Industry News
Archive For May 2009
The AOY race heats up
May 20, 2009 – bassmaster.com
If you didn’t like the way the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race was shaping up before the Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville, take another look at the standings after that slugfest.
Things have tightened up.
It’s true that the top three anglers in the race — Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese and Alton Jones — haven’t moved from their previous spots, but they’re a lot closer together now. In fact, Reese is just five points behind KVD, a negligible gap that could be closed with a single cast. Jones is not much farther behind, and two others (Aaron Martens and Gary Klein) are within 100 points of the lead.
And there’s still quite a way to go. Three tournaments stand between the pros and the first postseason in BASS history. Only the top 12 anglers will qualify for the two postseason events, so the next three tournaments are critical to the men who have their eyes on the prize and the big money that comes with it.
So who were the big movers and shakers at Guntersville? Who made the most of that opportunity, and who squandered it, effectively killing their chances of an AOY title?
For starters, Aaron Martens has been hot! After a disappointing 54th at the second tournament of the year, Martens was 18th, fifth and first at Wheeler, Smith Mountain and Guntersville, respectively. It propelled him from 39th in the AOY standings all the way up to 4th. As a former AOY, Martens certainly knows what it takes to win the title, and he’s strong almost everywhere the trail visits. Look out for the man from California. He just might be the best natural angler in the Elite Series.
In fifth place is the “old man” in the race, Gary Klein. Roland Martin was the oldest angler ever to take AOY honors when he won his ninth title at the age of 45 in 1985. Klein is 51, but likely in better shape than most of the 40-year-olds on the trail. He takes care of himself and has tremendous focus. He also has as much experience on the tournament waters that lie ahead as anyone in the business. As a two-time AOY (1989 and 1993), Klein knows how to manage the race, but what he really wants for his career is a Bassmaster Classic championship.
Todd Faircloth has also made a run at the leaderboard this year. In the past four tournaments he’s improved his AOY position by 16 places and is now comfortably in 6th. No one who follows the sport doubts his skills, and he learned a great deal from last year’s AOY race, which he lost to Kevin VanDam after a disastrous finish in the final tournament despite leading the race going into that event. If he’s in a position to win again this year, he won’t choose that time to have his worst finish.
Herren was in 7th place in the AOY race going into Guntersville. He’s an Alabama native and had fished Guntersville many times before, though seldom in the spring. Lots of experts were picking him to do well and possibly even move up in the standings. Instead, he had a dismal tournament, finishing 83rd and falling to 22nd in the AOY standings, effectively ending his bid to win the title as a rookie.
Browning was an early contender after strong performances in the first three events, but the wheels started to come off at Smith Mountain (where he finished 83rd) and the ship was far from righted at Guntersville (where he was a dismal 90th). In those two tournaments, he fell from second in the AOY race all the way to 33rd. Instead of vying for bass fishing’s greatest honor, the Hot Springs, Ark., pro needs to turn things around just to stay in the hunt for a Classic berth.
A handful of anglers we didn’t mention here, including Greg Hackney, Mark Menendez and Michael Iaconelli, are in the hunt for the Angler of the Year title, too. But at more than 100 points behind the leader, they not only have to make up a good deal of ground, they also have to rely on the anglers between them and the lead to slip. For them, it’s a long shot, but it could happen.
After all, the Angler of the Year race is a marathon, not a sprint.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmas…Martens overcomes adversity to take fifth BASS victory
May 10, 2009 – bassmaster.com
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Despite nearly relinquishing a 6-pound plus margin, Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., held on Sunday to score his fifth BASS victory — his first outside of the state of the California — at the Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville.
The 36-year-old West Coast product, who totaled 107 pounds, 8 ounces, nearly let victory slip away to hard-charging Skeet Reese, but in the end, his versatility brought home the $100,000 top prize.
The day started inauspiciously enough for Martens as his first spot — roughly a 10-foot area — was filled by a local boat. The 2005 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year ran to his next spot, only to encounter the same boat, which Martens said intentionally stirred up his area to make it virtually unfishable.
To boot, Martens struggled through the morning and wasn’t connecting with the same class of fish he had the first three days of competition. But Martens had developed two distinctly different patterns. His best, a Lucky Craft RC 2.5 deep-diving crankbait, was paired with a worm and provided Martens the one-two punch necessary to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event.
“I was tense all day. It was horrible,” said Martens, who has accumulated nearly $1.5 million in BASS career earnings. “I had to work really hard today. But this feels really good.”
With the victory, Martens climbed to fourth in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and is within striking distance of points leader Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.
VanDam, in a relative struggle, finished 20th at Guntersville and left the door open for Reese, Alton Jones and Martens. The full standings can be found below and with just three regular-season events remaining, the race is shaping up to be epic.
Plagued all week by local traffic, Martens was forced to dig deep and thankfully he located 30 productive spots during his three-day practice period. He said he was only able to hit half of those and of those half, he only visited eight or so each day.
The best spots, he said, were ones that contained grass and shellbeds. In those spots, he would retrieve the crankbait in a unique fashion, very erratically and similar to the way you would retrieve a jerkbait. He felt his retrieve was key to enticing the bigger bass.
Each of the first three days, Martens had been able to fill his limit, upgrade relatively quickly and then spend some of the day trying to locate new water. This, he said, helped him to remain consistent while other anglers hammered on singular spots and saw their weights fall off dramatically.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…Martens is seven up
May 9, 2009 – bassmaster.com
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — They say redemption is a dish best served cold, but things have been getting frigid for Aaron Martens.
Consumed with a missed opportunity at a 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series event on Texas’ Lake Falcon, Martens of Leeds, Ala., took one giant step toward exorcising some demons Saturday as he built his three-day total to 87 pounds, 9 ounces, enough for a commanding 6-plus pound lead at the Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge on fish-factory Lake Guntersville.
But Martens, the 2005 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, is not out of the woods yet as he has a host of challengers — Marty Stone of Fayetteville, N.C., is the closest with 80-13 — that will battle Sunday for the $100,000 top prize.
Furthermore, the event at Falcon, a “disaster” in Marten’s mind, and this week are shaping up to be remarkably similar. Both absolute slugfests, Martens cultivated a big lead there, too, only to falter on the final day.
So, it would be extra sweet for Martens to score his fifth BASS victory in a similar situation.
“This would definitely make me feel better,” said Martens, 36. “I still have some bad feelings surrounding that week at Falcon. I just can’t shake that event. But I have a great opportunity to make it happen here.”
Exhibiting consistency, Martens has posted daily totals in the 28- to 29-pound range each day of competition while others have ping-ponged around the leaderboard. And he is buoyed by a spot he found late Saturday that produced heavily.
Adapting to changing conditions, Martens has been able to expand on some productive spots he found in practice. He has also been looking for new water each day scouting for “off-the-wall” stuff that isn’t hampered by local boat traffic.
Still, it has been three key spots, filled with grass and rock, that have proved to be most productive for Martens. One that he labels “ridiculous” will be where he starts Sunday. As the tournament has progressed, Guntersville has slightly slowed, and Martens lost some big bites in the morning. But a switch in bait color proved to turn on the bigger bass.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…Martens leads Day Two at Lake Guntersville
May 8, 2009 – bassmaster.com
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Setting a torrid pace on ultra-active Lake Guntersville, Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., relied on stealth for a two-day total of 58 pounds, 14 ounces, at the Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge, enough to lead Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark., by more than 1 pound.
Plagued by local boat traffic, Martens was forced to play defense at his most productive spots Friday. So concerned was Martens that he resorted to hiding in his best spots when other boats pulled into the areas. He would pop back into the honey hole only when he felt all traffic had moved away. He fished for only six hours of his competition day, meaning the other four were spent sitting, literally, on his best spots.
But Martens has made a name for himself because of his ability to adapt. His West Coast roots and his exposure to fishing since practically infancy have given Martens a deserved reputation as one of the most versatile pros on the Elite Series. On Friday he used all of his guile.
“It’s stressful out there,” said Martens, the 2005 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “If I played my cards right and had all of my spots to myself, who knows what I could have caught. But it’s always going to be a grind. These weights are just amazing and at some point they have to drop off.”
Forced to find new areas, Martens cobbled together 29 pounds, 12 ounces, Friday. He has found a bevy of productive spots on Guntersville but was afraid that he might have trouble locating more. With possible nasty weather Saturday, Martens and the other 49 competitors who advanced to Day Three should see less local boat traffic. Martens, relieved at the thought, planned to hit his best spot first thing Saturday morning.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…Hands down, the best fishing hole
May 8, 2009 – bassmaster.com
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Lake Guntersville is hard on the hands.
If you don’t believe it, look at the palms and fingers of Mark Burgess; he has tape strategically wrapped over the places that saw the worst wear and tear Thursday in the opening round of the Southern Challenge.
Mark Davis has more nicks, cuts and abrasions on his hands than a veterinarian in a cat clinic.
It was easy to tell what kind of bite a pro was on by checking his hands after the opening round; the more ground up they were, the better. Friday morning nobody was complaining about sore hands as they waited for the 6 o’clock takeoff, just showing off various scrapes and scratches as if they were badges of honor: a 6-pounder here, a 5-pounder there.
Such is fishing at Lake Guntersville this week. Davis, trying to bid an awful slump goodbye, says he caught more than 200 bass during the opening round. Terry Scroggins caught between 90 and 100 fish; he lost count. The very collected Alton Jones boated exactly 53 bass during the first three hours before he put up his tackle, lowered the Power Poles on the stern of his boat, and guarded his fishing hole for the rest of the day (“If I’d had a deck of cards, we would have played gin rummy all afternoon,” he said). The only fishermen who didn’t catch a lot of bass were the ones who, for various reasons that included banking good spots for later, didn’t want to.
Come what may for the rest of the week, Thursday’s fishing already has stamped Guntersville as a lake among other legendary impoundments such as Seminole and Eufaula, Falcon and Kentucky, that will be remembered for awesome catches and career-boosting results.
It’s not that skill doesn’t count, and various strategies aren’t in play. As Jones’ sentry duty suggests, the contestants are guarding their spots, either physically or figuratively. Boyd Duckett hammered one spot Thursday, just because there were other contestants in the neighborhood, and he saw no point in saving it for later. Other places are being saved, however.
“Depending on what happens today, I might go to where I think might be my best spot on Saturday. But I’d rather save it for Sunday,” said the 2007 Classic champion before Friday’s takeoff. “The final round is go-for-broke and I would rather not have to do that in the 50-round. The perfect scenario for me is to make it to the round of 12 without messing with what I believe will be my best spot to catch some bigger fish.”
Is there such a place at Lake Guntersville this week, a spot out on the flats or in the back of a quiet cove where post-spawn lunkers are stacked up? If there is, it’s hard to imagine. Davis noted that during the last practice day he caught three 12-inchers on three consecutive casts, then caught a 10-pounder, and then resumed catching 1-pounders on successive casts. Mark Tucker said he lost three bass that collectively would have weighed more than 20 pounds while fishing an area where other bass ranged between 2 and 4 pounds.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…Is VanDam catchable?
May 7, 2009 – bassmaster.com
Halfway through the Bassmaster Elite Series regular season, the standings for the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award are starting to look like a list of the usual suspects: Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Alton Jones, Gary Klein, Todd Faircloth and Aaron Martens are all in the top 10.
Things got shaken up pretty good after the Blue Ridge Brawl on Smith Mountain Lake. Alton Jones was the leader going into that event, but he stumbled — finishing 51st — and opened the door for tournament winner Kevin VanDam to pass him along with 2007 AOY Skeet Reese. Now Jones trails the past two AOYs going into the Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville.
BASS Communications
Kevin VanDam may be uncatchable in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.
With four tournaments in the books and another four on the horizon before the two event postseason schedule in September, the race is definitely taking shape.
So who’s going to win the Angler of the Year award? It’s still anybody’s title halfway through the season, but if we look at the history of the Elite Series, we can probably narrow the field down quite a bit.
Through four events in the inaugural Elite season (2006) eventual AOY Michael Iaconelli was in third place. In 2007, Skeet Reese was leading the race, though he would briefly relinquish the top spot before regaining it. In 2008, KVD was in a tie for 13th place before kicking things into another gear and finishing in the top 8 for the next four events on his way to running down his fourth AOY.
If we consider the top 15 or so anglers to be the contenders in this year’s race, that gives us four former AOYS (VanDam, Reese, Gary Klein and Aaron Martens) and six anglers who have never finished in the top 10 before (Kevin Short, Matt Herren, Cliff Pace, James Niggemeyer, Stephen Browning and Mark Menendez). The advantage here would have to go the guys who have “been there” before.
And among those anglers, no one is tougher, stronger or more experienced than VanDam. Not only has he won four AOY titles, but he’s finished in the top-10, 11 other times. To make matters worse for the group chasing him, he’s practically unbeatable on the next two lakes on the Elite Series schedule.
Let’s take a look at his record at Guntersville. It’s positively intimidating. In seven previous BASS events on the Alabama lake, KVD has never — ever — been worse than 14th … and that was in a field of 307 anglers. In the six Guntersville tournaments since then, he’s never finished lower than fourth. And the last time the Elites were on the lake, he won!
What about Kentucky Lake? VanDam has only fished three BASS events on that body of water. In 1993 he was 29th out of 326 anglers. In 2006 he was third. And the last time the Elites were on the lake — you guessed it — he won!
So absolutely no one expects the Kalamazoo Kid to relinquish his AOY lead over the next month. In fact, the guys chasing him might be lucky if he doesn’t put the title out of reach for 2009.
But the AOY race isn’t just about the hardware and big checks. It’s also the biggest path to the Bassmaster Classic, and 36 or more Elite pros will be punching their ticket to Birmingham and Lay Lake on the basis of their Elite Series performance.
With just four regular season events left, lots of big names are in danger of missing the big dance. They need a comeback as big as their collapse in the first half.
Just how much ground can you make up in four events? Kevin Wirth jumped from 57th to 27th in the final four events last year. In 2007, Kotaro Kiriyama moved from 61st to 37th to squeeze into the Classic. And in 2006, Todd Faircloth lifted himself out of 53rd and into 23rd in the last four tournaments.
That doesn’t give a lot of hope to Mark Davis (currently 67th), Terry Scroggins (68), Ish Monroe (70), Paul Elias (77), Rick Clunn (80), Ken Cook (88), Scott Rook (93), Zell Rowland (94) or Peter Thliveros (98). They’ve got deep holes to climb out of in the next four tournaments.
History tells us that with four tournaments left in the season, you’re in pretty good shape if you rank in the top 25. Only three anglers in Elite Series history have failed to qualify for the Classic if they ranked in the top 25 with four events to go (Mark Tyler in 2007 and Derek Remitz and Morizo Shimizu in 2008).
History also says you need to be very near the top at this point if you want to win AOY. Michael Iaconelli was the leader at this point in 2006. Skeet Reese and Kevin VanDam were both second with four to go in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…Todd Faircloth leads Day One at Lake Guntersville
May 7, 2009 – bassmaster.com
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Fish-factory Lake Guntersville is like racing on a fast track, golfing on a short municipal course or bowling with those deflecting cushions. In other words, things can get a bit easier and infinitely more entertaining. On Thursday, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, smashed 31 pounds, 0 ounces, on Guntersville to lead the Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge, edging out a host of anglers who caught 28-plus pounds.
Spurred by a productive practice, Faircloth boated the vast majority of his weight by 8 a.m., just two hours into his competition day. The two-time BASS winner visited high spots on the main lake filled with either shell beds or grass. With a firm total in hand, Faircloth spent much of his day searching for new water that he could use throughout the rest of the four-day tournament.
“It was just one of those days that you dream about having,” said Faircloth, 33. “You pretty much can do whatever you want to catch them. But I know how these things typically play out. One day you can be on them and the next you can be scratching your head.”
Like many pros, Faircloth felt that the fishery had turned on due to the heavy current being pulled on Guntersville. While he felt that the areas he visited were a key to his success, he said his pattern played a significant role in his banner day. He didn’t, however, divulge details of his technique.
It’s been quite a run for Faircloth over the past few seasons. He has qualified for three consecutive Bassmaster Classics, crossed the $1 million in BASS career earnings threshold and narrowly missed out on the 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, finishing second to Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.
He is far from done, however. This year, he is eighth in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and still has an outside shot at the coveted title. And a victory at Guntersville would put his credentials on par with the top echelon of Elite anglers.
“I’ve been running pretty good of late,” said Faircloth. “But I’m always looking to improve. That’s what I’ll be looking to do tomorrow.”
While Faircloth is red hot, Mike McClelland, who is just 6 ounces behind Faircloth, is looking to turn around a less-than-stellar season. He is well positioned to do so after boating a limit of 30 pounds, 10 ounces, which included an 8-pound behemoth.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournam…