BREWERTON, N.Y. Searching for the elusive five-pound bass. As the 102 pros took off in picture-perfect weather at 5:30 a.m. Friday, that search stands prominently as the theme for the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series Empire Chase presented by Mahindra Tractors.
Catching a five-bass limit is no problem at Oneida Lake, near Syracuse. Only three pros failed to weigh-in a limit at the end of Thursday's tournament opener. Even on the co-angler side, where fishing from the back of the boat and in water of the pro's choice tend to put a low ceiling on success, 88 three-bass limits were weighed-in.
And there were stories from the pros about catching as many as 75 keeper-size bass Thursday. But whether you were culling through dozens of smallmouth bass or concentrating on the potential of the smaller-in-numbers but bigger-in-size largemouth population, the theme was the same the elusive five-pounder.
Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., targeted largemouth bass Thursday for his second-place total of 16 pounds, 12 ounces. Biffle and Kevin Wirth of Crestwood, Ken., tied for big bass honors Thursday, each weighing a 4-pound, 14-ounce largemouth, two ounces shy of the elusive five pounds, but close enough.
"Biffle had 16, but he had a five-pounder in there," said Paul Elias, who had three smallmouths and two largemouths in his 16-2, sixth-place total. "You replace that five-pounder with a three-pounder and he's back in the pack."
A two-pound drop would have put Biffle in 16th place Thursday. It's that extra pound or two pounds per day that will make all the difference at Oneida Lake.
Thursday the best method for finding those extra pounds was targeting largemouth bass. Day One leader Lee Bailey didn't catch a smallmouth all day in compiling his 18-pound, 6-ounce total.
But none of these experienced pros thinks the largemouth bite will be there for four straight days. And the pressure is really on today, as the tightly-bunched field will be cut to the top 50 two-day totals for Day Three on Saturday.
"I can't see those largemouth holding up," said Elias, who is from Pachuta, Miss. "That's the past history of these lakes in tournaments that are longer than one day, like this one.
"That's why if Ken (Cook) can hold on to that smallmouth bite, he'll be dangerous."
Cook finished in a tie for third place Thursday with Alton Jones both totaled 16-10. But Cook is the only angler in the top three places on the leader board who caught nothing but smallmouth bass, just as he planned from the start of this event.
"I feel pretty confident with what I'm doing," said Cook, who lost a five-pound-plus smallmouth near the boat Thursday. "The fish are really bunched up where I am. But you can catch a lot of fish without any of them being over three pounds."
The second day of the elusive five-pounder search ends with a 3 p.m. weigh-in at Oneida Lake's Shores Park, 9248 McKinley Ridge Road, Brewerton, NY, 13029.