|  |  |  | | | | | FLWOutdoors.com | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | When Allen Boyd was 13, his grandfather bought him an aluminum boat. His grandmother dropped him off at a local lake nearly every day during the summer, and he spent every moment he could with a fishing rod in his hand. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Clifford Pirch has earned well over a half million dollars as a professional bass fisherman. He's won on the local level, he's prevailed in some of the biggest tournaments out West, but he's never won a tour-level event. After successfully conquering a dynamic Lake Chickamauga for a third consecutive day, he's one step away from fulfilling that lifelong dream. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Torrential downpours and random streaks of lighting didn't stop the bass from biting on Nickajack Lake yesterday. Limits were plentiful and weights were up. Today, however, the 14 anglers competing on the final day of the 2011 TBF National Championship are dealing with completely different conditions: winds gusting to 20 mph, a rising barometer and potentially muddy water. The storms dumped over 2 inches of rain on the region yesterday and last night. The lake level, however, is down 18 inches as the TVA opened the floodgates in anticipation of the torrential downpours. It's just another curve ball in what will likely be a thrilling final day of competition. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Here comes the rain for day 2 at Lake Chickamauga. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | KIMBALL, Tenn. - A steady, pounding rain, gusty winds and sporadic lightning didn't stop the action on Nickajack Lake during the second day of TBF National Championship competition. Fifty-eight TBF anglers brought limits to the scales despite the rapidly deteriorating conditions - and many of those limits were heavier than yesterday's. Kenny Beale Jr.'s limit, however, wasn't. It weighed 16 pounds, 6 ounces, nearly 4 pounds lighter than his first day's limit, but that didn't matter. The Danville, Va., angler managed to fend off Mid-Atlantic Division challenger and second-place angler Ed Loughran to keep the overall lead with 36 pounds, 13 ounces. That included an 8-ounce dead fish penalty. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | HIXSON, Tenn. - Day two of the Walmart FLW Tour event on Lake Chickamauga saw drastically different conditions. After a balmy, sunny day one, half of Friday's competition was marred by rain. But the changing weather didn't bother Clifford Pirch, who moved from second to first on the strength of a second consecutive 20-pound sack. | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
