"I caught two limits of keepers yesterday, and today I just caught five fish," said Smith, whose two-day total was 26-1.

Fishing was decidedly more difficult across the board Friday, with most anglers complaining about fewer and more finicky bites. Just 17 competitors brought a limit to the scales.

"It was a very, very peculiar bite today," Smith said. "I think possibly it’s the high pressure."

Louisiana’s Cliff Crochet, who lives just minutes from the boat landing, moved into second place Friday with a two-day total of 22-9. Crochet weighed a five-fish limit Friday of 12-14.

Dale Jackson of Van, Texas, was third with 21-6 overall while Bassmaster Elite Series pro Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., also with 21-6 overall, took fourth. Jackson edged Evers for third place because he had the heaviest one-day weight total between the two. Kyle Fox of Lakeland, Fla., rounded out the top five with 20-13.

At stake for the Central Open pros are two Bassmaster Classic berths and seven Bassmaster Elite Series invitations based on points standings, as well as a top prize of $45,000 (based on a full field). Co-anglers are competing for a $32,000 boat rig.

The full field will be cut to the top 30 anglers now for Saturday’s final day of competition.

Smith said he didn’t change a thing today.

"I fished the same area I did yesterday," he said. "I have three areas, and yesterday two of them had other boats on them. Today three of them did, so I just stayed in that same area."

Muddy water has been the norm throughout the system, but Smith said that played to his favor.

"From what I understand, the area I’m fishing is always stained," he said. "So I don’t think the muddy water makes that much of a difference in there."

While Smith felt good about his chances of a wire-to-wire victory, the difficult bite made him nervous.

"I’ve still got a lot of confidence, but the bite was tougher," Smith said. "Today I was lucky to get five (fish)."

On the co-angler side, Louisiana’s David Cooper remained in first with a 17-2 two-day total. He said that while he was fortunate enough to be in the same area both days, it wasn’t easy.

"There were a whole lot more boats in the area," Cooper said. "And I guess this high pressure had them shut down."

The Central Open standings have been shuffled, as points leader Todd Castledine of Texas stumbled to a 61st-place finish in the Atchafalaya Basin event and will not fish Day 3. Crochet, who came into the event in sixth place, looks to be in control with his strong performance.

Saturday’s final launch will take place at 6:15 a.m. CT at the Belle River Boat Launch north of Moran City, La., followed by a 2:20 p.m. weigh-in. All events are free and open to the public.

Bassmaster.com is providing live, streaming video and real-time leaderboards throughout the event, beginning at 3:20 p.m. ET daily. Photo galleries, results and standings will also be available at the site.

Sponsors of the 2009 Bassmaster Opens: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine.

About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in the Bassmaster, BASSInsider, ESPNOutdoors and ESPN360 websites, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.