An elite field will feature 24 of the best anglers that have qualified for the prestigious event by meeting a predetermined point accumulation throughout the 2005 National Boat Mart – TVA Tournament Series. Anglers will take off the first day the order they finished in the point standings this season. Being a resort and tourist, area both lakes have been churned to froth with water skiers and pleasure cruisers over Labor Day weekend thus further nullifying any practice strategies, and leveling the playing field. In the Monticello Lakes Area this event has been labeled by many as the toughest tournament to win, because nobody has ever won it twice, let alone back to back. But there’s a first time for everything.
It’ll be exciting though, that’s for sure.
2005 Angler of the Year, Jerry Drazer will be pacing the field when they take off from the staging area Saturday morning at safelight. He’ll be followed by the other qualifiers by order of finish in the NBM-TVA Tournament Series point standings. Then the take-off order will be reversed on day two. The 2004 NBM-TVA Bass Championship crowned Rod Coffing the champion in the tournament Coffing will be defending his title in this years event and starts from the fifth position. Coffing undergone knee surgery for torn cartilage not very long ago, but you can bet he’ll be ready to go.
After winning the 2004 event we wanted to interview Coffing on what it will take to win the event and defend his title. “To win the TVA Championship, you have to have a great weekend. Everything needs to go your way to win. Preparation, lure selection, casting, boating position, and not losing fish. TVA has some of the best anglers around, and it makes it really tough to win” remarked Coffing humbly.
“Guessing the winning weight is like throwing a dart blindfolded” said Coffing with a smile. “Three years ago it took a little over nine pounds, two years ago over 20 pounds and last year 16 pounds, which was in the middle” Coffing said. “Freeman will be the key, you have to have something off that lake. It has been fishing as tough as normal this summer. If we have no rain and hot temps, I wouldn’t be surprised if the winning weight was under 12 pounds, maybe 10. If it rains and cools off them I look for those weights to jump” Coffing explained.
In 2004 Fuzzy Dunn took a big lead on the first day, and was thought to be a “sure ticket” to win, with the final round going to his self proclaimed “home lake” Shafer. Shafer though, had different plans. You’re chances of winning the lottery would’ve been better than betting against Fuzzy Dunn. That’s the mystique of the TVA Bass Championship.
Jerry Drazer won the tournament once with a little over nine pounds for two days. What’s 2005 got in store?
Here’s what he thought when we interviewed him.
“If we don’t get rain, it’s gonna be tough on both lakes. However, any of these guys can pop a big stringer on a tough day, on a tough lake” said Drazer. “I hope somebody does hit a big stringer the first day, the mental pressure during the second round will be immense” said Drazer. “It’ll also be immense if you had a bad first day, it’s a double edge sword” Drazer laughed. “My strategy has been to sleep and relax, because you’re running all weekend. You fish the first round, go to the awards dinner, reline and retie, and fish the final round. This tournament is also an endurance race, that’s the format of it. But if you can win it, you’ve done something. I just striving for consistency, I’ll let the leader board take care of itself” said Drazer.
Another name to keep in mind is Adam Wright. Wright will start from the fourth position, and has won on both lakes in 2005 qualifying events. He’ll be a favorite, that’s for sure. We interviewed Wright to get his perspective.
“I think the biggest thing you have to do to win any tournament is to capitalize on every chance you get to put fish in the boat. People are going to get bit and the most important thing is too not break a fish off or have one come unglued on the way to the boat” said Wright. ” In the two tournaments that I won I would have to say that’s the reason that I won. To win a person is going to go out and take advantage of the bites he gets just not on one day but two days in a row, and that’s why this will be a tough tournament to win” explained Wright.
John Cullum from Schereville, Indiana is one of the anglers in the field again this year, as well as the 2003 champion. Nobody has ever won it back to back in the history of the event, but Cullum set a new record will he break it and possibly repeat? What about another former champion Marty Yoder who excels in winning big events with big fish. Don’t count out Monon, Indiana’s Jeff Vandergraff either, you can bet he’ll be one to watch. With the tough conditions the “light-line” experts like Logansport, Indiana’s John Sabatini, will be tough too. Other’s to look for include Rookie of the Year Brendan Fitzgerald from Illinois, and the past and present Horizon Award winners. Then you have sleepers to consider as well, that specialize in nothing, they just adapt and do everything well.
Guess you could say with all the hype. It’s literally anyone’s tournament to win.
The winner in this best of the best field of anglers in the National Boat Mart – TVA Series will have to do well on both lakes in order to win, day one is on Lake Freeman and the final day is on Lake Shafer. The winner will be the angler with the highest cumulative weight after two days of competition. September, not totally Summer (cool nights at times) but not even close to Fall either.
Anybody’s game, you bet! This one is going to be exciting.
The guys are all tough competitors as well as good friends. Someone will emerge as the winner. Many anglers are predicting a low weight leading the first day on Freeman and a heavy creel brought in on the final day on Shafer to boost their tournament total, and get the victory spoils.
Bring the family and come out and see the championship!!
Exciting Final Day
The tournament will once again feature a trailered weigh-in like on television. As the anglers display their fish one at a time in front of the weigh-in crowd, and get interviewed on stage until a champion emerges.
The National Boat Mart-TVA Bass Series is sponsored by: National Boat Mart, FishingWorld.com, Bass Maxx Charging Systems, Hendrickson Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, Wrede & Son’s Excavating, Land-O-Champs Trophy, Lafayette Glass Company Lafayette, Indiana. Wild Bills Outpost Flora, Indiana, and Computers Plus in Logansport, Indiana.By: TVA Staff
