Seth Feider is always good for a quote or two, whether he’s up or down. He admitted to being nervous before this next-to-last 2021 Elite Series tournament. His nerves have calmed after back-to-back 19-pound days on Lake Champlain. Angler of the Year points don’t become official until the standings are final, but theoretically, he’s expanded what were 48- and 52-point leads over second-place Jason Christie and third-place Patrick Walters. Feider acknowledged that he could all but wrap up the AOY title today.
“I think if I can catch 19, 20 pounds (Saturday) it would be to the point that it would take a breakdown or a DQ or a late penalty or something to keep it from happening,” he said at Friday’s weigh-in.
Based on Friday’s standings, Feider’s unofficial AOY lead has grown to 57 points over now-second place Walters and 69 points over Christie. When asked about the two-pound penalty Christie suffered Friday, Feider said, “What’s meant to be will be. I don’t know what to tell you. If I had a two-pound penalty, we’d be crying right now.”
Christie, for the first time in his Elite Series career, self-assessed the two-pound penalty when he made a cast after adding a sixth bass to his livewell without culling. Christie said he realized his mistake before his lure hit the water. Feider said he’s learned from others, like Brandon Palaniuk in particular, who’ve made that mistake. He always counts his fish before making that cast – so far.
“I always do,” he quipped. “I’ve watched Palaniuk do it too many times. It’s not that hard to count to five. It’s not like we’ve got 20 of them in there.”
As for Christie’s mistake, Feider said, “I’m glad he can’t count to five.”
To be clear, Feider was joking. He knows that mistake can happen to anyone in the excitement of a fish-catching flurry. It just hasn’t happened to him yet. The 36-year-old New Market, Minn., pro has put together one of the most consistent AOY campaigns in Elite Series history. His worst finish this season was 29th at the Tennessee River in the second event of the season.
Before this tournament began, Christie didn’t give himself much of a chance to catch Feider in the AOY race, saying, “He’s going to have to have two bad events for the rest of us to have a chance. It’s pretty much up to him.”
And Feider has taken care of business the first two days at Lake Champlain.