Each day at the Harris Chain Bassmaster, Peter Thliveros caught a bigger bag than the day before. Today he weighed his heaviest sack yet – and the heaviest sack of the day – to seal the deal for his fifth tour-level win. He caught a limit of 19-15 and barely beat Day 1 and 2 leader Jim Bitter by 1-11.



Thliveros said the wind that plagued most of the competitors didn't bother him, and may have even helped his bite.

"Going out this morning, I thought my chances were pretty good," he said. "I really did. I don't know why – I just had a good feeling. For once, I didn't have any negative thoughts. I just kind of kept myself in a positive frame of mind and really, really worked hard."

Bitter weighed his second-biggest bag of the tournament today (18-09), which moved him up from 3rd to finish 2nd with 67-10. Yesterday's leader Todd Faircloth weighed only four fish today for 12-03, which dropped him to 3rd place with 64-06. Guy Eaker caught a 15-12 limit and moved back up to 4th place with 60-14.

Both Larry Nixon and Aaron Martens fished the same area, and they both zeroed today. That dropped Nixon to 5th with 46-09, while Martens stayed in 6th with 42-05.

Thliveros Thrilled

Thliveros said it "felt pretty damn good" to win, especially after catching just four keepers today. Usually, a four-fish sack on the final day spells trouble. Good thing for him the sack weighed 19-14.

Winning, he said, "was just one of those things that I wasn't sure was going to happen again. I'm tickled to death. I mean, it's only been 11 years since my last BASS win.

"It's almost as good as the first time. The first time was fabulous, and this time it's almost surreal."

After catching consistent 16- to 16 3/4-pound limits the first 3 days, what did he do differently today to catch 20 pounds? "Nothing," he said. "I fished the same area the same way. The first fish of the day was about a 2-pounder, and he hit a spinnerbait twice without getting hooked, and then hit a worm twice before I got him. I tried to swing him in and he came off. I thought I'd screwed up (the tournament) then.

"Later I caught a 6-08 and a few casts later I caught a 5 1/2-pounder. The weird thing was I caught all females and no males all week. I had opportunities every day to weigh a big stringer. I lost a 4 and an 8 the first day, and a 6 the third day.

"But everybody lost fish," he noted. "That's typical of the spawn. They don't get hooked that well a lot of the time."

While others complained of crowded fishing conditions and wind, he said he had his canals mostly to himself the whole time, and that the wind may actually have helped him.

His winning pattern will be up soon.

Bitter Disappointed

Bitter caught the big fish today (8-09) and a nice limit of 18-08, but his 67-10 total wasn't enough to win. "I'm disappointed," he said. "I don't like (finishing 2nd) since it's the best chance I've had to win one in a while. But I like it for Pete (Thliveros).

"It really shouldn't have been close," he said. "I was on as good a wad of fish as I've ever been on. But the second day I couldn't cover my water like I needed to with all the boats that came in on us.

"Even yesterday, with just four of us, it amazed me that one of them moved in on me real early – halfway through my first run. He just started at the other end and fished toward me. At that point I just put my stuff away and ran up the river where I wouldn't be bothered."

He caught several fish yesterday afternoon in his upriver spot, and went back there today. "I had five fish close to 12 pounds, and with 25 minutes left, I went back to my main area. There was a local on it so I went on by him, but he waved me in. He'd already caught a 7-07 off it. I went in and caught the 8-09 just 25 feet from where I got the 9-03 the first day."

The overcrowded area he fished was a water-moving canal between lakes Griffin and Yale. It's not a residential canal, and has a weir that prevents boat travel from one lake to the other.

Faircloth Feels Good and Bad

Faircloth led yesterday and started to envision his first tour-level win, but it didn't happen. He had four bites today and caught them all, but they weighed just 12-03 and he dropped to 3rd with 64-06.

"I feel good about it in a way, but I'm bummed in a way too," he said. "I did all I could. I caught all my bites today, but it just wasn't my turn to win."

He fished the same area today – which was the only area he fished since the afternoon of day 1. It was the Ninth Street Canal off Lake Harris.

"I caught all but two fish the whole tournament on a Yamamoto Cut-Tail worm," he said. "The other two were bed-fish I caught on a Yamamoto watermelon lizard the first day.

"I had a late flurry yesterday that I thought might happen again today. I did catch three fish late, but I ran out of time."

Eaker: 4th Isn't Too Bad

Eaker had a pretty good day today – he got nine bites and caught seven keepers. His limit weighed 15-12 which boosted his 4-day total to 60-14.

"It's not too bad," he said. "I should be on up there in the Top 3 or 4 (in the BASS Angler of the Year race) with the new points system. I really want to make the Classic, since this year you make two."

He fished the same canal as Bitter and caught flip-fish in heavy cover with a Berkley Power Tube. "I really thought I had a shot at winning this thing," he said. "The dang wind blew in the worst possible way, blowing me into the reeds. I had to use a heavier weight after the first day, and I think I got less bites.

"Today I got a 6-13, and I caught every bite," he said. "I got up in the lilies today and just slowed down. I moved the boat maybe 10 yards and fished all around, then moved again. The lilies held the boat in the wind long enough to fish slower. I only got two on my best spot today.

"I want to be the oldest guy to ever make the Classic," he said. "I'm 65 (years old), and even if Roland Martin makes it, I'm still a month older than him. I love fishing. My heart still tries to jump up in my throat when I get a good fish. If that ever stops happening, then I'll quit."

Nixon Not Surprised

Nixon zeroed today, which kept his tournament total at 46-09 and dropped him back to 5th place, which is where he was on Days 1 and 2.

"It's always disappointing not to win," he said. "But I knew going out today that I was in trouble. I figured (a zero-fish day) might possibly happen. I even just went practicing for a couple hours today.

"I fished slow and patient. I did it right, and fished all the key areas, but they were just gone," he said. "Aaron Martens was in the same area, and he zeroed too. It wasn't that we screwed up – it was just over.

"I went to another area that I'd gotten bites from in practice, but they weren't there either. In the end, so many things can go wrong (over a 4-day tournament). I was just fortunate that on the (fog-shortened) first day, when I was boat 139, I still somehow was able to get on my spot and whoop in there and catch those three big ones."

He got one bite today, and it was a 10-incher.

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 6 anglers, 2 limits, 2 4s, 2 zeroes.

> Thliveros finished 132nd at last week's Toho Bassmaster, so this will move him up significantly in the BASS Angler of the Year points. He's won four Bassmaster tournaments now, and one FLW event.

> Eaker and Cochran found the same area the first day of practice. Then on Day 1, Eaker was catching more fish. "I gave George (Cochran) some of my tubes, and that son-of-a-gun caught an 8-13." Eaker was fishing Berkley Power Tubes, while Cochran credited his sponsor's Strike King Bleeding Bait Tube for many of his fish.

> Florida anglers took the Top 2 spots.

Day 4 (Final) Standings

1. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 19, 69-05 -- 05 -- $102,000
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 16-09 -- Day 3: 5, 16-13 -- Day 4: 4, 19-15
2. Jim Bitter -- Fruitland Park, Fla. -- 18, 67-10 -- 305 -- $40,000
Day 1: 5, 26-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09 -- Day 3: 3, 8-12 -- Day 4: 5, 18-09
3. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas -- 19, 64-06 -- 295 -- $23,000
Day 1: 5, 18-02 -- Day 2: 5, 18-05 -- Day 3: 5, 15-12 -- Day 4: 4, 12-03
4. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 19, 60-14 -- 285 -- $20,000
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-14 -- Day 3: 4, 11-14 -- Day 4: 5, 15-12
5. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ark. -- 13, 46-09 -- 280 -- $15,000
Day 1: 3, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09 -- Day 4: 0, 0-00
6. Aaron Martens -- Castaic, Calif. -- 11, 42-05 -- 276 -- $14,000
Day 1: 5, 26-03 -- Day 2: 1, 2-04 -- Day 3: 5, 13-14 -- Day 4: 0, 0-00

Big Bass

> Day 4 -- Jim Bitter -- Fruitland Park, Fla. -- 8-09 -- $1,000
> Day 3 -- Mark Rogers -- Naples, Fla. -- 7-13 -- $1,000
> Day 2 -- Art Ferguson III -- Saint Clair Shores, Mich. 11-01 -- $1,000
> Day 1 -- Tim Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 9-07 -- $1,000