Clarks Hill Lake has confounded, confused and discombobulated the Bassmaster Elite Series field this week at the Pride of Georgia, the sixth Bassmaster Elite Series event of the season. But Terry Scroggins of Palatka, Fla., has put together enough pieces of the puzzle to survive the battle of attrition on stingy Clarks Hill to hold a 1-ounce margin over his closest competitor, Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla.
Despite holding the top position with a two-day total of 29 pounds, 7 ounces, Scroggins sunk like a rock Friday as he was only able to tote 12-6 to the scales after posting 17-1 Thursday. With a steady rain pounding Clarks Hill the majority of the day and constant cloud cover, anglers were forced to scramble.
Scroggins couldn’t connect with the deep bite that had produced two 4-plus pound bass Thursday and didn’t register a fish after 10 a.m.
“It’s just extremely tough out there,” said Scroggins, who has earned more than $1.2 million in BASS career earnings. “It lasts for about two or three hours early in the morning and then it stops. After 10 a.m., you minus well put your rod down because it’s impossible to catch them.”
While Scroggins was prone to hyperbole after a tough day, most in the field agreed that pickings are slim after the early flurry. As is, the early bite – always a big part of Clarks Hill – has become the only crutch for most anglers.
On Thursday, Scroggins was able to entice his late bass with a worm but that isn’t a factor for his early fish. Scroggins is working about 15 different points – saturated by competitor’s boats – with a variety of baits.
“When you get the bait in the right areas, you can get them to bite,” said Scroggins, 41. “It’s more important to be in the right spot. When you get in the right little spot, they come get it.”
While the bite is tough as nails this week, perhaps it is just what the doctor ordered to turn Scroggins’ subpar season around. The seven-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier was mired in a relative slump, sitting in 53rd in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings heading into this week.
Of the first five Elite events, Scroggins had managed only one Saturday cut. Still, he hasn’t done enough to prevent him from notching his seventh consecutive Classic appearance, a constant goal for him. A top finish this week would put him right in the mix for the Classic cut ? the top 36 will qualify – with two regular-season events remaining.
Like Scroggins, Biffle is playing it close to the vest on specifics of his pattern. He is exhibiting a slight bit more consistency than Scroggins as he posted two days of 13-plus pounds.
“I’m fishing the way I like to fish,” said Biffle, a shallow-water expert. “It’s so tough out there, I have just been lucky to run into a few big bites.”
Biffle, a four-time Bassmaster winner, felt he was hampered by the gloomy conditions Friday. With that, he mixed up his lure selection. He is scouring one area for all it’s worth and has little company. He feels that it should hold up the remainder of the tournament and as such, has no back up plan.
Behind Biffle in third was Elite rookie Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, La., with 27-5. Crochet’s total was boosted by the biggest bass of the tournament, a 6-2 brute landed Friday. In fourth was Mark Davis of Mt. Ida, Ark., with 27-1. Davis still stands as the only angler to win the Bassmaster Classic and Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year in the same season. He accomplished the feat in 1995.
Rounding out the top five was local favorite Jason Williamson of Aiken, S.C. Aiken is a stones throw away from here and Williamson considers Clarks Hill a home lake.
Qualifying for Saturday was the top 47 anglers. Notables included 2006 AOY Mike Iaconelli (14th), Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kansas (26th), Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla. (38th) and five-time AOY Kevin VanDam (43rd).
Thursday leader Jeff Kriet of Ardmore, Okla., battled mechanical problems and faltered to eighth place. Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., finally showed he is human as the hottest angler on the planet struggled to a 59th place finish and missed his first cut of 2010. By virtue of his unprecedented start, he will still hold the lead in the AOY standings – albeit by a decreased margin.
Along with the top prize of $100,000, the Pride of Georgia awards valuable points in the 2010 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. The top 12 pros in the AOY standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series postseason, in which the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be determined. The top 36 will qualify for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
The tournament will run through Sunday with the top 12 moving on to Sunday. Defending champion Kenyon Hill, who won in 2008, was 34th.
Clarks Hill is a 71,535-acre fishery, an impoundment 39 miles in length located 22 miles north of Augusta. It forms part of the border between Georgia and South Carolina and is renowned for its topwater fishing.
The public is invited to attend the Pride of Georgia’s daily launches at 6:10 a.m. ET at Wildwood Park, 6212 Holloway Rd., Appling, Ga., 30802. After Day 2’s competition Friday, the field will be cut to the top 50 anglers for Day 3. Only the top 12 will go on to compete in Day 4. Also free and open to the public, the daily weigh-ins are set for 3:30 p.m. at Wildwood Park.
Local sponsor of the Pride of Georgia: Columbia County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
After the Pride of Georgia, the 2010 regular season will have just two events remaining. Up next is the June 9-12 Tennessee Triumph on Kentucky Lake out of Paris, Tenn.
Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter, Yamaha and Bass Pro Shops.
Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Triton Boats, Nitro Boats and Ramada.
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 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, 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.By: BASS Communications / BASS
