Power Tackle pro Keith Combs of Texas has a two-day
total of 38.04 pounds and maintained his lead Friday in the the PAA Bass Pro
Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix on Lake Tawakoni.
Combs is working shoreline cover with jigs and a new prototype bait from
Power Tackle called the Lateral Shad. It's a hybrid combination of a lead
head with a soft body and flat shape, which causes it to glide. He caught
13.64 pounds Friday and will lead the Top 30 anglers out for Saturday's
final day.
"I think 12 pounds could do it (win), but someone else could come in with 18
pounds," Combs said. "There's not that many boats but this is the strongest
field of anglers around. I just want to go fish for five good bites and get
them in the boat."
Ranger pro Todd Auten of South Carolina is second with 33.98 pounds and
Yamaha pro Takahiro Omori of Texas climbed five positions to third with
30.17.
The top 30 anglers will fish Saturday on Lake Tawakoni, launching from West
Tawakoni City Park at 7 a.m. They will weigh-in at 4:30 p.m. at Bass Pro
Shops in Garland. The winner will earn a package worth more than $45,000
including cash and a new Phoenix 719 Pro boat outfitted with a Mercury
Optimax 225 and T-H Marine Atlas Jackplate. Free seminars at Bass Pro Shops
begin at 12:30 p.m. and will be presented by Kevin Early, Brian Clark, Jami
Fralick, Harold Allen, Dave Mansue, Matt Reed, Justin Rackley and Brian
Snowden.
Among those in the Top 30 are this season's PAA Tournament Series champions
- Nitro Boats pro Edwin Evers and Gene Larew Baits pro Tommy Biffle, both of
Oklahoma. Joining them in the strong finals are current FLW Tour points
champion and Damiki pro Bryan Thrift of North Carolina and 2009 Toyota Texas
Bass Classic champion Dave Lefebre of Pennsylvania.
Shakeups in the standings ruled after persistent southwest winds wreaked
havoc on some of the areas along with pounding from the anglers. The most
significant moves were BassCat pro John Crews of Virginia (54 positions to
eighth place) and Anglers Inn pro Bradley Hallman of Oklahoma (35 positions
to seventh place). Among the Day 1 leaders, Omori moved five positions while
Business Unlimited pro Lance Vick of Texas fell 10 spots and Bass Pro Shops
pro Ott Defoe fell 32.
"I'm just grinding 'em out on the same deal," said Auten, who won a 2009 PAA
Tournament Series event. "I found one other key area with some fish in it
and I think the wind is helping the bite a little bit."
