BASS COMMUNICATIONS
With the final day of the AutoZone Sooner Run looming, Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., is finally ready to dig deep into his bag of tricks and unlock his much-discussed secret spots on Fort Gibson Lake. The four-time Bassmaster winner has played the risky game of saving his best for last but it’s paid off thus far as Biffle has been able to maintain the lead – albeit by a precarious 12 ounces – while working his B areas.
But Biffle was oh so close to really opening things up on Saturday. If not for a 6-pounder that got away at the last second, the 16-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier would be a ton more comfortable. Instead, Biffle toted 17 pounds, 4 ounces, to the scales to build his three-day total to 55-8.
All week, pundits, fans, fantasy fishing experts and Elite anglers have labeled Biffle as the man to beat. With an eroding lead, perhaps he’s starting to feel the heat of the weighty expectations or perhaps he really is just saving his best for last.
“I came into this week expecting to win, and I think so did everybody else,” said Biffle, 52. “I’m actually worried about the alternative. I don’t want to let anyone down.”
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Sooner Run on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, July 11, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the two postseason events will air live on ESPN3.com.
Bassmaster.com will follow the Sooner Run each day with BASSCast, BASSCam, real-time leaderboards during weigh-ins, photo galleries, daily results, and Hooked Up with ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. Live, streaming video will be carried by ESPN3.com.
The risky part of the equation for Biffle is he is unsure whether other anglers will be parked on his best stuff. If so, he would be put in the position of having to either scramble or share the water with another competitor.
But Biffle has been fishing in a crowd all week – he was flanked by more than 50 spectator boats Saturday. It is a precise strategy – though he revealed little – that has kept Biffle at the top and he said nearly his entire rod selection would be deployed with a specific lure heading into the final day.
He is primarily focusing on shallow water, though deeper water, a relative term for Biffle, was playing a bit of a factor. Sunday, Biffle wouldn’t rule that Gibson could yield a 25-pound bag – Biffle said his best here in 40-plus years was in the 28 to 29 range.
“Anytime I’m in the lead, I’m happy,” said Biffle, who will qualify for his second consecutive Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason at the conclusion of this event. “But I just can’t help but think what could have been. I should have had more than 20 pounds yesterday (Friday) and today (Saturday). I was just sick when I lost that 6-pounder.”
While Biffle is a graying tournament veteran, Pat Golden is a relative neophyte in terms of Elite contention. In fact, Golden, who is second with 54-12, qualified for the final day in Elite competition for the first time in his three-year Elite career.
Golden has run the same water for all three competition days. He is rotating between three areas and is dealing with pressure from other competitors but feels that he is doing something a little different that is enticing the right bites.
Like Biffle, he lost a big bite that would have aided his total considerably. Golden, 41, said he felt during practice that he could make some noise this week. Gibson, Golden said, fishes similar to High Rock Lake, a body of water that he has logged serious time on near his hometown of High Point, N.C.
“Coming into this week, I didn’t think it was feasible to get a victory here,” said Golden. “But once I got to practice here, I knew that I had a chance. I’m having a blast.”
Behind Golden was Rick Morris of Lake Gaston, Va., with 53-6. Morris continues a late-season run in which he has made up serious ground.
For the top three, there couldn’t be a worse and more threatening combo in the 4th and 5th slots. Skeet Reese, the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points leader, has moved up the leaderboard each day, settling in fourth with 52-15. After a solid performance here, Reese is assured a solid points lead heading into the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, set for the Montgomery, Ala., River Region in late July.
Kevin VanDam, winner of the Kentucky Lake Elite event last week, was fifth with 52-11. The five-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year has turned on the gas late this season and will enter the Postseason in the top half of the 12-angler field.
Only the top 12 qualified for Sunday will vie for the $100,000 top prize. Notables outside of the top five include two-time AOY Gary Klein (eighth) and 2007 Bassmaster Classic Boyd Duckett (10th).
1. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 15 55-08 315
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 5 17-04
2. Pat Golden High Point, NC 15 54-12 295
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 18-13
3. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 15 53-06 290
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 20-00
4. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 52-15 285
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 19-15
5. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 52-11 280
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 18-02
6. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 15 52-09 276
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 19-09
7. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 15 51-01 272
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 16-14
8. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 15 50-11 268
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 17-01
9. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 15 49-11 264
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 5 15-11
10. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 15 49-02 260
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 18-05
11. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 48-04 257
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 15-07
12. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 15 47-00 254
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 14-04
