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Randy Howell: I didn't fish where I've been fishing mostly out there because Boyd had
a, still had a long shot and Kelly was coming in midday and he had a chance to win, so I
kind of went around fishing different water, in the same area, but I stayed kind of a way
away from them just to give them a little break because I didn't have a shot to win
and they did and I could and I almost had a big bag doing it and that's the thing. It
was one of those close calls. I didn't get but six bites all day and I landed two of
Randy Howell: I was glad to be here today in the final 25. I was kind of disappointed
that it kind of fell apart and, but it's all about making the right decisions the first
day. The first day went well, but then after the first day you can't go to other places
because somebody always on it and that's the deal you know, I couldn't move around much
after I commit to an area. There were a couple of areas that the leaders were in pool four
in areas that I almost went to the first day then I but stayed in [inaudible] or whatever
that place is called I caught 16 pounds.
Kenyon Hill: Well today was awesome. I went out there and didn't really expect a whole
lot post-front, high skies, cold, oh my gosh was it cold, but it started slow, and picked
up and I caught 15 keepers today and probably got well, well over 20 pounds I think so it
was a pretty awesome day.
Interviewer: Awesome, awesome. What lure were you using?
Kenyon Hill: I caught them on a Picasso spinnerbait and I caught them on homemade jig that I made.
Interviewer: Oh okay.
Kenyon Hill: With a Zoom big Critter craw on the back of it.
Interviewer: Any particular color jig?
Kenyon Hill: Just black and blue and just a shad colored spinnerbait. Just old meat
and potatoes fishing.
Interviewer: Flipping, flipping or swimming?
Kenyon Hill: Flipping it around lay-downs and logs and stumps and throwing a spinnerbait
in about the same places.
Interviewer: What's your most memorable fish of the day?
Kenyon Hill: Probably the first big one I caught. I caught one probably one about three
pounds off a place I caught a five yesterday and turned around went flipping my jig and
got heavy and whacked one over six so I knew then it was going to be probably a pretty
good day.
Bryan Schmidt: Started our real slow the water temperature dropped down to about 47. Went
through the same routine I had been, I had been throwing a spinnerbait and a jig on a
duck blind and been managing to catch keepers off it. It didn't happen for me this morning.
Went to throw in a spinnerbait down a bank that I've been flipping hyancinths. Still
no luck.
As the morning progressed the water temperature started to warm, went into the back into some
pockets, didn't have any luck, came out, Texas rigging and stuck a couple small fish and
then decided late in the morning that maybe these fish had moved up. I decided to take
my flipping stick up and swing for the fence and I got them.
Interviewer: What was the most memorable fish of the day? Tell me about it.
Bryan Schmidt: Woo. I don't know me and my observer, he's been riding with me for three
days and we've had a great time and I don't know, we had a lot of good memories. We've
pretty much been saying that he's been dodging fish since about 12:00 on so we've been having
fun.
Interviewer: What's your primary bait for this year, for this week?
Bryan Schmidt: Well, I started out with a spinnerbait and I caught four on the first
day on a spinnerbait but that bite went away and the rest of it's been on a flipping stick
with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
Mike McClelland: Kind of one of those bittersweet days. You know I had probably an opportunity
to really make a run at this Classic today I've got four really, really nice fish and
I got one probably about a pound and a quarter. I haven't had anything like that all week
but I was a really slow tough bite for me today and the bites I got were all good ones
except that one I just didn't get enough bites I caught five keepers today and that was it.
I had one fish that I missed and, don't really know if it was a big one or not, it bit like
a big one might have but didn't ever see it didn't ever feel it.
Interviewer: Right, right. Are you still fishing the same area?
Mike McClelland: No, I actually bailed out today. I made a commitment last night to myself
that if I didn't catch them in there by about 9:00 or 9:30 today, I just felt like I need
to beat them up for the conditions to change up enough that it might be tough to catch
them in there and as it went, I didn't have a bite in there this morning and I bailed
out about 9:30 and went to some backup water.
I actually went to an area close to where we were the other day out there on that ridge
that I told you I caught some fish on, and I pulled up there this morning, caught one
about 3 and 3/4 and then just worked my way all the way on up the back up to the little
flat that had some isolated lay-downs and caught one about five and another one about
four. I caught that little one and then I came back down to the ridge again and caught
one about six.
Interviewer: Right on.
Mike McClelland: So I had a good day but like I said it's one of those days that you kind
of shake your head and think you know man I might have really made a run with this deal.
Interviewer: Oh man. And what was your, are you still using the same bait?
Mike McClelland: Yeah I actually switched up today I went to a 3/8th ounce Eakins football
jig and a 5/16th's ounce Eakins finesse jig and slowed down and just really worked the
cover that I was fishing really slowly that I knew with the high pressure, the high skies
that it was going to be a tougher day. It sounds like some of the guys caught them pretty
good but that was just the way I felt like I had to fish to be confident that I was going
to get bit.
Interviewer: Bobby, how'd you do today?
Bobby Lane: I caught three fish today.
Interviewer: Oh man.
Bobby Lane: It's been and up and down week. The first day I had 13 pounds and yesterday
I had 19 pounds and today I probably got 9 pounds but should have had about 18 or 19.
That cold weather came in but it didn't shut these fish down it seemed like the bigger
fish actually bit today, which is weird, but didn't execute really well.
But I didn't have a shot at winning the tournament from what I gathered, but I wish I would've
have fished a little better today because I had a couple of nice fish that got off.
I would have liked to bring them to the scales, but all-in-all it's been a great Classic.
I mean the fans have been great. The weigh-ins and the take-offs and everybody's been very
supportive and helpful and what an awesome place to have a Classic and I look forward
to coming back to the Red River again soon.
Interviewer: No, kidding. What was your primary pattern this week?
Bobby Lane: The first day I patterned, I actually had three patterns, the first day I patterned
spawning fish. The second day I patterned spawning fish but pre-spawned fish and that
front came through and those fish got fired up yesterday. Today, I kind of went on a cold-water
pattern, which was flipping hyacinths with the big weight, which is what I love to do,
and that would have worked if I'd have caught some more fish. I had kind of three patterns
going, you know I can leave this place, I learned a lot, I learned a lot about the water
and where you can run, where you can't run. I still don't have all of them stumps marked
although I think my boat did but it's been a great week and I was excited to be here.
Interviewer: Hey, tell me about your day.
Mike Iaconelli: Terrific day. Today was one of those days where you dream about having
a day like that. Everything went perfect, all the big bites came in the boat, never
missed a fish, made the lock with minutes to spare, caught my last 5 and 1/2-pounder
with one minute to go before I had to leave. I mean it was a storybook day. I don't know
if it's enough I'll be honest with you. It might not be, but I've got no regrets, and
I'm really happy with how I've performed this week and I'm just looking forward to see what
happens.
Interviewer: What was your primary pattern?
Mike Iaconelli: My primary pattern this week was I fished the depression in the back of
a flat. It was basically a hole, about a seven foot hole, the fish were in there staging.
They were staging fish, stopping there before they spawn and I pretty much used a one-two
punch all week. I throw reaction baits to cover water. I threw a Laser Lure, shallow-diver
square bill in a custom black and blue color.
I threw a black and blue chatterbait style lure by Longshank called Ike's Revenge, and
then when I saw a really nice piece of cover, when I saw something that really caught my
eye like a stump or a group of sticks, I would pitch a Berkley Ike's Finesse Jig or a Tru-Tungsten
tube to that cover. That's what I did all week.
Today, the water temperature got really cold, it got down to 50 degrees in there, so I relied
primarily today on that Tru-Tungsten tube, had a 1/4 ounce Tru-Tungsten weight, a 4/0
Youvella hook and I fished it on 20 pound Berkley Trilene with a 7'2" Team Daiwa Mike
Iaconelli Signature Rod and a Steez reel.
Interviewer: What's your most memorable fish of the tournament?
Mike Iaconelli: Absolutely the last one I caught. I told the camera guy "We've got to
leave in one minute" looked down, the clock said 1:54, set the hook, caught about a 5
and 1/4-pounder, make a quick cull, got on the outboard and just made it back to the
lock before it closed so that last-minute fish is the one that will stay in my mind
forever.
Interviewer: If you win this what will that do for you, two Classic titles?
Mike Iaconelli: Man, that'll mean a lot. It would be a big honor. Classic's the biggest
title in the world, but definitely I'm going to use it for some good and hopefully, I'll
have a platform that I can go out and promote the sport, introduce fishing to new people
and get kids involved so we'll see. If it's meant to be it will happen if not, I'll try
again next year.
Interviewer: Mark, how'd the week go for you?
Mark Davis: The week went well. I was fishing differently than probably anyone else in the
tournament. I was fishing rocks cranking them with a Strike King Red-Eye Shad, catching
a lot of fish. The weather today hurt me because it was kind of the same kind of day we had
the first day; I didn't catch the bigger fish. Now yesterday with the cloud cover and all,
I caught a really big stringer but today, I haven't had a chance to have a decent string
today had I gotten a decent string I could have done a little bit better. Overall today,
I'm very disappointed.
Interviewer: Really?
Mark Davis: I caught a lot of fish but they're just not the quality that I needed.
Interviewer: What was your primary pattern for the week?
Mark Davis: I was cranking river rocks with a Strike King Red-Eye Shad. I was also catching
some fish flipping a Strike King Game Hawg, which is a little creature bait. I caught
a six-pounder yesterday on that flipping it into the matted hyacinth and those between
the crankbait and the flipping pattern that was pretty much what I did all week.
Interviewer: Good deal, good deal. What was your most memorable fish of the week?
Mark Davis: Without a doubt the big one that I caught on the little Game Hawg yesterday
because I flipped way back in a mat, and she bit, and I hit her 80-pound braid and I got
her back atop that matted hyacinth and it kind of bounced around there about a six and
a half-pound fish and that's fun when you get one like that.
Interviewer: Oh yeah, no kidding, no kidding man. Well great, congratulations for the week.
Mark Davis: I appreciate it.
Interviewer: Good luck for the rest of the season.
Mark Davis: Thanks a lot.