June 21, 2010 – bassmaster.com
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — After an eight-event regular season stretching from California to Georgia, a bevy of Bassmaster Elite Series anglers were able to cash in on the fruits of their labor Sunday in the form of Bassmaster Classic berths. The final Elite event of the regular season, the AutoZone Sooner Run on Fort Gibson Lake, is in the books and with that, 37 anglers grabbed a coveted qualifying spot into the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
While BASS qualifies 36 anglers for the Classic based on their ranking in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, because 2010 Classic champion Kevin Vandam of Kalamazoo, Mich., automatically qualifies and was sixth in the AOY points, the 37th angler, Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., also gets in.
The 2010 Bassmaster Classic is set for Feb. 18-20 on the Louisiana Delta out of New Orleans.
While Elias finished strong — he scored a 16th place finish at the Sooner Run — a trio of BASS veterans were able to land their Classic berths despite missing the top 47 cut at the Oklahoma Elite event. Still, Kevin Wirth of Crestwood, Ky., (34th); Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Texas (35th) and Terry Scroggins (36th) of San Mateo, Florida, did just enough during the course of the season to sneak in. Each angler holds a Classic qualifying streak of at least five consecutive.
“I felt sick because I thought I cost myself a Classic berth here,” said Wirth, who will fish in his 10th consecutive Classic in 2011. “That’s what we fish for. To get into that Classic and have a shot at the top prize. Plus, the exposure opportunities are incredible.”
Joining the 37 Elite qualifiers in the 50-angler Classic field will be six BASS Federation Nation anglers who will qualify via the Federation Nation National Championship (Oct. 27-29; Red River; Shreveport, La.); two each from the Bassmaster Southern, Central and Northern Opens; and the winner of the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Operated by American Bass Anglers Championship. The field will be vying for a $500,000 top prize. In the case of anglers who qualify through two avenues, BASS will work down through the Elite Series’ AOY standings. That means all is not lost for the 38th placed competitor. In fact, in 2009, BASS worked down to the 39th spot in the AOY rankings due to anglers who double qualified via both the Opens and Elite Series.
Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., would be the first angler to qualify in the case of a double qualifier. The final list of the AOY regular-season standings is the following:
2010 Muskogee, OK: Points Ending 06-20-2010, Day 4
—————————————————————-
Place Name St Pts
—————————————————————-
1 Skeet Reese Calif. 2116
2 Edwin Evers Okla. 2010
3 Cliff Pace Miss. 1868
4 Derek Remitz Ala. 1854
5 Terry Butcher Okla. 1841
6 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1825
7 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1801
8 John Crews Va. 1792
9 Gary Klein Texas 1771
10 Greg Hackney La. 1767
11 Russ Lane Ala. 1766
11 Aaron Martens Ala. 1766
13 Brian Snowden Mo. 1732
14 Mark Davis Ark. 1726
15 Mike McClelland Ark. 1723
16 Todd Faircloth Texas 1712
17 Scott Rook Ark. 1705
18 Morizo Shimizu Japan 1690
19 Matt Herren Ala. 1686
20 Bill Lowen Ohio 1669
21 Stephen Browning Ark. 1663
22 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1644
23 Dave Wolak N.C. 1643
24 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 1622
25 Boyd Duckett Ala. 1618
26 Bobby Lane Fla. 1608
26 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1608
28 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1601
29 Jason Williamson S.C. 1597
30 Greg Vinson Ala. 1578
31 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1573
32 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1572
33 Brent Chapman Kan. 1547
34 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1546
35 Kelly Jordon Texas 1531
36 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1530
37 Paul Elias Miss. 1525
38 Jared Lintner Calif. 1513
39 Mark Tucker Mo. 1502
40 Bradley Roy Ky. 1475
40 Davy Hite S.C. 1475
40 Rick Morris Va. 1475
43 Marty Robinson S.C. 1471
44 Pat Golden N.C. 1453
45 Clark Reehm Ark. 1450
46 Casey Ashley S.C. 1439
47 Dustin Wilks N.C. 1433
48 Denny Brauer Mo. 1427
49 James Niggemeyer Texas 1425
50 Mark Menendez Ky. 1423
51 Timmy Horton Ala. 1422
52 Cliff Crochet La. 1414
53 Jason Quinn S.C. 1412
54 Takahiro Omori Texas 1406
55 Matt Reed Texas 1405
56 Alton Jones Texas 1397
57 Randy Howell Ala. 1382
58 Kenyon Hill Okla. 1378
59 Billy McCaghren Ark. 1374
60 Ish Monroe Calif. 1368
61 Marty Stone N.C. 1364
62 Pete Ponds Miss. 1360
63 Kevin Short Ark. 1354
64 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 1352
65 Bradley Hallman Okla. 1350
65 Peter Thliveros Fla. 1350
67 Guy Eaker N.C. 1339
68 J Todd Tucker Ga. 1334
69 Zell Rowland Texas 1327
70 Rick Clunn Mo. 1317
71 Chris Lane Ala. 1288
72 Jami Fralick S.D. 1286
73 Keith Poche Ala. 1276
74 Mark Tyler Okla. 1274
75 Grant Goldbeck Md. 1266
76 Chad Griffin Texas 1260
77 Byron Velvick Texas 1247
78 Jeff Connella La. 1246
79 Bernie Schultz Fla. 1228
80 Britt Myers S.C. 1226
81 Matt Greenblatt Fla. 1225
82 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 1213
83 Charlie Hartley Ohio 1210
84 John Murray Ariz. 1186
85 Wade Grooms S.C. 1156
86 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 1144
87 Vince Fulks Okla. 1132
88 Dennis Tietje La. 1096
89 Byron Haseotes Mass. 1010
90 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 990
91 David Smith Okla. 988
92 Mark Burgess Mass. 970
93 Scott Ashmore Okla. 906
June 20, 2010 – bassmaster.com
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — While the AutoZone Sooner Run was the official name of the Bassmaster Elite Series regular-season finale, it could, and perhaps should, have been titled the Tommy Biffle Invitational. The Wagoner, Okla., veteran dominated the event — not to mention the conversations surrounding it — with a four-day total of 73 pounds, 11 ounces.
Fishing Fort Gibson Lake, the waters he has honed his craft on for more than 40 years, Biffle’s fingerprints were all over this week. His likeness was on a sign welcoming anglers to the city of Wagoner. To boot, Biffle’s winning lure — on which he caught all of the 20 fish he toted to the scales this week — carried his name.
And that was the key piece of equipment this week. Made by Gene Larew lures, Biffle was fishing a modified Biffle Bug, which had been tweaked to feature a football-type head. He worked the lure, watermelon-colored with red flecks, over rock piles with a steady retrieve. Biffle, who tallied 18 pounds, 3 ounces on Sunday, said he was fishing it similar to a crankbait and the jointed body provided for loads of action.
Scored in wire-to-wire fashion, Biffle’s fifth victory netted $100,000 and the maximum number of points towards his Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year ranking. In 17th in those standings heading into this week, Biffle used the homelake advantage to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason for the second consecutive season, shooting up to seventh in the reconfigured standings.
With a heap of expectations, the 16-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier started to feel a twinge of pressure on Saturday, the penultimate day of competition, as he lost a 6-pounder at the last second.
“There wasn’t anybody expecting me to win this tournament more than myself,” said Biffle, 52. “I would have been ill if I didn’t make it happen. It’s just special to be able to do this in front of my family and friends.”
Biffle played a risky game of chance all week, reserving his best spots for the weekend when he hoped to cash in and create some distance between himself and the rest of the field. But the barrage never came. Instead, Biffle’s best spot was his first stop each morning, about 20 yards in total area located to the side of a point. He was able to put together a quick limit all four days and then move to fresh water to upgrade his weight.
Sunday, that area produced a 5-pound, 1-ounce, brute in the first 30 minutes of his competition day. Biffle, who often gets flak from his competitors about his inability to show emotion, let out a loud scream.
Still, he never reached his target of 20 pounds that he thought would bring home the victory. And he was plagued with the idea all day that he didn’t close the deal. But in the end, the lure that carried his namesake produced just enough to take the victory.
A shallow-water specialist, Biffle said he caught bass in anywhere from two to 10 feet of water. Surprisingly, he said some of his best stuff on Fort Gibson is of the deeper variety but the fish were staged shallow and he was forced to fish the conditions.
“I was a little uncomfortable all day,” said Biffle, who labeled this victory as one of the most special in his entire career. “I probably wanted to win here more than I should have. I’m just relieved to be able to get it done.”
While Biffle dominated the headlines and the tournament, Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., quietly finished second with 70 pounds, 15 ounces. He worked a 1/2-oz. jig in green pumpkin paired with a Berkley chigger craw in shallow water. He mixed in a Lucky Craft crankbait in deeper water.
June 19, 2010 – bassmaster.com
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — If this is how Tommy Biffle performs when the Wagoner, Okla., veteran is just “goofing around,” the other 46 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers that qualified for the weekend at the AutoZone Sooner Run should beware.
Biffle smoked 18 pounds, 9 ounces, on Fort Gibson Lake to build his two-day total to 38 pounds, 4 ounces, enough for a healthy 2-plus pound advantage.
With so much on the line — a Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason berth and a $100,000 top prize here — Biffle is hardly being cavalier about his performance. Instead, the four-time Bassmaster winner has executed a risky strategy, eschewing some of his best honey holes in hopes of saving them for the weekend when the competition heats up.
AutoZone Sooner RunVideo
Day One
* Robinson: Last man in the top-47 Video * Murray: Fish were much shallower Video * Remitz: Sneaking up on TTBAOY race Video * Klein: Model of consistency VideoIt’s risky in the sense that other anglers might have found some of these areas, but Biffle’s expansive knowledge of the lake allows him some leeway — he says he couldn’t touch his spots if he was given a whole week to play with.
Friday, Biffle cashed in on a fast-and-furious early bite, boating 15 pounds by 7:15 a.m., 45 minutes into his competition day.
“When I say I’m messing around I mean that I’m fishing a couple of different spots,” Biffle said.. “When I know I need to go catch one, I know where I can go to quickly get one. But I don’t want to give too much away. I just might have to turn it on tomorrow (Saturday).”
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Sooner Run on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, July 11, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the two postseason events will air live on ESPN3.com.
Bassmaster.com will follow the Sooner Run each day with BASSCast, BASSCam, real-time leaderboards during weigh-ins, photo galleries, daily results, and Hooked Up with ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. Live, streaming video will be carried by ESPN3.com.
Regarded as a shallow-water specialist, Biffle said he is mixing up his execution this week and concentrating at times on deeper water. He didn’t execute flawlessly — he lost two big ones — and missed his target of 20 pounds by a small measure. But after leading by just 1 ounce Thursday, he was satisfied to put some distance between himself and the field.
With homefield advantage — Biffle mowed his lawn Wednesday and has been crashing in his own bed all week — it would appear that the 52-year-old is impossible to catch. But Biffle, as straightforward as they come, isn’t convinced.
“It’s still wide open,” Biffle said. “This lake is awfully good and guys can easily sneak up from behind. There is just so many ways to catch them. I won’t let up until the last day.”
With a solid performance thus far and little evidence that things will change, Biffle looks to be a virtual lock for the Bassmaster Elite Series postseason — only the top 12 from the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings qualify. He was 17th in the AOY standings heading into this week.
Directly behind Biffle was Pat Golden of High Point, N.C., with 35-15. Golden, who has fished on the Elites since 2008, is in position to upgrade his best career Elite finish of 15th. The 41-year-old primarily worked a crankbait on Thursday but after an ineffective spell Friday, Golden switched to a spinnerbait and promptly caught a 4-pounder.
He is working two patterns, one shallow and one deep but is sharing his water with other Elite competitors. His plan for Saturday was to tie on a crankbait and not look back.
“It’s kind of a mixed deal out there,” Golden said. “One day, they can be biting one thing and then the next day, you cant buy a bite on that lure.”
Riding a wave of momentum, Kevin VanDam moved up to third with 34-9. VanDam is getting warm at the right time and the surge has him climbing up the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. Just two weeks ago, pundits were wondering if there was something amiss with VanDam but the Kalamazoo, Mich., pro lurks as an intimidating threat for his third consecutive AOY.
VanDam isn’t sure he can catch Biffle — heck, no one was — but he was satisfied with his tournament thus far.
“I’m not in an area that has a ton of big fish but I know what I can catch there,” said VanDam, a five-time Angler of the Year. “The key for me is that you want to be fishing your best heading into the Postseason. And I feel like I am right now.”
Moving up to fourth and thus virtually sealing a postseason birth was Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., with 34-3. Dropping from second to fifth was Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala., with 34-0.
Only the top 47 anglers move on to Saturday, the penultimate day of competition. Included in the qualifiers were AOY leader Skeet Reese and his closest competition, Edwin Evers . Reese has reversed a mini-slump this week and sits in ninth here. That performance and a mediocre 38th-place showing by Evers has Reese ahead in the AOY rankings by a comfortable margin.
The last time BASS visited Ft. Gibson was in October 2008 for the now-defunct 2008 BASS Club World Championship.
The public is invited to attend the all festivities surrounding the event. Launches will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT at Sequoyah Bay and weigh-ins will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Weekend festivities will occur at Three Forks Harbor, 5201 Three Forks Rd., Fort Gibson, Okla., beginning at 1 p.m. ET. All events are free and open to the public. Included in the Three Forks Harbor festivities will be a Kid’s area with face painting, arts and crafts and games.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/elite/news/story?page=b_ES_2010_soonerrun_D2weighinJune 18, 2010 – bassmaster.com
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — On Wednesday, 92 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers scoured Fort Gibson Lake, looking to glean any bit of knowledge from the Oklahoma fishery during the truncated one-day practice period.
The 93rd, Tommy Biffle, mowed his lawn. After all, the Wagoner, Okla., has been fishing Fort Gibson for 40-plus years so an extra day of practice could only reveal key spots to the rest of the field.
And the strategy paid off for Biffle. The Wagoner, Okla., veteran smacked 19 pounds, 11 ounces, Thursday to take the opening-round lead at the AutoZone Sooner Run. While the 16-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier used his intimate knowledge of Gibson and worked a multitude of areas, he is still keeping a few things to himself.
“I goofed around a little too much,” said Biffle, 52. “I wanted to save some spots and not show too much and I might have to hit it a little bit harder tomorrow (Friday). But you can bet that I’m still going to keep some stuff secret until the final day.”
Sooner Run Day One On The Water Biffle
James OverstreetTommy Biffle was quickly putting fish into the boat and had an early limit. He weighed in 19 pounds, 11 ounces to lead on his home lake.
Assuming Biffle makes it to the final day on Sunday — only the top 12 anglers qualify — it would do wonders for his bid to make the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, which only the top 12 in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings qualify for.
Biffle, who was 17th in the AOY standings heading into this week, participated in the postseason in 2009 and is itching to get back.
“I need to get into the postseason,” said Biffle, a four-time Bassmaster winner. “That is the goal now. Well, that, and catching 20 pounds a day. It’s all going pretty good now. But that doesn’t mean I will catch them every day.”
The hits keep on coming for Biffle and perhaps instead of mowing his lawn, he should have hit the local casino Wednesday. First, the event moved to Fort Gibson Lake, essentially his backyard, due to unsafe conditions on the Arkansas River. Then, an uncooperative trolling motor was quickly fixed Thursday morning by service crew members costing Biffle zero tournament time. To top it off, Biffle’s lead was the slimmest of margins 1 ounce.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/elite/news/story?id=5299119June 18, 2010 – bassmaster.com/
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — When BASS announced that the AutoZone Sooner Run would be held in Muskogee, Tommy Biffle, who lives just a long pitch away from the Arkansas River, no doubt smiled. On a scale of one to 10, his grin might’ve registered a 7.
When the tournament was moved to Fort Gibson Lake, his home body of water, with only a day of practice for everyone, it might’ve jumped up to an 8.
Now that he’s finished the first day of the tournament in first place, and garnered the bonus points that come with that, the relatively non-emotional Oklahoman is likely pushing a 9.
If he’s in the same position when the scales close on Sunday, he may hit a perfect 10 … or even an 11. He’s known for late-season charges, but this one couldn’t have set up any better if he’d drafted the plot lines himself.
Biffle’s tournament leading 19-pound, 11-ounce limit of Fort Gibson bass vaulted him from a four-way tie for 17th in the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year (TTBAOY) standings all the way up to eighth place. If the regular season ended today, he’d be in the two-event postseason.
The other two 19-pound plus sacks also came from anglers who were outside of the top 12 coming into Thursday. Russ Lane, second after Day One with 19-10, moved from 15th in the TTBAOY up to seventh.
While a spot in the postseason would be meaningful for any Elite Series angler, Lane, who calls Prattville, Ala., home, might be a prohibitive favorite to win either or both July events. Mike McClelland caught 19-08 and moved up from 23rd to 12th.
For every angler who moves into the post-season cut, another has to fall out, and while 10 of the top 12 heading into Day One weighed 12-13 or more, two produced comparatively paltry single-digit weights which made it possible for Biffle, Lane and McClelland to capitalize.
Brian Snowden, previously in fourth, weighed in 7-2 and dropped to 15th. John Crews, previously in fifth, finds himself in 88th place in the tournament and dropped to 16th in the TTBAOY list. Bill Lowen was the third angler to fall out of the top 12. Even though he weighed in a strong 14-4, good weights in front of him and behind him forced him down three places to 14th.
Of course all of these standings are temporary. While Biffle’s bonus points for leading Day One cannot be taken away, everything else is dynamic. An angler who caught 19 pounds might blank Friday.
An angler with a single-digit catch could bust a 25-pound sack and come back from the dead. This is further complicated by the bell-curve nature of the scoresheet. Seventeen anglers had 16 pounds or more and 19 had less than 10 pounds.
The other 58 are within one good bite of one another. To illustrate how closely they’re bunched, Gary Klein, the last man inside the current top 12, weighed 16 pounds even. Wade Grooms and Bradley Roy, tied for 47th, are just over 3 pounds behind at 12-12 apiece. Another 2-11 separates those two from Guy Eaker in 73rd.
At the very top of the list, Nos. 1-3 remained constant, and in the same order — Skeet Reese, Edwin Evers and Derek Remitz. Reese, who’s suffered a mini-swoon over the past two tournaments, is in 19th overall while the other two are in 43rd and 44th, respectively. If the tournament ended today, Reese would have extended his pre-tournament lead over Evers from 62 points to 110 points and his lead over Remitz from 148 to an even 200 points.
Combined with the bonus points from his two wins, that should make Reese feel pretty good, even though the differences will be reduced by the postseason points adjustment.
One thing that should have all three feeling less than chipper is the angler who has moved into fourth place, only 41 points behind Remitz. Apparently the rumors of Kevin VanDam’s demise were greatly exaggerated. With a win at Kentucky Lake last week and a 17-10 bag Thursday, he seems to be peaking at the right time. Reese led the TTBAOY standings at the end of the 2009 season only to see VanDam wrest the title from him in Alabama. It can’t be comforting to know that KVD and his magic cookies may get to take their mojo on the road for two extra small field events.
Terry Butcher, Cliff Pace, Aaron Martens, Greg Hackney and Gary Klein all held onto spots in the top 12 for another day. For Pace and Klein, this would represent repeat appearances in the postseason. Martens, on the other hand, would like to avoid the late-season collapse that prevented him from fishing the Alabama River and Lake Jordan last summer.
One other angler who improved his lot with respect to the post-season today was Mark Davis, who was stuck in the four-way tie for 17th with Biffle and two others but weighed 16-1 to move into 13th. On the other hand, Dave Wolak, previously the first man out, weighed a pedestrian 11-0 and dropped to 22nd. He’s not out of the hunt by any means, but he’ll have to have a better day if he’s going to hit the 26 pounds or so it’ll likely be necessary to have to fish on to Saturday.
With Kevin VanDam’s spot in the top 36 in the TTBAOY all but assured, the Elite Series Classic qualifiers will go at least 37 deep, more if there are double-qualifiers. Kelly Jordon, sitting on the bubble in 37th, held onto that position with an unremarkable 11-4 limit. While there was movement all around him, most of it was not consequential, at least for the time being.
Clark Reehm, aiming for his second Classic berth, weighed in 4-3 and dropped from 35th to 43rd in the TTBAOY standings. Balancing him out was Jared Lintner, whose 18-5 moved him up from 39th to 30th and therefore from the outside to the inside of the Classic cutoff.
Another drop of note was Denny Brauer, looking to qualify for consecutive Classics for the first time in over a decade. He sat just outside the cut heading in, in 40th, 48 points behind Jordon, but his 8-5 limit knocked him back 14 places, to the bottom half of the standings sheet.
Around the Classic cut line, several anglers faltered but did not fall out: Shaw Grigsby fell from 25th to 31st; Jason Williamson, who has finished in the 40s in the TTBAOY all three years he’s fished the elites, fell 11 places from 21st to 32nd; Terry Scroggins fell from 30th to 34th; Bobby Lane dropped from 26th to 35th; and Greg Vinson, another Alabamian who’d love to fish the postseason, also moved in the wrong direction, plunging from 28th to 36th.
On the flip side, the four anglers who are now just behind Jordon all moved up in the standings to get there: Former Classic winner Paul Elias, who hasn’t fished a Classic since 2004, moved up from 44th to 38th; Mark Tucker, who was the final angler to make the Classic through the Elite Series last year, qualifying only when James Niggemeyer double-qualified, moved up two spots to 39th; Niggemeyer also moved up, from 47th to 40th; and Davy Hite, currently in 13th place in the tournament, jumped a remarkable 14 places, from the bottom half of the TTBAOY list into 41st.
Absent a miraculous comeback tomorrow, fan favorite Guy Eaker, who announced before the 2010 season that this would be his last on tour then started the year with a bang over the first several events, will not qualify for his first Classic since 1992. While his 10-1 catch doesn’t definitively preclude him from making a comeback, it dropped him 15 places overall today, from 58th to 73rd. The chances that he’ll overcome that deficit seem slim.
June 13, 2010 – bassfan.com
Time to put a stop to all of the “What’s wrong with KVD this year?” talk. A visit to the healing waters of Kentucky has gotten him well in a hurry.
After a sub-par start to the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series season, the five-time Angler of the Year is right back in the hunt for his sixth points crown. He nailed down his second victory in 3 years at Kentucky Lake today with a 21 1/2-pound bag that gave him a 4-day total of 92-05, and with one event remaining, he’s suddenly well within the cutoff to advance to the 12-angler postseason series at which the AOY will be determined.
His total was about 6 1/2 pounds better than that of runner-up Edwin Evers, who’s now just 62 points behind leader Skeet Reese in the AOY chase. Evers sacked 20-06 today for an 85-12 total and finished one position higher than where he started the day.
Terry Butcher, Evers’ brother-in-law who’s having the best season of his career, caught a day-best 23-01 and ended up 3rd with 80-04. Jason Quinn’s 16-01 bag and 78-01 total kept him in 4th – his best showing in a regular-season Elite tournament since 2006.
Derek Remitz, the 2007 Rookie of the Year, continued his stunning comeback season with a 5th-place finish – his third straight among the Top 12. His 21-14 sack gave him a 78-09 total.
Here are the final totals for the dozen anglers who fished today:
1. Kevin VanDam: 92-05
2. Edwin Evers: 85-12
3. Terry Butcher: 80-04
4. Jason Quinn: 78-15
5. Derek Remitz: 78-09
6. John Crews: 77-11
7. Kelly Jordon: 77-10
8. Matt Herren: 75-05
9. Brian Snowden: 71-13
10. Matt Greenblatt: 69-08
11. Scott Rook: 67-02
12. Keith Poche: 65-11
VanDam’s 17th career Bassmaster Tour victory pulled him within two of Roland Martin’s all-time record. It was also his sixth regular-season Elite triumph, which is more than double what anyone else has compiled (Mike McClelland and Reese have three each).
Of more immediate importance to him, he collected the maximum number of points with his wire-to-wire win and jumped from 26th to 8th in the AOY race.
VanDam saved two spots for the final day and one of them produced four of the five fish he weighed in.
As expected, the traffic on the lake today was a significant factor – some Elite anglers had to settle for their fourth or fifth choice in regard to starting locations. VanDam had saved two areas in anticipation of just such a scenario, and one of them produced four of his five weigh-in fish.
The regular season will conclude next week on the Arkansas River out of Muskogee, Okla., which will be a new venue for the majority of the field. The postseason will commence in late July at Lake Jordan and the Alabama River.
VanDam can barely count his tour-level trophies on every finger and toe he possesses, but he said the thrill of victory is enhanced with each succeeding triumph.
“Every one is sweeter than the last,” he said. “It’s hard with the kind of scrutiny I get to get a chance to win and I was concerned about that going into the day. There was a lot of people fishing and I had to just grind it out, and it worked out for me.
“I had a couple of places that I’d saved and one paid off big-time – nobody was fishing it. The first three or four places I went had local guys on them, but it’s a big lake and it’s public and that’s the way it goes.”
He now has two victories, a 2nd and a 3rd in his four visits since the inception of the Elite Series in 2006.
“It’s just one of those lakes that fits my style. I love the Tennessee River and I’ve had a lot of success up and down the chain. I knew I had to have a good week and it all came together, and the feeling’s pretty awesome.”
He cranked river ledges with a Strike King Series 6 XD – the same bait that brought him his runner-up finish a year ago. Full details of his winning pattern, as well as those of the other top finishers, will be posted soon.
June 13, 2010 – bassmaster.com
PARIS, Tenn. — Kevin VanDam has set the bar so high that when the Kalamazoo, Mich., veteran goes a few tournaments without a victory, bass fishing fans are left to ponder if he has lost the magic.
But VanDam is undoubtedly on top of his game and Saturday, he laid waste to rumors of a struggle, extending his Kentucky Lake domination at the Tennessee Triumph with a four-day total of 92 pounds, 5 ounces.
The victory, VanDam’s 17th — which inches him closer to the BASS all-time mark of 19 — was accomplished in wire-to-wire fashion. The 20-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier was locked in from the first day of practice.
Most importantly, VanDam accumulated a stout number of Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points and bumped to eighth in the standings, which puts him safely in the cutline for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason with one qualifying event remaining.
While his weight steadily decreased each day of competition, VanDam, who earned $100,000 for the victory, brought in four consecutive limits that weighed more than 20 pounds. His Kentucky Lake ledger includes two firsts, a second and a third-place finish in the previous four times the Elite Series has visited the fishery.
Tennessee Triumph Day Four KVD
James OverstreetKVD primarily worked two Strike King crankbaits, a Series 6 XD and a silent stalker in chartreuse sexy shad, which boated the majority of his weighed bass.
“I kept hearing people say, ‘Is there something wrong with VanDam,’ and it kind of made me laugh,” said VanDam, a five-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “I mean, I had a pretty good start to the year winning the Classic. There have been a few scenarios this year where key bites just didn’t go my way and that happens. Sometimes you are on a roll and sometimes you aren’t.
“This lake is so special to me and I knew I had a good shot here. It really suits my style. It just feels great.”
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Tennessee Triumph on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, July 4, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
It was a typical VanDam setup that propelled him to victory. He primarily worked two Strike King crankbaits, a Series 6 XD and a silent stalker in chartreuse sexy shad, which boated the majority of his weighed bass. He mixed in other lures, but as in years past, the crankbaits were the main weapon of choice.
While he stuck with an old friend in his presentation method, it was a new toy that VanDam labeled as “key.” VanDam’s side-imaging unit — he recently inked a deal with Humminbird — gave him the ability to expand on his areas and locate the sweet spots where the bass were holding. In fact, his three best spots were found using the equipment.
Once he found the schools of bass, it was a matter of long, precise casts that were able to hit bottom. If his cast was right, VanDam said, that the bass were so wadded up in the defined areas, that he couldn’t work his lure without bumping a bass.
“The technology that is available to us nowadays, it’s almost like magic,” said VanDam, a three-time Bassmaster Classic champion. “You can see the schools of bass and I’m not sure why they were relating to the areas they were in, but they were certainly there.”
While VanDam hasn’t struggled by any stretch of the imagination — he will have won more than $600,000 this year with plenty to remain — he has been disappointed. In particular, the previous Elite event on Clarks Hill Lake was the first time VanDam felt he left something on the table. Apparently, he does his best when he’s angry.
“I was really disappointed after the last event,” said VanDam, 42. “So I wanted to come in here and do everything I could to have a shot at the Angler of the Year. That has been my goal when I started the season and it will still be my goal when it ends.”
In a distant second was Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla. Evers totaled 85-12, nearly 7 pounds off of VanDam’s torrid pace. While Evers lamented some of the bites he failed to put in the boat, the five-time Bassmaster winner took solace in his second-place position in the Angler of the Year standings.
“It’s an eight-event season and you have to perform throughout,” said Evers. “I like where I’m at and I can’t wait to get back to fishing next week.”
Right behind Evers was his brother-in-law Terry Butcher, also of Talala. Butcher amassed 80-4 and moved up to sixth in the Angler of the Year standings with the stellar performance. Sticking to fourth was Jason Quinn of York, S.C., with 78-15 while Derek Remitz of Grant, Ala., snagged fifth with 78-9. Remitz moved up to third in the AOY standings.
Up next for the Elite Series is the regular-season finale, the June 17-20 AutoZone Sooner Run on the Arkansas River out of Muskogee, Okla. There, much will be at stake as qualifying positions in the postseason (top 12), the Bassmaster Classic (top 37) and next year’s Elite Series will be determined.
The Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, Toyota Trucks Championship Week, is set for July 24-31 and will be played out once again on two productive Alabama fisheries. The first leg, the July 24-25 Trophy Chase, returns to Lake Jordan out of Wetumpka. The finale, the Evan Williams= Bourbon Trophy Triumph, is slated for July 30-31 on the Alabama River from Montgomery.
June 12, 2010 – bassmaster.com
PARIS, Tenn. — Just when it seemed Kevin VanDam had a virtual stranglehold on the Tennessee Triumph, the five-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year uncharacteristically loosened his grip heading into the final day of competition.
Despite weighing 21 pounds, 11 ounces, Friday, the Kalamazoo, Mich., veteran lost nearly half of his 6-pound advantage as Kelly Jordon smashed 24 pounds, 0 ounces, to close the gap.
Kentucky Lake guru VanDam — he has posted a second-, third- and first-place finishes in the past three BASS events here — amassed a three-day total of 70-13 (Jordon has 67-2) but has seen his weight decline each of three competition days. Much of that can be attributed to the tremendous boat pressure VanDam is coping with and the bad news for KVD is that the impending weekend should only bring increased traffic.
It’s nothing new for VanDam, a prohibitive favorite for fans to follow on the water, but Kentucky Lake always poses a unique scenario due to the local anglers and the abundance of tournaments that occur on the weekends.
“I tried to do anything I could do to get away from the pressure,” said VanDam, a 16-time Bassmaster winner. “But I knew it was going to be a frustrating day and affect the way I was fishing, so you just have to deal with it and try to piece together the best day you can.”
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Tennessee Triumph on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, July 4, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the two postseason events will air live on ESPN3.com.
As the conditions change, VanDam said the fish are moving but he has a number of spots that hold quality fish. It is a matter of timing and changing up the presentations in order to entice the right bites. He is primarily working a crankbait over shell beds but is mixing in a number of other different lures. “I’m throwing everything at them that I can,” said VanDam, a three-time Bassmaster Classic winner. “Today, I threw more variety than I have in the past two days. It’s definitely not easy out there.”
VanDam predicted that on Saturday he would need to grind out at least 8-10 good-sized bites to secure a win. The unpredictability of boating a bass — with the boat pressure and changing conditions — is increasing, VanDam said.
Regardless of the result Saturday, VanDam will have picked up valuable points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. By leading three days, he accumulates 15 points and if he is able to maintain the pace, VanDam will move into the top 8 in the Angler of the Standings, which will put him in qualifying position for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason.
In contrast to VanDam, Jordon had a subpar first day but found the grove Thursday and carried the momentum into Friday. His 10-1 on Thursday remains the biggest bass of the tournament and Friday, he was able to land a 6- and 7-pounder. Jordon is a big-bass specialist and the Mineola, Texas, pro made the decision early in the week to live or die with the big bite.
Similar to VanDam, Jordon has had serious success of Kentucky Lake, posting eighth, 15th and 11th-place finishes in the past three BASS competitions. Despite his stellar record, Jordon eschewed his customary Kentucky Lake spots, heading south instead.
After Jordon’s first day, he almost abandoned the Southern end of the lake.
“I though long and hard about punting,” said Jordon. “Heck, I almost did today (Friday). But I know the big ones live there.”
Despite the location change, Jordon is attacking Kentucky in typical fashion with a 10-inch Lake Fork Tackle Worm — which has produced most of the bigger bites — while mixing in a variety of crankbaits.
Behind Jordon in third was Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 65-6. Heading into this event, Evers was a distant second in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year to Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif. But Evers keeps putting on the pressure and Reese has stumbled lately, which has allowed Evers to close the AOY gap to less than 70 points.
“It’s just really sad to know where I could have been if I would have caught the big ones,” said Evers, 35. “I could have had at least 26 pounds each day. But my focus is on the Angler of the Year now and I just have to keep plugging away.”
Slipping from third to fourth was Jason Quinn of York, S.C., with 62-14. In fifth was Elite rookie Matt Greenblatt of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with 57-10. Greenblatt made his first final-day cut as did fellow rookie Keith Poche of Troy, Ala., who was 11th.
Only the top 12 qualified for Saturday. Duel on the Delta winner John Crews was sixth while Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., was the final angler to advance with 54-2. He bested Todd Faircloth by 1 ounce for the final spot.
Kentucky Lake has hosted a dozen BASS events, including the 2009 Tennessee Triumph, at which Lane of Lakeland, Fla., won his first BASS tournament with a total of 97 pounds, 9 ounces, after leading through all four days.
Kentucky Lake is 185 miles in length, with 160,000 surface acres and 2,380 miles of shoreline. Lake Barkley adds another 80,000 surface acres.
The top prize of the Tennessee Triumph is $100,000.
The public is invited to attend the daily launch (6 a.m. CT) Saturday and weigh-in (3:30 p.m.) at Paris Landing State Park, 16055 Hwy. 79 N., Buchanan, Tenn. Other activities Saturday at the Tennessee Triumph will begin at noon CT at Paris Landing State Park. All events are free and open to the public.
Up next for the Elite Series is the regular-season finale, the June 17-20 AutoZone Sooner Run on the Arkansas River out of Muskogee, Okla.
The Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, Toyota Trucks Championship Week, is set for July 24-31 and will be played out once again on two productive Alabama fisheries. The first leg, the July 24-25 Trophy Chase, returns to Lake Jordan out of Wetumpka. The finale, the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph, is slated for July 30-31 on the Alabama River from Montgomery.
June 11, 2010 – bassmaster.com
Not a whole lot changed on the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year points after Day Three of the Tennessee Triumph.
Most of the damage was taken care of in the previous two days. Skeet Reese failing to make cut has a way of making the attention level wane a bit.
He’s still in the lead and firmly locked into a TTBAOY playoff berth. So is Edwin Evers, who added a few points to his total.
The remaining damage to those standings won’t come until the boats take off next week in Muskogee. It might shake a little on Day Four but it will likely be negligible.
Now if Evers goes out and scores a zero, we take all of that back.
With a week to go, it’s far more interesting to look at what could happen.
This is all unofficial, of course.
Currently, we see Reese and Evers locked into the postseason. Derek Remitz is third and more than likely on his way to Alabama. You can say the same for Brian Snowden, who is in fourth. In good shape but not totally secure are John Crews, Cliff Pace and Terry Butcher in fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.
KVD sits in eighth and you would be hard-pressed to think he won’t get the job done.
That leaves the remaining four in this order: Aaron Martens, Greg Hackney, Bill Lowen and Gary Klein.
With exception of Martens (who is amazing in so many ways) those guys are some of the best river anglers in the world. You have to believe they will bring it on the Arkansas River.
Normally, you would think that someone in that top 12 would choke big time, but who? They are all so strong.
Trailing them and equally impressive is the bubble guys Dave Wolak (13th and just 3 points out), Jeff Kriet (14th and fishing at home), Russ Lane (15th and really tough when it comes to current-related, shallow fish).
The list goes on, which means every fish caught, every decision made next week will be huge for who gets in and who doesn’t. That will go for the whole field considering that every point is important. So the guy who doesn’t even figure in this race could have a big impact by taking away or giving points according to how he finishes.
It’s sure to make that event worth watching, which is the way it should be.
June 10, 2010 – bassmaster.com
PARIS, Tenn. — Kevin VanDam’s Kentucky Lake domination is beginning to get a bit ridiculous. Despite a rough start — VanDam failed to connect on consecutive 5-pounders on his first two bites — the five-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year opened up a 6-pound lead at the Tennessee Triumph Thursday.
After scoring a first-, second- and third-place finish in the previous three Elite events here, VanDam is closing in on adding another victory to his Kentucky Lake ledger. He ended up toting 24 pounds, 2 ounces, to the scales Thursday, which upgraded his two-day total to 49 pounds, 2 ounces. His consistency was rare as he was only angler to remain in the top five from Wednesday.
VanDam capitalized on a fast-and-furious early-morning bite, which allowed him to vacate his primary areas by 9:30 a.m. and hunt for new water. The search wasn’t fruitless, and VanDam said he feels that he has a number of areas at his disposal that could produce.
Still, VanDam was worried about boat pressure — from locals and competitors — with the impending weekend. Last year, perhaps the most lasting image from Bobby Lane’s victory here was the armada of 100-plus spectator boats that crowded his area.
Still, if anyone is used to boat pressure, it’s VanDam. And he’s certainly in a comfort zone on Kentucky, so all things considered, he likes where he is at.
“You have to catch them all four days here to have a chance,” said VanDam, who is looking for his 18th BASS win. “Each day, guys are figuring out how to catch them and I just have to keep at it. With the boat traffic, I have had to be very selective about what areas I can fish. And that is hurting me a little bit. But it is what it is.”
VanDam played it close to the vest on details of his pattern but given his responses (“I like the way I’m fishing”) and his past choices here, it’s probable VanDam is working a crankbait around the numerous ledges that are so vital to Kentucky Lake tournament fishing.
VanDam said the evolution of side-imaging equipment — VanDam uses a Humminbird — has been key to his success. It has allowed VanDam to explore expanded areas and though it has evened the playing field in terms of finding the subtle areas on ledges where the bass are schooling, VanDam said anglers still have to find a way to put the fish in the boat.
With the lead, and perhaps of most importance to VanDam, he collects another five-point bonus in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. VanDam has moved into Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason position — only the top 12 in the AOY standings qualify — and is closing the tremendous gap that Skeet Reese had opened up heading into this week.
After a white-hot start to the season, Reese is experiencing how the other half lives, as he missed his second consecutive cut with a 48th-place showing.
“My focus is on trying to get in that Postseason,” said VanDam, who scored the AOY last year in come-from-behind fashion. “Anything can happen there.”
Moving up from 32nd into second was Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Texas. Jordon brought 26-14 to the scales Thursday, which stands as the biggest limit thus far of the tournament. His banner day was anchored by a 10-1 behemoth, the biggest of the tournament. His two-day total was 43-2.
A perennial Bassmaster Classic contender, Jordon came into this week out of the Classic qualifying cutline, but a strong performance here would put him right back in the mix. The 10-1 fell for a Lake Fork Tackle 10-inch worm in red.
“It was a heck of a day,” said Jordon, an eight-time Classic qualifier. “I was really disappointed after Wednesday. “I had a great practice and found some serious schools but I just couldn’t get the right bites. Today (Thursday), that all changed.”
Moving up from eighth to third was Jason Quinn of York, S.C., with 41-14. In fourth was Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 41-10. Evers was Reese’s closest competitor in the AOY standings heading into this week and has steadily closed the gap on Skeet Reese’s once 250-point lead in the standings.
If he can keep the pace, Reese will have to perform well on the season finale on the Arkansas River to maintain a comfortable margin heading into the Postseason.
Rounding out the top five was Elite rookie Keith Poche of Troy, Ala., with 41-8.
Only the top 47 qualified to fish Friday. Along with Reese, defending Kentucky Lake champion Bobby Lane missed the cut. Notables in the cutline include 2006 Kentucky Lake winner Morizo Shimizu of Japan (ninth), 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion Boyd Duckett (15th) and 19-year-old Bradley Roy (43rd). Full standings can be found below.