With near glass-like water and heavy cloud cover, conventional wisdom would tend to say that Friday’s conditions would be a text-book scenario for bass to bite; however, rarely is conventional wisdom correct. In fact, when The BASS ZONE crew got off the water shortly after 1:00, most pros whom we had encountered were saying the opposite – the bite was off… way off.

Many said that it was to be expected with Friday being the second day of the front, while others cited the lack of wind as being central in the disappearance of a big bite. Either way, as evidenced by Thursday’s leader board (where two anglers crossed the scales with double-digit bruisers), Amistad is all about the “big bite,” and the absence of at least one kicker can make all the difference.

With the field being cut to only 50 anglers for Saturday’s field, Friday, for many, becomes an all-out blitz to ensure a paycheck. With weights being in near lockstep from 10th place on down after Thursday’s weigh-in, having a big kicker mixed in with four solid keepers on Friday may not only ensure survival to the weekend, but could put an angler into the thick of things on Sunday.

Gary Klein came to the stage and all but ensured he’d be around Sunday by hammering another solid limit, weighing 29 pounds and 3 ounces, Friday. Klein’s two-day combined weight of 54 pounds and 7 ounces gives the veteran angler a distinctive seven-pound advantage over his closest competition going into the weekend.

With a two-day combined weight of 46 pounds and 15 ounces was 2007 Classic champ Boyd Duckett, who brought five bass to the scales Friday weighing 25 pounds and 5 ounces to move him up four spots into second place.

Third place once again belonged to Alton Jones who, with the help of his second-day 22-pound, 4-ounce bag, has 46 pounds, 15 ounces over two days of fishing. 11 ounces back from Duckett is Day One leader Mike Iaconelli n fourth place with 43 pounds and 8 ounces in two days of competition after placing tournament limit devoid of a giant on the scales Friday that went a scant 15 pounds and 15 ounces.

2008 Amistad winner Todd Faircloth made a giant 16-spot leap into fifth, after weighing five bass that went 24 pounds and 3 ounces, giving him 41 pounds and 3 ounces after two days of fishing.

Rounding out the Super Six was James Niggemeyer, who, fresh off his Open win at Toledo Bend, weighed a 19-pound, 14-ounce limit Friday to boost his two-day total weight to 41 pounds evens.

Randy Howell was the last man through the door in 50th place with a two-day weight of 26 pounds and 8 ounces.

Klein in Stealth Mode
Gary Klein was a favorite coming into the week, given his vast amount of time spent at Amistad. However, the quality of his second day stringer leaves the veteran pro at a loss. “What can I say? everything I did today was exactly the same as yesterday,” he questioned. “Same boat positioning, same bait, same casts. The big ones just showed up.”

Things got hot fast for Klein as he boated an easy 18-pound limit off his first spot within the first 30 minutes of the day. “My first bite was a 7-10, so I felt pretty good after that,” he said. “I knew right then that I was going to make the cut.”

Klein explained that in a short while after reaching the 18-pound mark, his desire to keep pounding his best area faded fast. “I was pretty much not wanting to fish anymore after that,” he said. “This lake is so finicky that you can’t afford to keep hammering a spot.”

Precision casts, along with an innate understanding of the area he’s targeting, have been the keys to two super-solid days for Klein. “If you don’t know the key little corner, or exactly what these fish are doing, you will miss them completely,” he explained. “When you make the right cast though, they are just so easy to catch.”

By “right cast,” Klein revealed that it’s all about distance and angles. “I’ve had to be real stealthy with these fish,” he said. “I’m using an eight-foot rod with 17-pound fluorocarbon and I’m casting it into the next county. “Usually when the bait hits the bottom, I don’t have to move it an inch and one has it.”

Klein explained that while he’s not sharing water with a competitor, he did have a local who came in where he was fishing. “He pulled up on the same spot where I caught the two sevens,” he said. “It’s not that he’s being disrespectful or anything, but I’m fishing offshore so it’s really easy to spook (the bass) into not biting.”

While he’s positioned himself without the aid of a double-digit bass, Klein maintained that there’s still two days to go. “The water I’m fishing is real susceptible to big fish,” he said. “Last year I caught a 10-4 in this area, so anything is possible.”

As for the weekend, Klein doesn’t see any changes to his program. “I’ve fished this exact way and in these exact areas for a long time,” he said. “I’ve learned where all of corners are and what to expect, so I don’t really see me making any adjustments to what’s been working.”

Duckett Committed to the Swimbait
There’s something about Amistad and guys from Alabama throwing a swimbait. First it was Steve Kennedy, and now it’s Boyd Duckett. While the bait has required countless casts, Duckett pointed out that location is key. 

“The key to this bait isn’t just making a ton of casts,” he said. “You have to be in the right areas, but you still have to be prepared to throw that bait all day.”

After the first day, Duckett pointed out that he was going to commit to throwing the hollow-bodied swimbait all day on Saturday. He did, and paid off big time. “I was getting enough bites with the swimbait that I felt comfortable enough to stick with it,” he said.

“Tomorrow, if the sun comes out some and the wind doesn’t blow, the swimbait will get tougher for everyone.”

With a sack anchored by a 9-14 beauty, Duckett pointed out that the big bite is critical to keep moving forward. “You get one like that, that’s when you know that you’re living right,” he said. “Tomorrow’s going to be a different deal – it’s going to change everyday.

“I think it’s going to get tougher, so I’ll probably wind up fishing deep. It would tickle me to death if I could keep catching them on the swimbait, but I don’t think it’s going to work out that way.”

Jones is Mr. Consistent
Another day, and another 20-pound bag for Alton Jones. “My biggest fish was 5-11 today, so it was just really consistent,” he said. “If I could ever get a giant to go along with four five pounders, this thing could get interesting in a hurry.”

Thursday, Alton explained that he didn’t really figure things out completely until around 11:00. Friday, he started with his newfound knowledge. “It took me from 11:00 until almost time to go in to get to 22 pounds,” he said. “Today I had 22 pounds by 11:00.”

With 22 pounds in the box, Alton did what any self-respecting professional would do in his position – he went and practiced in new water. “I was able to expand what I’m doing into other areas,” he said. 
“I caught a lot of three- and four-pound fish, which was a lot of fun, but more importantly I was able to find some new ways to catch them. That will hopefully come in handy down the stretch.”

Still looking for the giant, Alton is hopeful that the next couple of days will be the right mix for them to start showing up in his area. “The sun always helps things at Amistad,” he said. “They don’t see clouds here very often, so this is kind of an anomaly for them.

“I hope that over the next couple days we can get some sun. If we do, I think you’ll see some things change.”

Iaconelli Unfazed 
Ike was the poster child for what a good fishing day looks like Thursday – having caught the biggest bass he’s ever weighed during a tournament. Friday, not so much. “I basically had the same kind of day, but I obviously didn’t have the same quality,” he said. “I’m still in the hunt so my head isn’t down at all.

“It’s like I told you yesterday, the difference-maker was having a 12-pounder in my bag. I actually caught more fish today than I did yesterday. I just didn’t have that giant show up.”

The goal for Ike coming into the week was to get some healthy points and a check. Both goals have now been accomplished, and it’s onto the next goal. “I’m really looking at making it to Sunday now,” he said. “If I can catch about 20 pounds tomorrow I feel like I’ll be able to do that.”

Fishing deep, Ike pointed out that the weather change on Friday didn’t really affect his bite –and doesn’t anticipate that it will over the weekend either. “When those fish are 40- to 60-feet deep, they could care less what’s going on up here,” he said. 

“The big ones still live there regardless of what the weather’s doing.”

Despite a day that was almost half of the one before, Ike remains confident that he’s doing the right thing. “Look, there are two ways of catching big fish here – one is throwing a swimbait, and the other is fishing deep,” he said. “That deep bite is always the most consistent way to do it. That’s the way to win…you just need the big fish to cooperate.”

Faircloth Back on the Magic
After less-than-hoped-for Day One, things weren’t looking super-bright for the humble Texan, so Todd did what Todd does and just got nasty on the bass and put on a clinic. “The first bite I had was 8-14,” he said. “That got me fired up right there, and I stroked ‘em for a while after that.”

With a limit by 11:00, Faircloth pointed out that he caught fish all day long – even culling right at the end of the day. “I know what kind of potential this pond has,” he said. “I’m very optimistic right now because I’ve seen it happen.”

Fishing for big bites exclusively, Todd revealed that he’s fishing around “the magic tree” but not in it – as he was last year. “I’m not in the exact same spot, but I’m still fishing the same way that I have for the last three years here,” he said.

“I’m drawn to that area because I know that things can go down quick there when everything gets right.”
Looking at the weekend, Faircloth is hopeful that he’s jockeyed into the mix and can have the same kind of magic as he did last year. “I think a lot of the bigger fish are still out, so with some sunlight they might start pulling in again,” he said. 

“It’s all about paying attention to the minuet details of your electronics and your casting angles because you’re pretty much blind casting. Still, you know where that you can get healthy really quick.” 

Niggemeyer Full of Confidence
James Niggemeyer is brimming with confidence after last week’s Open at Toledo Bend. He’s taken that momentum and headed south where he’s making the most with the limited bites he’s getting.

“I’m not catching a ton of fish, and only able to get one or two big bites a day,” he said. “I’m just trying to be steady Eddie and pick up a fish here and one there.”

James explained that while he is “making a few runs” during the course of his day, the “majority of my fish are coming from one spot.”

As for the weekend, the confidence is, once again, working for Niggemeyer. “Even with the weather change my fish have been pretty consistent,” he said. “If I can go out there and get another big bite and fill my limit in around it, I like my odds of having a real strong finish here.”

DAY 2 STANDINGS