Cliff Pace makes top 12 finale
Texas pro Todd Faircloth remained in the lead of the Wisconsin Bassmaster Elite Series event after three days, but he was a mere 7 ounces ahead of Alabama’s Aaron Martens with one day of fishing remaining.
Faircloth’s three-day total was 47-11, and Martens had accumulated 47-4 during the Mississippi River event.
“I think I’m in contention to win,” Faircloth said. “I’m in the right areas; I’ve seen some big fish.”
In third place Saturday (June 23) was Terry Butcher of Oklahoma with 46-12. Fourth was Dean Rojas with 45-7, and fifth was Elite Series rookie Jamie Horton of Alabama with 45-6.
Petal’s Cliff Pace earned a ticket to the final day of competition on the strength of his 44-15. He goes into the finale in sixth.
Only the top 12 anglers fish tomorrow’s finale.
Click here to read full standings.
Faircloth’s job for Sunday is clear: Fish harder than you ever have. As it’s been all week, the tournament was expected to come down to a game of ounces. Any of his 11 challengers could hook into a rare 6-pounder and wreck his chances for his third Elite win. Only 5 pounds, 15 ounces separated the pro in 12th from Faircloth.
“To beat these guys, everything has to fall exactly in place. Hopefully it’s my turn,” he said.
Faircloth missed an Elite win early this season to Alton Jones by 1 pound, 2 ounces. That was on another river, the St. Johns in Florida, but Faircloth isn’t letting that similarity color his strategy this time around.
“I’m fishing the way I like,” he said. “I have a game plan for tomorrow, and I feel like I’m around the winning fish.”
He brought in 14-13 Saturday, not nearly as good as his 17-14 of Friday.
“I probably caught more fish today than I did yesterday — I just didn’t catch that big one like I had the first two days,” Faircloth said. “It got a little frustrating because I kept catching the same-size ones. The fish changed on me a little bit today. Yesterday I caught a bunch of my fish punching a big weight into the mats, but today that deal, with the cloud cover, didn’t pan out.”
Faircloth had even more at stake Sunday than an Elite win — points to put toward the coveted Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown. After three days on the Mississippi, he was in second place, so a high finish Sunday could give him enough claim the lead.
Second-place holder in the Rumble, Martens is one of the Elite pros fighting this week for more points toward a qualification for the 2013 Classic by the end of the season. Saturday he used the word “excited” about his chances to perform well on Sunday and achieve his goal, which had seemed out of his grasp after several poor finishes early this season.
He brought in the day’s largest bag, a 16-2, a near match to his first-day catch. Saturday’s outcome was a rescue from Day 2, when his 14-13 sack pushed him to fourth place.
“I got a solid 4-pounder at the end of the day,” said Martens, a two-time Elite winner, “but I figured something out. I think you will be impressed tomorrow, but I’m trying not to think too much about it.”
The 4 was actually a 4-14, the largest bass of the day.
When the water clarity changed and levels rose on Saturday, Martens stuck to Pool 8, but switched areas. He figured out how he had to adapt, implemented the changes and was on his way soon after 1 p.m., he said. Then he got the “one fatty” of a 4-pounder and closed up his livewell for the day.
Although he and Faircloth are close friends and often share patterns during an event — and they have this time, too — the two aren’t fishing near each other, or in the same ways.
“He’s doing the complete opposite of what I’m doing. I think it would be cooler if I won, though.” Martens grinned. “Only because I’m doing something so completely different from anyone,” he added.
The top contender for the Carhartt Big Bass award of the tournament, worth up to $1,500, stayed at 5-3, the mark set by both Faircloth and Butcher on Friday.
Click here to read the final-day story.
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