Kennedy Keeps Lead With 17-04 Day 3 Sack

Steve Kennedy said the fish seem to bite every other day for him on Okeechobee. Today, it seemed that way for the rest of the Top 10 too. The water warmed, the Florida sun reared its head and the bite died. Sacks were considerably smaller today and day 2 leader Steve Kennedy defended his position with a 17-04 limit.

Here's a look at how the final field sits after day 3:

1. Steve Kennedy -- 17-04
2. Dean Rojas -- 16-13
3. Terry Bolton -- 14-10
4. Greg Pugh -- 10-13
5. Bobby Lane -- 9-10
6. Kelly Jordon -- 7-13
7. Keith Williams -- 7-12
8. Toshinari Namiki -- 6-08
9. Chad Grigsby -- 3-00
10. Jerry Green -- 0-00

It's literally anybody's tournament to win. As the water continues to warm – and with more sun expected tomorrow – the big-fish bite could turn on at any time. A 20- or 30-pound sack is more than possible, which means even Jerry Green, who zeroed today, is within possible striking distance.

Kennedy Surprised

Did leader Steve Kennedy have a good day? "It didn't feel like a good day," he said. "After my 25-15 yesterday, today was like pulling teeth.

"I caught 20 or more fish, but they were all cookie-cutter 1 1/2-pounders. I only got one big bite – it was my last bite – and I got in with 15 minutes to go. It weighed 6-00 even. My next biggest fish was only 3-15. I was really expecting to get a big bite before 3:30."

After his big fish didn't show up today, he didn't like his chances. "I didn't think I'd be leading. I figured somebody would have a good 30-pound stringer. I felt I'd be in striking distance though.

Anybody can come in with 25 or 30 pounds tomorrow. All these fish have to do is show up and turn on."

He said he won't change anything tomorrow. "I'll go camp out where I've been. I'm not changing anything. I've caught way too many fish, and I know there's some big ones in there."

Four of the Top 10 failed to weight a limit today, but Kennedy said he caught a limit from a single spot. "I caught a limit out of one mat without moving the boat."

He noted the bright sun probably hurt the big-fish bite. "I think it's the sun. Yesterday, clouds came over around 12:00. Between 12:00 and 1:00 I got my big bites. We had a brief period of fog this morning, but otherwise it was sunny.

"I don't think the big fish feed on a day like that. If we can get any kind of wind or clouds to set these fish on the edge where you can call your shots, we'll see some awesome bags coming in.

"I don't think the fish left. It's unbelievable how many boats went round and round on a spot, then the next boat would go by and catch a big one. They're still there."

He said if he can match his weight tomorrow he has a good shot at the win. "I'll take my chances with another 17 tomorrow. I think 35 pounds could win. Some of these guys are saying only 31 pounds, but I'll be very disappointed if I don't have what I caught today.

"We're coming in 2 hours earlier tomorrow though, so that may affect the weights a little."

Rojas Close

Rojas is only 7 ounces behind Kennedy. "I'm close," he said. "Tomorrow I need to finish the deal. After the Classic and all the Top 10s I had last year, I feel about the same. I have to go out and try to do the best I can.

"I fished pretty flawlessly the first 3 days, and I haven't lost anything that would have hurt me. That's all you can ask for – to fish perfectly and be in the Top 10."

He said the warmer weather has brought fish in. "I feel good and the area I'm fishing has a lot of big fish in it. The weather's warmer and there's no doubt fish are moving in.

"We had real light winds, the water temps rose about 6 degrees and we had a lot of sun. The moon's almost full and they're calling for the same weather tomorrow, so things are shaping up."

He got another big one today. "I got an 8-14, and that's what it takes here. I caught three big ones in the last three days, and that's what separates you.

"For the big fish, it's just a matter of covering water. I'm just going over and over the same area.

"It's a staging area and I'm catching them before they head in to spawn. The females I'm catching are big fat ones. They're footballs. They're packed full of eggs ready to spawn."

He said he might make a slight change tomorrow. "In the morning I'll probably throw a topwater – a propbait – the Luhr-Jensen Fish Stick. They don't make it anymore, but it works really good down here in Florida.

"It's a big-fish bait. If it stays warm all night and the water temps stay stable, the fish might come up. So I'll fish that, a spinnerbait and a Tiki Stick.

"I'll need 20 pounds tomorrow. I'm giving it all I got. I'm really focused and trying hard. I just want to finish this thing off."

Bolton Shook Up

"I'm just hanging in there," Bolton said. "It was a lot tougher today. I caught a big fish and that made the difference."

He said he got his big bite around 10:00. "I was pretty shook up after I caught it. An 8-14 in the bull-rushes with a spinnerbait? It was heart-stopping. It was a heck of a bite. She just crushed it."

Aside from the big bite, he said he said he had fewer bites overall today. "I only had five keeper bites, and I caught all five.

"The area I'm fishing, for some reason, got dirtier overnight. The wind stopped blowing, but it seems the water shifted back to the other side of the lake or something, and pulled dirtier water into my area.

"I'm moving around and having more trouble finding cleaner water to fish. The wind still blew in about same direction today, so it's really strange."

He said he'll stick to his plan tomorrow. "Tomorrow, I think I'll just dance with the one that brought me. I've seen a 9, an 8 and a 6 come out of this area. So I'll go back and fish it hard.

"We have a short day tomorrow. I've got one other area I can go to, but I didn't get any big bites there. A big bite will win the tournament, so I'll stick with what I've been doing.

"I may move a little closer in and try to find some cleaner water after the sun comes up."

Pugh's Five Felt Good

"I wasn't looking forward to coming in," Pugh said. "I thought it would take a lot more weight to be where I'm at. Apparently it tough on everybody else too.

"It still felt good – having a five-fish stringer. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the bigger ones to bite."

He said he wasn't sure why his fish turned off today. "We had some fog this morning, but it was clear – the sun was out and bright – so I don't know what the deal was.

"I thought my fish would bite with all of that. They didn't, but tomorrow's another day. Hopefully tomorrow will be a big day for me."

He added that he fished alone today. "I had it all to myself. That was real good. I don't know what to think about tomorrow. I'll stay with what I've got.

"My fish are still coming off spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps. I'll say there's a good possibility of a 20-pound bag tomorrow, so I think I need 35 to 37 pounds to win."

Green Will Change

"It was tough," Green said. "I really don't know what happened. I just didn't get the bites.

"There were three of us in one little area making circles around each other. One guy got them, but the other guy didn't do much at all. It's pressured, and the water muddied up more today. It's getting worse every day."

He said big fish were caught around him. "The sun didn't affect the bite. One guy caught an 8-14 right in front of me. Those fish have seen so many baits go by, you need to pretty much hit them on the head.

"Tomorrow I'll go to another place I found in practice. It's at the opposite end of the lake, so it wasn't like I could just run over there today.

"I'll go try to get a limit there, then go fish some grass for a big bite. You can catch 26 pounds here anytime. It can happen. Hopefully it will."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 10 anglers, 6 limits, 1 zero.

> Dean Rojas said he was "wowed" by the FOX Sports coverage of the event. "We were wearing hat-cams, and they had 20-foot boom cams on a boat following you around. They have some tricked-out stuff, and they're doing things a lot differently than everybody else. They've got stuff here I've never even seen before, and never thought I'd see in any bass fishing tournament. It's really wild."

> Chris Koester didn't make the cut, but had a lot to say about the tournament from the co-angler's perspective. Click here to go On Tour With The BassFan Army reps and read his Tour journal.

Weather Forecast

> Sat, Jan 22 – Mostly Sunny– 74°/58°
- Wind: From the SW at 5 to 10 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 17-04
2. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, TX -- 5, 16-13
3. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 14-10
4. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, AL -- 5, 10-13
5. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 9-10
6. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 5, 7-13
7. Keith Williams -- Conway, AR -- 4, 7-12
8. Toshinari Namiki -- Mineola, TX -- 1, 6-08
9. Chad Grigsby -- Colon, MI -- 2, 3-00
10. Jerry Green -- Justiceburg, TX -- 0, 0-00