2013 Bassmaster Classic
PACE STUNS FIELD WITH HUGE BAG OF BASS
BY DON BERRY
Cliff Pace knows what second place feels like and he had no intentions of setting the "pace" to achieve a second place finish again. Pace anchored his catch with a 6-13 and a mammoth 7-02 pound pair of Grand Lake largemouths.
The bites were few, but when he got one, Cliff Pace was adding to his lead an ounce at a time. "It was very hard to get a bite, but the good Lord blessed me with the ones I got."
The big question today by Dave Mercer, B.A.S.S. host, was can you hold this lead? Pace was certain that the bite was tough and he put his faith in his finding something a little different that the bass seemed to like a little more than anything he had tried previously, at least the big ones did.
Time after time, Classic competitors talked about how the bite changed on the second day of the cold front that brought temperatures at take off near 22 degrees. Although it warmed up somewhat in the afternoon, the best anglers in the world were plagued with the problem of no wind.
Kevin Van Dam managed to boat only four keepers today after grabbing a strong limit on Day One. "If you had told me that I would only have four fish today after getting them so quick yesterday, I would have called you crazy," shared Van Dam, who is fishing his 24th Bass Master Classic.
He's young and he's red hot in the fishing world. That's Brandon Palaniuk, a third time Classic qualifier, who is out to prove that he is the best in the world. Palaniuk stated that he had seven bites on Day One and had seven bites today. His total weight of 34-04 has him sitting in second place with a one pound plus lead over "Ike" Iaconelli who managed to limit out for a total two day weight of 35-03 for third place in the standings.
Twenty eight anglers are scheduled to work on the floor of the Expo in the Tulsa Convention Center on Sunday while twenty-five will continue to compete for the most prestigious victory of their fishing career, the 43rd Bass Master Classic Title.
Hank Cherry feels he discovered something late this afternoon when he was able to catch two of his largest fish on a bait he had not been using. His 31-02 has him in fourth place while Kevin Van Dam rounds out the top five with his 30-14.
Relatively unknown Pro, Tracey Adams is pounding the fish each day and his consistency has his weight at 29-06, but Adams is confident that a 22 to 23 pound limit can be caught and if the wind blows on Sunday as scheduled, weights may be astounding for Day 3 of the 2013 Bass Master Classic.
Maybe the biggest surprise today was Chris Lane, 2012 Bass Master Classic Champion, who managed to rebound after a Day One blank to lift over eighteen pounds into the boat, but still missed the cut for the final day. Lane will be on stage on Sunday, but only to transfer the Bass Master Classic Trophy to the new Classic Champion.
"Ike" Iaconelli keeps reminding all the fans that Sunday is a new day and the weather will change again. It appears that it will take a miracle for Iaconelli to overcome the nine pound lead he is chasing. A gambling man would be putting his money on Cliff Pace to be the new Bass Master Classic Champion.
There has been a lot of talk about twenty pound bags and maybe even some that mark twenty-five pounds lurking in Grand Lake of the Cherokees, but any angler with less than thirty pounds in the books might just as well be fishing for fun on Sunday. It appears to be a five man race to the crown and is Cliff Pace's tournament to win.
KVD says anything can happen though and the final day will be one of anticipation of catching twenty pound limits while some anglers may fall into that struggle mode that many experienced after lucrative practices.
The BOK Center was packed with fans from all over the United States and as far away as Japan. Executives are expecting crowds that will totally fill the "House of Bass" on Sunday to see the 2013 Bass Master Classic Champion crowned.
First grade teacher, Johnathan Carter, tallied 29-12 pounds for his two day total and made the cut in hopes of a life changing victory which will get him out of the classroom and into a bass boat full time. Carter has had to request special releases from his job as a first grade teacher to fish his way to the Classic.
Over three thousand spectators saw the anglers off today and that many or more are expected to give the top 25 a rousing send off on Day Three. Grand lake is just over 80 miles from Tulsa and anticipation will be high when the anglers head back after Sunday's competition.
Ray Scott, Founder of B.A.S.S. and Bob Cobb, B.A.S.S. Administrator have been on hand for each weigh-in and are expected to be in attendance for the final crowning.
B.A.S.S. will crown the 43rd Bass Master Classic Champion on Sunday evening and then the Classic celebration is expected to move to the Tulsa Hard Rock Cafe and Casino, one of the major sponsors of the 2013 Bass Master Classic.
Anglers are expecting winds in excess of 10 miles per hour on Sunday morning and they may get to gusts as high as 25 before the competition ends. The winds are expected to impact the bite of the bass in a positive way so the anticipations of a 25 pound bag of bass could be a reality.
Predictions that it could take as much as 60 pounds to win this Classic may be a reality and the reputation of the Classic in Tulsa, OK will go down in history as a huge success.
