The West Rides Again
Reese's Hole Holds, He Edges Ike By Ounces

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Skeet Reese says he wanted to be the one to bring the Bassmaster Classic trophy back to California.

Day-2 leader Jami Fralick's jig-swimming pattern faded, which opened the door for Reese.

The only man who stood in Reese's way was Mike Iaconelli, who began the day way back in a tie for 9th. Ike walloped a 20-03 limit, which included a 5-pounder he caught with 1 minute of fishing time left, but it was too little, too late.

Reese, on the strength of that single stretch of water, edged Ike by 11 ounces and achieved what so few anglers can claim – the title of Bassmaster Classic champion.

Notably, Reese and Ike fished similar patterns, except Reese worked his in a community hole in pool 5, whereas Ike worked in isolation in Pool 4. But that doesn't mean Reese had company. Plenty of anglers were packed in the back of Bobo's, but Reese fished the outside where the fish were more in a true pre-spawn pattern.

That meant the fish weren't knocked back by the successive cold fronts that moved through. In fact, as often happens with deeper pre-spawn fish, the cold seemed to improve the bite.

Reese came within a hair of breaking the all-time Classic weight record for the five-fish era, set by Luke Clausen at Toho in 2006, but his 54-13, 3-day total fell 1-05 short.

Brain Snowden suffered an engine malfunction this morning and lost 3 hours of fishing time. With a replacement boat, he returned to the area he'd worked the past 2 days alongside Fralick. Snowden sacked 18-01 and moved up three spots to finish 3rd with 52-13.

Fralick didn't catch them, however. His 10-09 limit dropped him to 8th.

Mike McClelland continued his climb. He was 21st after day 1, 15th after day 2, and caught 21-11 today to finish 4th.

Edwin Evers caught a relatively strong 15-02 today, but fell two spots to finish 5th.

Federation Nation qualifier Bryan Schmidt caught 22-01 and improved 12 spots to finish 6th.

Kenyon Hill caught the day's heaviest limit (24-02) and that pushed him up 15 spots to finish 7th.

As it turned out, this Classic was won on a spot, which many predicted it would be, but it wasn't quite that simple. Reese put very little time into research and practice. He didn't fish the river before the cutoff, ended his 3-day pre-practice early, and took a matter-of-fact approach to the final practice day and again quit early.

He developed his strategy, instead, through an hour or two of Internet study, and a map inspection that made it "obvious" Bobo's was the place to fish.

Fishing Bobo's wasn't the winning decision, though. What made the difference was his choice of water inside the oxbow. He chose to fish outside – away from the merry-go-round of boats fishing the traditional spawning section of the backwater.

He located a ditch with clear water and murky water, shallow water and deeper water, side-by-side. That gave him options, and allowed him to ride the weather changes to victory. And the weather did change. The water was as warm as 64 degrees in practice, but by this morning, had plummeted to as cool as 47.

Photo: BassFan When Reese got his first moment alone, he told himself over and over in his head, 'I just won the Bassmaster Classic.'

In fact, western pros have won five of the past 11 major championships in the sport (Classics and Forrest Wood Cups) – Luke Clausen, Brent Ehrler, Michael Bennett, and now Reese.

Reese Emotional, Excited

> Day 3: 5, 16-12 (15, 54-13)

Skeet Reese was choked with emotion as he spoke onstage about his win. Amidst tears, he said the trophy was for him – for all his hard work – but it's also for his sponsors, his family, his fans, and the people of Shreveport, La.

Later, he reflected on what the win meant to him.

"It (creates) validation for me," he said. "This is a very fickle sport in that we've seen superstars that haven't been able to accomplish certain goals. To win the Bassmaster Classic – it's one of those thing you don't know if you'll ever achieve. It's every bass fisherman's dream.

"I don't know how many individual anglers have won (the Classic), but it's a very small group of anglers. To actually achieve that – to cement myself in the history of this sport as one of icons of the sport in my time – I hope I solidified that today."

Reese actually didn't catch a fish in the final 2 hours, which he said created mental drama inside his mind. He knew he had about 16 pounds, but it could have been be 15 1/2 or 16 1/2. When he checked in at the launch, he'd heard Ike caught 20. And until Ike weighed in onstage, Reese had no idea what he'd need.

Then Ike weighed his 20-03, which meant Reese needed 16 pounds.

"I was an absolute mess," Reese said. "I had a lot of confidence that I had that weight, but I wasn't certain. I knew it was close to the 16-pound mark."

When the scales settled, Reese jumped in the air, pumped his fists, shouted, and basked in the lights, fireworks and intense crowd noise.

After his victory lap, when he first had a moment to himself backstage, he said he sat down for a minute with the trophy. "I was just saying it over and over 100 times – 'I just won the Bassmaster Classic. I just won the Bassmaster Classic.'

"I know this grin isn't going to leave my face for a while," he added. "And no offense to Aaron (Martens), but I'm glad he got a lot of 2nds. He lives in Alabama anyway now, but I wanted to be the one to bring a Classic trophy to California."

As noted, Reese fished an area in Bobo's all 3 days. He switched between a Berkley Crazy Leg Chigger Craw – a bait Berkley designed and released specifically for the Classic – and a Lucky Craft Redemption spinnerbait.

The full details of his winning pattern, plus pattern information for the other top finishers, will be posted soon.

Photo: BassFan After finishing 2nd, Mike Iaconelli felt so overwhelmed he sought isolation in the bathroom, and sat on the floor for 15 minutes.

> Day 3: 5, 20-03 (15, 54-02)

Iaconelli won the 2003 Classic (also in Louisiana) – another event laced with drama. He caught the winning fish there in the final minutes of fishing. That's when he coined his motto "Never give up." It was almost a repeat today.

But today's emotion, and letdown, were so intense, he found his way to the bathroom after the weigh-in and sat on the floor for 15 minutes in a moment of reflection.

"It's pretty hard," he said. "But at the same time, in this sport, you can have a very long career. You can fish until you're 50 or 60 years old. So I'm going to have opportunities again. Like I said (onstage) – whoever wins this title deserves it.

"When I won the Classic in 2003, I was 2 1/2 hours from the ramp when I caught my last fish," he added. "Riding back, I knew I'd won that tournament. Driving back today, I didn't have that same feeling. It's very hard to be that far back in the pack and win the Classic. If you look historically, I think only Clunn did it, at the James River.

"I knew the potential was there (for me to win), but these guys are too good. They're not going to slip up."

3rd: Snowden Glad It's Over

> Day 3: 5, 18-01 (15, 52-14)

"I came real close," Snowden said. "I didn't lose any fish. I feel I executed real well. I didn't have as much time as I like to have to fish, but I dealt with it the best I could.

"(Now that it's over), the biggest feeling is relief. We all give 110% all the time, and now it's just like a big weight is lifted off your shoulders. It's over, and I did the best I could."

As noted previously, Snowden lost 3 hours of fishing with a motor problem. He'd been sharing water with Fralick in Pool 4's "Jungle," and did so again today. About why he caught them today but Fralick didn't, Snowden said: "He got to fish it quite a while without me, but he only had one when I got there.

"One of the things today was, because of the cold weather, the bite kind of changed. Instead of swimming it and hopping it, I let it hit bottom again and again. He probably continued swimming it in the same fashion, where I changed it up a little bit. That probably helped me get a few more bites."

4th: McClelland Kept Climbing

> Day 3: 5, 21-11 (15, 52-01)

McClelland fished extremely well over the final 2 days, but couldn't overcome and opening-day bag that was shy of 14 pounds.

"This Classic was the sixth I've fished, but the only one I've contended in," he said. "I got myself behind the 8-ball on the first day, so everything I did after that was an accomplishment.

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Brian Snowden's relieved that it's all over.

He caught his big stringer today from Pool 5 on 3/8-ounce jewel football and finesse jigs.

"I just fished isolated stuff. I knew under these conditions, with the high skies, the fish were going to lock down tight.

"I'd committed to staying in Pool 5 prior to coming to practice last week, and it worked out well. If I'd made a few different decisions I might've taken a run at winning this thing. At times the fish were pretty active and I should've covered as much water as I could instead of resorting to the little jig and the plastics."

He fished his primary area until 9:30 today and didn't get a bite. He caught one right away at his second stop, then picked up a jig and slowly built his stringer.

5th: Evers Lost Track of his Fish

> Day 3: 5, 15-02 (15, 51-5)

Evers needed another 19-pound sack like the one he caught on day 2 to win, but it wasn't to be. His primary area had cooled off 8 degrees since yesterday and his fish had moved.

He was unsuccessful in his quest to relocate them.

"I should've left, but I didn't," he said. "I had too much confidence in the area where I'd caught them yesterday."

He got eight bites today and boated seven, but the biggest was only 3 1/2 pounds.

"I had some backup stuff where I'd caught some the first day that was a couple of miles away, and I should've gone to it."

He caught all of his fish on a Yum Wooly Bug or a Yum Dinger.

6th: Schmidt Pleased

> Day 3: 5, 22-01 (15, 55-01)

Schmidt, from Olney, Texas, was the highest-finishing Federation Nation qualifier.

"I started out throwing a spinnerbait, but it wasn't until the water warmed up that I caught some on a Texas-rig," he said. "I figured maybe they moved up, so I picked up the flipping stick and good things happened.

"It feels great. To be a Federation member, and to be fishing the last day of the Classic and come in with 22 pounds – it's an awesome feeling."

He noted he was flipping a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver today with a Texas Sidewinder rod. He caught all his fish in the White House area of Pool 5.

7th: Hill Drilled 'Em

> Day 3: 5, 24-02 (15, 49-14)

Hill's bags improved by about 7 pounds each day, and he climbed 15 places in the standings after each weigh-in. The sack he caught today was the best of the tournament.

"I just basically threw a spinnerbait and flipped a jig – just meat-and-potatoes springtime fishing," he said. "I caught some on both today.

"I switched areas yesterday, but I came back (to the day-1 spot) today. It started out pretty slow when it was cold in the morning, but it steadily picked up."

His bag included two fish that weighed a little over 6 pounds each. He lost a 5, but thinks he may have caught that one about a half-hour later. He went through 15 keepers.

He spent the entire tournament in Pool 4.

"I just messed up the first day somehow, and I don't know how. I just didn't get the big ones to bite. The past 2 days I caught the fish to win, but I didn't do it on all 3 days. It's an area deal, and the first day I guessed wrong."

8th: Fralick Disappointed

> Day 3: 5, 10-09 (15, 49-02)

Fralick swam a jig in "The Jungle."

"I'm disappointed," he said. "You never know how many chances you're going to get to win the Bassmaster Classic. I felt I had chances to win this thing. All I said was I wanted a chance going into the final day. It just didn't happen for me.

"I didn't have the bites to win today," he added. "I lost one fish in 3 days, and that fish wouldn't have helped me much. For 2 days, I fished a perfect tournament. The only thing I could have done today was go to a totally different area. But the fish were still in there – Brian caught 18 pounds. It just didn't happen."

9th: Martens' Area Gave Out

The area that Aaron Martens exploited for 17 1/2 pounds on day 2 wasn't nearly as productive today.

"I thought they'd bite this afternoon when the sun was out and the water had warmed up 3 degrees, but they never did," he said. "All of those stumps had good shade, too.

"The fish moved around so much in my primary stuff, and I think they ended up where Skeet and Boyd were. I didn't want to go step on their feet. If the weather had stayed stable, it would've been better."

He caught close to 20 keepers again today, but none topped 3 1/2 pounds. He employed a Roboworm on a dropshot rig to entice most of them.

On previous days, he caught fish on a Robo Zipper and a spinnerbait.

"I wish I'd moved with the fish a little better. The weather seemed to move the schools around a lot and I should've tried to broaden my area, I guess. It might've meant getting on Skeet and Boyd and those guys, but that's where they were at."

10th: Jordon Regrets Decision

> Day 3: 5, 12-13 (15, 48-12)

Kelly Jordon feels a decision today cost him the Classic. He had a small, hard-to-reach backwater in Port Lake near the launch. He fished there this morning, then left. He figured it was safe, since he never saw another angler in there during competition.

He returned later in the afternoon, but Alton Jones was fishing it. Jordon lost by a little more than 6 pounds, but figures that area would have given him 8 more pounds today.

"When I came through and saw Alton there, you might as well have just kicked me in the stomach, or even a little bit lower," Jordon said.

11th: Key Losses Plagued Davis

> Day 3: 5, 14-02 (15, 48-04)

Mark Davis adopted a strategy for this event that was a bit of a gamble, and it almost paid off. He'd have finished higher if not for big fish that came unbuttoned on days 1 and 3.

"I committed to an area and a pattern that was unlike what the others were doing," he said. "I fished for pre-spawn fish on river rock, just outside where the other guys were fishing in Pool 4. I was determined to make it work, and it did work for the most part.

"I started to go this way when I saw the long-term weather forecast for two (storm) fronts. I thought that might shut down the shallow fish that other people were catching, and I could possibly win with what I was doing."

He caught all of his weigh-in fish on either a Strike King Redeye Shad or a Strike King Game Hawg.

"I would've liked to have had more flipping fish, but when you lock and run as far as a lot of us did, you have to pick an area and pick a way to fish it. You can't jump round and change because you don't have time."

12th: Duckett Finally Moved

> Day 3: 5, 13-09 (15, 47-08)

Duckett finally pulled off the Pool-5 community area he'd fished since the start of day 1 when, for the second straight day, it didn't give him the type of weight he was looking for. The day-1 leader didn't find that quality elsewhere, either.

He caught about nine keepers for the day. One was a 4-pounder, but the others were run-of-the-mill.

"The bites were hard to come by early in the cold weather and I didn't get my first one until about 9:00," he said. "Then I caught the 4-pounder at 10, and they were pretty steady after that. They just weren't big enough."

He fished exclusively today with a Berkley PowerBait Chigger Craw.

"What I was catching in there were bed-fish – I couldn't see them, but that's what they were doing. I probably should've tried to expand on day 2. When I left them today and started looking for other fish, it didn't work."

13th: Ashley Misjudged Area

> Day 3: 5, 14-07 (15, 46-15)

Casey Ashley said his biggest regret about the tournament was his misjudgment of the Pool-4 area that was fished by Snowden and Fralick. He said it was the first place he set his boat down when official practice started 9 days ago.

"I thought there was a lot of fish there, but not big ones, and the best I could catch there would be 10 pounds," he said. "I was going to catch a limit real fast and get out. It turned out that there were big ones in there."

He said he made one pass through that area with a spinnerbait today, and then left it to the others. He started pitching a jig to woody targets and caught a decent limit in the afternoon.

15th: Wirth Avoided Leaders

> Day 3: 5, 13-13 (15, 44-02)

Wirth primarily fished the same water in Pool 5 for all 3 days.

"I wanted to go to 4 today but I was afraid to get in somebody's way," he said. "If I'd gone down there and just fished one or two little areas, I might've wasted the whole day."

He caught most of his fish on a Berkley Power Hawg.

"I was pitching it to a lot of stumps. There were bedding fish on the sides of them, but I couldn't see them."

Additional Notes