Wirth, Clunn Keep Pace on Day 3

With his lightest bag of the week and a smile on his face nonetheless, Kevin Wirth of Crestwood, Ky., came to the Bassmaster Elite Series weigh-in stage early Saturday, content that he had enough to maintain the lead through the third day of the Tennessee Triumph presented by Longhorn. He was right.

Wirth, 45, brought a five-fish limit weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce to the scales and held the lead for Day 3 on Old Hickory Lake. For the second straight day, the Elite Series veteran and former Kentucky Derby jockey stayed ahead of four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., by just more than 3 pounds with 44 pounds, 13 ounces overall heading into Day 4, when just the top 12 pros will compete for the $100,000 first-place prize.

Equally steady and confident, Clunn didn’t let Wirth’s lead open up, weighing in 12-3 Saturday for a total of 41-10. Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., also held his place, in third with 37-1 overall. Rounding out the top five were Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu, Ariz., with 36-14, and 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, whose solid 15-11 on the day gave him a nice push up from a tie for 25th to fifth with 36-7 overall.

Wirth said Saturday was his toughest day so far, as the shallow area he’s fishing makes it difficult for spectator boats to follow, and he had more fans than any previous day hanging around to watch him. Regardless, Wirth’s aim was to have fun and not get in a hurry.

“I felt happy when I caught my first keeper today, happy when I caught my second keeper – I didn’t care what size they were today,” said Wirth, who last won a BASS tournament in 1994. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m just going fishing.”

Wirth is rotating through several areas, often getting bites after leaving an area alone for a time and coming back. He said he’s trying to manage fish while also being mindful of the long runs he’s making. He had a limit by 9 a.m. and was comfortable enough with what he had by mid-afternoon to come in. He said he has been saving one last place for Sunday.

“I don’t think I’ll catch any real giant fish in there,” Wirth said, “but I feel like I could go in there and catch 12-15 pounds.”

Other top-12 finishes of note: Ray Sedgwick of Cross, S.C., had the Berkley Big Bag of the day with 15-14, launching himself from 43rd to eighth place with 34-11 overall. Sedgwick also tied Steve Daniel of Clewiston, Fla., for Purolator Big Bass of the Day honors with a bass weighing 4-7; 2006 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., goes into the final day in seventh place with 34-14 overall; and Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, in second place in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and just 15 points behind AOY points leader Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., is 11th with 33-8 overall.

The winner of the AOY will receive $250,000 and the points will also determine the brunt of the 2009 Bassmaster Classic qualifiers.

Meanwhile, reigning Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., bounced back from 35th to 28th with 28-6; and VanDam, a three-time Angler of the Year and two-time Bassmaster Classic winner, finished 32nd with 27-15.

Fishing fans can catch all of the action on The Bassmasters on Saturday, July 5, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. As always, live, streaming video of the daily weigh-ins and real-time leaderboards can be accessed on http://www.Bassmaster.com.

Clunn, who has been in the top 10 throughout the competition, said he doesn’t have any regrets so far, but he is losing more fish than he’d like. He intends to fish strategically Sunday instead of defensively, as he has been so far.

“I would prefer if I could be gaining some ground on Kevin (Wirth) but I just can’t seem to gain,” said Clunn, 61. “Today was the day I kind of worried about. I’m going to open it up tomorrow.”

Clunn worked a crankbait on two or three stretches of water Saturday, but has caught a few of his bigger fish on a jig through all three days. He hopes to keep mixing it up Sunday and stay in a rhythm.

“Today I was doing it more just because I had to work the same water over and over,” he said of switching from the crankbait to the jig. “I probably would’ve just stayed with the crankbait if I could’ve worked all seven, eight stretches.”

In the co-angler division, Jim McDevitt of Eldon, Mo., claimed the $25,000 top prize and his third BASS victory with a three-day total of 20 pounds, 2 ounces. Tennessee’s Willie Leaver finished second with 19-1 overall, while fellow Tennessean Terry Steele was third with 18-7.

“I jumped in with (Elite Series pro) Derek Remitz and pre-fished with him and (Elite pro) Brad Hallman,” said McDevitt, 56, who also won the co-angler division in the season-opening Sunshine Showdown on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes. “Brad and Derek, for young men, those guys know something – and I’m coachable. And it’s luck. Luck is when preparation collides with opportunity.”

McDevitt, whose first BASS co-angler victory was in 2006, had roughly 25 bites a day. He used a Mag 2 green pumpkin, a Mag 2 electric blue and a Zoom dark red brush hog over the course of the three-day co-angler competition on Old Hickory.

On Sunday, http://www.Bassmaster.com will provide updates throughout the day and preview the final weigh-in with Hooked Up, live at 2 p.m. CT, hosted by BASS emcee Keith Alan and ESPN2 Outdoors personalities Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona. Sunday’s other activities include a Berkley Beginner Fishing Class, Skeeter boat demo rides and the Purolator Big Bass Fan $1,000 Giveaway.

Daily tournament launches and weigh-ins will take place at Sanders Ferry Park, 100 Sanders Ferry Park Rd., Hendersonville. Launches begin at 6 a.m. CT and weigh-ins at 2 p.m.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.

The local sponsor of the Tennessee Triumph is the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.

Location and Field
Tennessee presented by Longhorn
Old Hickory Lake
Hendersonville, Tenn.
June 26-29, 2008

Field
106 pros, 107 co-anglers
Cut to top 50 pros and co-anglers after Day 2
Cut to top 12 pro anglers after Day 3

Launch/Weigh-in
Sanders Ferry Park
100 Sanders Ferry Park Rd.
Hendersonville, TN
6 a.m./2:30 p.m. CT

2008 Bassmaster Elite Series Event Tournament Locations/Dates

March 6-9 Sunshine Showdown Harris Chain of Lakes Leesburg, Fla.

March 13-16 Citrus Slam Kissimmee Chain Lake Wales, Fla.

April 3-6 Lone Star Shootout Falcon Lake Zapata, Texas

April 10-13 Battle on the Border Lake Amistad Del Rio, Texas

May 1-4 Pride of Georgia Clarks Hill Lake Evans, Ga.

May 15-18 Carolina Clash Lake Murray Columbia, S.C.

June 5-8 Southern Challenge Wheeler Lake Decatur, Ala.

June 12-15 Bluegrass Brawl Kentucky Lake Gilbertsville, Ky.

June 26-29 Tennessee Triumph Old Hickory Lake Hendersonville, Tenn.

July 31- Aug. 3 Empire Chase Lake Erie/Niagara River Buffalo, N.Y.

Aug. 7-10 Champion’s Choice Oneida Lake Syracuse, N.Y

About BASS

For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 525,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.