Evers Still Out Front, Hill Narrows Gap

The wind blew, the clouds assembled and the mercury pushed just a little higher up the thermometer today at the Clarks Hill Bassmaster Elite Series event. All those factors seemed to work together to urge the lake's lethargic largemouths into a mood that made them slightly more catchable than they were 24 hours ago.

The 20-pound-sack that showed itself on day 1 is proving to be more of an anomaly with every 'teener' limit that crosses the scales, but all-in-all, it seems the Elite Series competitors have made it through the valley that was day 2 and are moving towards a promising crescendo for Sunday.

Edwin Evers proved his big bag on day 2 was no fluke when he brought in another stout limit that totaled up to 17-03 today. Evers still holds on to the top spot, but the 2-01 lead he brought into day 3 was slimmed down to a pound thanks to another big limit from Kenyon Hill.

After turning in 14-03 yesterday, Hill sacked his best five of the tournament for a day 3 total of 18-01.

Clarks Hill expert Davy Hite fell to 10th place on day 2 after weighing only 9-02, but his 18-14 bag today gives him a little better than a 15-pound-per-day average, and that's good enough for 3rd.

Peter Thliveros made his first Top 12 cut of the season by turning in his best limit of the tournament today. His 16-13 catch vaulted him up the leader board from 12th place into 4th heading into the final day of competition. Thliveros is also one of only two pros in the Top 12 - the other being Todd Faircloth - who's managed to improve his poundage every day of the tournament.

Timmy Horton skyrocketed up the standings from 74th on day 1 to 16th after day 2, and he made another strong jump upward into the 5th-place spot today courtesy of his 15-15 total.

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. Edwin Evers: 51-01
2. Kenyon Hill: 49-14 (1-03)
3. Davy Hite: 46-15 (4-02)
4. Peter Thliveros: 44-04 (6-13)
5. Timmy Horton: 42-11 (8-06)
6. Casey Ashley: 42-04 (8-13)
7. Skeet Reese: 41-13 (9-04)
8. Kevin VanDam: 41-10 (9-07)
9. Denny Brauer: 41-05 (9-12)
10. Alton Jones: 40-15 (10-02)
10. Todd Faircloth: 40-15 (10-02)
12. David Smith: 40-12 (10-05)

Greg Gutierrez started the day in 3rd place, but turned in only 6-03 after what he described as a "car wreck" of a day and fell to 22nd.

Others who fell out of the cut were: Dustin Wilks (8th to 21st), Dean Rojas (9th to 25th), and Randy Howell (11h to 27th).

They were replaced by Horton (16th to 5th), Kevin VanDam (23rd to 8th), Skeet Reese (13th to 7th), and Todd Faircloth (32nd to 10th).

Analysis

The blueback herring bite that most pros have been forecasting to push the fishing into high gear still hasn't built enough to steam to really put the bass into full-on gorge mode. But that pattern is ramping up, and all signs are pointing towards tomorrow being the best day the competitors have experienced since they arrived on the lake.

As that pattern is gaining life, the bed-fish bite is quickly dwindling. Several pros who said they'd been relying on their eyes brought lightweight limits to the scales on day 3.

This event looks to shape up into a two-man bout between Evers and Hill on the final day. But remember, last year Mike McClelland sacked a hefty 19-pound limit on day 4 to rally from 6-pounds back and overtake Chris Lane.

Clarks Hill has proven to be a volatile fishery this time of year. The key to success on this lake, at least during the post-spawn period, seems to hinge solely on timing. Pull up on a point when the herring are schooling and you can fill your livewell with 20 pounds of bass in five casts, but it's just as easy to run from spot to spot all day long and miss that activity by a matter of minutes.

It's still truly anybody's game in Georgia as the final quarter begins tomorrow.

Evers' Early Bite Key

Nothing has been more critical to Evers' success than the early morning bite. He landed the 6-07 big bass of day 2 on his third cast of the morning, and he repeated that feat with another heavyweight winner in the first 10 minutes of the day today. Subtract either of those kickers and Evers is likely looking at a Top 20 finish instead of his current position at the top of the heap.

"I ran around and hit a few spots early and managed a few fish, but things really slowed down for me this afternoon," he said. "I said yesterday that I was excited about the clouds and the rain, but I didn't catch them once the clouds rolled in. It's been sunny and still these last few days, and I guess that's what I need to catch my fish better."

A few more details about his pattern were revealed today, and everything continues to point to herring. He's running a route of "what seems like a hundred different points," adjacent to deeper water.

He's catching fish on "a few different baits," but said the jig is by far his primary producer.

About his mindset heading into the final day of competition, he said: "I feel great. How could you not when you're in the lead? Today was a bit slower, but I was still able to run my pattern and execute."

5th: Horton Using Stealth

Unlike most pros, Horton struggled on day 1, whacked them on day 2, and then followed that up with consistency on day 3.

"Really I didn't do anything different the last 2 days, my timing was just off on that first day," he said. "Everything about this lake has to do with timing. If you start running your spots and you hit them wrong it can be really slow. And that's what happened to me on day 1."

He's a good bit off the lead at 8 pounds back, but he knows how unpredictable this lake can be, and he's not counting himself out by any means.

"We all saw Mike (McClelland) come back from 6 pounds back last year," he said. "If you look at most of the guys in the Top 12 you'll notice a lot of them have 1 bad day and 2 good days. Edwin and Kenyon have been pretty consistent, and we'll need them to stumble in order to make up that ground, but anything is possible on this lake."

His pattern is similar to Evers' in that he's burning a lot of water and focusing on herring-populated points to lead him to the bass. But he believes he's got a subtle difference in his approach that's allowing him to get more bites where other competitors are hauling water.

"The key is stealth," he said. "A lot of guys are running in to these spots with their trolling motors on high and if these fish hear that they won't bite. I'm trying to be as stealthy as I can when I get on my points. If I can identify any big difference between day 1 and the last 2 days - that'd be it. I was a little more careless with my noise on day 1."

He noted there's a specific type of cover that he's looking for on his points, but said he'd "wait to expand on that a little later."

10th (tie): Faircloth Faring Well

Faircloth's weights have steadily increased from 10 pounds on day 1, up to 13 on day 2 and then a hefty 17-plus today. He said his fish are feeding a little better each day, and he's learning more about them as the tournament goes on.

"The bad news is I don't really have a whole lot of areas where I'm catching fish. I've got a couple key deals that I'm rotating on throughout the day, but I'm not like these other guys that are running miles and miles of water."

He too stressed the importance of correctly timing the bite. "I've had several times where I'll pull up on a point and not get a bite, then I come back and hour later and catch two or three," he said. "Today I pulled up on a spot where I haven't even had a bite the first two days and I caught a limit in 20 minutes."

Moving into the Top 5 is what's on his mind for tomorrow, and he feels he's "got a pretty good shot at it if (he) can put together another limit like (he) did today."

He thinks "everybody is jumping way too far ahead" when they start talking about the Angler of the Year (AOY) race. Right now he's content to take things one tournament at a time.

"I'm off to a good start and I'm excited about that, but there's a lot of tournaments left to fish," he said. "I like where I'm sitting and I feel good about how I'm fishing. Right now I'm not thinking about what will happen at the end of the year, I'm thinking about how I'm going to take care of business tomorrow."

14th: Lost Fish Hurt Lane

Chris Lane said Clarks Hill fished "exactly the same" the last 3 days as it did last year. In 2007 he finished 2nd, and he was on what he believes were "Top 5 quality" fish at this event. So why won't he be fishing the final day?

"A few of my key fish came unbuttoned," he said. "That's the thing about this lake and really any post-spawn tournament - you have to capitalize on every bite or you're going to get left behind. I didn't make the most of my bites this week and I missed the Top 12 cut by 7 ounces."

The interesting thing about Lane's pattern was that it was neither herring related, nor bed-fish related.

"I was concentrating on threadfins (shad)," he said. "The first day of the tournament I went back up in a creek and there were threadfins up spawning. The next day of practice I didn't even launch my boat in the morning, I just drove my truck up by that cove to make sure they were staying put. I did that same thing last year."

He's coming off a disappointing run in Texas and said this finish gives him "a little momentum" to push him through to the next event.

"This sport is such a mental game, and I've been struggling the last few events. After Amistad I went back to Florida and just did some fun fishing and fished a little tournament out there and placed 5th. That sort of helped me get refocused on what I'm supposed to be doing out here.

"If you're going to do this for a living you've got to make checks and you have to perform well. I haven't been doing that lately, but I'm starting to feel better about the way I'm fishing. This isn't a Top 12, but it's still a good shot in the arm for me."

26th: McClelland Fished 'Comfortably'

Pundits, pros and fans all expected McClelland to finish high at Clarks Hill. With all the talk of how the lake was fishing much like it was a year ago when he won here, it sounded like he'd have an edge over the rest of the field.

"Last year it seemed like I was really the only guy dialed into that jig bite, but this year everybody is dialed in to that," he said. "Last year I could run spots that were getting pressured, and because I was doing something a little different I could still catch those fish. I figured out really quick this year that I wasn't going to be able to run the same water as these other guys.

"I tried to run new water every day and I just didn't get quality bites. I had a pretty good first day, and I still caught fish the last 2 days, but I could never run into a heavy fish."

About the AOY points race, he said: "I'm really just fishing one tournament at a time. I feel like as long as I continue to have Top 25 finishes I can keep myself with the hunt. Some lakes will fit your style and others won't, you just have to keep your head down and try to stay consistent."

But make no mistake, he feels like Clarks Hill played right into his style of fishing.

"I fished more comfortably here than I have all year," he noted. "I was able to really run a solid pattern and I felt like I could just pull up and fish stuff that looked good. I haven't been able to do that a whole this year. Based on the pattern I was fishing I feel like I underachieved a little bit, but I executed well and that's all you can ask for."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 45 limits, 3 fours, 1 three, 1 one.

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., May 4 - Partly Cloudy - 81°/52°
- Wind: From the NNW at 4 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 15, 51-01 -- 310
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 18-13 -- Day 3: 5, 17-03

2. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 15, 49-14 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13 -- Day 3: 5, 18-01

3. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 15, 46-15 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 18-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-02 -- Day 3: 5, 18-14

4. Peter E Thliveros -- St Augustine, FL -- 15, 44-04 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-05 -- Day 3: 5, 16-13

5. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 15, 42-11 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-11 -- Day 3: 5, 15-15

6. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 15, 42-04 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12 -- Day 3: 5, 13-05

7. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 15, 41-13 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-03 -- Day 3: 5, 14-07

8. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 15, 41-10 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 13-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06 -- Day 3: 5, 16-13

9. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 15, 41-05 -- 269
Day 1: 5, 22-00 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12 -- Day 3: 5, 09-09

10. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 15, 40-15258.5
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07 -- Day 3: 5, 17-02

10. Alton Jones -- Waco, TX -- 15, 40-15258.5
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-10

12. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 15, 40-12 -- 254 -- $1,000
Day 1: 5, 17-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-11 -- Day 3: 5, 10-13

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

13. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, NC -- 15, 40-09 -- 251 -- $10,800
Day 1: 5, 11-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12 -- Day 3: 5, 14-12

14. Chris Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 40-05 -- 248 -- $10,700
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06 -- Day 3: 5, 16-06

15. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 15, 40-00 -- 245 -- $10,600
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12 -- Day 3: 5, 17-00

16. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 15, 38-10 -- 243 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09

17. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 15, 37-15 -- 240 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07 -- Day 3: 5, 14-11

17. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, CA -- 15, 37-15 -- 240 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07 -- Day 3: 5, 13-04

19. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 15, 37-13 -- 236 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-08 -- Day 3: 5, 13-06

19. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, CA -- 15, 37-13 -- 236 -- $10,500
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09

21. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 15, 37-12 -- 233 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 16-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-12 -- Day 3: 5, 09-03

22. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, CA -- 15, 37-05 -- 230 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 16-10 -- Day 3: 5, 06-03

22. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 15, 37-05 -- 230 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12 -- Day 3: 5, 13-09

24. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 15, 37-02 -- 227 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 11-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14 -- Day 3: 5, 12-08

25. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 15, 36-13 -- 225 -- $10,250
Day 1: 5, 16-13 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05 -- Day 3: 5, 08-11

26. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 15, 36-11 -- 223 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12 -- Day 3: 5, 10-06

27. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 14, 36-07 -- 221 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 15-14 -- Day 3: 4, 08-09

28. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 15, 36-01 -- 219 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-04 -- Day 3: 5, 14-15

29. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 35-13 -- 217 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04 -- Day 3: 5, 11-08

30. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, VA -- 15, 35-12 -- 215 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 07-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06 -- Day 3: 5, 14-03

31. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 15, 35-10 -- 213 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10 -- Day 3: 5, 13-01

32. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 15, 35-09 -- 211 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04

33. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, NC -- 15, 34-14 -- 209 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03 -- Day 3: 5, 07-08

34. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 15, 34-08 -- 207 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10 -- Day 3: 5, 12-09

35. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 15, 34-07 -- 205 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 12-05 -- Day 3: 5, 08-14

36. Bryan Hudgins -- Orange Park, FL -- 15, 34-06 -- 203 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04 -- Day 3: 5, 12-15

37. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 15, 34-04 -- 201 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-11 -- Day 3: 5, 07-02

38. Michael Iaconelli -- Runnemede, NJ -- 15, 33-15 -- 199 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 5, 12-12

39. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 15, 33-07 -- 197 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-04 -- Day 3: 5, 11-06

40. Jim Murray -- Arabi, GA -- 15, 33-03 -- 195 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06 -- Day 3: 5, 12-01

41. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, OK -- 15, 32-11 -- 193 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-03 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13 -- Day 3: 5, 08-11

42. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 15, 31-03 -- 191 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03 -- Day 3: 5, 07-13

43. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 15, 30-15 -- 189 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-11 -- Day 3: 5, 08-03

44. Shaw E Grigsby -- Gainesville, FL -- 14, 30-12 -- 187 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01 -- Day 3: 4, 05-11

45. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 14, 30-10 -- 185 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 13-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11 -- Day 3: 4, 07-10

46. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 15, 30-08 -- 183 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01 -- Day 3: 5, 08-02

47. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 15, 30-06 -- 181 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08 -- Day 3: 5, 08-05

48. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 15, 30-05 -- 179 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08 -- Day 3: 5, 08-11

49. Jeff Reynolds -- Idabel, OK -- 13, 30-01 -- 177 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03 -- Day 3: 3, 06-07

50. David Sherrer -- Shreveport, LA -- 9, 26-13 -- 175 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 3, 07-03 -- Day 3: 1, 01-02

Big Bass

> Day 3 -- Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 05-14 -- $1,000
> Day 2 -- Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 06-07 -- $1,000
> Day 1 -- David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 07-01 -- $1,000