Brandon Cobb is leading the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year race. But not only leading it, he’s blowing it out. Drew Cook has had a fantastic year and is still 55 points back. The trophy is far from Cobb’s yet, as there’s still a whole lot of fishing left to do. But his accomplishments thus far must be commended.
Through the first five Elites, Cobb’s worst finish was 20th (Seminole). He has not finished outside the Top 10 another time this year, including his 8th-place finish in Knoxville. Though the Classic doesn’t count toward the AOY race, Cobb has still put together an impressive lead. He finished 3rd at Okeechobee, 6th at Murray, 4th at Santee, and sits in 5th currently on BassTrakk with 41 pounds, 6 ounces, having all but guaranteed himself another Top 10 here on Lay.
With only 520 points available through five events, Cobb has 480 of them. And that number is based on his starting position this morning (12th). Depending on how he does tomorrow (if he can hang in today), he has a chance to add another dozen points to his bottom line and extend his lead further. This also depends on how Drew Cook and others perform today, though it looks like his nearest competitor still sits near where he started this morning.
The year that Cobb is having reminded me of another today, Aaron Martens’s 2015 season, when he amassed five Top 10s as well. Amazingly, two of these were wins and another was a runner-up on his way to winning his third Angler of the Year title. Anyone who reminds you of Aaron Martens is either a great angler or a great person. The late great Bass Fishing Hall of Famer is sorely missed, and it was good to be reminded of him today by another great angler, and person, in Bradon Cobb.
