Only twice this season has 23-year-old Jay Przekurat not been leading the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings. The first time was after the season opener at Florida’s St. Johns River. The second time was after event No. 6, at Pickwick Lake in June. However, he’s had plenty of competition for that postseason honor along the way, specifically from Jacob Foutz, Cody Huff and Joseph Webster, who had the ROY lead after Pickwick.
Even when Przekurat (pronounced “shuh-KUR-at”) accomplished his amazing Elite Series win at the St. Lawrence River in event No. 7, his ROY lead was only 11 points over Foutz. Przekurat was stunned by all the attention he received after his St. Lawrence River title.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” he said after Day 1 at Lake Oahe. “Just seeing how many people actually pay attention to the Elite Series and bass fishing in general. I knew there was a big following, but the amount of people that personally reached out to me was crazy.”
After a good start on Lake Oahe – 15th place with 16 pounds, 15 ounces – Przekurat stumbled on Day 2 with a limit that weighed only 6-15, which dropped him to 39th place. Cody Huff, who has gradually been gaining steam in the ROY race, was suddenly in striking distance after finishing Day 2 in 14th place. Huff had a chance to cut significantly into Przekurat’s lead if the Day 2 trends continued another day.
But Przekurat, as he has demonstrated repeatedly this season, shut the door on that. He weighed the biggest bag of the day, 19-10, to finish in 13th place for the tournament. Huff finished 10th and was able to shave only three points off Przekurat’s now commanding 64-point lead over Huff and 87-point lead over third-place Foutz.
“For now, all my sights are set on Rookie of the Year,” Przekurat said during the Lake Oahe tournament. “You can only do that one time. If I could do that it would be pretty special on top of a win (at St. Lawrence) and making the Classic. It would be basically a dream season. There’s nothing else you could really do.”
Przekurat has practically clinched a Bassmaster Classic berth. He’s now 17th in Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points with only the season finale to go. And what a fitting final tournament it can be for the Wisconsin native to complete his dream season at the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis.
Huff, 25, from Ava, Mo., has helped his Classic chances in a big way over the last three tournaments. He was 66th in the AOY standings after event No. 5 at Lake Fork. But he’s rebounded with finishes of second at Pickwick Lake, 42nd at the St. Lawrence River and 10th at Oahe. He’s 36th in AOY points. As of now, considering double-qualifiers, the top 43 in the AOY standings will qualify for the Classic.
Foutz, 24, of Charleston, Tenn., is the third rookie who is on the verge of a Classic berth. He’s in 39th place in AOY points.
