Skeet Reese is so far ahead after day 3 of the Potomac Bassmaster Elite Series, tomorrow might be a flashback to last month's Champlain event, when winner Tim Horton spent most of the final day chatting at the dock with his limit safely in the livewell.

Reese caught the best bag in the field today

(17-04), which gave him 53-01 total and an 8-09 lead with 1 day to fish.

He's the only one among the Top 12 who's caught 20 pounds at least once the past 3 days. If he catches just 10 pounds tomorrow, 2nd-place Charley Hartley would then need 18 1/2 pounds to win. Tommy Biffle would need 19 1/2, Chris Lane would need 20 1/2, and the news gets worse and worse for the rest of the Top 12 who'll fish tomorrow.

Reese has yet to stumble even slightly, and he now seems a virtual lock to win. On a day when conditions changed drastically – the calm of previous days gave way to wind, and post-frontal, bluebird conditions settled in – he still whacked 'em.

Then again, he could tumble – his boat or engine could fail, or he could make a mistake that results in a DQ. Slim possibilities, for sure.

And the other good news for Reese is that he's stretched his lead in the BASS Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 5 more bonus points for leading today. Kevin VanDam, who's chasing him from 2nd, finished 21st and won't be fishing tomorrow.

Reese said he's fishing slowly and methodically, and flipping to protected areas. He's had some spectator boats with him, but said that his primary area has been left alone by other anglers. He thinks 10 pounds tomorrow might be enough to clinch.

"Catching a limit Sunday is easier said than done," he added. "But I'm in a fantastic position. I couldn't have had a better day than today, and everything's clicking for me right now."

Hartley caught 17-05, the day's second-biggest bag, and climbed from 18th to 2nd.

Biffle also improved. His 11-15 limit bumped him up from 5th to 3rd.

Lane began the day in 8th, caught 12-14, and is now 4th.

Matt Reed was yet another climber. His 13-08 moved him up today from 13th to 5th.

Kelly Jordon began the day in 2nd, but caught four fish for 7-07 and slipped to 8th. He won here last year, when he also weighed only four fish on day 3.



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Winning this event may be important for Reese, who's ranked 2nd in the world, but his No. 1 goal is the Angler of the Year title.

Here's a full look at the Top 12 who'll fish tomorrow. Total weight is followed by distance from leader in red.

1. Skeet Reese: 53-01
2. Charlie Hartley: 44-08 (8-09)
3. Tommy Biffle: 43-04 (9-13)
4. Chris Lane: 42-06 (10-11)
5. Matt Reed: 41-11 (11-06)
5. Randy Howell: 41-11 (11-06)
7. Boyd Duckett: 40-07 (12-10)
8. Kelly Jordon: 40-05 (12-12)
9. Britt Myers: 40-04 (12-13)
10. Fred Roumbanis: 39-15 (13-02)
11. Bill Lowen: 39-13 (13-04)
12. Grant Goldbeck: 39-01 (14-00)

In addition to Hartley and Reed, others who moved into the cut were: Boyd Duckett (22nd to 7th) and Bill Lowen (15th to 11th).

Those who dropped out of the cut were: Derek Remitz (4th to 19th), James Niggemeyer (6th to 16th), Steve Kennedy (10th to 14th) and Kurt Dove (12th to 32nd).

Gary Klein finished 13th and first out of the cut.

The fact that two sacks within the Top 12 today weighed less than 9 pounds shows that disaster is possible. But Reese's area seems protected from just about anything the Potomac could throw his way.

2nd: Hartley's 'Good Decision'

Hartley's giant move from 18th to 2nd was a bright spot on what's so far been a pretty bleak season. He entered the event at 91st in the AOY points. His finish tomorrow won't get him into the Classic, but it should help him improve enough to requalify for next year's Elite Series.

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Charlie Hartley says it took guts to abandon his water today, and he's glad the decision paid off.

"I feel really good," he said. "It's been a rough year, and I'm glad I did that (make the cut).

"I made a real good decision today. I didn't go back to the place that had gotten me to 18th. Conditions changed, and it paid off. You really feel good when you have the guts to make that decision. Usually I have to go back to where I caught fish because I'm too scared to try anything else."

He boxed a limit by 7:00 this morning in his new area, then left. He noted the tide's supposed to be an hour later tomorrow, so he "might hit it just right again."

Also notable was he said he shared water with Reese the first 2 days. "About halfway through the second day, (Reese) respectfully asked me if I'd back off. It ended up working out real well."

On whether Reese is catchable or not, he said: "No, unless something mechanical happens, which I'd never wish on anyone. I know the area where he's fishing. And I know what kind of fisherman he is."

4th: Lane Will Try

Lane trails Reese by more than 10 pounds. But remember too that Lane's a veteran Florida grass flipper, so he's seen those 30-pound miracle bags happen. That's why he still sees hope to catch Reese tomorrow.

"I'm going to try to catch him," Lane said. "There's no doubt in my mind there's 25- or 30-pound sacks out there. Seeing the fish that have come in – the 8s and 7s and 6s have been pretty steady. Anybody could put five of those together and I think catch him."

Lane has yet to get the monster bite he's been looking for, but he's been steady at 13 to 15 pounds. He noted he thinks weather – high pressure and bluebird skies – was what hurt today's bite the most.

He added: "I stuck with my same stuff. I changed up a little bit – I left one area a little early. But I'll beat it up tomorrow. I'll just buckle down and try to get a Top 5.

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Chris Lane says a 25- to 30-pound bag is swimming out there, so he's still in this thing.

"My main goal is to make the Classic, and you get a lot more points for 5th than 12th. So I'll try to stay in that Top 5."

5th: Reed Got Muddied

Reed charged up the standings yesterday when he whacked 18-04 – twice what he weighed the day before. That big limit moved him up from 64th to 13th. He added 13-08 today and moved up another eight spots.

"I had to scrap everything I'd been doing," he said. "I was fishing offshore, on the outside grassline, and my water muddied today with the wind changes.

"I went to flipping, and I was fortunate to catch three good ones and two little bitty ones. I'm just glad to survive."

Given the changes today in terms of the bite, he doesn't have a plan for tomorrow, other than to "throw it up in the air and go see what happens." And he doesn't feel he can catch Reese, unless Reese suffers an equipment malfunction. Still, he's fishing for a lot tomorrow, because he entered the event at 68th in the AOY race, and is working to get up toward the 36th-place Classic cutoff.

"With my position in the points, I have to have two Top 12 finishes to make the Classic," he said. "And every point I can get here is a point I don't have to earn at Toho."

8th: Jordon Not Sure

When asked, Jordon said he doesn't quite know what happened out there today. He weighed 7-07 and dropped from 2nd to 8th.

"I wish I knew," he said. "I ran some things I'd thought would be really good. The tide was high, and I had some high-tide stuff that I finally got to hit with water on it. But when I got to my best mats, they weren't there. They were all gone. I guess the high water came and floated them off or something."

After that, he "ran and hopped around" but wasn't able to get a bite. He eventually settled down in an area. "I finally put my head down. I knew the big ones were somewhere, and I'd have to find them, but I never connected."

He added that boat traffic was a big problem today. He needed "still" mats, but the cruisers kept the mats in his area bouncing all day.

"As a tournament fisherman, you really have to know how to manage your emotions in tournaments," he said. "To be successful you have to keep that in control, keep a positive attitude, and fish hard, which I did all day.

"But at the same time, you feel like you're dying a slow, painful death out there."

About whether he thinks he can still win, he said: "Yeah, if I catch two or three 8s, and a couple of 5s to go with it. I just hope Skeet doesn't have a day like I did. I don't think he will, but on this place, it can happen. But apparently his stuff wasn't nearly as affected by the front and boat traffic and high tide. That's pretty incredible and more power to him."

Notable

> Day 1 stats - 33 limits, 7 fours, 5 threes, 5 twos, no zeroes.

> Biffle on whether Reese can be caught: "Yeah, it's possible to make up (that) ground. Skeet could have a bad day, but that would call for some major planning." He then added: "(Tomorrow) I'm thinking about running out to the ocean and going somewhere no one's been yet."

> Lane's brother Bobby won the Potomac Northern Stren 3 weeks ago.

> Duckett said of his day, and his 15-00 that moved him up from 22nd to 7th: "I fell back on the (Berkley) Chigger Craw today. I needed a pretty decent bag, and whenever I do, I throw that. I did a lot of punching today and was able to get some decent bites. And I figured out a little something. I'll take another whack at them."

> Jared Lintner caught 14-12 today and finished 18th. The sophomore pro hails from California. When asked to compare the Potomac to the California Delta, he said: To me, (the Potomac's) nothing like the Delta. The one I fish back home fishes a lot bigger. It has so many sloughs and different areas to get into. (The Potomac's) like a giant lake with tons of grass. I like it. I fished a frog all day and flipped around with a (Berkley) Sabertail Tube."

> VanDam on his biggest challenge today: "Really (it was) just adapting to the tides and how the fish are moving. Today was a little different. The wind was blowing real bad, and that muddied up a lot of the areas I was fishing. I had to totally change what I was doing and scramble around. It was a tough day. I never got the bites I needed."

> Rick Clunn finished 29th. He said of Reese: "Skeet's in what Joseph Campbell would call the 'bliss state.' Everything he does is right. Every move he makes is the right one. I fished a lot of the same water Skeet was fishing, and he made us all look like little boys. I wish every fisherman could have a year like that."

> Morris, who led after day 3 here last year, said he and Reese shared water last year, and Reese is fishing the same area again. Morris said he chose to fish somewhere else this year. He finished 41st.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the final tournament day. For more weather information, including satellite and radar imagery, visit OutdoorsFanWeather.com.

> Sun., August 12 - Sunny - 92°/69°
- Wind: From the SW at 6 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 15, 53-01 -- 315
Day 1: 5, 20-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14 -- Day 3: 5, 17-14

2. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 15, 44-08 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 11-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-11 -- Day 3: 5, 17-05

3. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 15, 43-04 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14 -- Day 3: 5, 11-15

4. Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, FL -- 15, 42-06 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07 -- Day 3: 5, 12-14

5. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 15, 41-11 -- 278
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 18-04 -- Day 3: 5, 13-08

5. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 15, 41-11 -- 278
Day 1: 5, 15-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-03 -- Day 3: 5, 12-02

7. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 15, 40-07 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06 -- Day 3: 5, 15-00

8. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 14, 40-05 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14 -- Day 3: 4, 07-07

9. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, NC -- 13, 40-04 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 16-11 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 3, 08-09

10. Fred Roumbanis -- Auburn, CA -- 15, 39-15 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-04 -- Day 3: 5, 11-09

11. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, OH -- 15, 39-13 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-06 -- Day 3: 5, 11-13

12. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, MD -- 13, 39-01 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 18-05 -- Day 2: 4, 10-13 -- Day 3: 4, 09-15

13. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 14, 38-00 -- 251 -- $11,800
Day 1: 5, 20-02 -- Day 2: 4, 07-15 -- Day 3: 5, 09-15

14. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 15, 37-15 -- 248 -- $10,700
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08 -- Day 3: 5, 08-15

15. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 15, 37-10 -- 245 -- $10,600
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 5, 13-06

16. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 14, 37-09 -- 243 -- $11,500
Day 1: 5, 11-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00 -- Day 3: 4, 07-14

17. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 15, 37-05 -- 241 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00 -- Day 3: 5, 14-07

18. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 15, 37-04 -- 239 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04 -- Day 3: 5, 14-12

19. Preston Clark -- Palatka, FL -- 14, 36-10 -- 236 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09 -- Day 3: 4, 11-09

19. Derek Remitz -- Hemphill, TX -- 13, 36-10 -- 236 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-15 -- Day 3: 3, 05-01

21. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 15, 36-04 -- 233 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12 -- Day 3: 5, 12-06

22. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 15, 35-11 -- 231 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04 -- Day 3: 5, 12-09

23. Mark Rogers -- Naples, FL -- 15, 35-05 -- 229 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03 -- Day 3: 5, 10-15

24. James Kennedy -- Lacombe, LA -- 14, 34-13 -- 227 -- $10,250
Day 1: 4, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13 -- Day 3: 5, 10-14

25. Ben Matsubu -- Hemphill, TX -- 15, 34-12 -- 225 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08 -- Day 3: 5, 10-03

26. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, AR -- 15, 34-10 -- 223 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-10 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10

27. Mark Tyler -- Vian, OK -- 15, 34-01 -- 221 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03 -- Day 3: 5, 11-12

28. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 14, 33-10 -- 219 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 4, 07-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-07

29. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 15, 33-06 -- 217 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10 -- Day 3: 5, 09-15

30. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 15, 33-05 -- 215 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03 -- Day 3: 5, 10-01

31. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 13, 32-13 -- 213 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 3, 07-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-07

32. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, NJ -- 13, 32-11 -- 210 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-00 -- Day 3: 3, 05-06

32. Kurt Dove -- Fairfax, VA -- 12, 32-11 -- 210 -- $10,333
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-04 -- Day 3: 2, 04-06

34. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 15, 32-10 -- 207 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07 -- Day 3: 5, 09-09

35. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 13, 32-02 -- 205 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09 -- Day 3: 3, 04-09

36. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 12, 32-01 -- 203 -- $10,333
Day 1: 2, 04-13 -- Day 2: 5, 18-04 -- Day 3: 5, 09-00

37. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, KY -- 15, 32-00 -- 201 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 11-02 -- Day 3: 5, 06-03

38. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 14, 31-15 -- 199 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01 -- Day 3: 4, 10-08

39. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, LA -- 14, 31-13 -- 197 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00 -- Day 3: 4, 05-14

40. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 15, 31-10 -- 195 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04 -- Day 3: 5, 08-08

41. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, VA -- 14, 30-12 -- 193 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 4, 07-13 -- Day 3: 5, 08-06

42. Morizo Shimizu -- Murrieta, CA -- 15, 30-08 -- 191 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04 -- Day 3: 5, 08-07

43. Matt Amedeo -- Clinton, OH -- 14, 30-07 -- 189 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 08-07 -- Day 3: 4, 06-02

44. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 15, 29-14 -- 187 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09 -- Day 3: 5, 08-02

45. Scott Campbell -- Springfield, MO -- 13, 29-13 -- 185 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10 -- Day 3: 3, 05-12

46. Matthew Sphar -- Pavilion, NY -- 12, 29-06 -- 183 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06 -- Day 3: 2, 02-10

47. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, MO -- 15, 29-05 -- 181 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11 -- Day 3: 5, 07-15

48. Alton Jones -- Waco, TX -- 12, 27-05 -- 179 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08 -- Day 3: 2, 02-15

49. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 12, 26-15 -- 177 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08 -- Day 3: 2, 02-06

50. Ken D Cook -- Lawton, OK -- 12, 26-07 -- 175 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08 -- Day 3: 2, 04-03

Big Bass

> Day 3 -- Chris Lane -- Winter Haven, FL -- 05-09 -- $500
> Day 3 -- Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, NC -- 05-09 -- $500
> Day 2 -- James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 08-02 -- $1,000
> Day 1 -- Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 08-02 -- $1,000