The Fritts Blitz continues

Chevy pro extends massive lead to 15-9 margin on a wild day three at Clarks Hill

APPLING, Ga. – Chances are David Fritts of Lexington, N.C., could not even make a cast on the fourth and final day of the Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern on Clarks Hill Saturday and still collect the winner’s check at the final weigh-in.

After sacking 16 pounds, 4 ounces today – easily the biggest limit on day three – Fritts has amassed a three-day total of 52 pounds, 14 ounces, giving him a huge leading margin of 15 pounds, 9 ounces.

Of course, Fritts will fish tomorrow, but after the day many anglers endured today, he probably would like to take the day off tomorrow.

In what became one of the wildest weather days in FLW Series history, a fierce fall storm thrashed the Clarks Hill region at about 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

Just as weigh-in got underway, a horrific wind pushing gusts to 40 mph came out of nowhere and lashed fishing pros, fishing fans and tournament staffers alike.

In a matter of 30 minutes, Clarks Hill Lake went from a moderate chop to some of the heaviest seas some pros have ever experienced.

“That’s the biggest water I’ve ever seen in my career,” Fritts said. “The waves were easily 7 to 8 feet. My boat was standing up vertical in those waves and I was seriously worried that I was not going to make it back in time with my catch. I left an extra 25 minutes to get back and only had 3 minutes to spare when I returned. I had to stop twice to completely bilge out my boat.”

The weigh-in site, which was whipped by wind and rain as well, was soon full of anglers trading war stories of swamped boats, flooded motors and late check-ins.

Even Great Lakes specialists like Dave Lefebre and Chip Harrison were white knuckled from the harrowing ride back in.

“I’ve never seen anything like that – even on Erie,” said a baffled Lefebre. “It came out of nowhere and suddenly we were in 7 footers.”

Many of the top leaders did manage to make it back on time, including Fritts.

As for his pattern, Fritts is still not budging on details.

“The reason I’m being so protective of what I’m doing is because I’m fishing something that no one else is fishing; I have not seen a single person fishing the way I’m fishing,” Fritts explained. “It’s sort of a freak thing and it’s where the big fish are right now. If I say anything about it, it will make it a lot easier for some one to figure out in a hurry.”

“It’s a pretty strong pattern, though” he continued. “I went to a completely new place today and caught them every cast. I even left them biting.”

In the end, Fritts would only leave one hard clue to his dominating pattern.

“Most of the day my boat was sitting was in 25 to 30 feet of water,” he added.

Le moves to second

In the huge shadow cast by Fritts’ lead, there is still an ounce-for-ounce scrap going on for second place. And what is particularly interesting is that the rest of the leaders are all employing very different techniques, from drop-shotting to flipping to cranking.

Now in second is Thanh Le of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

Le sacked 13 pounds, 14 ounces today on the heels of his 14-pound, 8-ounce catch on day two to move into second with a three-day total of 37 pounds, 5 ounces.

Le has tapped into a consistent drop-shot bite on points.

“I’m fishing steeper points in about 10 feet of water,” Le said. “If there is grass there, it’s a bonus. I did catch some on a crankbait yesterday, but I couldn’t get that going today and the fish seemed to be right on the bottom. So I started working them with drop-shots and jigs on the outsides of the grass.”

Newton third

Jonathan Newton of Rogersville, Ala., holds down the third place spot with a three-day total 37 pounds, 2 ounces.

The National Guard pro brought in a respectable 13 pounds, 14 ounces today.

Newton’s game plan is to flip and pitch a Texas-rigged Berkley Chigger Craw on a ¼-ounce weight to the thickest wood cover he can find.

“Since the water is so low, there are lot of crappie piles and brush piles showing,” Newton explained. “And the thicker the pile, the better. The key has been patience in really picking the cover apart with multiple presentations. It seems like the longer I work a target, the better my chances of getting a bite.”

Hackney fourth

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., fished his way to a 13-pound, 1-ounce limit today which put him in fourth with a three-day total of 36 pounds, 1 ounce.

Hackney’s primary pattern has centered on channel swings in the mouths of creeks.

“I have not really caught much in the backs of the creeks,” Hackney said. “I’m fishing more main lake stuff, just inside the first part of the creeks. But the key element is a little steeper bank, especially where the channel swings in close. More than anything, the grass on those steeper places is a little narrower and I can target that thinner grass better with my crankbait.”

Until today, Hackney had relied on crankbaits to catch his fish. But today he worked a spinnerbait into the equation, which produced better quality.

Martin fifth

Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., is in fifth place with a three-day total 35 pounds, 1 ounce.

Martin is concentrating his efforts on current far up the river.

“It’s basic current fishing,” Martin said. “I’m fishing current breaks, eddies and creek mouths up in the river with a Spro Little John and an Aruka Shad crankbaits. Every now then they’ll come up schooling on some of the shallow bars up there and I’ll catch a few on a Carolina rig.”

“They are running current up there until about 10 o’clock and by 11 o’clock the bite is over,” he added. “That’s when I come back down the lake and fish grass.”

Big bass

Luke Clausen of Mount Juliet, Tenn., caught the big bass in the Pro Division on day three weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 pros in the FLW Series event on Clarks Hill after day three:

6th: Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., three-day total of 33-7

7th: Terry Bolton of Jonesboro, Ark., three-day total of 32-6

8th: Jim Dillard of Bauxite, Ark., three-day total of 31-2

9th: Jimmy McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., three-day total of 30-9

10th: Koby Kreiger of Okeechobee, Fla., three-day total of 30-4

McMillan takes FLW Series East AOY

Jimmy McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., won the Land O Lakes Angler of the Year title in the FLW Series Eastern Division following day three competition.

McMillan trailed Japanese pro Takahiro Omori by 12 points in the AOY race before the Clarks Hill event began. Omori finished 25th in the event and since McMillan made the top-10 at Clarks Hill, he closed the gap and passed Omori.

“I’ve never won anything in my life,” said an emotional McMillan on stage. “Seems like I’m always second, so this is pretty special.”

McMillan actually never planned to fish the entire FLW Series East this year. He is a Lake Okeechobee specialist and finished, of all places, second at the Big O in the season opener.

“Bill Taylor and Chris Jones kept urging me to fish the second event at Wheeler, so I did,” McMillan recounted. “And on the last day of the Wheeler tournament, I caught 16 pounds and finished 49th. That’s the first tournament check I’ve ever cashed outside of Lake Okeechobee and it gave me the confidence to continue on with the rest of the season.”

McMillan finished 12th at Lake Champlain and made the top-10 at Clarks Hill this afternoon with a ninth place qualification.

“All I can say is that I’m not second anymore,” said McMillan after receiving his Land O Lakes Angler of the Year trophy.

Day four of the FLW Series event on Clarks Hill Lake will begin Saturday at 8 a.m. from Wildwood Park located at 6212 Holloway Road in Appling.