After 10 stops that included California, Texas and New York, the Bassmaster Elite Series, the most visible and prestigious tournament trail in fishing, will wind down its season with a finale Sept. 13-16 on Florida’s Lake Tohopekaliga.While fishing fans await the culmination of three points races, many anglers will look to secure qualifying spots at bass fishing’s most major event, the 2008 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 22-24 in Greenville, S.C.
The points races, the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, the Toyota Rookie of the Year and the Toyota Moving Forward award boast some exciting action heading into the final event.
“It all comes down to this,” said Skeet Reese, who leads the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings by more than 100 points. “I consider the Angler of the Year the crown jewel of bass fishing and a lot of hard work went into this season. I’m happy that I put myself in position to win, but I still have a job to do.”
The Angler of the Year rewards Elite anglers based on consistent finishes. Points are allocated at each Elite event according to finish and are compiled throughout the season. The winner of the award will receive $125,000, and more than $600,000 will be distributed to the top 50.
For Reese, of Auburn, Calif., to secure his first AOY title, he must hold off three-time Angler of the Year winner Kevin VanDam. Reese has scored nine top-10 finishes this season and in August posted a victory at an Elite event on the Potomac River.
VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., has kept pace but trails by a significant margin heading into the final event. If VanDam is to claim his fourth title, he will need to finish in the top echelon of anglers and will need Reese to struggle at the final Elite event. VanDam would become just the second angler in BASS history to attain more than three AOY titles.
The rookie points standings, which are derived from the Angler of the Year standings, have been dominated by two anglers: Derek Remitz of Madison, Ala., and Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C. Both have posted victories in the Elite Series in 2007, with Remitz striking first at the season-opening event on Texas’ Lake Amistad.
Remitz, a 25-year-old who qualified for the Elite Series via his top performance on the Bassmaster Open circuit in 2006, is in control, leading Ashley by more than 60 points. The winner of the award will receive a $25,000 top prize.
Past winners have included Elite champions Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., and Dave Wolak of Wake Forrest, N.C.
“Winning this award, with this competition, would validate my strengths as an angler,” said Remitz, who recently relocated to Alabama. “Both Casey and I have set a tremendous pace and it should be a fantastic final event.”
Also having a solid Elite season is Fred Roumbanis, who moved midseason to Broken Arrow, Okla., and is on top of the Toyota Moving Forward standings.Roumbanis has dominated the standings thus far, based on improvement in the Angler of the Year standings from season to season. He has improved by more than 50 places in the 2007 AOY standings.
“It’s been a fantastic season,” said Roumbanis, who won the Bassmaster American, a Bassmaster Major in Greensboro, N.C. “The hard work I put in during the offseason has paid off and I feel like I’m in the zone at every tournament.”Roumbanis would have to stumble significantly, while second-place competitor Chris Lane of Winter Haven, Fla., would need to finish in the top 10 at the Toho Elite event to have a shot at the award.
While the points races are sure to feature exciting finishes, the majority of the 108-angler Elite field will be focused on securing spots in either the 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series or the Bassmaster Classic. The top 84 finishers in the Angler of the Year standings will qualify for the following Elite season, while the top 36 in the AOY standings will qualify for the Classic.
The 2007 Elite Series, which kicked off at the season-opening event on Texas’ Lake Amistad in March, has awarded more than $11 million in prize money.Five anglers crossed the $1 million mark in career BASS earnings during the 2007 season: Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., and Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Texas.For comprehensive content on all of the points race, visit www.ESPNOutdoors.com. The Web site will have daily audio blogs from AOY contenders Reese and VanDam in addition to daily stories and photo galleries highlighting the dual.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.News exclusives, audio and video clips of bass fishing’s biggest stars, loads of discounts and more are all part of BASS Insider, an exclusive membership, now available at www.bassmaster.com.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, staging more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages and sanctions bass fishing tournaments for every skill level culminating with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry’s widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
2007 TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
-------------------------------------------
Place Name St Pts
-------------------------------------------
1 Skeet Reese Calif. 2579
2 Kevin VanDam Mich. 2472
3 Jared Lintner Calif. 2276
4 Steve Kennedy Ala. 2178
5 Terry Scroggins Fla. 2166
6 Aaron Martens Ala. 2165
7 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 2136
8 Kelly Jordon Texas 2133
9 Todd Faircloth Texas 2109
10 Boyd Duckett Ala. 2063
11 Scott Rook Ark. 2054
12 Edwin Evers Okla. 2053
13 Tommy Biffle Okla. 2038
14 Greg Hackney La. 2037
15 Chris Lane Fla. 2030
16 Jeff Kriet Okla. 2027
16 Kevin Wirth Ky. 2027
18 Ishama Monroe Calif. 2024
19 Stephen Browning Ark. 2023
20 Gary Klein Texas 1999
21 Brent Chapman Kan. 1979
22 Derek Remitz Texas 1978
23 John Murray Ariz. 1976
24 Peter Thliveros Fla. 1972
25 Cliff Pace Miss. 1964
26 Timmy Horton Ala. 1954
27 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1929
28 Takahiro Omori Texas 1922
29 Casey Ashley S.C. 1917
30 Mark Tyler Okla. 1878
31 Mike McClelland Ark. 1852
32 Randy Howell Ala. 1834
33 Alton Jones Texas 1830
33 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1830
35 Jason Quinn S.C. 1805
36 John Crews Va. 1803
37 Dave Wolak N.C. 1799
38 Davy Hite S.C. 1794
38 Matt Reed Texas 1794
40 Jason Williamson S.C. 1784
41 Dean Rojas Texas 1783
42 Kevin Short Ark. 1782
43 Mark Menendez Ky. 1781
44 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 1779
45 Shaw Grigsby, Jr Fla. 1772
46 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 1770
47 Scott Campbell Mo. 1756
48 Mike Wurm Ark. 1755
49 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1751
50 Brian Snowden Mo. 1741
51 Rick Morris Va. 1735
51 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 1735
53 Britt Myers S.C. 1720
54 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 1719
55 Bill Lowen Ohio 1715
56 Marty Robinson S.C. 1712
57 Denny Brauer Mo. 1700
58 James Niggemeyer Texas 1673
59 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 1668
60 Kenyon Hill Okla. 1657
61 Mark Tucker Mo. 1653
62 Kurt Dove Va. 1638
63 Jami Fralick S.D. 1636
64 Rick Clunn Mo. 1632
65 Bernie Schultz Fla. 1621
66 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 1618
67 Paul Elias Miss. 1612
68 Ken Cook Okla. 1609
69 Bradley Hallman Okla. 1585
70 Russ Lane Ala. 1566
71 Pete Ponds Miss. 1558
72 Grant Goldbeck Md. 1553
73 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 1552
74 Ben Matsubu Texas 1549
75 James Kennedy La. 1521
76 Lee Bailey Ala. 1509
77 Jim Murray Ga. 1502
78 Jimmy Mize Ark. 1498
79 Jeff Connella La. 1497
80 Charlie Hartley Ohio 1466
81 Preston Clark Fla. 1461
82 Ken Brodeur Conn. 1438
83 Paul Hirosky Pa. 1432
84 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 1407
85 Mark Rogers Fla. 1393
86 Kevin Langill N.C. 1391
87 Marty Stone N.C. 1390
88 Matt Amedeo Ohio 1388
89 James Charlesworth Fla. 1372
90 Terry Butcher Okla. 1349
91 Guy Eaker N.C. 1329
92 Glenn Delong Ohio 1298
93 Zell Rowland Texas 1295
94 Dave Smith Okla. 1259
95 Bill Smith Ky. 1253
95 Keith Phillips Ala. 1253
97 Steve Daniel Fla. 1240
98 Darrin Schwenkbeck N.Y. 1232
99 Doc Merkin Ill. 1181
100 Bradley Stringer Texas 1173
101 Frank Scalish Ohio 1172
102 Jon Bondy Canada 1152
103 Eric Nethery Ga. 1142
104 Jimmy Mason Ala. 1099
105 Byron Velvick Texas 1065
106 Rick Ash Pa. 985
107 Charlie Youngers Fla. 980
108 Elton Luce Jr Texas 855
2007 TOYOTA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RACE
2007 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
After Potomac River, Charles County, MD ending 08-12-2007, Day 4
-------------------------------------------
Place Name St Pts
-------------------------------------------
1 Derek Remitz Texas 1978
2 Casey Ashley S.C. 1917
3 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1830
4 Jason Williamson S.C. 1784
5 Scott Campbell Mo. 1756
6 Marty Robinson S.C. 1712
7 James Niggemeyer Texas 1673
8 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 1618
9 James Kennedy La. 1521
10 Matt Amedeo Ohio 1388
11 James Charlesworth Fla. 1372
12 Glenn Delong Ohio 1298
2007 TOYOTA MOVING FORWARD AWARD
---------------------------------------------------------
Place Name 2006 Finish 2007 Standings
---------------------------------------------------------
1 Fred Roumbanis 69 7
2 Chris Lane 61 15
3 Scott Rook 47 11
4 Mark Tyler 64 30
5 Rick Morris 81 51
6 Stephen Browning 45 19
6 Terry Scroggins 31 5
8 Mark Menendez 68 43
8 Kevin Short 67 42
10 Britt Myers 76 53
11 Kurt Dove 82 62
11 Brent Chapman 41 21
13 Ishama Monroe 37 18
14 Jeff Kriet 33 16
15 Grant Goldbeck 88 72
15 Ken Brodeur 98 82
15 Gary Klein 36 20
18 Jared Lintner 18 3
19 Todd Faircloth 23 9
19 Mark Rogers 99 85
21 Pete Ponds 83 71
22 Takahiro Omori 35 28
23 David Wolak 43 37
23 Skeet Reese 7 1
25 Ken D Cook 73 68
26 Timmy Horton 30 26
26 Yusuke Miyazaki 55 51
26 Brian Snowden 54 50
29 Charlie Hartley 83 80
29 Jami Fralick 66 63
31 Davy Hite 40 38
31 Kelly Jordon 10 8
33 Kevin VanDam 3 2