Photo: ESPNOutdoors.com Skeet Reese regretted his day 3 decision to lock up the Mon.

Week 31 - Bassmater Classic
Skeet Reese - Bassmaster Classic 7/31/2005

Skeet Reese entered day 3 at the Bassmaster Classic with a genuine chance to win it all. He couldn't get it done and weighed a 1-12 sack the final day to finish 8th with 9-04.

"Yeah, I'm disappointed," he said. "Obviously, I knew I had a chance going out there today. I figured that yeah, I had the possibility of getting a big one. I figured, if I could go catch 5 pounds today, and everybody else steps on their toes, I'd have an opportunity to win. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I didn't get my five. And the other guys didn't step on their toes."

"I can't really complain, but I'm disappointed because I didn't finish higher. That's my pride. I don't like getting beat."

He caught his fish with three different baits. "Yesterday (Sat.) I two on a Berkley Gulp minnow (green pumpkin), then I caught three on a little creature bait, and one or two on a Lucky Craft Combat Crank (ghost minnow)."

He fished the plastics on an 1/8-ounce ballhead jig with 8-pound Berkley Vanish Transition fluorocarbon. His rod was a Lamiglas SR703 ・one of his signature rods."

Would he have done anything differently? "Today, I locked through again, and the pools above were just glass calm, clear water, and the fish just weren't active. I had a feeling that, with the lack of current coming down the river, the lower end would be better."

He noted that in the lower end, the boat traffic stirred the water more, which created some mudlines and made the fish more active. "The whole time I was up there, I was thinking I should be locking down. But I didn't want to rush. I wanted to be patient. In hindsight, I should have stayed in the lower pool and battled the waves.

> He fished the Monogahela.

Photo:ESPNOutdoors.com Omori's disappointed ・he'll miss the 2006 Classic ・but he's excited for Top Gun.

Takahiro Omori - Bassmaster Classic 7/31/2005

Team Lucky Craft member Takahiro Omori finished a disappointing 35th at the 2005 Bassmaster Classic. Prior to the Classic, he said he felt "a lot" of pressure from the media. Not surprising. After all, he's the defending Classic champion, and there's only been one angler to win back-to-back Classics. That angler, of course, was Rick Clunn.

"I caught one largemouth," he said. "I'm frustrated. I was keying on largemouths, and the area looked good to get bites in. It was good-looking stuff. There were just no bites. I finally caught one."

He flip-flopped his strategy a little. On day 1, he started on his largemouths, but on day 2, he began with brown fish.

"I started on smallmouths on the Ohio. I had to lock through twice to get to my largemouths."

He primary bait was a Texas-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog (green-pumpkin).

As he looked back after elimination, did he feel there was anything he could have done differently? "I don't know the answer to that question," he said.

Another heartbreak: Since he finished outside the Top 10, he failed to qualify for the 2006 Classic. "That's kind of disappointing too," he said.

Next for Omori is the Cabela's Top Gun Championship. The tournament takes the Top 25 anglers in the State Farm-BassFan.com World Rankings. He's currently ranked No. 7 in the world ・pretty much a lock for Top Gun.

"I'm going back to Texas for the Top Gun Championship," he said. "I think that was a really good idea to have (rankings based on) 2 years, and have (anglers from) two tours fishing the same tournament.

"There's only 25 boats, so that will be a great tournament. It's a great idea, and I'm really looking forward to it."