It was slick, sunny, the fish were picked over, and the local traffic launched en masse this morning at Clarks Hill Reservoir along the Georgia–South Carolina border, but Florida's Chris Lane shook all that off and stuck his third solid bag of the event.

He was one of four anglers who weighed more than

20 pounds on day 1, and two of the others who did it are immediately behind him in the standings. But Lane's consistency has so far outlasted everyone else.

After his 20-06 start, he followed up with 17-09 yesterday, then 18-13 today. That brought his 3-day total to 56-12 (or an average of 19 pounds a day). That's well beyond the initial weight predications for the difficult post-spawn conditions occurring right now.

Pete Ponds is still hanging in there though. He started the day in 5th and 2-08 behind Lane, but his 16-05 today was enough to bump him back up to 2nd (where he was after day 1).

Then comes Mike McCelland, who trailed Lane by just 2 ounces yesterday. A light 12-11 limit dropped him back a spot to 3rd.

Kevin Short has been rock steady all 3 days (15-06, 16-07, 15-07), and he ended today in 4th (up from 9th yesterday).

In 5th is rookie Derek Remitz, who caught 20-00 yesterday, but just 10-11 today.

Here's a look at the anglers who made the cut and will fish the final day. Total weight is followed by distance from leader in red.

1. Chris Lane: 56-12
2. Pete Ponds: 51-12 (5-00)
3. Mike McClelland: 50-08 (6-04)
4. Kevin Short: 47-04 (9-08)
5. Derek Remitz: 46-04 (10-08)
6. Casey Ashley: 46-03 (10-09)
7. Bryan Hudgins: 45-03 (11-09)
8. Skeet Reese: 44-10 (12-02)
9. John Crews: 44-05 (12-07)
10. Ish Monroe: 43-15 (12-13)
11. Fred Roumbanis: 43-14 (12-14)
12. Aaron Martens: 43-01 (13-11)

Jon Bondy, who began the day in 8th, caught 9-10 and finished 13th – 5 ounces behind Aaron Martens and first out of the cut.

Others who fell out of the cut were: Jason Quinn (7th to 15th), Rick Morris (10th to 17th), Jeff Reynolds (11th to 33rd), and Randy Howell (12th to 14th).

They were replaced by Skeet Reese (19th to 8th), John Crews (13th to 9th), Ish Monroe (37th to 10th), Fred Roumbanis (16th to 11th), and Martens (15th to 12th).

Analysis

Although nobody's truly out of it, is does look like a three-horse race between Lane, Ponds and McClelland.

Ponds' fish are biting differently – they're nipping and not committing – and because his area's so small, he might be the most vulnerable of the three to local traffic. But he's around big fish, and if he can get two of them to go early tomorrow, he's got a heck of a shot at catching Lane.

His entire key is two big bites, with a little letup from Lane.

McClelland's biggest problem is community. He's been sharing with lots of anglers this week, and continues to share with Remitz. In fact, he and Remitz have caught their biggest fish the past 3 days from the exact same spot. It's tough enough to make an area last for 4 days, but throw another boat or two in there and it's nearly impossible.



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Lane said he'll throw a Smithwick Devil's Horse on the first cast tomorrow in honor of his grandfather.

Still, McCelland should get the wind he needs tomorrow – from the south or west, as opposed to the north – and that could help him. Also notable is he's not catching schooling fish, so at least his jig bite is a little more predictable than the here-gone schooling bite.

Lane's banking on a single spot tomorrow, but he looks exceptionally strong right now. He comes from a tournament-rich family and is well-versed in fish management. He's only a sophomore though, so the mental aspect – the pressure factor – looms huge.

The weights don't lie though, and with a 19-pound average, he's pulled well away from the field.

If he catches 10 pounds tomorrow – which is a virtual lock here in any creek with a dropshot – that means Ponds needs 15 pounds. Each pound over 10 forces Ponds upward, and the threshold looks like 13 pounds. If Lane can catch 13, then Ponds would need 18, or McClelland 19 – something neither angler has done since day 1.

Lane Wants 18

"I'm excited, but I've got a lot of work to do," Lane said. "With the bags that were caught today, I have to go catch them tomorrow. Like I said yesterday, 1st is a tough place to be – the only place to go is backwards. I don't want to do that."

Even though 13 or 14 pounds could be enough to clinch, he sees 18 pounds as the benchmark where he'd be "real comfortable." And since he caught 18-13 today, which didn't include a bunch of good fish he lost, he thinks that's doable.

Notable was that he put the blame on himself for the lost fish. "They didn't feel the hook that good. They came and sucked it in. These fish are harder to judge for me than (those) in Florida. There, you set the hook right away on topwater. Here, you have to let them eat that thing until they pull the rod back. Getting the hang of that's been hard for me.

"I'm banking on one spot tomorrow, and I'm kind of excited about it," he added. "My co-angler had a good day today too – he caught 12 or 13 pounds – and I was happy for him.

"My main focus is to catch every fish that bites tomorrow – put every fish in the boat and capitalize on the bite. There's enough fish in there for me to win this thing. It's just, what's the right bait to throw, and where to put the boat when?"

About what a win would mean for him, he said: "That would take a ton of financial stress off of me and my family. It's been okay so far, but you can only go so long and so far without a major sponsorship. I'm very thankful for the sponsors I've got now, but I have to tell you that with the financial burden taken off the shoulders, I wouldn't have to worry about having enough gas money to get back from California."

Also notable is how influential his grandfather's been in his life, and in this event. First, he used his grandfather's example this afternoon on the water. Second, he'll throw a bait in his grandfather's honor for the first cast tomorrow.

About the first instance: "Some local anglers were catching some and throwing them in the box (where I was fishing)," he said. "When I'd go fishing with my grandpa, if a tournament boat came in and said anything, he'd give them a piece of his mind. If they didn't say anything, he'd be nice and get out of the way. I didn't say anything and they were nice – they gave me plenty of room."

And about the first cast tomorrow: "I'm throwing a Devil's Horse first cast. Maybe the first two or three if I catch one. That's all he used to fish with. He got 500 from Bass Pro Shops, and that's what he'd give us for good report cards, birthdays, everything. It was always the same one – same color. I think it would be a neat thing to do."

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Pete Ponds still feels he's around big fish, although they're biting differently now.

2nd: Ponds Hit Spot Harder

Although Lane's been catching them every day, Ponds has too. He came in a little light yesterday with 14-06, which is the biggest reason he trails by 5 pounds, but given the up-down nature of most weights this week, he's well within reach.

"I'm feeling good," he said. "Chris can stumble or I can catch a big bite – anything can happen. I had a 6 1/2-pounder the first day, so it's possible. The fish in my area are schooling, and I just have to see what I can do.

"I feel good about it," he added. "I think my chances are great. I like being 2nd. The pressure's not on me near as bad as it is on (Lane). I think that'll play to my advantage."

He noted his fish are getting a little picked over. He hit his best area harder today than he did yesterday. Wind doesn't concern him, or current. The only thing that could hurt him is what could hurt everyone else, and that's local pressure.

He noted that is a concern, but he also said that local anglers have been good to him – especially one in particular today.

"I'm fishing a small area, and there are a lot of guys who know where I'm fishing after today. If they can just be kind enough to give it to me for 1 more day, that would be great. As a matter of fact, I was fishing my area today and someone pulled in there.

"He said, 'How're you doing in the tournament?' I told him and he said, 'I'm out of here.' It was absolutely great. I can't say enough nice things about these people here."

About the leader, Ponds said: "Chris is a pretty experienced fisherman. But if you have a lot of pressure on you, it's one of those things that can affect your mind a little. I certainly have to think positive about this opportunity."

About what a win would mean to him at this stage of his career, he said: "Certainly, financially, it would mean a lot. My wife's still employed. It would be an opportunity to get money to invest so she wouldn't have to work.

"And it would really mean a whole lot. I can't describe that. If I were to win, it would just be so much as far as representing my sponsors that have stood behind me for all these years – the chance to give them what they ask for."

He told BassFans that he went easy on his best spot yesterday, to help save it. As noted, he fished it harder today, but once again, it took a change in baits to connect. One problem was the fish have changed their attack.

"I still think there's plenty of fish. I'm just a little bit concerned about how big they are," he said. "I'll keep varying baits. The original one I started with is kind of a secret bait, and it's not working as well as it did. It's getting a lot of strikes, but they're not connecting with it.

"When you get a lot of pressure on these fish, they finally start nipping at it (as opposed to striking). I'm probably catching 40 to 50 fish a day, and when you catch that many out of a place, they get a little scared – a little nervous."

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Mike McClelland should get a south wind tomorrow – it won't be strong, but he thinks it'll help.

3rd: McClelland Still Sharing

After 20-09 the first day, then 17-04 yesterday, McClelland brought just 16-05 to the scales today. Part of the problem was wind – he needs a west to southwest wind, which he should get tomorrow.

But another big problem is company. He's sharing water with 5th-place Derek Remitz, and a lot of others fished there the first 2 days. So the area's been pounded to dust.

About what he needs to do tomorrow, he said: "The wind's finally shifting direction, and it should pay off for me tomorrow. But I don't think there's any big fish left in the area. Myself and Derek Remitz fished it the last few days.

"Hopefully, some more fish should move in tomorrow, so I feel pretty good about my chances. Chris has that big lead, but if the wind shifts, it might hurt him. Based on the bags I've seen this week, (the deficit) can be made up in a real hurry. The key is to get two of those big bites tomorrow. That'll give me the opportunity.

"And I'll definitely keep the Jewel jig in hand, unless I see some schoolers."

He noted that Remitz approached him last night to discuss how to handle the sharing. That's when he realized that their big-fish spots were one and the same, and it had been cleaned off.

5th: Remitz 'Went Fishing'

There has to be some secret to Remitz' success. The rookie sensation won the opening event at Amistad, finished 2nd at the California Delta, and made the Top 12 cut here. But according to him, he's just fishing.

"With the way my practice went, I'm very happy to be where I am right now," he said. "It's the same story as the Delta – I just went fishing, and kind of ran into some fish."

As mentioned above, though, those fish might be running out, since he's sharing his best spot with McClelland.

"They kind of fizzled on us both today," Remitz noted. "But I've been finding new stuff every day. Just basically running and gunning, and trying to run into a few fish.

"I'm going to hit some of the stuff I've got a little history with (tomorrow)."

About whether he thinks he can win, he said: "Honestly, I'm probably fishing for 2nd. Chris Lane's on 'em and he's probably going to catch 'em. But you never know, so I'll go out and shoot for a 20-pound bag and let the cards fall where they are."

6th: Ashley Lost 'Em

It's one of the most-heard excuses there is, but in Ashley's case, it rings true – he lost the fish he needed and never recovered.

He weighed just 9-05 and he trails Lane by 9 1/2 pounds.

"It was tough, but it was pretty much tough on everybody," he said. "I had some missed opportunities early, and just had a bad day.

"I had a 5 on this morning and he came off. About an hour after that, a 7-pounder jumped over my topwater. Then a 4-pounder came and knocked it out of the water and never came back.

"But we'll go back in the morning and see what I can do with them."

On whether he thinks he's got a shot to win, he said: "I'd have to catch 30 pounds tomorrow to win, and that's very unlikely on this lake. I'm pretty much shooting for 2nd tomorrow."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 50 anglers, 42 limits, 1 four, 5 threes, 1 two, 1 one, no zeroes.

> Lane has one BASS win to his credit – the 2006 Okeechobee Bassmaster Southern Tour.

> Remitz currently leads the BassFan Rookie of the Year Race.

> Skeet Reese, currently No. 3 in the BassFan World Rankings presented by Tru-Tungsten, led the Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race prior to the event. With his Top 12, he'll hold that lead after. About the AOY race, and the fact that Jared Lintner will likely take over 2nd, he said: "This is only the fourth tournament. He (Lintner) is not the only great angler in here – there's a lot of superstars. Remitz is a little freak. He's like a wolverine. He never stops catching them. At every event, I just do the best I can do, and that's what I've done so far."

> As noted, 16th-place Lintner will likely move into the No. 2 spot in the AOY race. About his week, he said: "I was in shallow pockets all tournament long, looking for bedding fish. There were not that many, so I dropshotted out in the middle of the pockets in little ditches. I was catching 10 to 15 keepers a day and I'd come across a big one every now and then. I just had a great tournament."

> Klein made a huge move yesterday (from 77th to 20th), then caught 10-11 today and finished 30th. "This is one of my favorite fisheries in the whole country, not because of size or quantity of fish, but because it's a challenge," he said. "Anytime you're in an environment like this, it forces you to change every day. I'm not at all disappointed and I look forward to coming back next year."

Weather Forecast

> Sun., April 22 – Sunny – 82°/50°
- Wind: From the S at 5 mph

Day 3 Standings

Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, Fla. -- 15, 56-12
Day 1: 5, 20-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09 -- Day 3: 5, 18-13

2. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Miss. -- 15, 51-12
Day 1: 5, 21-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06 -- Day 3: 5, 16-05

3. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 15, 50-08
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04 -- Day 3: 5, 12-11

4. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 15, 47-04
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-07 -- Day 3: 5, 15-07

5. Derek Remitz -- Hemphill, Texas -- 15, 46-04
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 20-00 -- Day 3: 5, 10-11

6. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, S.C. -- 15, 46-03
Day 1: 5, 22-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08 -- Day 3: 5, 9-05

7. Bryan Hudgins -- Orange Park, Fla. -- 15, 45-03
Day 1: 5, 19-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 10-08

8. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 15, 44-10
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04 -- Day 3: 5, 17-00

9. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 15, 44-05
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 5, 14-12

10. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 15, 43-15
Day 1: 5, 9-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05 -- Day 3: 5, 19-12

11. Fred Roumbanis -- Auburn, Calif. -- 15, 43-14
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11 -- Day 3: 5, 14-12

12. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 15, 43-01
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12 -- Day 3: 5, 13-14

The following anglers didn't make the cut and won't be fishing tomorrow:

13. Jon Bondy -- Windsor, Canada -- 15, 42-12 -- 251 -- $10,800
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 17-07 -- Day 3: 5, 9-10

14. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 15, 42-08 -- 248 -- $10,700
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04 -- Day 3: 5, 12-06

15. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, S.C. -- 13, 42-07 -- 245 -- $10,600
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12 -- Day 3: 3, 8-11

16. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Calif. -- 15, 41-14 -- 243 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03

17. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, Va. -- 15, 41-02 -- 241 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-02

18. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 15, 40-12 -- 239 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14 -- Day 3: 5, 12-05

19. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 15, 39-09 -- 237 -- $11,500
Day 1: 5, 18-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-05

20. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 15, 39-07 -- 235 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14 -- Day 3: 5, 15-11

21. Jim Murray -- Arabi, Ga. -- 14, 39-06 -- 233 -- $10,250
Day 1: 4, 8-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08 -- Day 3: 5, 16-07

22. Ken Brodeur -- Niantic, Conn. -- 15, 39-04 -- 231 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 9-12 -- Day 3: 5, 15-06

23. Lee Bailey -- Boaz, Ala. -- 15, 39-02 -- 228 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 9-09 -- Day 2: 5, 17-03 -- Day 3: 5, 12-06

23. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 15, 39-02 -- 228 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 13-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13 -- Day 3: 5, 12-03

25. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, S.C. -- 14, 38-12 -- 225 -- $10,250
Day 1: 4, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00 -- Day 3: 5, 14-06

26. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Texas -- 15, 38-08 -- 223 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-13 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 12-11

27. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, Ala. -- 15, 38-03 -- 221 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09 -- Day 3: 5, 11-01

28. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 15, 36-15 -- 219 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 9-11 -- Day 3: 5, 13-03

29. Brent Chapman -- Moneta, Va. -- 15, 36-10 -- 217 -- $11,000
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 10-05

30. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 15, 36-09 -- 215 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 7-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-15 -- Day 3: 5, 10-11

31. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 15, 36-07 -- 212 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 6-13 -- Day 2: 5, 16-08 -- Day 3: 5, 13-02

31. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 13, 36-07 -- 212 -- $11,000
Day 1: 3, 5-00 -- Day 2: 5, 21-12 -- Day 3: 5, 9-11

33. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, Okla. -- 13, 36-04 -- 209 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03 -- Day 3: 3, 5-09

34. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, N.C. -- 15, 35-15 -- 207 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-06 -- Day 3: 5, 8-06

35. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 15, 35-03 -- 205 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14 -- Day 3: 5, 11-11

36. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 15, 35-01 -- 203 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 7-04 -- Day 2: 5, 18-01 -- Day 3: 5, 9-12

37. Eric Nethery -- Acworth, Ga. -- 15, 35-00 -- 200 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-11 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-06

37. Matt Amedeo -- Clinton, Ohio -- 15, 35-00 -- 200 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00 -- Day 3: 5, 11-07

39. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, Texas -- 15, 34-13 -- 197 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09 -- Day 3: 5, 8-12

40. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 15, 34-04 -- 195 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02 -- Day 3: 5, 7-14

41. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 15, 33-13 -- 193 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15 -- Day 3: 5, 10-15

42. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 15, 33-01 -- 190 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 8-11 -- Day 3: 5, 9-04

42. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 15, 33-01 -- 190 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 9-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 5, 9-03

44. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 13, 33-00 -- 187 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 3, 5-14

45. William Smith -- Somerset, Ky. -- 13, 32-10 -- 185 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 3, 5-10

46. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, Mo. -- 12, 31-13 -- 183 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04 -- Day 3: 2, 6-14

47. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, La. -- 15, 30-07 -- 181 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12 -- Day 3: 5, 6-10

48. Jimmy Mize -- Ben Lomond, Ark. -- 14, 29-06 -- 179 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07 -- Day 3: 4, 5-05

49. Matthew Sphar -- Pavilion, N.Y. -- 13, 28-03 -- 177 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-04 -- Day 3: 3, 3-14

50. Paul Hirosky -- Guys Mills, Pa. -- 11, 25-05 -- 175 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02 -- Day 3: 1, 0-15

Big Bass

> Day 3 -- Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 7-10 -- $1,000
> Day 2 -- Brent Chapman -- Moneta, Va. -- 8-05 -- $1,000
> Day 1 -- Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 8-02 -- $1,000