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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 75 430 865-09 ---------------------------------- 75 430 865-09