Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., took advantage of John "David" Strider’s slip-up to take the lead after Day 2 of the final 2009 Southern open on the Santee Cooper Lakes. His 13-pound, 8-ounce stringer gave him a two-day total of 30-05.

"It was really tough, I only caught ten fish today," he said. "I left ’em yesterday, but I beat on ’em pretty good today. Tomorrow looks tough, too."

Prince kept his tactics to himself, saying he’ll need all the help he can get with stormy weather slated to move in on Day 3.

John "David" Strider slid one spot after a 3-fish 8-pound, 1-ounce stringer gave him a total of 27-12. He blames his light weight on poor execution. Fishing pressure didn’t help either, he said.

"My fish have been pressured, there was trolling motors running around like crazy. I missed out on three big ones." he said. "I had just as much activity today as I did yesterday, they weren’t quite as aggressive, and I caught them the same way I caught them yesterday. I’ll get ’em tomorrow."

Patrick Pierce of Jacksonville, Fla., moved up to third after bringing a 10-03 bag to the scales. Pierce is worried he burned up his best spots after a hard day. Elite Series pro Terry Scroggins of Palatka, Fla., all but secured a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic with a 15-01 that moved him to fourth. His two-day total is 25-09. Rounding out the top five is Elite Series pro Wade Grooms of Bonneau, S.C., whose 11-14 bag brought his total to 24-04.

Pro anglers are competing for a cash prize and one of sixth berths in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic (Feb. 19-21, Birmingham, Ala., Lay Lake) while the top seven will be invited to the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series.

On the co-angler side, Fred Hood of Monroe, Ga., shot to the top of the leaderboard with the biggest co-angler stringer yet, 11 pounds, 12 ounces. His total is 21-00. Dwaine Williams of Greenup, Ky., brought 8-07 to the scales for a 19-pound, 3-ounce total. John Wilson of Summerton, S.C., managed 7-12, good enough for a 16-04 two-day total and third place. George Beville of Apex, N.C., sits in fourth with a two day total of 14-11. In fifth is Michael Bass with 14-10.

Launch and weigh-ins will be at John C. Land III Boating and Sportfishing Facility, Greenall Road, Summerton, S.C. Takeoff will be at 7:15 a.m. ET; weigh-ins are set to begin at 3:20 p.m. ET.

After Santee, the top two anglers in the points standings will receive berths in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic (Feb. 19-21, Birmingham, Ala., Lay Lake) while the top seven will be invited to the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series. The full points standings heading into Santee Cooper can be found on Bassmaster.com.

The local sponsor is the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce.

Sponsors of the 2009 Bassmaster Opens: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine.

About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content ? from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage ? to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.