Kriet takes over at Classic
Jeff Kriet of Ardmore, Okla., jumped from third place to the top spot Saturday in the second day of competition at the 2010 Bassmaster Classic in Alabama.Kriet boated the day’s biggest bag from Lay Lake: 15 pounds, 10 ounces, for a two-day total of 32 pounds, 1 ounce.
Day 1 leader Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., the 2009 Angler of the Year, dropped to second place with 12 pounds, 7 ounces for 31-15 overall. Todd Faircloth of Jasper, second on Friday, dropped to third Saturday with 13-12 for 31-14 overall.
Only the top 25 contenders advanced to today's round. They will compete for the $500,000 top prize in the total Classic payout of $1.2 million.
The top three anglers are joined today by a group that includes 2003 Classic champ Mike Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., with 26 pounds, 12 ounces, home-state pro Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala., 25-11, and veteran Classic competitor Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., 24-9.
Immediately on their heels was 2004 Classic winner Takahiro Omori of Emory in seventh place with 24-5 overall.
Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., the 2009 Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year, made history Saturday as the first woman to make the cut into the top 25. Martin-Wells is 21st with 16-12 overall.
“I’m extremely proud of myself if for no other reason than it’s been tough,” she said, “and I’ve been able to grind out a limit both days.”
Several in the field of 51 have been fishing Beeswax Creek, within eyeshot of the daily launch site, and the top three agreed that the traffic and competition has taken a toll on Lay Lake’s bass. The lake also dropped 1 foot Saturday, which contributed to Saturday’s tough conditions.
Kriet’s Day 2 total was nearly 2 pounds heavier than the second best total weight of the day, a 13-15 bag brought in by Matt Herren of Trussville, Ala. Herren is eighth with 23-6 overall.
Kriet was grateful that several competitors who wanted to fish the same water have instead let him have a stretch to himself.
“My fish were positioned a little different than they were yesterday; I may just have to try to move around and try to relocate them,” said Kriet, who was asked if he’d gamble on fishing somewhere other than his prime spot Sunday. “The ideal thing is to let those fish rest. If I thought I could leave and come back and nobody was there, heck yeah, I have three or four other places I’d love to hit.”
Faircloth added that other anglers waiting for a chance on a hot spot made it difficult to leave the most productive location he has found.
“There’s so many of us sharing the same water, it’s like Kriet said, if you let them rest for a little while, you can catch one or two if you go back,” he said. “But if somebody’s coming right behind, where you just went – the fish are just getting hammered. They’re not having time to settle down. It was kind of like a circus in there today.”
VanDam admitted that, right off the bat, the water level changed his game plan.
“The water falling, I think, definitely hurt me,” said the two-time Classic winner, who is fishing shallower than Kriet and Faircloth. “Yesterday I culled a 15-pound limit and a couple of 13-pound limits to catch what I caught. I didn’t see any of those type of fish today, it was just a whole different world.
VanDam said the lake has changed much in the last few days, and the weather conditions Sunday – warmer air temperatures, an approaching front and a forecast of afternoon rain – are going to make for a completely different kind of fishing day.
“When you have conditions like that, the fish are going to be more active,” he said “They’re going to chase baits better. High, bright skies and no wind is not easy fishing – it’s part of the reason, I’m sure, it was tough today.”
Iaconelli is one of the few in the top 10 who hasn’t been fishing near the launch site. He’s in 3 to 10 feet of water and spending most of his time midlake, fishing hard spots in front of grass, a pattern he found in practice with a jig and a crankbait.
The 2006 AOY said he’s fishing a finesse bait – an old finesse bait that has largely been forgotten. It’s a bait he said he carries in his “panic box.” He added, however, that his strategy for Sunday will likely be different than anything he has tried through Days 1 and 2.
“I’m going to have fun, try to fish a perfect day,” Iaconelli said. “I’m going to start in a couple areas where I had success; I’m not going to die on it, though. Within an hour or two, if I don’t feel it, I’m gone. Most of my fish are coming pretty shallow. That surprises a lot of people – you’re finessing wintertime fish and you’re still in shallow water.
“I’ve got to keep the faith that there are 20-pound bags to be had out here. That’s what I need tomorrow to win, and it’s not out of the question.”
Other notable results on Day 2: 2008 Classic champ Alton Jones of Waco had the big bass of the day at 5 pounds, 1 ounce, and finished just outside the cut at 27th with 14-1 overall. The defending Classic champ, Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., finished the Classic in 43rd with 5-0. Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala., the home-state favorite and 2007 Classic winner at Lay Lake, finished 49th after two disappointing days that included engine failure on Day 1.
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 10 32-01 300
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 15-10
2. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 10 31-15 295
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 12-07
3. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 10 31-14 290
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 13-12
4. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, N.J. 9 26-12 285
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 4 12-03
5. Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. 9 25-11 280
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 4 11-10
6. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 10 24-09 276
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 10-06
7. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 9 24-05 272
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 4 8-14
8. Matt Herren Trussville, Ala. 10 23-06 268
Day 1: 5 9-07 Day 2: 5 13-15
9. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 10 21-02 264
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 8-02
10. James Niggemeyer Van, Texas 10 20-07 260
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 7-04
11. Bobby Lane Lakeland, Fla. 10 20-06 257
Day 1: 5 7-13 Day 2: 5 12-09
12. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, La. 10 20-00 254
Day 1: 5 9-05 Day 2: 5 10-11
13. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, Ark. 8 19-15 251
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 3 4-11
14. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 10 19-04 248
Day 1: 5 8-09 Day 2: 5 10-11
15. Cliff Pace Petal, Miss. 6 18-09 245
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 1 2-06
16. Jeff Freeman Max Meadows, Va. 10 18-05 243
Day 1: 5 9-08 Day 2: 5 8-13
17. Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 10 17-09 241
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 7-01
18. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, Ala. 10 17-06 239
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 7-03
19. Shaw Grigsby Gainesville, Fla. 9 17-06 237
Day 1: 4 6-15 Day 2: 5 10-07
20. Mark Tucker Kirkwood, Mo. 9 17-03 235
Day 1: 5 9-15 Day 2: 4 7-04
21. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 10 16-12 233
Day 1: 5 6-13 Day 2: 5 9-15
22. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 10 16-04 231
Day 1: 5 8-11 Day 2: 5 7-09
23. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 10 15-14 229
Day 1: 5 6-09 Day 2: 5 9-05
24. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, Ark. 10 15-13 227
Day 1: 5 8-15 Day 2: 5 6-14
25. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, S.C. 6 15-09 225
Day 1: 2 5-12 Day 2: 4 9-13
26. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Fla. 7 14-13 223
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 2 1-13
27. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 7 14-01 221
Day 1: 5 6-12 Day 2: 2 7-05
28. Frank Scalish Cleveland Heights, Ohio 10 13-05 219
Day 1: 5 7-02 Day 2: 5 6-03
29. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark. 5 13-05 217
Day 1: 2 5-09 Day 2: 3 7-12
30. Bryan Schmidt Olney, Texas 5 12-10 215
Day 1: 2 6-02 Day 2: 3 6-08
31. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 7 12-05 213
Day 1: 4 7-12 Day 2: 3 4-09
32. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 4 10-07 211
Day 1: 1 2-10 Day 2: 3 7-13
33. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 6 10-06 209
Day 1: 5 8-15 Day 2: 1 1-07
34. Byron Velvick Del Rio, Texas 5 10-00 207
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
35. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 4 9-12 205
Day 1: 1 2-09 Day 2: 3 7-03
36. Terry Butcher Talala, Okla. 4 9-07 203
Day 1: 2 2-15 Day 2: 2 6-08
37. Randy Phillips Oxford, Mass. 8 9-01 201
Day 1: 4 4-05 Day 2: 4 4-12
38. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 6 8-07 199
Day 1: 5 7-09 Day 2: 1 0-14
39. Brent Long Cornelius, N.C. 6 7-10 197
Day 1: 5 6-08 Day 2: 1 1-02
40. Don Hogue Pasco, Wash. 2 7-01 195
Day 1: 2 7-01 Day 2: 0 0-00
41. Casey Ashley Donalds, S.C. 6 6-11 193
Day 1: 4 4-02 Day 2: 2 2-09
42. Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 3 6-02 191
Day 1: 2 2-10 Day 2: 1 3-08
43. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 3 5-00 189
Day 1: 3 5-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Jody Adkins North Canton, Ohio 2 3-08 187
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 3-08
45. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 1 3-05 185
Day 1: 1 3-05 Day 2: 0 0-00
46. Jami Fralick Martin, S.D. 1 2-08 183
Day 1: 1 2-08 Day 2: 0 0-00
47. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, Okla. 2 2-07 181
Day 1: 1 1-07 Day 2: 1 1-00
48. Kevin Short Mayflower, Ark. 2 2-06 179
Day 1: 2 2-06 Day 2: 0 0-00
49. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, Ala. 1 1-02 177
Day 1: 1 1-02 Day 2: 0 0-00
50. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
50. Darrell West Drasco, Ark. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
