McClelland Stands Strong, Reed Maybe Within Reach

There's a clear line in the pro-fishing sand that separates tour/series-level competition – "the bigs" – from AAA-level stuff. And the cement that binds the foundation of a pro career never comes from the AAAs. To be somebody in this sport, you've got to win a big one.

Arkansas' Mike McClelland has won before – three times at the AAA level. But he's never won at this level. He can tomorrow, and all he needs to do is catch a limit. Actually, he could probably stay in, watch some Sunday cartoons, hit the water after lunch and still win.

Today at the Grand Lake Bassmaster Elite Series in Oklahoma, he all but put it away with an 18-03 sack. It was his lightest bag so far - and 7 pounds less than he caught yesterday – but it preserved his 12-pound lead.

The only angler with any real hope of catching him is Matt Reed, who came in with 19-03 today (heaviest in the field) and moved up from 4th to 2nd. But to put things in perspective, if McClelland only catches 8 pounds tomorrow, Reed would still need to weigh 20. And only three 20-pound sacks have been weighed all tournament.

California's Greg Gutierrez caught a 15-14 limit today and moved up from 11th to 3rd. He's 16-10 behind McClelland, which means any shot he has to win would hinge on both McClelland and Reed bombing tomorrow.

Rookie Jeff Connella's 14-11 moved him up two spots to 4th.

Next is a two-way tie for 5th. With 47-03 is Paul Elias (13-12 today) and Jami Fralick (13-02 today).

There must be some mojo in the air, because alongside the tie for 5th is a three-way tie for 9th, and a two-way tie for 13th. Also notable is that three of the Top 12 are within sight of each other: Reed, Elias and Cook.

The close weights are likely a function of the largemouth bass virus die-off here about 5 years ago. A new crop of fish seem to be growing at near-identical rates, and 2 3/4- to 3-pounders dominate the catch.

Here's a look at the rest of the Top 12 that will fish tomorrow:

7. Edwin Evers: 45-09
8. Ken Cook: 44-12
9. Chad Brauer: 44-01
9. Mike Iaconelli: 44-01
9. Aaron Martens: 44-01
12. Dean Rojas: 43-10

Rojas was the only one of the Top 12 not to weigh limit each day. He brought in four fish today and squeaked past Bradley Hallman and John Murray to make the cut by 12 ounces.

Only one angler who began the day inside the Top 12 failed to make the cut. That was Kevin Wirth, who caught 10-03 and finished 15th.

Conditions today were flat-calm and sunny. That hurt some of the crankers and bank-beaters. More significant, though, was the water drop which occurred overnight. Anglers who showed up on shallow spots in the dark soon discovered the new water level, which hurt more people than it helped.

Tomorrow's conditions are expected to be similar – although isolated thunderstorms might develop – which only strengthens McClelland's hand. He's in total control and barring a disaster – such as an injury – it should all be a cakewalk.

Even if he broke down in one of the BASS-supplied boats – which the final Top 12 anglers fish from – he could utilize a BASS camera boat to make it back to weigh-in.

McClelland Wasn't Nervous

McClelland, who knows what a win here would mean for his career, was jittery the morning of day 2. Not this morning. He's collected, focused, and ready for tomorrow.

"I feel good," he said. "It's one of those deals where, every day, if I just slow down and fish, I'm going to catch my five.

"That's what I have to stay focused on. And I do feel I have to catch five to have a shot to win. If Matt Reed goes out and catches 25 pounds tomorrow, and I only catch 10, he's right there in the middle of me.

"It's not in the bag yet by any means."

About his morning, he said: "I really was more calm today than any other morning, and one reason was I caught one solid 3-pounder really early. That kind of just took the edge off. Every other day, my co-angler caught a fish before I got a bite. That always tends to put you in a tailspin."

He had a limit by 8:30, then went to culling. His biggest was a 5-06, which was big bass of the day. He noted: "I didn't realize that was the big fish until they started handing me checks."

He fished his first BASS event (a Megabucks) in 1988. On what a win at this level would mean for his career, he said: "You know, if I win, I really hope it would completely solidify where I am as an angler in my career.

"I still feel like I maybe haven't reached the level I've needed to, with never winning a tour event. I know winning (Bassmaster) Invitationals is prestigious (which he did twice in 1996), and winning the (Bassmaster) Open Championship (2005) is prestigious.

"But in this day and age, you have to be a tour or Elite Series winner to solidify your positioning."

2nd: Reed Done At 9:00

Matt Reed's hump turned hot again today and he weighed 19-03, but he's still a little less than 12 pounds behind McClelland.

"I'm just going to go catch all I can catch and see what happens," he said. "Mike's got it pegged. He's catching them good.

"I'll go catch everything I can, head to weigh-in and see what happens."

He "just busted" them this morning and had a limit by 6:38, and was done culling at 9:00.

"After that I fished, but they kind of quit biting," he said. "It was a fun day. I just never dreamed you could catch that here. I've never been here before, and I didn't know it was this good of a lake.

"I've had a lot of fun."

3rd: Gutierrez Says Pressure Gone

Gutierrez, a Californian, made his first Top 12 cut today. And he brought some California with him to do it. He's caught an average of about 16 pounds a day pounding a jig.

"I'm fishing a technique I used to win the Shasta Open a couple of years ago," he said. "I'm using a jig and moving it fast – really pounding bottom and trying to create a reaction bite, rather than waiting for them to eat it."

About his 3rd-place position, he said: "This is awesome. It's taken a ton of pressure off me. I feel good about it, and I feel good about my fishing. I'm doing good with that.

"I don't seem to be missing many fish, and I'm staying focused," he added. "It's pretty neat.

"But the only way I'm going to be able to catch Mike is if he stumbles. That's the only way anybody can win. Other than that, I think we're all fishing for 2nd. He's just on them rock-solid."

He actually saw McClelland a few of the days. The first two mornings, they both started on the same spot.

And he doesn't think there's much that could blow his pattern. In fact, the water drop helped him today. "I think the fish have been moving off the bank. I'm at least 30 to 40 yards off on long, sloping, flat points with rock on them.

"If my jig gets hung up on a rock, I get my feet ready, pop it off and wait for the bite. I literally get my feet ready. I'm that confident in (the technique)."

5th: Elias' Hump Turned Cold

While Reed's hump turned hot today, Elias' hump – one a long cast away – turned cold. He weighed 13-12.

"I'm tickled and disappointed," he said. "I really had a hard day. I only had four little bitty ones at noon, then caught a 5 and about 10 minutes later, jumped off a 6. Then I caught a 3. That made my day – that 10-minute flurry.

About the hot-cold phenomenon, he said: "It's kind of funny. Matt Reed and I are fishing within talking distance on two humps about 75 yards apart.

"I believe the fish are swimming from one hump to another. He pulled up yesterday and only had two fish, but I had a limit. Today, I caught two fish early, and at 8:00, he had 17 pounds.

"It's just a matter of whose hump they swim to."

About his first Top 12 cut of the year, he said: "I've been waiting, and it's been a hard wait – waiting for the fish to get off the bank. They stayed on the bank everywhere we've been."

And he's up-front: His goal tomorrow is 2nd place. "To do that, I'd have to have a great day, Matt would have to have a bad day, and the other guys would have to stumble.

"The potential is there (in the area) to catch 20 to 25 pounds, but you have to land everything. I feel I'm really fishing great. I only lost one up until today."

7th: Evers Disappointed

Edwin Evers, an Oklahoman, had a contingent of friends and family at the weigh-in today. He loves fishing in his home state, although his Grand experience is limited to a scouting trip earlier this year.

He caught 16 pounds the first 2 days, but only weighed 12-09 today.

"I was pretty disappointed – I didn't really get any big bites," he said. "But I'm happy I made the Top 12."

Unlike some of the others, he said there's still a chance he can win. "He (McClelland) can zero tomorrow and I can catch 25 pounds. If he zeroes, anything's possible.

"This is fishing. Miracles have happened, and I have to go out tomorrow and think God can perform a miracle for me and I can win this thing."

So he'll move more tomorrow and hit some fresh water. He still has some good areas from practice that he hasn't made it to.

"I'll just keep moving around and mixing it up. The short day sort of killed me (he was in the first weigh-in flight), and I didn't get to everything I wanted to run. That one area where I caught a 4-pounder on day 1, a 3 1/2 yesterday, and a 6 in practice – I never made it there today."

About fishing in his home state, he said: "I've got tons of family here. The crowd was great, and I had more boats following me here than I have in a long time.

"It's pretty cool having a tournament in Oklahoma. The crowds are phenomenal, and the spectators are phenomenal."

12th: Rojas Weighed Four

Dean Rojas threw his signature Spro Bronzeye Frog the first 3 days, and all but died with it today. He only weighed four fish and made the cut, barely.

"I feel like I got a second chance, because I didn't think I had enough to make the finals," he said. "I really thought I'd drop a lot because of the way the guys have been catching them.

"I feel like, by making the Top 12 cut, I have a shot of possibly moving up another four or five places if I have a really big day. Those are all big points. So in that respect, I feel very fortunate."

What killed him was the water drop, and the fact that this morning was much cooler than yesterday.

"When I got there this morning, they wouldn't bite at all. Then I started figuring it out. It looked like the water was lower than the last 2 previous days. As it got brighter, I could see what was happening."

His plan tomorrow is to run back there and look for a few more frog bites. "All I need is five and I'll weigh 15 pounds."

20th: Thliveros Happy

Peter Thliveros was a hot stick coming in. He's won the recent Bassmaster Memorial and cashed a $250,000 check.

He weighed 15-12, 14-05, then 11-02 today and missed the cut by 2-07. But he's not complaining.

"I feel pretty good about it, really," he said. "I had the opportunities to probably make the cut throughout the week, but I caught what I caught, and I was close.

"I'm just tickled to have a check, a high finish and good points for the Angler of the Year (AOY) race. That was the main thing I was after."

He did feel a little momentum as the event began, but he said the high finish was more about being in his comfort zone. He's regarded as a master of the Carolina-rig, and he did a lot of that here.

"I'm fishing more toward my strengths now, instead of away from them," he said. "I was Carolina-rigging and cranking in 5 to 10 feet of water. I had some areas with the right quality fish in them.

"Obviously, I couldn't have won, but one more bite one way instead of the other could have been the difference in making the cut."

He's a "little concerned" about the next stop at Kentucky Lake, because he's never fished it this time of year. But he noted: "I feel like I'm fishing pretty well right now – there's a little momentum – so I'm looking forward to it."

33rd: Jones Didn't Get Wind

Alton Jones entered the day in 18th – only 1 1/2 pounds behind the cut. But he brought in five keepers today slightly over the minimum length, weighed 7-12 and dropped to finish 33rd.

Worst part was, he actually culled twice to get to that weight.

"I'm not too disappointed," he said. "You always wish you'll make the cut and catch a big sack. But there was no breeze today.

"I was fishing shallow wire-to-wire, and I think to get the bigger bites in shallow water, you needed a little bit of breeze. I didn't really know that until today."

Yesterday, his big bites came later in the day. That kept him on his stuff all day today, hoping for the turnaround that never came.

"I should stay where I'm at in the points – maybe move up a little," he added. "I'm 29th, and after I had to take the zero at Santee (for a DQ), I'm pleased in general with how I'm fishing.

"I'd never been on Grand, so I was a little concerned coming in. I'm pleased to have survived it."

> He flipped a 1/2-ounce Booyah jig to a combination of willow bushes and boat docks. "The bigger fish were actually on the shallow side of the boat docks – underneath the walkways between the dock and the bank," he noted. "It was just a matter of hitting as much of that as you could each day."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 45 limits, 4 fours, 1 two.

> BassFan Big Stick John Murray finished 13th – tied with Bradley Hallman for first out of the cut. Big Stick Chris Koester won the non-boater division, and it couldn't have come at a better time for his family. To read both their reports, click here to go On Tour With The BassFan Big Sticks. (Note: Details of Koester's winning pattern will be posted soon.)

> Iaconelli leads the Elite Series AOY race, and since he made the Top 12 cut, he'll still lead after the conclusion of this event.

> Rojas has made five of the six regular-season Top 12 cuts so far this year.

Weather Forecast

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

> Sun, June 4 – Isolated T-Storms – 87°/66°
- Wind: From the S at 8 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 15, 64-15 -- 315
Day 1: 5, 21-09 -- Day 2: 5, 25-03 -- Day 3: 5, 18-03

2. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Texas -- 15, 53-00 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07 -- Day 3: 5, 19-03

3. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Calif. -- 15, 48-05 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-11 -- Day 3: 5, 15-14

4. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, La. -- 15, 48-02 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08 -- Day 3: 5, 14-11

5. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 15, 47-03 -- 278
Day 1: 5, 18-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10 -- Day 3: 5, 13-12

5. Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D. -- 15, 47-03 -- 278
Day 1: 5, 16-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13 -- Day 3: 5, 13-02

7. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 15, 45-09 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 16-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-06 -- Day 3: 5, 12-09

8. Ken Cook -- Lawton, Okla. -- 15, 44-12 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04

9. Chad Brauer -- Osage Beach, Mo. -- 15, 44-01 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10 -- Day 3: 5, 12-11

9. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, N.J. -- 15, 44-01 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 18-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12 -- Day 3: 5, 10-12

9. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 15, 44-01 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02 -- Day 3: 5, 11-14

12. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu, Ariz. -- 14, 43-10 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 16-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12 -- Day 3: 4, 8-15

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

13. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Okla. -- 15, 42-14 -- 250 -- $10,750
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 15-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-12

13. John Murray -- Phoenix, Ariz. -- 15, 42-14 -- 250 -- $10,750
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10 -- Day 3: 5, 13-05

15. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 15, 42-13 -- 245 -- $10,600
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-03

16. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 15, 42-01 -- 243 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10

17. Keith Phillips -- Calera, Ala. -- 15, 41-11 -- 241 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08 -- Day 3: 5, 12-12

18. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 15, 41-07 -- 239 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07 -- Day 3: 5, 14-04

19. Dave Smith -- Del City, Okla. -- 15, 41-05 -- 237 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-03 -- Day 3: 5, 12-13

20. Peter E Thliveros -- Jacksonville, Fla. -- 15, 41-03 -- 235 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 15-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05 -- Day 3: 5, 11-02

21. Joe Thomas -- Milford, Ohio -- 15, 41-02 -- 233 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13 -- Day 3: 5, 9-05

22. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 15, 40-15 -- 231 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-15 -- Day 3: 5, 15-06

23. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 15, 40-12 -- 228 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 10-02

23. David Gliebe -- Benton, Ky. -- 15, 40-12 -- 228 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12 -- Day 3: 5, 15-10

25. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 15, 40-09 -- 225 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06 -- Day 3: 5, 14-15

26. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Ala. -- 15, 40-07 -- 223 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-02

27. Jason Quinn -- York, S.C. -- 15, 40-03 -- 221 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-15 -- Day 2: 5, 9-13 -- Day 3: 5, 13-07

28. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 15, 40-02 -- 219 -- $11,000
Day 1: 5, 21-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11 -- Day 3: 5, 8-00

29. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fla. -- 15, 39-13 -- 217 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 5, 10-13

30. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 15, 39-10 -- 215 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05 -- Day 3: 5, 11-11

31. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 15, 39-06 -- 213 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-06 -- Day 3: 5, 9-02

32. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 15, 39-03 -- 211 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12 -- Day 3: 5, 13-07

33. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 15, 38-07 -- 209 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12 -- Day 3: 5, 7-12

34. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 15, 38-01 -- 207 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12 -- Day 3: 5, 12-00

35. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 15, 37-14 -- 205 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01 -- Day 3: 5, 11-06

36. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, Ohio -- 14, 37-13 -- 203 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12 -- Day 3: 4, 7-10

37. Frank Scalish -- Cleveland Heights, Ohi 15 -- 37-12 -- 201 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11 -- Day 3: 5, 9-09

38. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 15, 37-09 -- 199 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05 -- Day 3: 5, 9-01

39. Jon Bondy -- Windsor, Canada -- 15, 37-07 -- 196 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10

39. Terry Scroggins -- Palatka, Fla. -- 15, 37-07 -- 196 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-10 -- Day 3: 5, 11-08

41. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 15, 37-06 -- 193 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12 -- Day 3: 5, 8-11

42. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 15, 37-05 -- 191 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11 -- Day 3: 5, 9-01

43. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 15, 36-13 -- 189 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 5, 8-15

44. Morizo Shimizu -- Murrieta, Calif. -- 15, 36-04 -- 187 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-06 -- Day 3: 5, 6-13

45. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, Ala. -- 14, 34-13 -- 185 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03 -- Day 3: 5, 10-04

46. Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Silver Spring, Md. -- 15, 33-15 -- 182 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10 -- Day 3: 5, 8-12

46. Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, Fla. -- 15, 33-15 -- 182 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07 -- Day 3: 5, 8-12

48. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 14, 33-03 -- 179 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14 -- Day 3: 4, 8-01

49. Charlie Youngers -- Geneva, Fla. -- 14, 32-02 -- 177 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04 -- Day 3: 4, 7-03

50. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 12, 28-09 -- 175 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-13 -- Day 2: 5, 9-11 -- Day 3: 2, 3-01

Big Bass

> Day 3 -- Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 5-06 -- $1,000
> Day 2 -- Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 7-07 -- $1,000
> Day 1 -- Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 7-10 -- $1,000