Perhaps the most surprising development on day 1 of the Clarks Hill Bassmaster Elite Series was that all 93 anglers managed to bring at least one keeper to the scale. It was as tough as most expected, though, as 17 competitors weighed bags that were lighter than leader Jeff Kriet's largest fish, and among that contingent was the previously sizzling Skeet Reese.

Kriet snared an 18-04 bag, headed by a 5 1/2-pounder, to assume the early lead in what's shaping up as easily the toughest Elite tournament thus far in 2010. The stringer was a nice belated birthday present for the Oklahoman, who turned 41 on Wednesday.



Directly behind him was Florida's Terry Scroggins, who finished 4th at Smith Mountain last month but struggled mightily in the other four events this year. He weighed 17-01.

A second Oklahoman, Tommy Biffle, grabbed the No. 3 position with 15-13. A pair of Alabamians rounded out the Top 5 – Matt Herren with 14-15 and Steve Kennedy with 14-14.

Here's how the current Top 12 shapes up, with distance from leader indicated by red numbers in parentheses:

1. Jeff Kriet: 18-04
2. Terry Scroggins: 17-01 (1-03)
3. Tommy Biffle: 15-13 (1-07)
4. Matt Herren: 14-15 (3-05)
5. Steve Kennedy: 14-14 (3-06)
6. Mark Davis: 14-12 (3-08)
7. Derek Remitz: 14-04 (4-00)
8. John Crews: 14-03 (4-01)
9. J. Todd Tucker: 14-01 (4-03)
10. Gary Klein: 13-14 (4-06)
11. (tie) Morizo Shimizu: 13-12 (4-08)
11. (tie) Marty Robinson: 13-12 (4-08)

Limits weren't scarce – 75 anglers managed the feat – but quality was in short supply. Less than half the field compiled a 2-pounds-per-fish average.

Reese, who's dominating both the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) race and the BassFan World Rankings, weighed just three fish for 5-07. He has a tremendous mountain to climb in order to notch his sixth consecutive Top-5 finish of the campaign.

Most of the action was early today, which made the launch order a major factor. Those who arrived earliest on the prime points had the best chance of encountering a group of bass ravaging a school of baitfish. The order will be inverted tomorrow, which will give some others that same opportunity.



ESPN Outdoors/Gary Tramontina
Photo: ESPN Outdoors/Gary Tramontina

Kriet thought he could catch at least 13 pounds today, but had no inkling that he could come up with more than 18.

Tomorrow's weather forecast for the Augusta, Ga. area calls for scattered thunderstorms, which would be a stark contrast to the bright, balmy conditions the field experienced today. Most think such a change can only improve the bite.

The field will be cut to the Top 47 after tomorrow's weigh-in, and then to the Top 12 following Saturday's festivities. The winner will be determined Sunday by highest 4-day weight.

Kriet Bounces Back

Kriet missed a paycheck for the first time this year at Guntersville and seems determined to make up for that lost coinage here as he pursues his initial win at the Elite level. He exceeded his own expectations today.

"I had an okay practice, but I'm not going to say I thought I could go out and catch 18 pounds," he said. "I was hoping I could catch 13.

"I had some places where I'd gotten what felt like some pretty good bites that I didn't jerk on, and they happened to be even better than I'd hoped they were."

The bulk of his action came during the first part of the day – he boated just one keeper after 1:00. The 5 1/2-pounder that topped his bag equaled one caught by Chris Lane for best of the day.

"I'm fishing ways that I like to fish and that I feel comfortable with. I've got a couple of key things I'm doing, but I've got a lot of rods on my deck and my mind is really open. I will say I caught a couple on a (Big Bite Baits) Squirrel Tail worm.

"Fishing's pretty tough, but at least I feel like there's fish in the places I'm at. Everything I'm fishing, I feel like I could catch a 3-pounder."

His second-best fish topped 4 pounds, but he also weighed one rat.

"I had a couple of opportunities to have a little bit better bag, but I'm not griping."

2nd: Scroggins Surprised

Like Kriet, Scroggins did not anticipate a bag as heavy as the one he caught today.

"I didn't have a good practice at all," he said. "I got some bites today that were better than any time since I've been here, so I was surprised a little bit."

He got into a schooling situation in the morning and picked up a couple quality fish. After a mid-day lull, he added a couple more good ones in the afternoon that came from much deeper water.

He went through more than a dozen keepers and his best was a 4 1/2-pounder. He'll employ a similar gameplan tomorrow.

ESPN Outdoors/Seigo Saito
Photo: ESPN Outdoors/Seigo Saito

Terry Scroggins had a poor practice, but a lot went right for him on the first day of competition.

"I really don't know if a change in the weather will do anything – I just got some key bites that I haven't been getting. Until it doesn't work, I'm going to keep doing it. If it doesn't work, I'll just keep covering water until I find some."

3rd: Biffle Stayed Put

Biffle committed to one location today and it paid off for him.

"I went in one spot and stayed there and just ground it out and got lucky," he said. "It was a place where I'd gotten three or four bites in practice.

"I really didn't have anybody else in there today, but I'm afraid I might tomorrow. We'll just have to see what happens.

He caught eight keepers for the day, including a 4 3/4-pounder. He opted to withhold any pattern information until at least after day 2.

"I wouldn't bet that I'll even get a bite tomorrow, but it's the only thing I've got. A weather change sometimes makes them bite better, so we'll just have to hope for the best."

4th: Herren got Early Start

Herren wouldn't say anything about how he compiled his bag, but he said being the third angler to leave the launch was a benefit.

"I figured out a little something on the last afternoon of practice and started getting bit," he said. "Then as today transpired, I started to figure it out a little more.

"I've got a couple of key areas, and then after that I'm back to practicing. I hope I can catch them tomorrow, but everything's changing here."

He caught nine keepers, but nothing that exceeded the 4-pound mark.

"They were all just kind of decent fish, but I was tickled to death to have them. I'll be late out tomorrow so I'll have to see if I can get that water again. Hopefully I've stumbled onto something that'll keep getting better."

Finishes of 62nd at Pickwick and 69th at Guntersville – both in his home state – have left him at No. 52 in the points. He's hopes to make a big move in the other direction in the AOY race this week and get back into Bassmaster Classic contention.

"I need to make sure I catch a limit tomorrow so I can fish on Saturday and get some points. The main priority right now is making up ground."

5th: Kennedy Adjusted Nicely

Kennedy had an excellent day, but it didn't unfold quite the way he'd planned.

ESPN Outdoors/Seigo Saito
Photo: ESPN Outdoors/Seigo Saito

Staying in one spot was the key to Tommy Biffle's day.

"(My practice) was okay, but nothing spectacular," he said. "There were a couple of places I was excited about, but I probably shouldn't have been. I was boat No. 80 and I either couldn't get on them or the fish weren't there when I got there.

"Then there were some others I pulled up on where I hadn't gotten good bites, but I did get good ones today."

He boated just six keepers, but one was over 4 pounds. He said he was pretty much limited to one bite per stop, if that, and he opted not to disclose any pattern details because bites are so difficult to come by.

"I caught a good bag, but it was painful. Typically when you find those fish you can catch two or three real quick, but this time it seems like it's one and done and you're lucky to catch that one.

"I culled one at noon and then I only got one bite after that. If I get a limit tomorrow, I might go hang out under a bridge the rest of the day. I get the impression that those fish are suspended out there."

69th: Misjudgment by Niggemeyer

James Niggemeyer thought he might have something going with fish focused on the blueback herring, but he weighed just three for 6-09 today.

"I'd seen a lot of fish on the herring, but I think that's dissipating and the numbers are falling off every day," he said. "When I say a lot, I mean that I'd seen them come up and boil and bust and that kind of thing.

"I thought if I could get some of those fish to bite, 12 pounds wouldn't be that difficult to catch. The hard thing is getting them to commit – they'll run up and follow a bait for great distances, but obviously I missed something big. Now I think they're father along in the post-spawn than I evaluated in practice."

Even though today was a bust, he won't throw everything to the wind tomorrow.

"There's a guy in the Top 12 who rotates through my area about every half-hour – there are three points in there and he fishes whichever two I'm not on. He fishes them pretty intently and I've seen the baits he's throwing, so I think I'm around the fish to do well.

"I'll stick with it, but not past mid-day. The bite diminishes drastically as the day goes on, so I'll have to pull the plug on that deal and go do something else."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 93 anglers, 75 limits, 8 fours, 5 threes, 3 twos, 2 ones.

> Kriet logged an 8th-place finish here in 2005, prior to the inception of the Elite Series. He was 39th in '06, 42nd in '07 and 16th in '08. "I've always liked this place and it's always been pretty good to me," he said.

> Kennedy was the 80th boat to leave the launch and thinks somebody else had already fished his primary spot and left before he arrived. "I didn't catch one, and then I came back later and there were some live-bait guys there," he said. "I went back five or six times and never got a bite, and I thought that was going to be my limit spot. Who knows, these fish are crazy."

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the remaining tournament days.

> Fri., May 21 - Scattered T-Storms - 84°/65°
- Wind: From the E/SE at 7 mph

> Sat., May 22 - Scattered T-Storms - 85°/65°
- Wind: From the S at 4 mph

> Sun., May 23 - Partly Cloudy - 87°/66°
- Wind: From the NE at 3 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 5, 18-04 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 18-04

2. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 5, 17-01 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 17-01

3. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 5, 15-13 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 15-13

4. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 5, 14-15 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 14-15

5. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 5, 14-14 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 14-14

6. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 5, 14-12 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 14-12

7. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 5, 14-04 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 14-04

8. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 5, 14-03 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 14-03

9. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 5, 14-01 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 14-01

10. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 5, 13-14 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 13-14

11. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 5, 13-12 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 13-12

11. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 5, 13-12 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 13-12

13. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 13-11 -- 251
Day 1: 5, 13-11

14. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 5, 13-09 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 13-09

14. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 5, 13-09 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 13-09

16. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 5, 12-15 -- 243
Day 1: 5, 12-15

17. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 5, 12-13 -- 241
Day 1: 5, 12-13

18. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 5, 12-10 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 12-10

19. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 5, 12-08 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 12-08

20. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 5, 12-07 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 12-07

21. Pat Golden -- High Point, NC -- 5, 12-06 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 12-06

22. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 5, 12-05 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 12-05

23. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 5, 12-03 -- 229
Day 1: 5, 12-03

23. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 5, 12-03 -- 229
Day 1: 5, 12-03

25. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 5, 12-02 -- 225
Day 1: 5, 12-02

26. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 5, 12-01 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 12-01

27. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 5, 11-09 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 11-09

28. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 5, 11-06 -- 219
Day 1: 5, 11-06

29. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 11-02 217
Day 1: 5, 11-02

30. Shaw E Grigsby -- Gainesville, FL -- 5, 10-15 215
Day 1: 5, 10-15

31. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 5, 10-12 -- 213
Day 1: 5, 10-12

32. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 5, 10-11 -- 211
Day 1: 5, 10-11

33. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, OK -- 5, 10-08 -- 209
Day 1: 5, 10-08

34. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 5, 10-07 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 10-07

35. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, SC -- 5, 10-05 -- 205
Day 1: 5, 10-05

35. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 5, 10-05 -- 205
Day 1: 5, 10-05

35. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 5, 10-05 -- 205
Day 1: 5, 10-05

35. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 5, 10-05 205
Day 1: 5, 10-05

39. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 5, 10-04 197
Day 1: 5, 10-04

40. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville, NC -- 5, 10-01 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 10-01

41. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, OH -- 5, 10-00 -- 193
Day 1: 5, 10-00

42. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 5, 09-14 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 09-14

42. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 09-14 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 09-14

44. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 5, 09-11 -- 187
Day 1: 5, 09-11

45. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 5, 09-09 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 09-09

45. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 5, 09-09 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 09-09

47. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, KY -- 5, 09-08 -- 181
Day 1: 5, 09-08

48. Clark Reehm -- Russellville, AR -- 5, 09-07 -- 179
Day 1: 5, 09-07

49. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 5, 09-03 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 09-03

50. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 5, 09-01 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 09-01

50. Mark Tyler -- Vian, OK -- 5, 09-01 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 09-01

52. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, TX -- 5, 09-00 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 09-00

53. Peter E Thliveros -- St Augustine, FL -- 5, 08-12 -- 169
Day 1: 5, 08-12

54. Byron Haseotes -- Centerville, MA -- 2, 08-11 -- 167
Day 1: 2, 08-11

55. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, MD -- 5, 08-09 -- 165
Day 1: 5, 08-09

55. Zell Rowland -- Austin, TX -- 5, 08-09 -- 165
Day 1: 5, 08-09

55. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, MO -- 5, 08-09 -- 165
Day 1: 5, 08-09

58. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 5, 08-07 -- 159
Day 1: 5, 08-07

59. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 5, 08-06 -- 157
Day 1: 5, 08-06

60. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 5, 08-03 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 08-03

61. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 4, 07-15 -- 153
Day 1: 4, 07-15

62. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 5, 07-13 -- 151
Day 1: 5, 07-13

63. Alton Jones -- Waco, TX -- 5, 07-12 -- 149
Day 1: 5, 07-12

64. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, NC -- 5, 07-10 -- 147
Day 1: 5, 07-10

65. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 5, 07-08 -- 145
Day 1: 5, 07-08

66. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 5, 07-02 -- 143
Day 1: 5, 07-02

67. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, VA -- 5, 07-01 -- 141
Day 1: 5, 07-01

68. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 5, 06-15 -- 139
Day 1: 5, 06-15

69. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 3, 06-09 -- 137
Day 1: 3, 06-09

70. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 5, 06-06 -- 135
Day 1: 5, 06-06

71. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 5, 06-05 -- 133
Day 1: 5, 06-05

72. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, TX -- 5, 06-03 -- 131
Day 1: 5, 06-03

73. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, LA -- 5, 06-02 -- 129
Day 1: 5, 06-02

74. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 4, 05-13 -- 127
Day 1: 4, 05-13

75. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 5, 05-11 -- 125
Day 1: 5, 05-11

76. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 05-09 -- 123
Day 1: 5, 05-09

77. Vince Fulks -- Purcell, OK -- 4, 05-07 -- 121
Day 1: 4, 05-07

78. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 3, 05-07 -- 119
Day 1: 3, 05-07

79. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 5, 05-04 -- 117
Day 1: 5, 05-04

80. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 4, 05-04 -- 115
Day 1: 4, 05-04

81. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 4, 05-02 -- 113
Day 1: 4, 05-02

82. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, NC -- 5, 05-01 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 05-01

83. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 4, 05-01 -- 109
Day 1: 4, 05-01

83. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 4, 05-01 -- 109
Day 1: 4, 05-01

85. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 5, 04-14 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 04-14

86. Mark Burgess -- Norton, MA -- 3, 04-06 -- 103
Day 1: 3, 04-06

87. Matt Greenblatt -- Palm Beach Gardens, FL -- 4, 03-15 -- 101
Day 1: 4, 03-15

88. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, WV -- 3, 03-14 -- 99
Day 1: 3, 03-14

89. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 3, 03-09 -- 97
Day 1: 3, 03-09

90. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 2, 02-07 -- 95
Day 1: 2, 02-07

91. Keith Poche -- Troy, AL -- 2, 02-06 -- 93
Day 1: 2, 02-06

92. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 1, 01-14 -- 91
Day 1: 1, 01-14

93. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 1, 00-06 -- 89
Day 1: 1, 00-06