 1: 5, 13-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03

9. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL -- 9, 27-14
Day 1: 4, 10-10 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04

10. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 7, 27-01
Day 1: 5, 20-02 -- Day 2: 2 -- 06-15

11. David Kilgore -- Jasper, AL -- 10, 26-11
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10

12. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 9, 26-01
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 4, 12-01

13. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, IN -- 10, 25-08
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14

14. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 25-06
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06

15. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 9, 25-06
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 4, 13-04

16. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 25-03
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10

17. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 9, 24-06
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 4, 12-09

18. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 8, 24-02
Day 1: 3, 08-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14

19. Jacob Powroznik -- Port Haywood, VA -- 9, 24-02
Day 1: 4, 09-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00

20. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 23-15
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09

21. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 8, 23-14
Day 1: 3, 07-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-08

22. Ott DeFoe -- Knoxville, TN -- 10, 23-07
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01

23. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 9, 22-10
Day 1: 4, 08-10 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00

24. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 7, 22-06
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 2 -- 03-14

25. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 22-03
Day 1: 5, 09-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.

26. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 7, 21-14 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 14-15 -- Day 2: 3, 06-15

27. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 21-10 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13

28. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 9, 21-04 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

29. Randall Tharp -- Port St. Joe, FL -- 6, 20-11 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2 -- 04-08 -- Day 2: 4, 16-03

30. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 8, 20-11 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 07-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

31. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 9, 19-10 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09

32. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 19-04 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00

33. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 7, 17-12 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2 -- 07-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-04

34. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 7, 17-11 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2 -- 03-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02

35. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 7, 16-14 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2 -- 04-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09

36. Andy Young -- Mound, MN -- 7, 16-09 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2 -- 03-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-01

37. Brandon Gray -- Bullock, NC -- 8, 15-10 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 06-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03

38. David Walker -- Sevierville, TN -- 5, 14-15 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 12-03 -- Day 2: 1, 02-12

39. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 8, 14-12 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 04-13 -- Day 2: 5, 09-15

40. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 14-02 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 02-13 -- Day 2: 4, 11-05

41. Chad Pipkens -- Holt, MI -- 6, 13-14 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 07-09 -- Day 2: 3, 06-05

42. Shin Fukae -- Palestine, TX -- 8, 13-03 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 06-14 -- Day 2: 3, 06-05

43. Andy Montgomery -- Blacksburg, SC -- 5, 11-08 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

44. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 7, 10-08 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-04 -- Day 2: 2 -- 02-04

45. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, IL -- 5, 10-00 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2 -- 03-04 -- Day 2: 3, 06-12

46. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 3, 09-14 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 02-12 -- Day 2: 2 -- 07-02

47. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 09-06 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-08 -- Day 2: 1, 00-14

48. Jeff Lugar -- Cross Junction, VA -- 4, 09-02 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 02-04 -- Day 2: 3, 06-14

49. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 3, 08-08 -- $10,000
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 3, 08-08

50. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 2, 07-11 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 03-00 -- Day 2: 1, 04-11

51. Teb Jones -- Hattiesburg, MS -- 3, 07-09 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 07-09 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

52. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka, Japan -- 2, 05-13 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 01-05 -- Day 2: 1, 04-08

53. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 3, 05-04 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 01-07 -- Day 2: 2 -- 03-13

54. Steve Lund -- Glendale, AZ -- 1, 04-15 -- $10,000
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 1, 04-15

55. Troy Diede -- Sioux Falls, SD -- 0, 00-00 -- $10,000
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00

55. Van Soles -- Haines City, FL -- 0, 00-00 -- $10,000
Day 1: 0, 00-00 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00