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Jason Williamson is a third-year BASS pro from Aiken, S.C., and ended up posting more than 68 pounds through the final two days. It was more than enough for Williamson to climb from 38th to third on Day 3 and secure his first BASS victory and the accompanying $100,000 top prize Sunday at the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series season opener, the OPTIMA Batteries Battle on the Border.

Williamson's four-day total of 96 pounds, 6 ounces, was enough to hold off a consistent Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, who finished second with 87 pounds, 15 ounces. Williamson was able to overtake Jones with a tremendous two-day charge, which accounted for more than 70 percent of his weight.

Williamson's catches Saturday and Sunday all came from a  spot that yielded nothing for him in the first two days of competition. But, once the weather got better, that same area became crystal clear and an ideal area for big bass.

The area included three to four submerged trees that were around a drainage channel and was a pathway for visiting and departing bass. Williamson fished in the area with an 8-inch Osprey swimbait, which he threw to the trees in nearly 20 feet of water.

"There were so many fish in that area that I think they were in competition for my bait," said the 28-year-old. "That's not a bad thing when you can get that going. It was like clockwork."

The key to enticing the right bites this year, he said, was allowing the swimbait to sink and keeping it wet for lengths of time.

Williamson has been close to a BASS victory before, scoring two second-place finishes, but he was able to close the deal this time at Amistad with a final-day total of 34-12, the biggest bag of the tournament. His limit was buoyed by a 10-4 lunker, the largest Williamson has ever landed.

While Jones finished second, he didn't really slip.  It was more like Williamson just seized the day. Jones, a steady veteran approaching $2 million in BASS career earnings, stuck with what put him in contention instead of going the unpredictable route and hunting for big bass.

While many others shuffled around the leaderboard throughout the tournament, Jones hung near the top, establishing a solid pattern that yielded fish in the 4- to 6-pound class.

Adapted from ESPN.

Photo Credit: Topato