By BassFan Staff

There was no change in the Top 3 positions on the leaderboard on day 3 of the Sabine River Bassmaster Elite Series Saturday. Chris Lane, Aaron Martens and Shaw Grigsby all wrangled 11-pound-plus bags under monsoon-like conditions from the heavily pressured area they've been sharing throughout the event and there will be a substantial gap between them and the remainder of the Top 12 when competitors launch on the final day.

Lane, the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion who's won a regular-season event in each of the last 2 years, will try to protect a lead of just over 2 pounds in the final round. The Sabine system was already high and muddy when the derby got under way on Thursday and it'll be raging on Sunday due to the heavy rain that fell on the southeast Texas/western Louisiana region on day 3.

Lane's 11-03 stringer pushed his total to 39-10.

"Tomorrow's going to be a true test," he said. "If you want to put the best anglers in the world in a challenging place and let them go out and try to catch them, this is going to be the place."

Martens caught 11-11 to improve his aggregate to 37-09. Grigsby weighed 11-10 for a 36-00 total.

Mike McClelland, who's making a round trip of more than 4 hours each day, sacked an even 12 pounds to move up three places to 4th with 32-15. Scott Rook held onto the No. 5 position with an 11-08 stringer for a 32-14 total.

Here are the critical numbers for the 12 anglers who'll compete on the final day, with red numbers in parentheses indicating their deficit margins from Lane:

1. Chris Lane: 39-10
2. Aaron Martens: 37-09 (2-01)
3. Shaw Grigsby 36-00 (3-10)
4. Mike McClelland 32-15 (6-11)
5. Scott Rook: 32-14 (6-12)
6. Todd Faircloth: 32-11 (6-15)
7. Greg Hackney: 31-04 (8-06)
8. Brandon Lester: 30-10 (9-00)
9. John Crews: 28-13 (10-13)
10. Justin Lucas: 28-09 (11-01)
11. Micah Frazier 28-01 (11-09)
12. Keith Poche: 28-00 (11-10)

The forecast for day 3 called for showers, but what occurred was a rain event of far greater intensity. The downpour started at 8:30 – within an hour after the field launched following a 30-minute fog delay – and continued unabated well into the afternoon.

The rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning, forcing competitors to spend significant time taking refuge underneath bridges and the like. The water influx was so heavy that it pretty much negated the outgoing tide in a lot of places.

Crews, who started the day in 47th place, made what was easily the biggest upward move of the day with a 15-10 sack that matched Lane's day-1 haul for best of the tournament. Lucas, Frazier and Poche also moved into the Top 12 with double-digit bags.

That quartet supplanted Dean Rojas (8th to 19th with two fish for 4-09), Gerald Swindle (10th to 24th with a single 1 1/2-pounder), Marty Robinson (11th to 18th, three fish for 5-06) and Mike Kernan, who was disqualified on Saturday evening for navigating through an off-limits area on day 1 (see Dock Talk).

Lane, Martens, Hackney and Poche are the only competitors who've weighed limits on all 3 days. Crews advanced to the final day despite having weighed just 11 fish thus far.



B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito
Photo: B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito

Lane boats a keeper as torrential rain churns up the water in Taylor Bayou.

The weather should settle down for the final day – mostly cloudy skies are predicted, with a high temperature of 74 and a west/northwest wind topping out at 9 mph.

Lane Out of Baits

> Day 3: 5, 11-03 (15, 39-10)

Lane has caught every fish he's brought to the scale by flipping a prototype Luck-E-Strike Live Motion Drop Dead Craw. He'll have to resort to something else on the final day.

"I'm out of them," he said. "The mold is only one cavity and you can only shoot one bait at a time. Even if there was more, it's Saturday and there's no way to get them overnighted."

He's nowhere near in panic mode over his predicament, though.

"With all this mud and water that's coming, flipping's probably going to be on the back burner. It all depends on water clarity. I might do a little, but not as much as I have been.

"I'm thinking I'm going to be throwing a lot of reaction baits tomorrow."

He caught seven keepers on day 3, but nothing over 2 1/2 pounds. He lost a couple that "acted like good fish."

B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito
Photo: B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito

Aaron Martens did a lot of flipping on day 3 after relying primarily on reaction baits the first 2 days.

Scrounging out yet another limit will be his primary objective on day 4.

"If I can put five in the boat tomorrow I'll be a happy camper. They might go 8 pounds or they might go 12. Will they be enough to win? Who knows?"

2nd: Martens Undecided

> Day 3: 5, 11-11 (15, 37-09)

Martens is hunting for his first victory since 2009 at Lake Guntersville. He's had four runner-up finishes and two 3rds since then.

"I want it pretty bad," he said. "But to win this one tomorrow, somebody's going to have to find the right area."

He said he's unsure of how to go about doing that. He's even considered trying to determine where the fish caught thus far have been released and trying his hand there.

"I've got a few spots I haven't fished yet, but they've probably all been hit by other people. The stuff I've been fishing (particularly one locale in Taylor Bayou where both Lane and Grigsby have also spent a lot of time) has had the heck beat out of it."

He flipped for most of day 3 after relying mostly on spinnerbaits and bladed jigs on the first 2 days. He caught six keepers and lost two.

"The ones I lost didn't hurt me that bad – not like the 4-pounder I lost yesterday that would've (replaced) a 1 1/2. One of them might've given me 2 ounces."

3rd: Grigsby was 1 Short

> Day 3: 4, 11-10 (14, 36-00)

Grigsby would be well within 3 pounds of Lane if he'd been able to fill his limit on day 3.

"I'm pretty disappointed to come back with four instead of five," he said. "Probably three or four times I had keepers pull off that I'd stuck, but they're spawning and biting funky, especially in the morning.

"I didn't do anything different than I'd been doing, but I just couldn't catch that fifth one."

He boxed two fish fairly early, then added a third at midday. No. 4 arrived around noontime, but the last several hours were fruitless.

B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito
Photo: B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito

Shaw Grigsby's stringer was solid even though it contained only four fish.

He ended up with two that were in excess of 3 1/2 pounds along with a pair of 2-pounders.

"I think I'll probably need 13 or 14 pounds to have a chance to win tomorrow, and I don't know what's going to happen fishing in that high, muddy water. I've got three or four other areas that are one-fish type deals, but they're not like where I'm at, where I can sit there and just pound them."

4th: McClelland's Run Pays Off

> Day 3: 5, 12-00 (14, 32-15)

McClelland is fishing so far away from the launch in Orange, Texas that the weather didn't impact him that much on day 3.

"I honestly don't think it rained as much where I was as it did locally," he said. "I'll probably make that run one more time if it looks even halfway suitable."

He's traveling all the way to the northern end of Galveston Bay.

"It's a full 2 hours (one way) if the bay isn't rough – I can cross the bay in 17 or 18 minutes if it's calm. Today it took me 50 minutes going out and 45 coming back. I left 2 hours and 22 minutes before my check-in time and I was told I made it back with 4 seconds to spare."

He's catching all of his fish on a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog. His biggest one today was close to 3 pounds.

"A 15-pound bag is probably possible there if I hit all the magic places, but I don't know where those are. I have an outside chance (to win) but things would have to go perfect for me and the guys over here would have to struggle."

19th: Rojas Flooded Out

> Day 3: 2, 4-09 (12, 24-08)

Rojas started the day fishing close to the launch, then headed for Bayou Dinh, where he nearly won in 2013.

"I ran almost an hour to get there and fished for 15 minutes and caught a keeper right away," he said. "Then it started to rain and I caught another keeper. There was nobody there – I had it all to myself – so I went to the back and the water was just roaring."

He said the inlet reminded him of a mountain river during spring runoff.

"I was kind of wishing I had a fly rod."

He boated about 10 short fish during the remainder of the day, but no more keepers.

He caught 3 quality fish on day 2 on a SPRO Bronzeye Frog. The remainder of his weigh-in specimens were enticed by a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog.

"It's a good start to the season," he said. "I'll take the finish, I'll take the points and I'll take the momentum."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 50 anglers, 12 limits, 9 fours, 6 threes, 12 twos, 9 ones, 5 zeroes.

> Swindle, who said he spent an hour underneath a bridge during the worst of the thunder and lightning, stayed close to the launch and caught just one keeper. "I should've gone to Taylor Bayou," he said. "I waited too long and painted myself into a corner. I had two more keepers on, but they both jumped off."

> Chris Zaldain and Brent Chapman picked up paychecks for the respective 17th- and 37th-place finishes. The rain on day 3 hurt Zaldain's sight-fishing action, whereas flipping bites became tougher to come by or Chapman after day 1. To read their competition recaps, click here to visit the Pro View Report.

Weather Forecast

> Sun., March 22 – Mostly Cloudy - 74°/55°
- Wind: From the WNW at 9 mph

Day 3 Standings

1. Chris Lane -- Guntersville, AL -- 15, 39-10 -- 100 -- $500
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-13 -- Day 3: 5, 11-03

2. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, AL -- 15, 37-09 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 13-14 -- Day 2: 5, 12-00 -- Day 3: 5, 11-11

3. Shaw Grigsby Jr. -- Gainesville, FL -- 14, 36-00 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 5, 11-02 -- Day 3: 4, 11-10

4. Mike McClelland -- Bella Vista, AR -- 14, 32-15 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 11-07 -- Day 2: 4, 09-08 -- Day 3: 5, 12-00

5. Scott Rook -- Little Rock, AR -- 14, 32-14 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 10-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-13 -- Day 3: 4, 11-08

6. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, TX -- 14, 32-11 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 13-00 -- Day 3: 4, 09-03

7. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 15, 31-04 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12 -- Day 3: 5, 09-15

8. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 13, 30-10 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 3, 07-09 -- Day 3: 5, 10-14

9. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 11, 28-13 -- 92
Day 1: 4, 09-09 -- Day 2: 2, 03-10 -- Day 3: 5, 15-10

10. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 13, 28-09 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 09-03 -- Day 2: 4, 08-04 -- Day 3: 4, 11-02

11. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 13, 28-01 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 3, 05-09 -- Day 3: 5, 11-02

12. Keith Poche -- Pike Road, AL -- 15, 28-00 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 07-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-03 -- Day 3: 5, 10-02

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 4.

13. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, AR -- 13, 27-04 -- 88 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 06-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-12 -- Day 3: 5, 10-06

14. Boyd Duckett -- Guntersville, AL -- 13, 26-15 -- 87 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 3, 06-07 -- Day 3: 5, 10-15

15. Davy Hite -- Ninety Six, SC -- 12, 26-09 -- 86 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 3, 07-07 -- Day 3: 4, 08-10

16. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 11, 26-06 -- 85 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 02-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-05 -- Day 3: 5, 10-11

17. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, CA -- 12, 24-10 -- 84 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 3, 06-10 -- Day 3: 4, 06-10

18. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 12, 24-08 -- 83 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-15 -- Day 2: 4, 08-03 -- Day 3: 3, 05-06

19. Dean Rojas -- Lake Havasu City, AZ -- 12, 24-08 -- 82 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-06 -- Day 3: 2, 04-09

20. Greg Vinson -- Wetumpka, AL -- 13, 24-04 -- 81 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-15 -- Day 2: 3, 05-11 -- Day 3: 5, 09-10

21. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 11, 23-03 -- 80 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 06-11 -- Day 2: 5, 09-11 -- Day 3: 4, 06-13

22. Jordan Lee -- Vinemont, AL -- 10, 22-12 -- 79 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 01-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10 -- Day 3: 4, 08-13

23. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 11, 21-07 -- 78 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-12 -- Day 2: 3, 06-08 -- Day 3: 3, 06-03

24. Gerald Swindle -- Warrior, AL -- 11, 21-03 -- 77 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-14 -- Day 2: 5, 09-12 -- Day 3: 1, 01-09

25. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 20-11 -- 76 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-03 -- Day 2: 3, 05-05 -- Day 3: 2, 05-03

26. Terry Scroggins -- San Mateo, FL -- 8, 20-10 -- 75 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 1, 02-00 -- Day 3: 2, 03-08

27. Cliff Pace -- Petal, MS -- 11, 20-00 -- 74 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-03 -- Day 2: 3, 05-12 -- Day 3: 4, 07-01

28. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, OK -- 10, 19-12 -- 73 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 3, 06-06 -- Day 3: 2, 04-05

29. Hank Cherry Jr -- Maiden, NC -- 11, 19-09 -- 72 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 06-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-13 -- Day 3: 2, 03-13

30. Michael Iaconelli -- Pitts Grove, NJ -- 11, 19-06 -- 71 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 3, 04-15 -- Day 3: 3, 04-08

31. Randy Howell -- Springville, AL -- 12, 19-03 -- 70 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-01 -- Day 2: 5, 07-08 -- Day 3: 2, 03-10

32. Russ Lane -- Prattville, AL -- 9, 18-15 -- 69 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 03-14 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13 -- Day 3: 2, 05-04

33. Dennis Tietje -- Roanoke, LA -- 7, 18-14 -- 68 -- $10,000
Day 1: 1, 02-15 -- Day 2: 3, 08-09 -- Day 3: 3, 07-06

34. Casey Scanlon -- Lanexa, KS -- 11, 18-07 -- 67 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-00 -- Day 2: 5, 08-08 -- Day 3: 2, 02-15

35. Ken Iyobe -- Tokoname, Japan -- 6, 18-06 -- 66 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 10-03 -- Day 2: 1, 05-01 -- Day 3: 1, 03-02

36. David Smith -- Del City, OK -- 10, 18-03 -- 65 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-00 -- Day 2: 2, 03-05 -- Day 3: 3, 04-14

37. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, KS -- 8, 17-15 -- 64 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 10-00 -- Day 2: 2, 04-03 -- Day 3: 2, 03-12

38. Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, AR -- 8, 17-14 -- 63 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 2, 04-13 -- Day 3: 1, 01-15

39. Brandon Card -- Caryville, TN -- 8, 17-12 -- 62 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 06-04 -- Day 2: 3, 08-06 -- Day 3: 2, 03-02

40. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 9, 17-09 -- 61 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 2, 03-09 -- Day 3: 2, 04-01

41. Jonathon VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 10, 17-09 -- 60 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 09-08 -- Day 2: 2, 02-03 -- Day 3: 3, 05-14

42. Derek Remitz -- Grant, AL -- 8, 17-07 -- 59 -- $10,000
Day 1: 3, 06-05 -- Day 2: 4, 08-08 -- Day 3: 1, 02-10

43. Ish Monroe -- Hughson, CA -- 10, 16-14 -- 58 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 08-04 -- Day 2: 4, 06-13 -- Day 3: 1, 01-13

44. Casey Ashley -- Donalds, SC -- 7, 16-12 -- 57 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 10-04 -- Day 2: 1, 03-12 -- Day 3: 1, 02-12

45. Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, LA -- 8, 16-10 -- 56 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 09-12 -- Day 2: 2, 03-13 -- Day 3: 2, 03-01

46. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, MI -- 7, 16-03 -- 55 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 09-10 -- Day 2: 2, 04-03 -- Day 3: 1, 02-06

47. Jeff Kriet -- Ardmore, OK -- 7, 15-04 -- 54 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 04-00 -- Day 2: 5, 11-04 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00

48. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 7, 14-04 -- 53 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 03-06 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00

49. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 7, 13-13 -- 52 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 08-08 -- Day 2: 2, 03-11 -- Day 3: 1, 01-10

50. Paul Elias -- Laurel, MS -- 8, 13-07 -- 51 -- $10,000
Day 1: 4, 07-02 -- Day 2: 3, 04-08 -- Day 3: 1, 01-13

51. Kotaro Kiriyama -- Moody, AL -- 6, 13-05 -- 50 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 11-02 -- Day 2: 1, 02-03 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00

52. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, CA -- 5, 12-00 -- 49 -- $10,000
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 0, 00-00 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00

53. Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, TX -- 6, 11-11 -- 48 -- $10,000
Day 1: 2, 03-04 -- Day 2: 4, 08-07 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00