Wired2Fish Pro Jeff Kriet Leads Elite Series Event on Clarks Hill
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5/20/2010 5:12:10 PM |
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Photo courtesy of BASS Communications
Kriet Celebrates Birthday in Style with Lead at Clarks Hill Lake
 Getting in contention at Elite Series tournaments has not been a problem for Jeff Kriet. But finishing them has been a different story. Kriet of Ardmore, Okla., has a knack of putting himself in the mix and then falling short at the last minute. This week, buoyed by a little birthday magic – Kriet celebrated his 41st Thursday – Kriet is hoping to break the curse at the Pride of Georgia on Clarks Hill Lake.
“I’m 41 years old today and by now, you would have thought I would have won one of these,” said Kriet, who does hold a BASS victory -- albeit in the Invitational format. “But I’m getting close, and I can taste it.”
Kriet torched the field Thursday amassing 18 pounds, 4 ounces, capitalizing on an early bite. Terry Scroggins of Palatka, Fla., executed early and late to post a 17-1 total. In third was shallow-water expert Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., with 15-13. Two Alabama pros rounded out the top five with Matt Herren (14-15) of Trussville besting Steve Kennedy (14-14) of Auburn by 1 ounce.
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Pride of Georgia on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, June 6, at 10:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2. Also, the daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the postseason will air live on ESPN3.com. Bassmaster.com will follow the Pride of Georgia 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.
Clarks Hill has showed its true colors in past Elite tournaments – yielding 68-plus pound winning totals the past two events. But this week, something is off and most anglers agree that the blueback herring spawn – so critical to the bite – has ended and rising water levels have spread the bass out. The bite was so tough that white-hot Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., couldn’t even muster up a limit, settling for 78th place.
But Kriet relishes a tough bite and was able to milk three offshore spots for all of his weight. Like many in the field, the six-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, was rotating spots. His stay at each spot was determined by how quick he could entice a bite. If he couldn’t, his stay was ultra-short – not even 15 minutes sometimes – and he would move to the next area.
While Kriet didn’t divulge full details of his pattern, he did say he caught fish on a jig and a spook. His first bite came quick and his last bite occurred at 1:27 p.m., translating into more than two hours of fruitless competition time.
“The rule of thumb on this lake is the shallower you are, the bigger the fish are,” said Kriet. “But I know I can catch them a little bit deeper in some places. It’s really tough out there. I mean, 10 pounds is a pretty good day. There just aren’t a ton of keepers to be had.”
While Kriet is pining away for his first Elite victory, he is also posing a threat in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. He was 13th in those standings heading into this week and with Reese and others in the top positions struggling, Kriet is making a case for sticking around.
Taking advantage of an early starting position, Scroggins paired the typical early Clarks bite with a strong late bite. The five-time Bassmaster winner scoured points – where he ran into plenty of other Elite company – and was able to boat an early limit. Where Scroggins was really able to make hay was late in the day when he landed two 4-plus pounders in 15-20 feet of water.
His bite was non-existent from 9 a.m. to noon and he felt most of his success came as a result of his dedication to do things differently than most in the field.
“It could be a different story tomorrow (Friday),” said Scroggins, 41, who will have the tables turned and start in a late position Friday. “I’ll just have to fish what’s available early in the morning. I hope I can get on the deep bite again late.”
With three events, including this one, left in the AOY regular-season race, crunch time is here for Elite pros. With Reese showing signs that he is human, the time is now for an angler to make a run. Reese’s closest competition in the AOY standings, Edwin Evers and Dave Wolak both failed to capitalize, posting sub-60th place finishes.
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 47 qualifying for Saturday’s competition and the top 12 moving on to Sunday. Defending champion Kenyon Hill, who won in 2008, was in a tie for 14th.
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.
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 18-04 305
2. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 17-01 295
3. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 15-13 290
4. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 5 14-15 285
5. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 14-14 280
6. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 14-12 276
7. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 14-04 272
8. John Crews Salem, VA 5 14-03 268
9. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 14-01 264
10. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 13-14 260
11. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 13-12 257
11. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 5 13-12 257
13. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 13-11 251
14. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 5 13-09 248
14. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 5 13-09 248
16. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 5 12-15 243
17. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 12-13 241
18. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 5 12-10 239
19. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 12-08 237
20. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 12-07 235
21. Pat Golden High Point, NC 5 12-06 233
22. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 12-05 231
23. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 12-03 229
23. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 12-03 229
25. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 12-02 225
26. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 12-01 223
27. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 11-09 221
28. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 11-06 219
29. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 11-02 217
30. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 5 10-15 215
31. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 10-12 213
32. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 10-11 211
33. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 5 10-08 209
34. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 10-07 207
35. Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 5 10-05 205
35. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 10-05 205
35. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 10-05 205
35. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 5 10-05 205
39. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 10-04 197
40. Marty Stone Fayetteville, NC 5 10-01 195
41. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 5 10-00 193
42. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 5 09-14 191
42. Jason Quinn Lake Wylie, SC 5 09-14 191
44. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 09-11 187
45. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 09-09 185
45. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 09-09 185
47. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 5 09-08 181
48. Clark Reehm Russellville, AR 5 09-07 179
49. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 09-03 177
50. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 09-01 175
50. Mark Tyler Vian, OK 5 09-01 175
52. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 5 09-00 171
53. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 5 08-12 169
54. Byron Haseotes Centerville, MA 2 08-11 167
55. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, MD 5 08-09 165
55. Zell Rowland Austin, TX 5 08-09 165
55. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 5 08-09 165
58. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 08-07 159
59. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 5 08-06 157
60. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 08-03 155
61. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 4 07-15 153
62. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 07-13 151
63. Alton Jones Waco, TX 5 07-12 149
64. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 5 07-10 147
65. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 5 07-08 145
66. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 07-02 143
67. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 5 07-01 141
68. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 06-15 139
69. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 3 06-09 137
70. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 06-06 135
71. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 06-05 133
72. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 5 06-03 131
73. Jeff Connella Bentley, LA 5 06-02 129
74. Randy Howell Springville, AL 4 05-13 127
75. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 05-11 125
76. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 05-09 123
77. Vince Fulks Purcell, OK 4 05-07 121
78. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 3 05-07 119
79. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 05-04 117
80. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 4 05-04 115
81. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 4 05-02 113
82. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 5 05-01 111
83. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 4 05-01 109
83. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 4 05-01 109
85. David Smith Del City, OK 5 04-14 105
86. Mark Burgess Norton, MA 3 04-06 103
87. Matt Greenblatt Palm Beach Gardens, FL 4 03-15 101
88. Jeremy Starks Charleston, WV 3 03-14 99
89. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 3 03-09 97
90. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 2 02-07 95
91. Keith Poche Troy, AL 2 02-06 93
92. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 1 01-14 91
93. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 1 00-06 89
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