LEESBURG, Fla. - The whims of Florida's wintertime weather struck again Sunday in the final round of the $618,000 Bassmaster Tour bass fishing event on the Harris Chain of Lakes, shaking up the leaderboard and pushing a pair of Floridians into the top two spots.
Instead of cold, this time it was wind - brisk and relentless - playing havoc with the chain's resident largemouths, even causing two of the six finalists to strike out completely.
Somehow it played into the hands of Peter Thliveros and Jim Bitter, who moved up from second and third, respectively, to capture the top spots.
Thliveros, 44, from Jacksonville, brought in the day's largest catch (19 pounds, 15 ounces), earning the award for the day and posting his fourth BASS victory with 69 pounds, five ounces. He took home a cool $100,000 for his efforts, plus an additional $2,000 for having the bag on both the third and final day.
Bitter, 62, a hometown favorite from nearby Fruitland Park, weighed in an impressive 18-9, but fell 1 pound, 11 ounces short with 67-10. He earned $40,000.
Third-round leader Todd Faircloth of Texas managed just 12-3 Sunday and fell to third place with 64-6, followed by North Carolina's Guy Eaker (15-12 Sunday) with 60-14. Fifth-place finisher Larry Nixon (46-9) of Arkansas and California's Aaron Martens (42-5) both zeroed on Sunday.
Bitter took Sunday's Big Bass Award with an eight-pound, nine-ounce largemouth. It earned him an extra $1,000.
Thliveros scored a much appreciated victory on the day that Super Bowl XXXIX was taking place in his hometown.
"It's just unbelievable," said Thliveros, who last won a BASS event in 1997. "It's almost as good as the first time. The first time was fabulous, and this time it's almost surreal."
"I'm still floating. I don't even really know where I'm at. The adrenaline's flowing."
Thliveros' success came in the shallow grass in Lake Eustis on a 1/2-ounce Team Supreme spinnerbait thrown on 20-pound monofilament line. He also used a Zoom Brush Hog and paddletail worm on 14-pound line.
Peter T's strategy involved targeting spawning bass that others overlooked. He used the spinnerbait early and the soft-plastics later in the day.
"Going out this morning, I thought my chances were pretty good," he said. "I really did. I don't know why I thought they were pretty good. I just had a good feeling. For once, I didn't have any negative thoughts. I didn't talk myself out of it. I just kind of kept myself in a positive frame of mind and really, really worked hard."
It was a disappointing ending for Bitter, the early leader and a clear favorite among the Leesburg fishing fans. The five-time BASS winner won a BASS MegaBucks event here in 1989.
"Sure, I'm disappointed. I had a great opportunity to win this thing," he said. "I was on plenty of fish. I just didn't control my area well enough."
Bitter shared the Yale Canal with several top finishers, including Eaker. He scored by pitching two sizes of a Brush Hog into shallow vegetation for bedding bass that he couldn't see.
For Faircloth, it was another near miss at his first BASS victory. His third place showing leaves him with two seconds and two thirds on his tournament résumé.
"I felt really good going out this morning," Faircloth said. "I had a 2-pound lead, and I felt good about my area.
"What I was most concerned about was that my bites were coming so late in the day. That was the situation again today. I didn't catch my first bass until 10:00, and I caught three after 12 o'clock."
In the Big Bass Fan Contest, Brian Naugle won the luck of the draw and was paired with Bitter. When his 8-9 largemouth hit the scales, Naugle earned the $1,000 prize.
Catch all the action from the Bassmaster Tour event on the Harris Chain on The Bassmasters next Saturday, Feb. 12, at 10:00 a.m. ET.
2005 Florida Bassmaster Tour Pro 02/03-02/06 Harris Chain of Lakes, Leesburg, Fla. (PRO Division) Standings Day 4 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 19 69-05 305 $102,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 16-13 Day 4: 4 19-15 2. Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 18 67-10 305 $40,000.00 Day 1: 5 26-12 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 3 8-12 Day 4: 5 18-09 3. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 19 64-06 295 $23,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 15-12 Day 4: 4 12-03 4. Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 19 60-14 285 $20,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 4 11-14 Day 4: 5 15-12 5. Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Ark. 13 46-09 280 $15,000.00 Day 1: 3 16-14 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 13-09 Day 4: 0 0-00 6. Aaron Martens Castaic, Calif. 11 42-05 276 $14,000.00 Day 1: 5 26-03 Day 2: 1 2-04 Day 3: 5 13-14 Day 4: 0 0-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Bass Day 1 Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 9-07 $1,000.00 2 Art Ferguson III Saint Clair Shores, Mich. 11-01 $1,000.00 3 Mark Rogers Naples, Fla. 7-13 $1,000.00 4 Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 8-09 $1,000.00 Art Ferguson III Saint Clair Shores, Mich. 11-01 $1,000.00 Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 26-12 $1,000.00 Scott Rook Little Rock, Ark. 22-08 $1,000.00 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 16-13 $1,000.00 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 19-15 $1,000.00 Angler of the Year Leader David Walker Sevierville, Tenn. $1,000.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 37 434 1061-09 2 56 524 1276-04 3 5 41 112-07 4 2 18 66-07 ---------------------------------- 100 1017 2516-11 NAME LAKE LBSOZS Jim Bitter Harris Chain of Lakes, FL 26-12 Scott Rook Harris Chain of Lakes, FL 22-8 Peter Thliveros Harris Chain of Lakes, FL 19-15 Takahiro Omori Toho/Kissimmee, FL 17-15 Peter Thliveros Harris Chain of Lakes, FL 16-13 Kevin Wirth Toho/Kissimmee, FL 15-5 Gerald Swindle Toho/Kissimmee, FL 12-4 Jeff Reynolds Toho/Kissimmee, FL 8-13