Biffle Bests Elite Series Field For 7Th B.a.s.s. Victory, Joins Two-Million Dollar Club!
Tommy Biffle endured a slow start as he attempted to build on his 47 pound, 5 ounce total weight this morning. In fact, he admitted to “fishing for 2nd place” most of the afternoon. Then, with less than an hour left to fish he got on a roll with his namesake Biffle Bug and Hard Head combo. When he hit the stage before a big crowd in Lacrosse, WI Biffle weighed 16-13 to take the lead with one angler left to weigh-in.
Needing 16-7 for the win, Aaron Martens put 13-15 on the scale. He landed in 2nd place for the 2nd year in a row at the Bassmaster Elite Series Mississippi River Rumble.
“I don’t usually say anything, but I felt confident,” said Biffle of his fishing day. And regarding his late day decision, “I made a move, pulled up on a place and it was every throw.”
His magic spot was at the end of an island where current had carved a shallow channel through an even shallower point. The ditch, which bottomed out at a maximum of 4 feet, held fish that watched for food rolling in over the 2-foot-deep ledge. And it held lots of fish – smallmouth bass, to be precise.
Biffle pitched his bug upstream and let the fish “come get it”.
How did he find the winning location? “I fished for largemouth that first day of practice. It was a pretty sorry day. I went to flip some willows but they were too shallow so I just floated off, flipped the bug out on the point and caught a smallmouth and a little light bulb went off.” He knew then that he had found has pattern for the week. “I really would’ve thought I’d have caught largemouth but all I found was smallmouth.”
He felt all along that the ditch was loaded with fish but he managed them carefully anyway, pulling 2 or 3 kickers from it each day to boost his weight. Then today he hammered it. But, as noted above, timing was critical.
With the win Biffle has passed the $2,000,000 mark in terms of career tournament winnings. “I just wish I had it,” chuckled Biffle in regards to the money. He has 7 career B.A.S.S. wins now and has no intentions to retire any time soon.
photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
| PLACE | NAME | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | TOTAL FISH | TOTAL WEIGHT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FISH | WEIGHT | FISH | WEIGHT | FISH | WEIGHT | FISH | WEIGHT | ||||
| 1 | Tommy Biffle | 5 | 14- 0 | 5 | 16- 0 | 5 | 17- 5 | 5 | 16-13 | 20 | 64- 2 |
| 2 | Aaron Martens | 5 | 14- 4 | 5 | 17- 3 | 5 | 16- 5 | 5 | 13-15 | 20 | 61-11 |
| 3 | John Crews | 5 | 15- 7 | 5 | 13- 1 | 5 | 14- 6 | 5 | 16- 6 | 20 | 59- 4 |
| 4 | Fred Roumbanis | 5 | 14- 4 | 5 | 13- 6 | 5 | 13-15 | 5 | 14-15 | 20 | 56- 8 |
| 5 | Brandon Card | 5 | 14- 9 | 5 | 13- 9 | 5 | 14- 6 | 5 | 13-10 | 20 | 56- 2 |
| 6 | Todd Faircloth | 5 | 14- 5 | 5 | 13-15 | 5 | 12-14 | 5 | 14-13 | 20 | 55-15 |
| 7 | Bobby Lane | 5 | 14- 5 | 5 | 11- 9 | 5 | 15- 4 | 5 | 14-11 | 20 | 55-13 |
| 8 | Cliff Pirch | 5 | 14-11 | 5 | 11-12 | 5 | 14-11 | 5 | 14- 9 | 20 | 55-11 |
| 9 | Takahiro Omori | 5 | 14- 3 | 5 | 12- 9 | 5 | 14-12 | 5 | 13-15 | 20 | 55- 7 |
| 10 | Randy Howell | 5 | 13-14 | 5 | 13- 8 | 5 | 13- 8 | 5 | 12- 7 | 20 | 53- 5 |
| 11 | Edwin Evers | 5 | 13- 5 | 5 | 12- 6 | 5 | 15- 3 | 5 | 10-10 | 20 | 51- 8 |
| 12 | Cliff Crochet | 5 | 13-12 | 5 | 13- 0 | 5 | 14- 2 | 5 | 10- 6 | 20 | 51- 4 |
