Mike Finishes 2nd on Sabine

B.A.S.S. / Seigo Saito

McClelland, a four-time Elite Series winner, had no qualms about his runner-up showing this time.

"I'm tickled to death with a 2nd-place finish," he said. "Anytime you run that far that many days in a row, it's a big gamble. With the conditions I had to face, I was blessed.

"Everything had to all into place for me to finish as good as I did."

He's been in contention in all three events he's competed in this year – he was 8th at the Classic and 13th at the Ross Barnett Central Open after leading on day 1.

"I do feel like I'm fishing well. I've got a lot of confidence and a lot of good momentum going right now. It's really kind of strange, but when I look back on all the years of my career, the only year I really competed for the Angler of the Year (he was 3rd in 2008) was the year I won the first event at the Harris Chain.

"A good start is such a momentum-builder to even have a chance for Angler of the Year."

He caught six keepers today and missed three others. His 4-02 bag topper was the biggest fish of the day. Full Story