Kriet Leads Elite Series Bass Fishing Tournament on Clarks Hill Lake
By BASS Communications / BASS
Getting in contention at Elite Series tournaments has not been a problem for Jeff Kriet. But finishing them has been a different story. Kriet of Ardmore, Okla., has a knack of putting himself in the mix and then falling short at the last minute. This week, buoyed by a little birthday magic - Kriet celebrated his 41st Thursday - Kriet is hoping to break the curse at the Pride of Georgia bass fishing tournament on Clarks Hill Lake.
"I turned 41 years old Wednesday and by now, you would have thought I would have won one of these," said Kriet, who does hold a BASS victory -- albeit in the Invitational format. "But I'm getting close and I can taste it."
Kriet torched the field Thursday amassing 18 pounds, 4 ounces, capitalizing on an early bite. Terry Scroggins of Palatka, Fla., executed early and late to post a 17-1 total. In third was shallow-water expert Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., with 15-13. Two Alabama pros rounded out the top five with Matt Herren (14-15) of Trussville besting Steve Kennedy (14-14) of Auburn by 1 ounce.
Clarks Hill has showed its true colors in past Elite tournaments - yielding 68-plus pound winning totals the past two events. But this week, something is off and most anglers agree that the blueback herring spawn - so critical to the bite - has ended and rising water levels have spread the bass out. The bite was so tough that white-hot Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., couldn't even muster up a limit, settling for 78th place.
But Kriet relishes a tough bite and was able to milk three offshore spots for all of his weight. Like many in the field, the six-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, was rotating spots. His stay at each spot was determined by how quick he could entice a bite. If he couldn't quickly, his stay was ultra-short - not even 15 minutes sometimes - and he would move to the next area.
While Kriet didn't divulge full details of his pattern, he did say he caught fish on a jig and a spook. His first bite came quick and his last bite occurred at 1:27 p.m., translating into more than two hours of fruitless competition time.
"The rule of thumb on this lake is the shallower you are, the bigger the fish are," said Kriet. "But I know I can catch them a little bit deeper in some places. It's really tough out there. I mean, 10 pounds is a pretty good day. There just aren't a ton of keepers to be had."
While Kriet is pining away for his first Elite victory, he is also posing a threat in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. He was 13th in those standings heading into this week and with Reese and others in the top positions struggling, Kriet is making a case for sticking around.
Taking advantage of an early starting position, Scroggins paired the typical early Clarks bite with a strong late bite. The five-time Bassmaster winner scoured points - where he ran into plenty of other Elite company - and was able to boat an early limit. Where Scroggins was really able to make hay was late in the day when he landed two 4-plus pounders in 15-20 feet of water.
His bite was non-existent from 9 a.m. to noon and he felt most of his success came as a result of his dedication to do things differently than most in the field.
"It could be a different story tomorrow (Friday),"said Scroggins, 41, who will have the tables turned and start in a late position Friday. "I'll just have to fish what's available early in the morning. I hope I can get on the deep bite again late."
With three events, including this one, left in the AOY regular-season race, crunch time is here for Elite pros. With Reese showing signs that he is human, the time is now for an angler to make a run. Reese's closest competition in the AOY standings, Edwin Evers and Dave Wolak both failed to capitalize, posting sub-60th place finishes.
Along with the top prize of $100,000, the Pride of Georgia awards valuable points in the 2010 Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. The top 12 pros in the AOY standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series postseason, in which the Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be determined. The top 36 will qualify for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
The tournament will run through Sunday with the top 47 qualifying for Saturday's competition and the top 12 moving on to Sunday. Defending champion Kenyon Hill, who won in 2008, was in a tie for 14th.
Clarks Hill is a 71,535-acre fishery, an impoundment 39 miles in length located 22 miles north of Augusta. It forms part of the border between Georgia and South Carolina and is renowned for its topwater fishing.
The public is invited to attend the Pride of Georgia's daily launches at 6:10 a.m. ET at Wildwood Park, 6212 Holloway Rd., Appling, Ga., 30802. After Day 2's competition Friday, the field will be cut to the top 50 anglers for Day 3. Only the top 12 will go on to compete in Day 4. Also free and open to the public, the daily weigh-ins are set for 3:30 p.m. at Wildwood Park.
DAY 1 STANDINGS- PRIDE OF GEORGIA
2010 Evans, GA 5/20-5/23
Clarks Hill Lake, Evans GA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 18-04 305
Day 1: 5 18-04
2. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 17-01 295
Day 1: 5 17-01
3. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 15-13 290
Day 1: 5 15-13
4. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 5 14-15 285
Day 1: 5 14-15
5. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 14-14 280
Day 1: 5 14-14
6. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 14-12 276
Day 1: 5 14-12
7. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 14-04 272
Day 1: 5 14-04
8. John Crews Salem, VA 5 14-03 268
Day 1: 5 14-03
9. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 14-01 264
Day 1: 5 14-01
10. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 13-14 260
Day 1: 5 13-14
11. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 13-12 257
Day 1: 5 13-12
11. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 5 13-12 257
Day 1: 5 13-12
13. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 13-11 251
Day 1: 5 13-11
14. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 5 13-09 248
Day 1: 5 13-09
14. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 5 13-09 248
Day 1: 5 13-09
16. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 5 12-15 243
Day 1: 5 12-15
17. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 12-13 241
Day 1: 5 12-13
18. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 5 12-10 239
Day 1: 5 12-10
19. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 12-08 237
Day 1: 5 12-08
20. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 12-07 235
Day 1: 5 12-07
21. Pat Golden High Point, NC 5 12-06 233
Day 1: 5 12-06
22. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 12-05 231
Day 1: 5 12-05
23. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 12-03 229
Day 1: 5 12-03
23. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 12-03 229
Day 1: 5 12-03
25. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 12-02 225
Day 1: 5 12-02
26. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 12-01 223
Day 1: 5 12-01
27. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 11-09 221
Day 1: 5 11-09
28. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 11-06 219
Day 1: 5 11-06
29. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 11-02 217
Day 1: 5 11-02
30. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 5 10-15 215
Day 1: 5 10-15
31. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 10-12 213
Day 1: 5 10-12
32. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 10-11 211
Day 1: 5 10-11
33. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 5 10-08 209
Day 1: 5 10-08
34. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 10-07 207
Day 1: 5 10-07
35. Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 5 10-05 205
Day 1: 5 10-05
35. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 10-05 205
Day 1: 5 10-05
35. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 10-05 205
Day 1: 5 10-05
35. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 5 10-05 205
Day 1: 5 10-05
39. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 10-04 197
Day 1: 5 10-04
40. Marty Stone Fayetteville, NC 5 10-01 195
Day 1: 5 10-01
41. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 5 10-00 193
Day 1: 5 10-00
42. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 5 09-14 191
Day 1: 5 09-14
42. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, SC 5 09-14 191
Day 1: 5 09-14
44. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 09-11 187
Day 1: 5 09-11
45. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 09-09 185
Day 1: 5 09-09
45. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 09-09 185
Day 1: 5 09-09
47. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 5 09-08 181
Day 1: 5 09-08
48. Clark Reehm Russellville, AR 5 09-07 179
Day 1: 5 09-07
49. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 09-03 177
Day 1: 5 09-03
50. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 09-01 175
Day 1: 5 09-01
50. Mark Tyler Vian, OK 5 09-01 175
Day 1: 5 09-01
52. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 5 09-00 171
Day 1: 5 09-00
53. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 5 08-12 169
Day 1: 5 08-12
54. Byron Haseotes Centerville, MA 2 08-11 167
Day 1: 2 08-11
55. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, MD 5 08-09 165
Day 1: 5 08-09
55. Zell Rowland Austin, TX 5 08-09 165
Day 1: 5 08-09
55. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 5 08-09 165
Day 1: 5 08-09
58. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 08-07 159
Day 1: 5 08-07
59. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 5 08-06 157
Day 1: 5 08-06
60. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 08-03 155
Day 1: 5 08-03
61. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 4 07-15 153
Day 1: 4 07-15
62. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 07-13 151
Day 1: 5 07-13
63. Alton Jones Waco, TX 5 07-12 149
Day 1: 5 07-12
64. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 5 07-10 147
Day 1: 5 07-10
65. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 5 07-08 145
Day 1: 5 07-08
66. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 07-02 143
Day 1: 5 07-02
67. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 5 07-01 141
Day 1: 5 07-01
68. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 06-15 139
Day 1: 5 06-15
69. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 3 06-09 137
Day 1: 3 06-09
70. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 06-06 135
Day 1: 5 06-06
71. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 06-05 133
Day 1: 5 06-05
72. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 5 06-03 131
Day 1: 5 06-03
73. Jeff Connella Bentley, LA 5 06-02 129
Day 1: 5 06-02
74. Randy Howell Springville, AL 4 05-13 127
Day 1: 4 05-13
75. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 05-11 125
Day 1: 5 05-11
76. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 05-09 123
Day 1: 5 05-09
77. Vince Fulks Purcell, OK 4 05-07 121
Day 1: 4 05-07
78. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 3 05-07 119
Day 1: 3 05-07
79. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 05-04 117
Day 1: 5 05-04
80. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 4 05-04 115
Day 1: 4 05-04
81. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 4 05-02 113
Day 1: 4 05-02
82. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 5 05-01 111
Day 1: 5 05-01
83. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 4 05-01 109
Day 1: 4 05-01
83. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 4 05-01 109
Day 1: 4 05-01
85. David Smith Del City, OK 5 04-14 105
Day 1: 5 04-14
86. Mark Burgess Norton, MA 3 04-06 103
Day 1: 3 04-06
87. Matt Greenblatt Palm Beach Gardens, FL 4 03-15 101
Day 1: 4 03-15
88. Jeremy Starks Charleston, WV 3 03-14 99
Day 1: 3 03-14
89. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 3 03-09 97
Day 1: 3 03-09
90. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 2 02-07 95
Day 1: 2 02-07
91. Keith Poche Troy, AL 2 02-06 93
Day 1: 2 02-06
92. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 1 01-14 91
Day 1: 1 01-14
93. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 1 00-06 89
Day 1: 1 00-06
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 75 430 865-09
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75 430 865-09
