Industry News
Archive For September 2007
Bassmaster AOY will be decided at Toho
September 5, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com
After 10 stops that included California, Texas and New York, the Bassmaster Elite Series, the most visible and prestigious tournament trail in fishing, will wind down its season witha finale Sept. 13-16 on Florida’s Lake Tohopekaliga.
While fishing fans await the culmination of three points races, many anglers will look to secure qualifying spots at bass fishing’s major event, the 2008 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 22-24 in Greenville, S.C.
The points races, the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, the Toyota Rookie of the Year and the Toyota Moving Forward Award boast some exciting action heading into the final event.
“It all comes down to this,” said Skeet Reese, who leads the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings by more than 100 points. “I consider Angler of the Year the crown jewel of bass fishing, and a lot of hard work went into this season. I’m happy I put myself in position to win, but I still have a job to do.”
The Angler of the Year rewards Elite anglers based on consistent finishes. Points are allocated at each Elite event according to finish and are compiled throughout the season. The winner of the award will receive $125,000, and more than $600,000 will be distributed to the top 50.
For Reese, of Auburn, Calif., to secure his first AOY title, he must hold off three-time Angler of the Year winner Kevin VanDam. Reese has scored nine top-10 finishes this season and in August posted a victory at an Elite event on the Potomac River.
VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., has kept pace, but trails by a significant margin heading into the final event. If VanDam is to claim his fourth title, he will need to finish in the top echelon of anglers and will need Reese to struggle at the final Elite event.
VanDam would become just the second angler in BASS history to attain more than three AOY titles.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…Breaking down the numbers of the 2007 Elite Series
September 5, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com
It’s not as number-driven as baseball, but an in-depth look at the numbers from the 2007 Elite Series can leave anyone cross-eyed.
ESPNOutdoors.com has done the digging, calculators in hand, and plucked out a few of the more meaningful numbers going into the last season of the tournament, The Sunshine Showdown presented by Allstate Boat Insurance on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla.
Angler of the Year
2 Anglers with a reasonable shot at the title, Skeet Reese and Kevin VanDam
3 Angler of the Year titles won by VanDam
0 Angler of the Year titles won by VanDam in the new millennium
0 Angler of the Year titles won by Reese in any millennium
6 Times VanDam has fished a BASS tournament on Lake Toho: 2006, 2005, 2001, 2001, 2000, 1999
107 Reese’s point lead over VanDam
14 VanDam’s average finish on Toho
67 Reese’s average finish on Toho
1 VanDam’s margin of victory if both anglers finish at their Toho averages
8 Top 10s Reese has had this season (including one streak of four in a row at Amistad, the California Delta, Clear Lake and Clarks Hill.)
2 Times Reese has missed the cut this season
2 Wins for VanDam this year (Lake Guntersville and Grand Lake), both when Reese missed the cut
1 Win for Reese this year when the pressure was on at the Potomac River.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…Career BASS money report
September 1, 2007 – espnoutdoors.com
1 Kevin VanDam 2,543,958.33 2 Denny Brauer 2,218,901.71 3 Rick Clunn 1,856,794.53 4 Larry Nixon 1,634,858.58 5 Peter E Thliveros 1,583,439.00 http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…