Clausen Leads By 4-06, Shuffield Surges to 2nd

The sleeping dog that a lot of people were afraid of – the one that took a nap on day 1 of the Bassmaster Classic – woke up today and bared some serious teeth. Now he's right in the mix with the top dog who caught the huge bag on day 1, the old dog who might be fishing his last Classic, and a pack of others who are within 10 pounds of the lead at a lake that can give it up on a single bite.

Luke Clausen, the top dog, caught a 14-15 sack today and held onto his lead at West Lake Toho with a 2-day total of 44-05. It was about half

what he caught yesterday, but he's still 4-06 ahead of 2nd. That's not a comfortable lead at Toho, but it's a lead nonetheless.

Ron Shuffield, the old dog, came on strong today. He caught 21-00 – the day's second-heaviest sack – for 39-15 total. He's in a good area and seems to have quality fish left.

In the next slot, up 35 spots from day 1, is the sleeping dog – Florida's Terry Scroggins. He was one of the heavy pre-tournament favorites. After his 10-03 bomb on day 1, he weighed in a fat 28-06 today and is now only 5-01 back with 39-04. He clearly has momentum, but has to do it again tomorrow.

Just an ounce behind him is his good buddy and fellow Palatka resident Preston Clark, who caught 10-02 today for a 39-03 total. His sight-bite died today, so he'll change everything up tomorrow.

Virginia's Rick Morris, who's back in the Classic after an 8-year absence, completes the Top 5 with 18-14 today and 37-05 total. He also seems to be on a strong bite, but thinks he'll need to catch them early tomorrow.

Here's the rest of the Top 10:

6. Kevin Wirth: 35-09
7. Edwin Evers: 35-03
8. George Cochran: 31-12
9. Jeff Coble: 31-09
10. Skeet Reese: 30-06

Weights were down considerably from day 1, which allowed some anglers to make big moves in the standings with bags that were less than eye-popping. Among that group was defending champion Kevin VanDam, who moved up 13 places with a 14-15 sack that was less than a pound better than his 25th-place stringer on day 1.

Those who went in the other direction and failed to make the Top 25 cut included Marty Stone (8-01 today), Andre Moore (10-00) and Mark Menendez (5-08).

Another cold front is coming and the sky was mostly overcast with 10 to 20 mph winds that started from the north, but gradually worked their way around to the opposite direction.

Another big change is in store tomorrow as showers and thunderstorms are forecast for the morning, with the wind changing directions again to blow out of the north-northeast at 15 to 25 mph by noon. There's an 80 percent chance of precipitation at launch time.

All of the elements are in place for a dramatic final day. Clausen will shoot for a Classic title to go alongside his 2004 FLW Tour Championship win, and Shuffield will get another shot at the glory that eluded him in 1997.

But they'll have to hold off the Palatka boys, who know their way around this lake like Wayne Newton knows Las Vegas, and some others who are still close enough – if they get the right bites.

Clausen: Familiar Feeling

Clausen said he feels "about the same" as he did on the eve of day 4 at the 2004 FLW Tour Championship, which he won. "I was just going out and fishing a pattern there too. I think I could do the same here. But I think what I'll do tomorrow is fish some water I never even got a chance to go to today.

"I'm not nervous. I just take the attitude that there's not a lot I can do about it. Obviously I'd be sad if I didn't win. Two of the best guys in Florida are on my tail, so I have to catch them."

Although Shuffield's only 4 1/2 pounds behind him, he's most worried about Scroggins. "(Scroggins) just caught 28 pounds. I'm definitely worried about him."

Unlike some pros who crave the Classic trophy the most, he said the $500,000 1st-place check would have the most effect on his life. "Other than the money, I'd probably be able to attract more sponsors, so I'd be a lot busier in that regard.

"I know a lot of guys use this to jump-start their careers."

He's not fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series this year, but hasn't felt any negativity here so far. "BASS probably doesn't like the fact that I'm leading, but I don't know that. I guess it's not a real positive thing for them.

"But it's similar to when I won the FLW (championship). I was fishing out of a Triton there, and they (FLW Outdoors) probably didn't want to see a guy in a Triton cap win it."

He caught a 6-pounder on his third cast today, but did little else of note. The spot where he caught his 29-06 sack on day 1 wasn't nearly as productive.

He spent most of the day casting a worm. When asked to grade his performance, he said it was "probably a C."

"It just never really came together today," he added. "The fish weren't there and they weren't biting like they were yesterday. I probably made some bad decisions by staying and thinking something would happen. I didn't cover enough water and I didn't try enough new things."

2nd: Shuffield Calls It

Today was a big day for Shuffield. His 21-00 sack moved him up to within 4 1/2 pounds of Clausen. He's been close to winning a Classic once before, in 1997. But instead of lipping a 4-pounder, he tried to swing it in. It came off and he lost by 13 ounces.

He vowed not to let that happen tomorrow.

"I can tell you, I'm going to win this Classic – I'm that positive," he said. "I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. If I can get five in the boat in my area, with the quality that's in there, I'm going to win this Classic.

"I'm going out tomorrow and saying, 'No lost fish. Not a missed fish. Execution.'"

He fished Kissimmee today, where he caught seven keepers, one of which was a stout 8-08. "I caught a 4-pounder right off the bat. Then I struggled out there until about 11:00. Then I went back to my area from yesterday, fished it differently and caught a 6-pounder, then that 8-08 in about 20 minutes.

"By then, I was basically out of time."

He made a few more casts before he left for check-in and raised a big one. "I just didn't get her."

It was the same area where I lost one over 9 pounds yesterday morning. "I opted not to start there this morning. I started in an area were I caught the most fish yesterday. The fish are biting kind of strange. It's hard to figure out what they're trying to do. Today I think I got more on a post-spawn bite and I think I'll stay with that tomorrow."

On what a Classic win would mean to his career, he said: "It would mean a tremendous amount, if for no other reason that I never set Angler of the Year as one of my goals. But winning the Classic was one I set early. It's the only one of my goals I've never accomplished."

On whether he thinks he can catch Clausen: "Luke is no doubt a tremendous fisherman. He's been catching them too consistently to falter. But Luke has had a big day, and I haven't had my big day yet.

"I've had a chance to have 28 pounds every day. I just haven't executed to get them in the boat. That's the problem."

3rd: Scroggins Hits Jackpot

Scroggins said he fished about 10 spots before he arrived at the one that gave up his monstrous sack. "It was pretty exciting – there's a lot of big fish in there. I didn't want to beat it up too bad, so I caught those five and then left it alone."

One of those fish was a 9-05 – the day's big bass.

"I believe there's five more in there. If they bite, the rest of these boys are in trouble. The only thing that could hurt is if the front comes down real strong, it might shut them off."

He's been red-hot in his home state over the past few months – he won the Toho Bassmaster Southern Open last November and finished 2nd at the Okeechobee Southern Tour in January. He's all but unflappable under pressure, so it's highly unlikely emotions will come into play tomorrow.

"I'm just going to stay focused and try to do what I need to do," he said. "If I can get another big bag of that quality, I think I'll be the champion, and that's what I'm here for."

He's made his reputation with a flipping stick, but he caught most of today's bag casting a worm. "I can't say what worm though."

He might have an additional ace under the table – a bed-bound 7- or 8-pounder that he found with about 20 minutes left in the day. "But with the weather change tomorrow, she might leave."

He doesn't think he'll need her though. He's confident that the hole he found today will produce again.

"I know I'm around big fish and I'm just going to sit there and try to make them bite. I don't think the front's going to be that strong and there's a new moon coming, so I don't think anything's going to push them out."

4th: Clark Confident

Clark has a strong knowledge of the lake, and the rare ability to figure out Florida fish. His bag today was one-third as big as yesterday – 10-02 vs. 29-01 – but he's okay with it. He's 5 pounds behind Clausen, which isn't much here, and he's ready to ditch his sight-fishing pattern.

"I knew going into today it would be a little tougher," he said. "With my pattern I caught the big sack on yesterday, I had one other big fish I wanted to check on first thing. She wasn't there, so I left and went to another area."

He caught three keepers in the new area off beds, then spent 2 or 3 hours "meddling around trying to see a good one. I invested a lot of time in bed-fishing."

In terms of tomorrow, he has some fish in Kissimmee and Hatchineha that he hasn't been to. "I invested too much time in bed-fishing today that it wasn't practical to go down there. I only needed one more fish so I stayed in Toho. I finished my limit and culled two more fish."

He's got three patterns going in Kissimmee and Hatchineha, which he'll work on tomorrow. "I have some flipping fish, some Trap fish and some Carolina-rig fish. The Trap fish and Carolina-rig fish were very small, but the flip-fish were pretty big.

"I could have a 20-pound bag tomorrow. I feel I need that to win."

And he thinks he can win. "Oh yeah, I can win. I think there's five or six guys who can to win.

"All I want is the trophy. I don't really care about the money and endorsements. I want to be able to say I was the best in the world."

5th: Morris All Alone

Morris wasn't hesitant to talk about the lures he used to catch his 18-04 bag: a War Eagle spinnerbait and a Rad Lures Chatterbait. But darned if he'll tell you where he caught them.

"I can't say. I'm all by myself in there and too many boats will hurt me. I'm in a canal."

He thinks he still has an outside chance to win. "I'd have to catch 25 pounds, which is possible if I get enough big bites and catch every one. I'm just going to go out and fish strong and see what happens."

His sack included a 6-08 and a 6-09 and he lost another fish in that class. "He just jumped off on me. These fish are mean once they get hooked."

His day got off to a slow start – he ended up with nine keepers, but didn't make his first cull until noon. All three of the big fish bit during the final 90 minutes of the day.

"I struggled early, changed baits, did a lot of other things and wasted some time," he said. "But sometimes you have to do that. I finally got back around to doing what I was originally doing."

With the cold front on the way, he expects just the opposite to happen tomorrow. "It should be an early-morning bite, and I'm going to have to get them then because after that it's going to be tough as nails. If they're not chomping in the morning, I'm in trouble because it can only get worse as the day goes on."

6th: Wirth Might Adjust

Wirth was 4th yesterday with 22-05 but only weighed 13-04 today. Not bad, considering the tougher fishing, but a far cry from yesterday.

"I feel good," he said. "Like I said yesterday, my number was 50 pounds. Now I might need a little more than that. I figure if I get 20 pounds tomorrow, then that'll push me to 55 pounds.

"I think conditions tomorrow are really going to tighten up and get difficult, so that could do it."

Winds are expected to shift north tomorrow, and that could help him. "That west wind hurt today. Tomorrow, the wind could help me."

But he might make a change. "Possibly, I might. I have to sit down and think about it. Maybe I'll make some adjustments."

On what a Classic win would do for his career: "It would complete my life."

7th: Evers Frustrated

Edwin Evers has been hunting the lead. He was 3rd yesterday with 23-10, but weighed 11-09 today and fell four spots. He said he blew it.

"I'm frustrated – really, really frustrated. I had the opportunity for another giant sack, if not bigger than yesterday. I couldn't get them in the boat. I had fish with dad-gum shoulders on them."

He was fishing heavy cover and they just came unbuttoned. "The landing percentage is not real high. Yesterday I got a real high hook-to-land percentage, but today it caught up with me."

He'll do exactly the same thing tomorrow, with one difference. "I'll get those suckers in the boat."

Overall he feels "good – really good. I know I'm around big fish. It's just a matter of getting them to the boat. And I have some other stuff I haven't been to yet that I feel pretty good about.

"But what I'm doing is so time-consuming, I can't cover a lot of water."

On whether he can win: "Without a doubt – I think I'm going win it. It's been a childhood dream. I want that more than anything."

8th: Late Frog Saved Cochran

Call George Cochran the 9th-inning man. He entered the day in 21st with 15-01 and didn't have much going. But things changed in the last 30 minutes and he put together a 16-11 limit. That moved him up to 8th with 31-12 total.

"I had a 2- or 3-mile stretch of bank where I was catching them on a worm," he said. "With the wind, it was almost unfishable today. The wind was treacherous. I wasn't catching anything and I knew I was going to have to move to a new area with clearer water.

"I went to a part of the lake where the wind was not blowing hard. I pulled in and started doing the same thing I'd been doing – throwing at holes in the grass with a worm."

He caught about eight fish doing that and had 9 pounds in the box. There was less than an hour to go when he ran into his friend Larry Nixon.

"I told Larry I needed 8 more pounds, or I'd be out of it. He took off, I turned around and went back in there to make one more pass. It got so thick I couldn't throw a worm."

That's when he switched to a frog. "I had 30 minutes to kill so I thought, 'Heck, I'll tie on that new Strike King rubber frog.' I tied it on and on the second cast caught a 5-pounder. Two casts later I caught a 4-pounder.

"So in the last 30 minutes I caught 9 pounds, and that made all the different in the world."

And he thinks there's still a chance he can win. "The way I look at tomorrow is, if I can catch 9 pounds in 30 minutes, maybe I can catch five for 25 pounds. If the rest of the guys tumble, you never know. I might have a chance."

9th: Coble Puzzled

North Carolina's Jeff Coble won the ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series Championship to qualify for the Classic. He was 16th yesterday and improved to 9th today with 14-10 (31-09 total).

"I didn't catch many keepers today – probably nine," he said. "I've kind of figured out how to catch some late in the day. But tomorrow that'll probably go out the window because of the cold front.

"I'm realistic. I don't have a chance to win. I'm fishing for position from here on out."

He's fishing Toho and but noted the bigger bags are coming from Kissimmee. "I don't know what kind of gameplan to come up with tomorrow. I'm kind of puzzled. The wind dirtied up some water today where I thought I could catch some.

"Whether it clears up, I don't know how that will work out."

10th: Reese Not Real Pleased

Skeet Reese will go into day 3 as a member of the Top 10 with a 30-06 total, but he's not thrilled with his performance. He moved up nine spots today despite a bag that was more than half a pound lighter than his day 1 haul.

"It's been very mediocre," he said. "I had goals of doing a lot better, but I'm just kind of struggling and grinding it out."

There's hope for tomorrow though. "I think I figured something out that might help me a little and could potentially pay off in a giant stringer. The only thing is, I don't like being 14 pounds off the lead. If it was 4 pounds or 6 pounds, I'd be a lot more optimistic. This might get me a Top 10, but that's not what I'm here for."

He caught "seven or eight" keepers today and his biggest was about 5 pounds. He caught that fish late in the day and lost another good one. "I feel like I'm kind of on the right deal now."

He's fishing a 10-inch Berkley Power Worm, but opted to keep the specific technique to himself. "There's a few other guys keying on that pattern," he said.

11th: Nixon Scrambled

Larry Nixon's 9-15 today was half of what he caught yesterday. With 29-07 total, he dropped from 8th to 11th where he's 14-14 behind leader Clausen.

He said he had "a great fishing day" because he caught a lot of keepers. "I just didn't catch any big ones. I lost one 3-pounder that would have made me a little happier. But it's not what I wanted."

He caught an early limit on a Berkley Gulp! Sinking Minnow, then the wind blew him off his primary spot. "The wind got worse and worse and I had to go hunt sheltered areas. I found a lot more fish, but no quality.

"I scrambled, but you couldn't really scramble – the fish weren't in scramble-mode. I had to fish areas I'm not real comfortable fishing. Realistically, I don't have a chance. But if two or three guys stub their toes, and I catch 25 pounds, who knows?"

He won't change tomorrow. "There's nothing to change right now. The fish are so into spawn and post-spawn there's only one way to fish for them. They're not burying under cover. You have to hit them in the head to get one to bite."

12th: VanDam Will Go For It

Kevin VanDam – the reigning Classic champ and the No. 1 ranked angler in the world – didn't haul in any huge sacks. But he was consistent. He weighed 14-02 yesterday, and with 14-15 today, improved from 25th to 12th.

"I've got to catch 30 tomorrow to have a shot," he said. "It's possible. There's not many lakes where you have a better chance to catch a giant stringer than this one. I know what I have to do."

What he has to do is "change totally – both lakes and baits. I'm going to fish Kissimmee and throw a 10-inch Strike King Iguana lizard and a big spinnerbait.

"I haven't fished that well this week," he added. "I made a couple big mistakes yesterday and broke a couple off that I should never have done.

"I'm going to swing for it."

13th: Kriet Got Covered Up

Jeff Kriet, who weighed 8-05 today and slipped from 7th to 13th, described his day as a "nightmare." He's fishing the same area as Clausen and Wirth, but covered up today. He didn't blame anybody, but was nonetheless frustrated.

"Luke Clausen's one of my best friends," he said. "Last night we were going to eat and we got to talking. Turns out we're on the same stuff. Yesterday, he went in and caught his stuff and left before I came in.

"Today we ran down there and he stops right where I caught one of my big ones yesterday. He was on one side of me, Wirth was on the other and there were shiner boats between me and Luke, and between me and the bank.

"I went from plenty of water to no water. I fished slow and was through my stuff in a half-hour. Rather than chill out I got frustrated. And the wind was killing me."

He eventually ran back to Toho and culled up to his weight.

"Luke and Wirth did nothing wrong. I just didn't have any water. Mentally I fished a really bad game. I think I'm getting better at the mental game, but today I could feel that downward spiral."

14th: History on Yelas' Side

Jay Yelas caught a 15-02 sack to move up 14 places with a 28-05 total, and he hasn't totally written himself out of the title picture. His day 2 report is located in the BassFan Big Sticks section. To read it, click here.

14th: Hite Drops 8

Davy Hite fell eight spots with his 7-12 sack, but easily made the cut with a 25-08 total thanks to his 20-pound stringer on day 1. He caught about 10 keepers in Kissimmee, but none over 2 pounds.

He thought today's conditions were ripe for a spinnerbait bite, but he couldn't make it develop. "I just kept catching peanuts (small fish) and more peanuts," he said. "I thought it was a perfect day to fish a spinnerbait. I couldn't get bit on it, but I also had a hard time keeping it out of my hands.

"The day started off pretty good, but I just didn't get the quality bites that I got yesterday."

He said he hooked one at about 1:00 that would have gone 8 to 10 pounds. "It rolled up on its side, but it shook its head and got off."

16th: Johnson Rebounds

Jimmy Johnson, the Federation qualifier from La Crosse, Wis., moved up 23 spots with a 17-13 bag for for a 28-00 total. He was happy to make the cut, but a little disappointed that he wasn't higher in the standings.

"It's a step," he said. "I'd like to be in the Top 5 so I could maybe quit my job, but us dang Federation guys always have to work."

He said he caught about a dozen keepers, and one was a 5-pounder. His bag outweighed his day 1 haul by 7 pounds. "I concentrated more on what I know best, which is swimming a jig."

He said he pulled the jig out of the mouth of a 10-pounder that followed it to the boat. "I jerked and it wasn't there."

17th: Tucker Fished Hard

Mark Tucker started and ended the day in 17th. His 10-09 limit today brought his 2-day total to 27-05.

"I probably caught 12 keepers, but no big fish," he said. "Almost all my fish were on a spinnerbait today. I hooked a big one but never even got to turn it. That was the only fish I lost all day.

"The wind was blowing so hard, and I was fishing arrowheads and bulrushes. You have to put the bait right in there, but the grass keeps getting stirred up. It kills you."

He feels "great" because he fished hard. "I put the trolling motor down and on the first cast caught a keeper. I never put the trolling motor up until 2:00, when I moved. I really thought I was going to catch them."

18th: Clunn's Blade Is Dull

Like Hite, Rick Clunn expected a strong spinnerbait bite. He didn't get it and fell 13 places with a 6-05 bag and a 27-01 total.

"I'm really disappointed because I thought the conditions were set up perfectly for the spinnerbait," he said. "I didn't have any bed-fish left, so I figured I'd throw the spinnerbait all day and bust a big bag.

"Most days with these kinds of conditions, it's just a matter of moving through the right stretch. I kept thinking it was going to happen, but it never did. It's just one of those mysteries of life. I've been doing this 34 years and I don't understand it."

19th: Swindle Is Happier

Gerald Swindle salvaged some self-respect – and a spot in the Top 25 – with an 18-06 bag for a 27-00 total. He'd been agitated with himself a day earlier, when he was in 46th place with 8-10.

"I'm a little bit happier today," he said. "Mentally, I got a little more focused and I slowed down."

His top priority was to catch a "big fish," and he achieved that by boating a 7-12. He fished two spots in Toho with a Zoom Horny Toad and a worm.

"I'll got out tomorrow and pitch that worm and try to catch a big sack. I'm going to get ugly with them."

20th: Martens Will Switch

Aaron Martens improved one spot today with an 11-06 limit.

"I had a pretty quick start," he said. "I caught one or two early, then lost two real quick and didn't think much of it. Then it just shut off. I think the spot I picked wasn't very good – it might have got fished out yesterday."

He had been sight-fishing, but didn't see any today. He also threw a topwater and that didn't work either. "I started looking for places post-spawners might move to. But I don't know what fish do here in the post-spawn."

He finally started flipping mats around 12:00 and finished out his limit.

"You don't fish the Classic to place in the Top 20," he said. "You fish it to win. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but it was a pretty bad performance.

"I'll have to try some different areas tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll change lakes, because Toho has enough fish, but I'm just worried about boat traffic. There's so many boats the fish are freaked out. And actually, the fish I did catch were kind of secluded."

20th: Rook's Bites Small

Scott Rook couldn't catch a fish larger than 2 1/4 pounds. His 9-05 bag for a 26-07 total dropped him seven places.

"I really thought I had a chance after yesterday," he said. "I'm in an area where they're spawning so there's got to be some big females, but I didn't catch any of them.

"I had two good bites and both grabbed the tails of the worm. I set the hook and missed, and they left boils the size of truck hoods. I cast in there 40 to 50 more times, but I couldn't get them to bite again."

He fished the west side of Toho and said the wind muddied up about half of his area.

22nd: Rojas Dodged Bullet

Dean Rojas was 14th yesterday and caught 9-05 today for a 26-05 total. He made the cut in 22nd by 2-02.

"I feel like I dodged a bullet," he said. "It was a battle all the way through. I had two fish at 12:30 this afternoon and at 1:00 I had my limit.

"I was able to put some sight-fish in the boat, but I couldn't get a rhythm or anything going."

He'll change lakes and baits tomorrow.

23rd: Hackney Fished South

Greg Hackney weighed only four today (7-10) and was one of the three anglers who tied for the final cut spot.

About his day, he said: "I fished Cypress and Hatchineha and I wouldn't have changed anything. I lost one fish, and if I caught it I would have had a perfect day.

"I can't complain. It's just one of those things. My fish moved and I couldn't relocate them. They were post-spawn females and I felt really good that they'd be there through the tournament."

23rd: Biffle Expected More

Tommy Biffle fished both Kissimmee and Hatchineha and slipped under the cutline with a 10-14 bag and a 26-03 total.

"I'm not really happy," he said. "I thought I'd get some big bites and do better, but what I'm wanting to do doesn't seem to be working. I've been throwing a frog and a Zoom Horny Toad and I caught three great big ones in pre-practice before the cold came.

"I thought once the water warmed up it would get really good, but so far they're not really on it."

23rd: Monroe Survives

Ish Monroe went from 9th to a tie for 23rd with four fish for 7-01 today and a 26-03 total. He admitted that the cut played on his mind when he struggled in the early hours.

"Being too conservative prevented me from being totally focused on what I was doing," he said. "I tried to run around and catch little ones, and I was just scatterbrained.

"Tomorrow I'm going to need to catch a really big sack. I'm going to bring out the flipping stick again, and the swimbait."

He said if he hadn't started thinking about the cut, he probably would have made it with plenty of room to spare. "But that's not what I'm here for – I'm here to win. Tomorrow I'm either coming in with a lot, or I'm coming in with nothing."

51st: Iaconelli Disappointed

Mike Iaconelli started today with zero weight – his weight was DQd yesterday. He caught an 8-13 limit today and finished dead last. He said "disappointed would be the best word" to describe his feeling.

On day 1, he became upset after a number of his fish either died, or nearly died. He swore on-camera and in front of spectators, and destroyed his running light. BASS tournament director Trip Weldon DQd him for a violation of BASS's sportsmanship rule.

He does regret his actions, and offered an apology to anyone he'd offended, but took issue with Weldon's ruling.

"He had to make a decision," Iaconelli said of Weldon. "He's the tournament director. He was doing his job. I don't feel it was the correct decision, but I have to honor that.

"Basically, my feeling at this point is I still don't think it was to the level of a DQ. I struggle to believe that."

He added: "To anyone I offended I apologize. I'm a passionate person. Sometimes my emotions get the best of me. That's what happened. I didn't intentionally be destructive, but that's how it came out. I wish I could go back and not do it, but I have to go on."

Iaconelli released fish that appeared to be near death. If he did release a dead fish, it would have been a violation of BASS rules. "That was not a dead fish," he said. "It was absolutely alive."

In addition, when he was DQd on day 2 of the 2004 Bassmaster Classic for fishing an off-limits area, some questioned whether the move was intentional. That same issue has been raised here. Iaconelli denied the affair was planned or scripted in any way.

"It was not," he said. "It was an unfortunate incident. Again, I regret what I did, but I did it and I can't go back. If it was scripted, it sure wasn't by me.

"Things happen and you move forward. You learn from your mistakes and you keep fishing. I've got the whole season ahead of me."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 51 anglers, 44 limits (5 less than yesterday), no zeroes (two less than yesterday).

> VanDam's lucky cookies made the rounds today. Tommy Biffle was seen chasing Scott Rook, who had procured some cookies from VanDam's roommate Dave Hite.

> Did the cookies help Rook? "I went a long time without a bite, ate one of those cookies and 2 minutes later got a bite," he said. "Then I went a couple more hours without a bite. I started thinking about a cookie and darned if I didn't get a bite again. Then I went a long time without another bite, ate my last cookie and within 2 minutes got bit again. It's the cookies."

Weather Forecast

Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the final tournament day.

Sun., Feb. 26 – A.M. Rain – 65°/46°
> Wind: From the N at 23 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Luke Clausen -- Spokane Valley, Wash. -- 10, 44-05
Day 1: 5, 29-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

2. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ark. -- 10, 39-15
Day 1: 5, 18-15 -- Day 2: 5, 21-00

3. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 10, 39-04
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 28-06

4. Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 10, 39-03
Day 1: 5, 29-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

5. Rick Morris -- Lanexa, Va. -- 10, 37-05
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 5, 18-14

6. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 10, 35-09
Day 1: 5, 22-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04

7. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 10, 35-03
Day 1: 5, 23-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09

8. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 10, 31-12
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11

9. Jeff Coble -- Manson, N.C. -- 10, 31-09
Day 1: 5, 16-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10

10. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 10, 30-06
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14

11. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ark. -- 10, 29-07
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 9-15

12. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 10, 29-01
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

13. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 10, 28-08
Day 1: 5, 20-03 -- Day 2: 5, 8-05

14. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 10, 28-05
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 7-12

14. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Texas -- 10, 28-05
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02

16. Jimmy Johnson -- La Crosse, Wisc. -- 10, 28-00
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13

17. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 10, 27-05
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09

18. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 8, 27-01
Day 1: 5, 20-12 -- Day 2: 3, 6-05

19. Gerald Swindle -- Hayden, Ala. -- 10, 27-00
Day 1: 5, 8-10 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06

20. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 10, 26-07
Day 1: 5, 17-02 -- Day 2: 5, 9-05

20. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Calif. -- 10, 26-07
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06

22. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu, Ariz. -- 10, 26-05
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 9-05

23. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 10, 26-03
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14

23. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 9, 26-03
Day 1: 5, 19-02 -- Day 2: 4, 7-01

23. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 9, 26-03
Day 1: 5, 18-09 -- Day 2: 4, 7-10

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not be fishing tomorrow:

26. Marty Stone -- Linden, N.C. -- 10, 24-11 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-10 -- Day 2: 5, 8-01

27. Andre Moore -- Alabaster, Ala. -- 9, 24-06 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 4, 10-00

28. Chad Brauer -- Osage Beach, Mo. -- 10, 24-04 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08

29. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Calif. -- 10, 24-03 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04

30. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 10, 24-01 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-02

31. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Ill. -- 10, 23-05 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 8-13

32. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 10, 22-15 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12

33. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 10, 22-08 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

33. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 8, 22-08 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 3, 5-08

35. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, Okla. -- 10, 22-03 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 9-09

36. Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 10, 21-14 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 8-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00

37. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 10, 21-08 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 9-05

38. Bob Soley -- Trenton, N.J. -- 10, 21-07 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 7-08

39. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 10, 21-05 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-15 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06

40. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 10, 21-00 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 7-04 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12

41. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 9, 20-08 -- 10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 4, 8-11

42. James Kennedy -- Lacombe, La. -- 10, 19-13 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-03 -- Day 2: 5, 8-10

43. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 10, 19-09 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

44. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tenn. -- 10, 19-03 -- 10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-11 -- Day 2: 5, 9-08

45. Joe Conway -- Colorado Springs, Colo -- 8, 19-02 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 3, 5-01

46. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas -- 10, 18-15 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 8-10 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

46. Joel St. Germain -- Cumberland, R.I. -- 7, 18-15 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 4-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06

48. Stacey D King -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 10, 16-01 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 5-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

48. Dave Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa. -- 10, 16-01 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-05 -- Day 2: 5, 6-12

50. Anre' De Villiers -- Goodwood, South Africa -- 10 -- 15-11 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 7-09 -- Day 2: 5, 8-02

51. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 5, 8-13 -- $10,000
Day 1: 0, 0-00 -- Day 2: 5, 8-13

Big Bass

> Day 2: Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 9-05 -- $1,000
> Day 1: Preston Clark -- Palatka, Fla. -- 11-10 -- $1,000