Biffle Ups Lead to 2 1/2, Hasn't Touched Best Stuff

While the rest of the Elite Series field fishes Ft. Gibson in Oklahoma on a half-day of practice, plus whatever they've been able to explore over 2 days of competition, Tommy Biffle ran some of his okay areas. He's saving the best for last – he hasn't touched his best stuff at all – yet still distanced himself from the pack considerably today.

He began the day with a 1-ounce advantage, but swelled that to 2 1/2 pounds on the strength of an 18-09 limit. His goal each day is 20 pounds, but he wasn't about to hit his good stuff just to reach that on day 2.

It's his lake. He owns a Polaris dealership here, lives in Wagoner, which is on the west side, and has fished it for 40-plus years. The man credited with developing the pitching technique (after flipping hit the scene) seems unstoppable, and based on preliminary numbers, he moved up considerably in the points race and, barring any serious misfortune, will make the trip to Alabama for the BASS post-season.

And the points are certainly a storyline today. Half the field is gone (the Top 47 made the cut to fish tomorrow), which means the Bassmaster Classic picture, along with the BASS post-season, is much more focused.

At the bottom of this story is BassFan's table of the interim points standings. It's not entirely accurate toward the bottom, since pros who started Ft. Gibson below 65th in the points weren't factored in. But it does illustrate what the points race would largely look like if the tournament ended today.

Skeet Reese will almost certainly end the season once again as the leader in the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year (AOY) race, and will enjoy a strong lead in the post-season.

The Top 12 after Ft. Gibson make the post-season. Along with Biffle, Russ Lane has also temporarily moved into the Top 12. Brian Snowden and Bill Lowen fell out.

In terms of Bassmaster Classic qualification, the Top 37 pros qualify, and Paul Elias is temporarily last man in. If the event ended today, he would be the only pro to move into a Classic berth, and Clark Reehm (who finished last today) would be the only one to drop out.

Mark Tucker would be first out of the Classic, but he's fishing tomorrow and thus still has a shot.

Same goes for Jared Linter, who struggled immensely today and limped in with four fish for 7-08. Lintner was 5th in the event yesterday, so it's a catastrophic drop in standing that could cost him a Classic berth.

Back to today.

Third-year pro Pat Golden caught 17 pounds even – 2 pounds less than he caught yesterday – but moved up two spots and now trails Biffle in 2nd.

Kevin VanDam, fresh off a win at Kentucky Lake, weighed 16-15 (a pound less than yesterday) and improved five spots to 3rd. He's moving up the points standings as well, and if he can stay in 3rd or improve, will close the points gap on Reese considerably.

Cliff Pace caught the day's second-best bag (19-15) and moved up from 32nd to 4th.

Lane came in light today with 14-06 and dropped three spots to 5th, but as noted, he's still on pace to make the post-season.

The field cuts to the Top 12 after tomorrow's competition. Here's a look at the current Top 12, with total weight followed by distance from leader in red.

1. Tommy Biffle: 38-04
2. Pat Golden: 35-15 (2-05)
3. Kevin VanDam: 34-09 (3-11)
4. Cliff Pace: 34-03 (4-01)
5. Russ Lane: 34-00 (4-04)
6. Chad Griffin: 33-10 (4-10)
7. Gary Klein: 33-10 (4-10)
8. Rick Morris: 33-06 (4-14)
9. Skeet Reese: 33-00 (5-04)
10. Matt Herren: 33-00 (5-04)
11. Mike McClelland: 32-13 (5-07)
12. Davy Hite: 32-12 (5-08)

It's fairly difficult to judge what factors are at play in the event right now, just because Ft. Gibson is such an unknown quantity and the pros are reluctant to divulge fishing information.

The better bite seems to be away from the bank, although a lot of the pros are working a mix.

The general strategy has been to rely on an area in the morning, box what you can, then begin scouting for the next day.

It's definitely fishing small, and some pros will be helped more than others with half the boats gone tomorrow.

Boat traffic from local anglers and fans remains a wildcard. It's Saturday in June on the Grand River.

Identical weather conditions are expected the next 2 days – daytime highs near 100 with sunny skies and light winds from the south.

Biffle Saving

Although Biffle has so many spots on the lake that he couldn't fish them all in a week, he's still playing a risky game – saving his best stuff for last.

He had 15 pounds in the box in the first 45 minutes of the morning.

"When I say I'm messing around, I mean that I'm fishing a couple of different spots," he said. "When I know I need to go catch one, I know where I can go to quickly get one. But I don't want to give too much away. I just might have to turn it on tomorrow."

He did note that he's fishing a mix – some deep and some shallow – and he lost two big ones, which kept him from reaching his 40-pound goal.

"It's still wide open," he added. "This lake's awfully good and guys can easily sneak up from behind. There's just so many ways to catch them. I won't let up until the last day."

2nd: Golden Having Fun

Even if Pat Golden won, he wouldn't have enough points to climb into Classic qualification. But he's amped to have the weight he's got, and to be so close to Biffle.

"I've been having a blast," Golden said. "I really have. I happened to land on them in the limited amount of practice time we had, and I've been able to expand it some and it seems to be a pretty strong deal. And I'm really pleased because I found some stuff that's in shallow, and some stuff that's out too. So I've kind of got two things working."

He noted he "kind of made it up as (he) went along," but he's started in the same place both days. He's noticed that each day the bite has changed somewhat, mostly in the way the fish position, but his strategy the past 2 days got him to 2nd and he plans to at least start with that same intent tomorrow – that is, begin shallow to pick up a few good ones, then move out.

"I've actually had the bites to be leading," he said. "I just had some line-failure problems and stuff like that. But I know that the weight I'm seeing is in line with what Tommy's doing, only his is a little better, so I feel good about that."

3rd: VanDam Hasn't Seen Quality

VanDam and Biffle are close pals, but don't think for a second that VanDan wouldn't want to beat him – especially if it brought him a step closer to repeating as the AOY.

VanDam's major obstacle is that he just doesn't seem to be around the right quality to make up ground.

"The way Tommy talks, it seems he's just sandbagging along, but I'm fishing as hard as I can to catch everything I can," VanDam said. "If he's saving as much as he says, it'd be hard to beat, but you never know. I learned a long time ago that strange things can happen."

He doesn't think the field reduction will help him much tomorrow in the areas he's fishing. Where it might help, he said, is it could free up some areas for when he goes into explore mode.

Like most others, the venue change and short practice has forced him to dedicate a big chunk of time each day to searching for new patterns and areas.

"I don't have a lot of time here, and obviously Tommy has a lot of experience here," he noted. "It's one of those deals. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

"I haven't caught any big ones yet. I caught a 5-pounder in practice and that's by far the biggest I've seen."

Additional Notes

Following are additional notes from interviews BassFan conducted tonight:

5th: Russ Lane
Lane came in 5 pounds lighter than yesterday (14-06) and slipped three spots.
"I kind of struggled out there today. There's rumors of a big local tournament going out tomorrow, so I don't know what to expect. I'm just trying to keep my head down and not pay any attention to boat traffic. One good thing is our field is cut in half, and I know about half the guys who were fishing where I was aren't going to be here tomorrow. That's good.

"I made the long run again and caught three or four fish in a couple of places where I caught some yesterday. Then I had to go find another area and I caught two there, but it's not anything I think I'll go back to tomorrow.

"I'm actually thinking more about making the post-season than I am about winning this tournament. That's what's important to me – the 12 best anglers of the year fighting it out for AOY."

6th: Chad Griffin
Griffin weighed 18-15 and improved 23 spots.
"If we could start our tournaments in June, and fish until November, that would be great. I just really like fishing in the summertime. I was really fortunate to find a little goldmine. Every fish I weighed the last 2 days has come off the same exact point and the same exact brushpile. I had that kind of weight on yesterday, but I lost one that was close to 6 pounds.

"They're pulling so much water down through the lake, a lot of bait's moved into the mouths of the creeks. This one point I'm on, it seems like they just keep coming and coming. The timing's only for 45 minutes to an hour and a half. I had perfect timing yesterday and when I went there they were chomping. Today I just went there and camped all day."

16th: Paul Elias
Elias caught 15-04 today and moved up 10 spots.
"I think I need to move into the Top 12 or so to make the Classic for sure, so I've just got to hang in there and get them in the boat and not pull another Kentucky Lake. And I feel good, I really do – I'm fishing well, I've got a good pattern going, although the water's getting beat up pretty bad. I needed a couple guys not to make the cut today, though. They're beating on my water pretty bad.

"I'll give it all I got tomorrow and The Lord will be out there with me. If I'm meant to be there (at the Classic), then I'll be there."

36th: John Crews
Crews struggled on day 1 and brought in 6-14. But he rebounded today with 20-01 and rocketed up 52 spots.
"It was a crazy, crazy day. With everything I needed to catch to make the post-season, I put pressure on myself just to perform well every day. I felt like I didn't make the right adjustments yesterday, and I was pretty frustrated about it. So it felt nice to make some good adjustments, and a little luck doesn't hurt – I had a 5-10 which really helped.

83rd: Jeff Kriet
Kriet weighed back-to-back bags in the 9-pound range. He needed to gain just two spots in the points to make the post-season, but instead will fall about 12.
"My main deal this week was to make the Classic, and I did that. I had a good day for practice, and I had the opportunity to have a really nice bag yesterday. I weighed three fish for about 10 pounds, but I lost a 6-pounder and a 3 1/2. I lost the first five keepers that bit me. Today I just didn't catch any good ones. I'm definitely not pleased, but it is what it is."

93rd: Clark Reehm
Clark Reehm finished last and fell out of Classic qualification, although he can still make it through the Central Opens, where he's 3rd in the points with one event remaining.
"When they changed the venue and I had three quarters of a day of practice, I just never got on them. So much of this is mental, and out here, being so close to the Classic – that was the only time the stress and everything else got to me. Basically, I choked."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 93 anglers, 78 limits (same as yesterday), 9 fours, 2 threes, 3 twos, 1 one, no zeroes (1 less than yesterday).

> Aaron Martens is 23rd – the same position he was in after day 2 of Kentucky Lake last week.

> After 31 years, 286 events and 10 Bassmaster Classic, Guy Eaker's walked off the BASS stage for the final time tonight. He will retire.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., June 19 - Sunny - 98°/76°
- Wind: From the S at 9 mph

> Sun., June 20 - Sunny - 98°/75°
- Wind: From the S at 10 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 10, 38-04
Day 1: 5, 19-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-09

2. Pat Golden -- High Point, N.C. -- 10 35-15
Day 1: 5, 18-15 -- Day 2: 5, 17-00

3. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 10, 34-09
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 16-15

4. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 10, 34-03
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-15

5. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 10, 34-00
Day 1: 5, 19-10 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06

6. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, Texas -- 10, 33-10
Day 1: 5, 14-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-15

7. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 10, 33-10
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-10

8. Rick Morris -- Virginia Beach, Va. -- 10, 33-06
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06

9. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 10, 33-00
Day 1: 5, 15-11 -- Day 2: 5, 17-05

10. Matt Herren -- Trussville, Ala. -- 10, 33-00
Day 1: 5, 18-03 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13

11. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, Ark. -- 10, 32-13
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05

12. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, S.C. -- 10, 32-12
Day 1: 5, 16-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-07

13. Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, Ala. -- 10, 30-13
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 14-04

14. Keith Poche -- Troy, Ala. -- 10, 30-11
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02

15. Kenyon Hill -- Norman, Okla. -- 10, 30-10
Day 1: 5, 15-09 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

16. Paul Elias -- Laurel, Miss. -- 10, 30-04
Day 1: 5, 15-00 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04

17. Marty Stone -- Fayetteville, N.C. -- 10, 30-02
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

18. Derek Remitz -- Grant, Ala. -- 10, 29-15
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02

19. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ark. -- 10, 29-15
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

20. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas -- 10, 29-11
Day 1: 5, 12-13 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14

21. Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D. -- 10, 29-09
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05

22. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan. -- 10, 29-08
Day 1: 5, 16-02 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06

23. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 10, 29-07
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02

24. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 10, 28-15
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

25. Vince Fulks -- Purcell, Okla. -- 10, 28-09
Day 1: 5, 16-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-11

26. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, Ala. -- 10, 28-08
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08

27. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, Ark. -- 10, 28-06
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14

28. Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla. -- 10, 28-05
Day 1: 5, 13-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09

29. Bradley Roy -- Lancaster, Ky. -- 10, 27-13
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

30. Morizo Shimizu -- Osaka, Japan -- 10 27-06
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06

31. Mark Tucker -- Saint Louis, Mo. -- 10, 27-06
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-08

32. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 10, 27-05
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 13-07

33. Randy Howell -- Springville, Ala. -- 10, 27-02
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02

34. Peter Thliveros -- St Augustine, Fla. -- 10, 27-02
Day 1: 5, 15-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-01

35. Grant Goldbeck -- Gaithersburg, Md. -- 10, 27-01
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 11-03

36. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 9, 26-15
Day 1: 4, 6-14 -- Day 2: 5, 20-01

37. Kevin Short -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 10, 26-14
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04

38. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 10, 26-14
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11

39. Timmy Horton -- Muscle Shoals, Ala. -- 9, 26-11
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 4, 13-01

40. Rick Clunn -- Ava, Mo. -- 10, 26-07
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12

41. Dustin Wilks -- Rocky Mount, N.C. -- 10 26-06
Day 1: 5, 12-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12

42. Pete Ponds -- Madison, Miss. -- 10 26-01
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

43. Alton Jones -- Waco, Texas -- 10, 25-15
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 15-09

44. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Ala. -- 10, 25-14
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 8-11

45. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Calif. -- 9, 25-13
Day 1: 5, 18-05 -- Day 2: 4, 7-08

46. Mark Tyler -- Vian, Okla. -- 10, 25-12
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 5, 12-04

47. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, S.C. -- 10, 25-11
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08

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

48. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, Ga. -- 10, 25-10 -- 179
Day 1: 5, 12-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05
49. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Texas -- 10, 25-04 -- 177
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00
50. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, Ala. -- 10, 25-03 -- 175
Day 1: 5, 12-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08
51. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fla. -- 9, 24-12 -- 173
Day 1: 4, 8-12 -- Day 2: 5, 16-00
52. Shaw Grigsby -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 10, 24-11 -- 171
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 5, 13-11
53. Kevin Wirth -- Crestwood, Ky. -- 10, 24-02 -- 169
Day 1: 5, 13-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07
54. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Okla. -- 9, 24-02 -- 167
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 4, 9-00
55. Zell Rowland -- Austin, Texas -- 10, 24-01 -- 165
Day 1: 5, 9-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-02
56. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, N.J. -- 10, 23-14 -- 163
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 5, 9-14
57. Britt Myers -- Lake Wylie, S.C. -- 10, 23-14 -- 161
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14
58. John Murray -- Phoenix, Ariz. -- 8, 23-09 -- 159
Day 1: 3, 7-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-11
59. Bill Lowen -- North Bend, Ohio -- 10, 23-08 -- 157
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 5, 9-04
60. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, S.C. -- 10, 23-08 -- 155
Day 1: 5, 12-12 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12
61. James Niggemeyer -- Van, Texas -- 9, 23-04 -- 153
Day 1: 5, 14-06 -- Day 2: 4, 8-14
62. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Okla. -- 9, 23-01 -- 151
Day 1: 4, 10-15 -- Day 2: 5, 12-02
63. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, S.C. -- 10, 22-14 -- 149
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13
64. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, Ala. -- 10, 22-12 -- 147
Day 1: 5, 8-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-00
65. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Texas -- 10, 22-12 -- 145
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07
66. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, Ky. -- 10, 22-10 -- 143
Day 1: 5, 11-01 -- Day 2: 5, 11-09
67. Billy McCaghren -- Mayflower, Ark. -- 10, 22-09 -- 141
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07
68. Guy Eaker -- Cherryville, N.C. -- 10, 22-08 -- 139
Day 1: 5, 10-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-07
69. Yusuke Miyazaki -- Forney, Texas -- 10, 21-15 -- 137
Day 1: 5, 10-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10
70. Dave Wolak -- Wake Forest, N.C. -- 9, 21-13 -- 135
Day 1: 5, 11-00 -- Day 2: 4, 10-13
71. Mark Burgess -- Norton, Mass. -- 9, 21-12 -- 133
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 4, 9-14
72. Matt Reed -- Madisonville, Texas -- 10, 21-04 -- 131
Day 1: 5, 12-08 -- Day 2: 5, 8-12
73. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, Fla. -- 10, 20-14 -- 129
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 9-04
74. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, S.C. -- 9, 20-14 -- 127
Day 1: 4, 8-11 -- Day 2: 5, 12-03
75. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, Calif. -- 10, 20-12 -- 125
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 9-02
76. Jeremy Starks -- Charleston, W.Va. -- 8, 20-06 -- 123
Day 1: 3, 6-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-06
77. Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo. -- 10, 20-04 -- 121
Day 1: 5, 8-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-15
78. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, Texas -- 9, 20-02 -- 119
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 4, 8-12
79. Jason Quinn -- Lake Wylie, S.C. -- 10, 20-01 -- 117
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 5, 8-15
80. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, Mo. -- 8, 20-00 -- 115
Day 1: 3, 7-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14
81. David Smith -- Del City, Okla. -- 7, 19-04 -- 113
Day 1: 5, 16-01 -- Day 2: 2, 3-03
82. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, Ala. -- 10, 19-02 -- 111
Day 1: 5, 9-11 -- Day 2: 5, 9-07
83. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, Okla. -- 8, 19-00 -- 109
Day 1: 3, 9-13 -- Day 2: 5, 9-03
84. Byron Haseotes -- Centerville, Mass. -- 9 18-02 -- 107
Day 1: 4, 8-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-01
85. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, Ariz 8 -- 17-12 -- 105
Day 1: 5, 11-04 -- Day 2: 3, 6-08
86. Jeff Connella -- Bentley, La. -- 7, 16-14 -- 103
Day 1: 2, 3-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06
87. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, Okla. -- 7, 16-10 -- 101
Day 1: 2, 5-05 -- Day 2: 5, 11-05
88. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, Ohio -- 8, 16-01 -- 99
Day 1: 4, 9-01 -- Day 2: 4, 7-00
89. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, Fla. -- 8, 15-04 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 9-14 -- Day 2: 3, 5-06
90. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, La. -- 7 15-02 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 2, 4-00
91. Matt Greenblatt -- Palm Beach Gardens, Fl -- 6, 12-07 -- 93
Day 1: 4, 8-01 -- Day 2: 2, 4-06
92. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, La. -- 4, 10-14 -- 91
Day 1: 0, 0-00 -- Day 2: 4, 10-14
93. Clark Reehm -- Russellville, Ark. -- 3, 5-14 -- 89
Day 1: 2, 4-03 -- Day 2: 1, 1-11