Elias Leads With 17-05 Going Into Final Day

Paul Elias caught a 17-05 limit today and leads the Top 10 field at the Atchafalaya Basin FLW. West Virginia's Bill Chapman is 1-09 behind after catching another solid limit (15-12) today.

With today's weather change (cloudy and windy) and similar weather forecast for tomorrow, it looks like 8th-10th places -- Wes Thomas, Jack Bell and Dwayne Horton -- will have a tough time making up the stagger, as all had less than 10 pounds today. Then again, tomorrow's weather won't be exactly the same: storm fronts are supposed to move in tonight and stay over the area tomorrow.

Elias Left Them Biting

Elias went to an out-of-the-way spot he didn't fish the first two days, and apparently no one else did either. He had 12 keepers today, so he didn't have to sort through a ton of fish to get his weight, and "left them biting at about 11:00," he said. "I think they'll hold up tomorrow, but you know how that goes. I'm just hoping.

"Today I got two good bites and that was key. I had two fish that weighed 9 pounds between them. I culled a 1-11, a 2-01, a 2-04 and a 2-06. I had three 2-11s and those two big ones. Everything just went well."

Today was a good spinnerbait day for Elias. "Hopefully if it's not raining too hard tomorrow, I'll be able to catch them again. The rain could affect them. I do have a backup, which is the water I fished the first two days. I still think I can catch 12-14 pounds out of it, but I'd lose a lot of time (running to it) and it's a short day tomorrow. So I'll probably do or die in that grass.

"It's good to have the lead," he noted. "At least someone has to catch one to beat me. I just hope I can go out and do the same thing tomorrow. I feel like if I can catch 15 pounds, I'll win. But you never know. With that front coming in, someone might catch 20 pounds. Maybe me."

Chapman: Weighty Loss

Chapman said he had a "horrible day today. "I should have had over 20 pounds. I lost a huge fish this morning. I saw her -- she was in the neighborhood of 8 pounds. You can bet I'll beat the bark off that log tomorrow."

He ended up landing 7 keepers for a solid limit: he's been averaging a little over 15 pounds a day today.

Tomorrow he'll fish the same way. "Go home with the one who brought you to the dance," he said. He's not concerned about the weather. "The only thing that could do is bring them out of the heavy cover where I can get to them with a spinnerbait. Now I'm catching them where they're buried up. I caught some spinnerbait fish today, but they were right on the edge of really heavy cover."

Millsaps Looking for a Big One

Jimmy Millsaps is in 3rd with 14-00, and "probably caught 40 bass today." Good execution, but one problem: "I'm catching a lot of fish, but I can't get any real big bites. The guys ahead of me are getting a 5-pound bite or better."

Today's new weather conditions "didn't make any difference to me," he noted. "I'm in a canal that's out of the way and out of the wind. Rain might help me. I haven't had that 5-pound bite yet. Maybe I'll get it tomorrow."

Little Fish in Kenney's Big-Fish Area

Day 1 leader J.T. Kenney had an 11-08 limit today (8-9 keepers caught) and is in 5th. "I went to what I thought was my big-fish area, where I caught that big sack the first day -- I didn't go there the second day. I went back there today because of the cumulative-weight thing, and they shrunk on me.

"I have no idea why," he said. "I did catch two 3-pounders (flipping) the key spot on that good area, then I started catching some keepers on a spinnerbait, then I left and started running around looking for a big fish." He ran around to spots he hadn't fished since practice, and judging by what he found, those spots "probably got beat up by other people.

"I'm going to my best stuff tomorrow. I'm going to beat it to death and see what happens. It's a big area, but I don't feel like a lot of fish are in there. I just feel like the fish in there are good-quality.

"I'm going there tomorrow and camping out," he said. "I'm going to put the trolling motor down, and when it's time to go home I'll pull it up."

Wind Hurt Klein

Gary Klein is 6th with an 11-05 limit (7 keepers for the day), a weight substantially less than he planned to catch. The reason? "What affected me more than anything else were the 15 mph south winds," he said. "They were blowing really hard right up the slough I'm fishing. Lure presentation and boat control are the keys to me catching good fish, and today I had neither."

Even with similar winds forecast for tomorrow, he plans to "fish in that general area. But my approach might be a little different.

"I don't have anything to lose and everything to gain," he said. "I know the potential of that area. I just need to do the right thing to have a shot at winning. Paul (Elias) is still very catchable. He went into an area he'd been saving, and depending on how hard he hit that, it could be over with. So anything could happen. For me to make up a 6-pound deficit is very doable, especially on this body of water."

Notable

> Note that there's no longer a day 3 cut in FLW Tour events: all 10 pros will fish again tomorrow with weights carried over.

Weather Forecast

> Sat, Feb 15 -- T-Storms -- high 69°/low 52°
- Wind: From the S at 17 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Paul Elias -- Pachuta, Ms -- 5, 17-05
2. Bill Chapman -- Salt Rock, Wv -- 5, 15-12
3. Jimmy Millsaps -- Canton, Ga -- 5, 14-00
4. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 5, 12-14
5. J T Kenney -- Frostburg, Md -- 5, 11-08
6. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Tx -- 5, 11-05
7. Andre Moore -- Scottsdale, Az -- 5, 11-01
8. Wes Thomas -- Hanover, In -- 4, 9-02
9. Jack D Bell -- Kane, Pa -- 4, 7-04
10. Dwayne Horton -- Knoxville, Tn -- 3, 7-03