Keith Combs consistency carried him to the top of the leaderboard on the second day of the final 2010 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on Lake Texoma. Combs of Del Rio, Texas, registered one of only five limits Friday- up from three on Thursday – which weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces, upgrading his two-day total of 20-6.
“Today was a good day,” he said. “I went out to get five bites doing the same thing I did yesterday, and it just worked better.”
Combs was tossing a crankbait and a worm, though he declined to reveal specifics on either. Combs said his spot surprised him by producing as many fish as it did, so he stuck with it. If he’s consistent for one more day, he may be cashing the top check of around $40,000.
In addition to the tournament prize, Combs is one of a host of anglers chasing two Classic berths via the Central Opens. Combs headed into this week in second in the points standings and is looking to lock up a berth with his banner performance on Texoma thus far. If he is able to hold serve, Combs will be a lock for one of the two berths.
Craig Schuff of Watauga, Texas, was first in the standings heading into this week and was able to salvage a 48th-place finish at Texoma. But Clark Reehm of Russellville, Ark., has put the heat on and is ninth at Texoma. He could challenge Schuff for a Classic berth depending on how Saturday plays out.
Behind Combs in the event was Jeff Reynolds of Idabel, Okla., who weighed in 12-7, building his total to 19-4. Reynolds says that the gusty Friday wind aided his bite a bit.
“I wasn’t sure if the wind was going to help or not, but I managed to get a few bites from one hole,” he said. “I’ll go try it again tomorrow morning and see what shakes out.”
In third place was Jay Fuller of Newcastle, Okla., with 19-3. Dropping to fourth was Thursday leader Lee Sisson of Winter Haven, Fla., who fell off the pace a bit with just 8-3 on Day 2, good enough for 18-13. Rounding out the top five was Ray Brazier of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., who almost doubled his Thursday weight with 12-7, bringing him up to 18-12.
On the co-angler side, Matt Crawford of Little Elm, Texas, stunned the crowd with a three-fish limit that weighed 10-3, bringing his total to 12-0. Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, also significantly added to her total with 9-9. She ended up at 10-14. Thursday leader Travis Gray of Princeton, La., fell to third with 10-3. Co-anglers are competing for a fully rigged Skeeter ZX190 boat with a 150-horsepower Yamaha motor.
The field was cut to the top 30 today, with the 31st- through 50th-place anglers receiving checks. The tournament will wrap up Saturday.
The public is invited to watch the outcome of the Texoma event from Highport Marina, 120 Texoma Harbor Drive, Pottsboro, Texas. Boats will take off at 7:30 a.m. CT each day. Weigh-ins are set to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT. All events are free and open to the public. The host sponsor of the Texoma event is the Denison Chamber of Commerce.
Daily results and photo galleries will be available at www.Bassmaster.com. The Classic and Elite invitations will be awarded Saturday, Oct. 23, after the final weigh-in. That also will mark the end of the entire 2010 Open season.
Bassmaster Open Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
Bassmaster Open Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha and Mercury
Bassmaster Supporting Sponsors: Humminbird, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats and Triton Boats
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.
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 Bassmaster, BASSInsider webite, and ESPN3 webite, 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
