Clouse, a first year Elite angler, is a seasoned veteran and always does his work in a quiet way. But he’s made big noise in at the scales in the past.
It seems he’s had a year of getting his feet under him on the Elites. And late in the season, his feet are starting to get firmly planted on the ground.
And in this case, as most folks saw yesterday on the Live show, Clouse’s feet are a lot closer to the ground than most of these anglers. He’s fishing shallower than most of the field and it’s paying off.
He caught a 17 pound plus stringer yesterday, after losing a big one or two, and just a few pounds from being way up the standings. He’s catching them again today and by the Marshal photos, he’s back in his skinny water. Having it mostly to himself, Clouse is one to keep an eye on. Those bigger bites, if they show up again, could shoot Clouse toward the top. He’s certainly counting on it. A good finish here puts him in a position to move into the final 50 that will move on to the AOY derby on St. Clair.
His veteran experience will serve him well on Fort Gibson in a few weeks, where experience may be the deciding factor.
We can promise you that is paramount on Clouse’s mind.