EVANS, Ga. - Taming stingy Clarks Hill Lake for the third day, Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., maintained a lead of more than 1 pound Saturday at the Pride of Georgia bass fishing tournament. To score his fifth BASS victory, Evers, who has a three-day total of 51 pounds, 1 ounces, will have to hold off consistent Okie Kenyon Hill of Norman, who is second with 49 pounds, 14 ounces.
Repeating his early morning success from Friday, when he caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce lunker in the first minutes of competition, Evers landed a 5-14 in the first 10 minutes Saturday, which was good enough for Big Bass Honors and a $1,000 premium. From there, he took advantage of a strong early morning bite but faltered later in the day.
The 33-year-old is primarily working a jig around flat points adjacent to deeper water. He is covering a lot of water, visiting and revisiting hundreds of points throughout the day. He feels he was hurt Saturday by local boat pressure but continues to entice bass in shallow water. He remained upbeat after keeping the lead.
"I feel great. How could you not when you are in the lead?" Evers said. "Today was a bit slower but I was still able to run my pattern and execute."
With a victory, Evers would take home the $100,000 top prize and improve considerably on his 33rd-place standing in the Angler of the Year chase. Evers hasn't fared this well on Clarks Hill in the past -- the Elite Series has visited the spacious reservoir for three consecutive years -- but targeting shallow water this week has worked for him.
Evers has succeeded in all types of conditions -- sunny, cloudy and windy -- but feels that sunshine would lead to his best results. Sunshine is in the forecast for Sunday, the final day of competition.
Hill, who is having a stellar Elite season and is 12th in the Angler of the Year standings, was able to close the gap Saturday on the leader. The 43-year-old is also targeting points and shallow water but is keying in on areas with a hard bottom.
According to Hill, the real key to his success has been adapting with the conditions. He has thrown a variety of lures, including a pencil popper, a swimbait and a Carolina rig. Like Evers, he started off hot, catching six keeper fish in the first 15 minutes.
"I have been willing to change and sometimes it's all about using your head," said Hill, who is trying to close on his third BASS win. "I think I can catch 15 to 18 pounds Sunday. I hope that's enough."
Shooting up to third place was 2006 Clarks Hill Elite event winner Davy Hite of Prosperity, S.C. Hite, who calls Clarks Hill a home lake, is still in contention, with 46 pounds, 15 ounces, and scored the biggest limit of the day at 18 pounds, 14 ounces.
He is running a similar pattern -- primarily working a jig in spots he has fished for 20 years -- that launched him to victory two years ago. He feels that the jig bite could be strong Sunday. Still, he lamented missed opportunities Friday, when he slipped to 10th place.
"I struggled terribly Friday and I put myself behind the 8 ball," said Hite, a former Angler of the Year and Classic champion. "Still, I'm going to swing for the fences and look for those big fish Sunday."
Rounding out the top five were Peter Thliveros of St. Augustine, Fla., in fourth with 44 pounds, 4 ounces, and Timmy Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala., in fifth with 42 pounds, 11 ounces.
Also within the top-12 cut line were local favorite Casey Ashley (sixth), 2007 Angler of the Year Skeet Reese (seventh) and Texan Todd Faircloth (tied for 10th). Faircloth came into the Clarks Hill event in second place in the Angler of the Year standings and could overtake leader Mike McClelland, who finished 26th on Saturday.
In the co-angler division, Alabama's Dave Elder won with a three-day total of 32 pounds, 2 ounces, and held off Japan's Takuji Naruo (30-13) and California's Tom Frink (29-5). With the victory, Elder takes home a $25,000 top prize.
2008 Elite Series Pride of Georgia Results- Day 3 2008 Pride of Georgia 5/1-5/4 Clarks Hill Lake, Columbia County GA. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 51-01 310 $3,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 17-03 2. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 15 49-14 295 Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 18-01 3. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 15 46-15 290 $1,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 09-02 Day 3: 5 18-14 4. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 15 44-04 285 Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 16-13 5. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 15 42-11 280 Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 17-11 Day 3: 5 15-15 6. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 42-04 276 Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 13-05 7. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 41-13 272 Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 15-03 Day 3: 5 14-07 8. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 41-10 268 Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 5 16-13 9. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 15 41-05 269 $1,000.00 Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 09-12 Day 3: 5 09-09 10. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 40-15258.5 Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 5 17-02 10. Alton Jones Waco, TX 15 40-15258.5 Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 10-10 12. David Smith Del City, OK 15 40-12 254 $1,000.00 Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 10-13 13. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, NC 15 40-09 251 $10,800.00 Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 14-12 14. Chris Lane Lakeland, FL 15 40-05 248 $10,700.00 Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 12-06 Day 3: 5 16-06 15. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 15 40-00 245 $10,600.00 Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 09-12 Day 3: 5 17-00 16. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 15 38-10 243 $10,500.00 Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 10-06 Day 3: 5 13-09 17. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 15 37-15 240 $10,500.00 Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 09-07 Day 3: 5 14-11 17. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, CA 15 37-15 240 $10,500.00 Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 5 13-04 19. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 15 37-13 236 $10,500.00 Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 09-08 Day 3: 5 13-06 19. Morizo Shimizu Osaka, CA 15 37-13 236 $10,500.00 Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 13-09 21. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 15 37-12 233 $10,250.00 Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 11-12 Day 3: 5 09-03 22. Greg Gutierrez Red Bluff, CA 15 37-05 230 $10,250.00 Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 06-03 22. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 37-05 230 $10,250.00 Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 5 13-09 24. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 37-02 227 $10,250.00 Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 12-08 25. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 36-13 225 $10,250.00 Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 5 08-11 26. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 36-11 223 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 5 10-06 27. Randy Howell Springville, AL 14 36-07 221 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 4 08-09 28. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 15 36-01 219 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 10-04 Day 3: 5 14-15 29. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 15 35-13 217 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 11-08 30. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 15 35-12 215 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 5 14-03 31. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 15 35-10 213 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 5 13-01 32. John Crews Salem, VA 15 35-09 211 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 11-04 33. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 15 34-14 209 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 07-08 34. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 34-08 207 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 11-10 Day 3: 5 12-09 35. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 15 34-07 205 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 08-14 36. Bryan Hudgins Orange Park, FL 15 34-06 203 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 12-15 37. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 15 34-04 201 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 5 07-02 38. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ 15 33-15 199 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 12-12 39. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 15 33-07 197 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 11-06 40. Jim Murray Arabi, GA 15 33-03 195 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 10-06 Day 3: 5 12-01 41. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 15 32-11 193 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 08-11 42. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 31-03 191 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 07-13 43. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 15 30-15 189 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 08-11 Day 3: 5 08-03 44. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 14 30-12 187 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 4 05-11 45. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 14 30-10 185 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 09-11 Day 3: 4 07-10 46. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 15 30-08 183 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 08-02 47. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 15 30-06 181 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 08-05 48. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 15 30-05 179 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 08-11 49. Jeff Reynolds Idabel, OK 13 30-01 177 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 3 06-07 50. David Sherrer Shreveport, LA 9 26-13 175 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 3 07-03 Day 3: 1 01-02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BIG BASS Day 1 David Smith Del City, OK 07-01 $1,000.00 2 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 06-07 $1,000.00 3 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 05-14 $1,000.00 Day 1 Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 22-00 $1,000.00 2 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 18-13 $1,000.00 3 Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 18-14 $1,000.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 94 515 1152-06 2 99 522 1126-02 3 45 241 586-00 ---------------------------------- 238 1278 2864-08 2008 Pride of Georgia 5/1-5/4 Clarks Hill Lake, Columbia County GA. (NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Dave Elder Tuscaloosa, AL 15 32-02 0 $25,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 08-11 Day 3: 5 12-00 2. Takuji Naruo Moriyama JAPAN 14 30-13 0 $10,500.00 Day 1: 4 06-11 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 15-13 3. Tom Frink Simi Valley, CA 15 29-05 0 $5,000.00 Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 09-15 4. Chris Gould Martinez, GA 15 27-10 0 $3,500.00 Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 09-00 Day 3: 5 08-10 5. Ed Amos Chatsworth, GA 14 27-03 0 $3,000.00 Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 10-13 Day 3: 4 08-00 6. Jimmy Sparks Tuscumbia, AL 12 26-05 0 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 2 02-15 Day 3: 5 13-01 7. Lee Sisson Winter Haven, FL 14 25-07 0 $2,250.00 Day 1: 4 07-03 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 10-09 8. Bryan Talmadge Pell City, AL 14 24-10 0 $2,000.00 Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 4 04-14 Day 3: 5 10-09 9. Mike Harris Watkinsville, GA 14 24-09 0 $1,750.00 Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 07-05 Day 3: 4 05-06 10. Jason Berg Minnetonka, MN 15 24-07 0 $1,500.00 Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 09-14 Day 3: 5 07-07 11. John Yarbrough Columbia, SC 15 23-14 0 $1,250.00 Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 06-04 Day 3: 5 10-08 12. Preston Frazell Kincaid, KS 10 23-10 0 $1,500.00 Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 3 03-15 13. Kenny Newborn Hephzibah, GA 13 22-14 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 3 03-08 Day 3: 5 07-07 14. Matthew Roesch Toccoa, GA 13 22-08 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 06-08 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 3 05-14 15. David Whyte Augusta, GA 13 22-07 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 3 03-12 Day 3: 5 09-09 15. Derrick Bridges Greenville, SC 10 22-07 0 $750.00 Day 1: 4 04-03 Day 2: 3 08-08 Day 3: 3 09-12 15. Paul Ham West Columbia, SC 9 22-07 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 1 04-09 Day 3: 3 06-10 18. Bart Blackburn North Augusta, SC 11 22-04 0 $750.00 Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 4 09-11 Day 3: 5 08-11 19. Brad Smith Clarks Hill, SC 14 22-00 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 4 07-10 Day 3: 5 06-07 20. Sean Ravenscroft North Augusta, SC 15 21-14 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 05-06 Day 2: 5 07-12 Day 3: 5 08-12 21. Charles Covington Anderson, SC 11 21-13 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 2 02-01 Day 3: 4 10-15 22. David Rush Summerville, SC 12 20-07 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 06-06 Day 2: 4 09-12 Day 3: 3 04-05 23. Patrick Brown Swainsboro, GA 9 19-10 0 $750.00 Day 1: 2 06-11 Day 2: 4 08-00 Day 3: 3 04-15 24. Mark Heatwole Harrisonburg, VA 11 19-09 0 $750.00 Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 3 04-14 Day 3: 3 04-07 25. Thomas Rogers Keller, TX 10 19-08 0 $750.00 Day 1: 1 00-12 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 4 09-08 26. Mike Kirkley Gastonia, NC 10 19-06 0 $500.00 Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 3 03-01 Day 3: 2 08-00 27. Chris Heath North Augusta, SC 11 19-00 0 $500.00 Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 1 01-09 Day 3: 5 07-15 28. Jason Goude Georgetown, SC 10 18-10 0 $500.00 Day 1: 2 01-14 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 3 05-07 29. Ron Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 11 18-07 0 $500.00 Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 5 08-00 Day 3: 1 03-10 30. Harry Potts Ozark, AL 11 18-06 0 $500.00 Day 1: 4 07-11 Day 2: 3 04-07 Day 3: 4 06-04 31. Ronnie Tyson Marietta, GA 11 18-03 0 $500.00 Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 5 08-07 Day 3: 1 02-11 32. John Grantham Clinton, TN 12 17-13 0 $500.00 Day 1: 3 03-08 Day 2: 5 08-13 Day 3: 4 05-08 33. Terry Watson Douglasville, GA 11 17-06 0 $500.00 Day 1: 4 04-12 Day 2: 5 07-13 Day 3: 2 04-13 34. Justin Hamner Birmingham, AL 8 17-05 0 $500.00 Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 2 02-13 Day 3: 1 04-07 35. Marcia Rubin Chagrin Falls, OH 14 16-10 0 $500.00 Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 04-08 Day 3: 4 03-04 36. Ken Smith Lula, GA 12 16-09 0 $500.00 Day 1: 4 06-00 Day 2: 5 06-10 Day 3: 3 03-15 37. John Farr Anderson, SC 11 16-00 0 $500.00 Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 5 06-05 Day 3: 3 03-03 38. Harold Chapman Greenville, SC 11 15-15 0 $500.00 Day 1: 4 06-01 Day 2: 4 06-05 Day 3: 3 03-09 39. Barry Hooper Monticello, GA 9 15-04 0 $500.00 Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 3 04-14 Day 3: 4 05-05 40. Travis Cockburn Marion, IL 8 15-01 0 $500.00 Day 1: 4 05-10 Day 2: 2 05-04 Day 3: 2 04-03 41. Will Petty Charlotte, NC 8 14-12 0 $500.00 Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 4 07-11 Day 3: 2 03-08 42. J Flaherty Topsfield, MA 6 14-09 0 $500.00 Day 1: 4 11-13 Day 2: 2 02-12 Day 3: 0 00-00 43. Matthew Leavell Tuscaloosa, AL 9 14-06 0 $500.00 Day 1: 3 03-15 Day 2: 5 08-11 Day 3: 1 01-12 43. Todd Gordon Horton, AL 9 14-06 0 $500.00 Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 5 06-10 Day 3: 2 03-05 45. Howard Stephens Columbia, SC 10 14-02 0 $500.00 Day 1: 4 06-06 Day 2: 4 05-06 Day 3: 2 02-06 45. Greg Davis Evans, GA 8 14-02 0 $500.00 Day 1: 2 05-07 Day 2: 5 07-12 Day 3: 1 00-15 47. Craig Rozema Greer, SC 10 13-08 0 $500.00 Day 1: 3 03-15 Day 2: 5 08-02 Day 3: 2 01-07 48. Gene Davis Lincolnton, GA 8 13-02 0 $500.00 Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 4 06-07 Day 3: 1 01-14 49. Phil Sanders Hoschton, GA 6 11-15 0 $500.00 Day 1: 3 02-14 Day 2: 3 09-01 Day 3: 0 00-00 50. Greg Smith Lula, GA 6 09-15 0 $500.00 Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 1 02-12 Day 3: 0 00-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BIG BASS Day 1 Stephen Williams Columbus, MS 05-02 $500.00 2 Preston Frazell Kincaid, KS 05-04 $500.00 3 Takuji Naruo Moriyama JAPAN 06-12 $500.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 31 315 513-13 2 28 286 485-05 3 15 160 300-06 ---------------------------------- 74 761 1299-08