Any notion that the fishing at Clarks Hill Lake would improve with gray skies and rain was dispelled today as 93 of the world's top anglers ventured out and only one came back with a bag that exceeded 15 pounds. On the Bassmaster Elite Series, it rarely gets any tougher than this.

Day-1 leader Jeff Kriet experienced mechanical issues that cost him most of the critical first 2 hours of the day, and that opened the door for Terry Scroggins to take over the top slot. The Floridian moved up one place despite a bag that was almost 5 pounds lighter than his first-day haul.



Scroggins' 12-06 stringer gave him a 29-07 total and a 1-ounce lead over Tommy Biffle, who sacked 13-09 today. Then there was a drop of about 2 pounds down to rookie Cliff Crochet in 3rd.

Crochet rode a 6-pounder to a 14-14 sack that gave him a 27-05 total and moved him up 17 places. He was trailed by veteran Mark Davis, who improved two spots to 4th with a 12-05 bag for a 27-01 total.

South Carolina's Jason Williamson, one of several semi-locals in the field, climbed 18 places to 5th with a 14-07 bag today for a 26-10 aggregate.

Here's a peek at the current Top 12 (deficit margin from leader is denoted by red numbers in parentheses):

1. Terry Scroggins: 29-07
2. Tommy Biffle: 29-06 (0-01)
3. Cliff Crochet: 27-05 (2-02)
4. Mark Davis: 27-01 (2-06)
5. Jason Williamson: 26-10 (2-13)
6. Derek Remitz: 25-08 (3-15)
7. Matt Herren: 25-02 (4-05)
8. Jeff Kriet: 24-15 (4-08)
9. Kota Kiriyama: 24-13 (4-10)
10. Gary Klein: 24-11 (4-12)
11. Bobby Lane: 24-06 (5-01)
12. Pat Golden: 24-05 (5-02)

Weights went backward today and it ended up requiring just slightly more than 18 pounds to make the cut to the Top 47. Casey Ashley, like Williamson a South Carolina resident and a frequent visitor to Clarks Hill, caught the day's best bag (15-05) and gained 43 places to 17th.

The schooling bite in the morning seems to be the primary ticket on this impoundment, where the nomadic blueback herring (the preferred baitfish) force the largemouths to live like the stripers. The early topwater action is strong for anglers who are in the right locales, and then it becomes a chore just to catch a 12-inch keeper from mid-day on.

There were five changes among the Top 12 today as Crochet, Williamson, Kota Kiriyama (22nd to 9th with 12-08 today), Bobby Lane (14th to 11th, 10-13) and Pat Golden (21st to 12th, 11-15) moved in. They supplanted Steve Kennedy (5th to 19th, 8-04), John Crews (8th to 27th, 6-10), J. Todd Tucker (9th to 23rd, 8-03), Morizo Shimizu (tied for 11th to 18th, 9-09) and Marty Robinson (tied for 11th to 45th, 4-15).



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

Scroggins worked some new areas today after some that he plied on day 1 proved unproductive.

Skeet Reese's run of Top-5 finishes to begin the season ended at five. The runaway leader in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) race fared better today than he did on day 1, but ended up 59th with 15-15.

The sun should return tomorrow – for at least part of the day. The forecast for the Augusta, Ga. area calls for a partly cloudy sky with a high temperature of 86 degrees and a south/southeast wind at just 5 mph.

The field will be reduced to the Top 12 after tomorrow's weigh-in and the winner will be determined on Sunday by highest 4-day weight.

Scroggins Hit New Water

A few of the areas Scroggins exploited on day 1 were unproductive today, so he hit a couple of new ones and worked his way through about 2 dozen keepers.

"I caught a lot of fish, but I didn't get any big bites," he said. "I didn't think I was going to fall too far (in the standings), but I didn't think I would move up, either. I was pretty surprised about that."

He didn't catch his first fish until about 8:00, but had a limit in his livewell by 8:30. He made his last cull at 11:00 and his bag was highlighted by a 4-pounder.

"After 11:00 it got really tough. I think there's still a lot of fish (in the places he visited today) and I can catch the numbers, but they're not really the ones I'm looking for.

"I'll have to play it by ear tomorrow and go with whatever's working. If I can catch a limit real quick, then maybe I can go look for some bigger ones."

He's averaged slightly less than 15 pounds thus far and thinks that would be a good goal weight for tomorrow.

"It's definitely getting tougher and I'll shoot for 15 and see what happens. That would be a good target."

2nd: Biffle Camped Again

Biffle returned to the area where he spent all of day 1 and put down roots again. His bag was helped considerably by a 5 3/4-pounder.

"I only had six bites today and it seemed like the rain hurt it," he said. "It seemed like they quit biting once it started at about 9:00 or 10:00 and it was pretty slow after that. It wasn't a real hard rain but it lasted through the biggest part of the day."

He made his final cull just before quitting time after going several hours with no action. It was just a 12 1/4-incher, but it was an ounce or 2 heavier than one he had.

"I ended up with three little ones and two good ones. This is a deal of ounces and that last one was a little bigger than one of them I had.

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

Tommy Biffle considers himself fortunate to have gotten one big bite on each of the first 2 days.

"I'll go out tomorrow and just hope to catch five. I've been lucky to catch a big one each day and you could very easily catch five that weigh 5 pounds (combined).

"You have to hope to get one that's better than average, or maybe a couple of them."

3rd: Crochet rolls a 6

Crochet had a better day in terms of both quality and quantity, and thus made a big move toward the top of the leaderboard.

"Yesterday I had a limit earlier than I did today, but I caught more fish today," he said. "It was a better day, but it started off slower. That 6-pounder really helped me out."

He ended up catching about 10 keepers, but said some of those were barely over 12 inches. The big one bit at about 9:00, and it came to the boat without too much of a tussle.

"It didn't do anything ridiculous. If you catch one of those, you'll have a good day if you can just finish it out.

"I'm really thankful to be in this position. Being in the Top 12 on Friday doesn't mean anything, but hopefully I can take advantage of the situation.

He's got just one pattern working and declined to divulge any of the details of it.

"I had the worst practice I've ever had and I only found one little deal that I liked, and it's worked so far. I've been fortunate enough to get a good bite both days. I haven't been getting enough bites to think about saving anything, but if I can get in there and catch them good tomorrow I might try to hold back a little bit (for Sunday)."

4th: Davis Sharing Water

Davis has a solid pattern working, but he's sharing his relatively small area with two other anglers who'll also fish tomorrow.

"That's the downside," he said of his company. "We're having to take turns and it's not a real good situation.

"I'm on plenty of fish, but they're hard to catch. I didn't catch a big one today – they were all just 2 1/2-pounders. You need a big one to really make a move, and there's a little luck involved with getting one of them to bite."

He caught eight to 10 keepers today after boating about a dozen on day 1. He said the bite was better in the morning, but he managed to entice a few throughout the day.

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

A 6-pounder helped Cliff Crochet climb 17 places in the standings today.

"I spent part of the day looking for new fish and I've got some I can go to, but they're not very big. I think I'm better off staying where the better grade of fish are."

He said he caught most of his fish on day 1 on a Carolina-rigged Strike King Rage Tail lizard. Today he employed shakey-head and dropshot rigs.

Twelve pounds will be his minimum objective for tomorrow.

"That's what I'll probably need to make the cut, and I'll need 15 to make a move toward the leader. A 5-pounder would just make a world of difference."

8th: Kriet Missed the Window

Kriet said he likely couldn't have equaled his 18-pound haul on day 1 even without his mechanical troubles, but he would've fared better than a three-fish bag for 6-11. He lost a 2 3/4-pounder at his second stop and threw back several keepers because they were bleeding and he feared they'd die if forced to spend the day in his livewell.

"I'm not saying I would've set the world on fire, but I'll tell you right now I think I would've still been in the lead," he said. "I caught two in the first 5 minutes after I got there that were close to 3 pounds apiece.

"The problem is that after about 10:30 or 11:00, the action goes way down. I probably caught 20 bass from 10:00 on, but only one was a keeper."

He'll go out with the same gameplan tomorrow and plans to visit about a half-dozen locales.

"My deal is that the odds of another 18 pounds were slim, but 12 or 13 would've had me still in the lead and with one more big day I probably could've won. Now I need that big day just to catch up, and it's not easy to do."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 93 anglers, 73 limits (two fewer than day 1), 6 fours, 4 threes, 5 twos, 1 one, 1 zero (one more than day 1).

> BassFan Big Stick John Murray failed to cash a check here for the fifth consecutive visit – he finished 73rd with nine fish for 13-07. To read his competition report, click here.

Weather Forecast

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

> Sat., May 22 - Partly Cloudy - 86°/66°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 5 mph

> Sun., May 23 - Isolated T-Storms - 89°/66°
- Wind: From the E at 5 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 10, 29-07 -- 305
Day 1: 5, 17-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-06

2. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 10, 29-06 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 15-13 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

3. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 10, 27-05 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14

4. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 10, 27-01 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 12-05

5. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 26-10 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07

6. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 10, 25-08 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04

7. Matt Herren -- Trussville, AL -- 10, 25-02 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 14-15 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03

8. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 8, 24-15 -- 273
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 3, 06-11

9. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 10, 24-13 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

10. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, TX -- 10, 24-11 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-13

11. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, FL -- 10, 24-06 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-13

12. Pat Golden -- High Point, NC -- 10, 24-05 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15

13. Terry Butcher -- Talala, OK -- 10, 24-04 -- 251
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10

14. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 10, 23-15 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13

15. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 23-11 -- 245
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00

16. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 10, 23-11 -- 243
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03

17. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 10, 23-08 -- 241
Day 1: 5, 08-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-05

18. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 10, 23-05 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 13-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09

19. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 23-02 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 14-14 -- Day 2: 5, 08-04

20. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 10, 23-02 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 11-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09

21. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, AL -- 10, 22-10 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11

22. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 10, 22-07 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 11-01

23. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 10, 22-04 -- 229
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-03

24. Mark Tyler -- Vian, OK -- 10, 21-04 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03

25. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, OH -- 10, 21-04 -- 225
Day 1: 5, 10-00 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04

26. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 10, 21-00 -- 223
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15

27. John Crews -- Salem, VA -- 10, 20-13 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 06-10

28. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 10, 20-13 -- 219
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08

29. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 10, 20-11 -- 217
Day 1: 5, 07-13 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14

30. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 10, 20-09 -- 215
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 07-12

31. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 10, 20-08 -- 213
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 5, 10-04

32. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 10, 20-03 -- 211
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-10

33. Shaw E Grigsby -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 20-03 -- 209
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04

34. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, OK -- 10, 20-02 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 13-09 -- Day 2: 5, 06-09

35. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, OH -- 10, 20-02 -- 205
Day 1: 5, 08-07 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11

36. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, MO -- 10, 20-01 -- 203
Day 1: 5, 09-14 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03

37. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 19-15 -- 201
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 08-13

38. Edwin Evers -- Talala, OK -- 10, 19-12 -- 199
Day 1: 5, 06-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13

39. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, TX -- 10, 19-10 -- 197
Day 1: 5, 10-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-03

40. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, TX -- 10, 19-09 -- 195
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00

41. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 10, 19-07 -- 193
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-02

42. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, KY -- 10, 19-05 -- 191
Day 1: 5, 09-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13

43. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 19-05 -- 189
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

44. Clark Reehm -- Russellville, AR -- 10, 18-14 -- 187
Day 1: 5, 09-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-07

45. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 10, 18-11 -- 185
Day 1: 5, 13-12 -- Day 2: 5, 04-15

46. Alton Jones -- Waco, TX -- 10, 18-11 -- 183
Day 1: 5, 07-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15

47. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 10, 18-02 -- 181
Day 1: 5, 05-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not be fishing tomorrow.

48. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, CA -- 10, 17-15 -- 179
Day 1: 5, 10-11 -- Day 2: 5, 07-04

49. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, AR -- 10, 17-13 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 07-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05

50. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, AL -- 10, 17-11 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

51. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 10, 17-10 -- 173
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15

52. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, NC -- 10, 17-08 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 07-03

53. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, TX -- 10, 17-06 -- 169
Day 1: 5, 09-00 -- Day 2: 5, 08-06

54. Peter E Thliveros -- St Augustine, FL -- 10, 17-06 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

55. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 17-03 -- 165
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 05-00

56. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 17-03 -- 163
Day 1: 5, 09-14 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

57. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, MD -- 10, 17-03 -- 161
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10

58. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, NC -- 10, 15-15 -- 159
Day 1: 5, 07-10 -- Day 2: 5, 08-05

59. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 8, 15-15 -- 157
Day 1: 3, 05-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-08

60. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 15-10 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 06-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05

61. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, KY -- 9, 15-08 -- 153
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 4, 04-12

62. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 15-07 -- 151
Day 1: 5, 05-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12

63. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, TX -- 9, 15-06 -- 149
Day 1: 5, 08-06 -- Day 2: 4, 07-00

64. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, SC -- 7, 15-06 -- 147
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 2, 05-01

65. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, MO -- 9, 15-05 -- 145
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 4, 06-12

66. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, LA -- 10, 15-04 -- 143
Day 1: 5, 06-02 -- Day 2: 5, 09-02

67. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, OK -- 10, 15-03 -- 141
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 04-11

68. Byron Haseotes -- Centerville, MA -- 6, 14-13 -- 139
Day 1: 2, 08-11 -- Day 2: 4, 06-02

69. Vince Fulks -- Purcell, OK -- 9, 14-08 -- 137
Day 1: 4, 05-07 -- Day 2: 5, 09-01

70. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 14-02 -- 135
Day 1: 5, 07-02 -- Day 2: 5, 07-00

71. John Murray -- Phoenix, AZ -- 9, 13-07 -- 133
Day 1: 4, 05-01 -- Day 2: 5, 08-06

72. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 9, 13-02 -- 131
Day 1: 4, 05-13 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

73. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 7, 13-01 -- 129
Day 1: 5, 06-06 -- Day 2: 2, 06-11

74. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 10, 12-10 -- 127
Day 1: 5, 04-14 -- Day 2: 5, 07-12

75. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, TX -- 9, 12-10 -- 125
Day 1: 5, 06-03 -- Day 2: 4, 06-07

76. Zell Rowland -- Austin, TX -- 8, 12-06 -- 123
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 3, 03-13

77. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville, NC -- 7, 12-05 -- 121
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 2, 02-04

78. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, NC -- 10, 11-13 -- 119
Day 1: 5, 05-01 -- Day 2: 5, 06-12

79. Matt Greenblatt -- Palm Beach Gardens, FL -- 9, 11-10 -- 117
Day 1: 4, 03-15 -- Day 2: 5, 07-11

80. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 7, 11-09 -- 115
Day 1: 4, 07-15 -- Day 2: 3, 03-10

81. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, OK -- 8, 11-05 -- 113
Day 1: 3, 03-09 -- Day 2: 5, 07-12

82. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, OK -- 9, 11-03 -- 111
Day 1: 4, 05-02 -- Day 2: 5, 06-01

83. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, VA -- 7, 11-03 -- 109
Day 1: 5, 07-01 -- Day 2: 2, 04-02

84. James Niggemeyer -- Van, TX -- 5, 09-05 -- 107
Day 1: 3, 06-09 -- Day 2: 2, 02-12

85. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 6, 09-03 -- 105
Day 1: 1, 01-14 -- Day 2: 5, 07-05

86. Pete Ponds -- Madison, MS -- 6, 09-03 -- 103
Day 1: 1, 00-06 -- Day 2: 5, 08-13

87. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- 6, 08-10 -- 101
Day 1: 2, 02-07 -- Day 2: 4, 06-03

88. Mark Burgess -- Norton, MA -- 6, 08-10 -- 99
Day 1: 3, 04-06 -- Day 2: 3, 04-04

89. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, WV -- 5, 08-00 -- 97
Day 1: 3, 03-14 -- Day 2: 2, 04-02

90. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, AR -- 6, 07-08 -- 95
Day 1: 4, 05-01 -- Day 2: 2, 02-07

91. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 6, 05-15 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 05-04 -- Day 2: 1, 00-11

92. Keith Poche -- Troy, AL -- 4, 05-07 -- 91
Day 1: 2, 02-06 -- Day 2: 2, 03-01

93. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, TX -- 4, 05-04 -- 89
Day 1: 4, 05-04 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00