REESE RULES WITH FOUR-FOR-FOUR: Skeet Reese has already packed four top-five finishes into his Bassmaster Elite Series season. That’s four top-fives out of four tournaments.
The California pro’s 2010 stats are 2-5-1-5. Translated, that is a 2nd followed by a 5th in the first two events in California; a 1st at Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake, and last Sunday in Alabama, a 5th at Pickwick Lake.
Four top-fives in a row is a rare occurrence in the angling history books. It’s a BASS record for Reese, although he came close in the 2007 season with a 9-4-2-6 string.
Securing his fourth top finish Sunday, Reese stretched his lead in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. He went into the most recent event just 87 points in front of Greg Hackney of Louisiana. Reese now is a formidable 153 points ahead of Hackney, 180 points ahead of Edwin Evers of Oklahoma; and 186 points ahead of Arizona’s Dean Rojas.
Reese will attempt to string out his streak this week at the fifth Elite event of the regular season, the May 6-9 Synergy Southern Challenge. His history on the fishery, Alabama’s bass-rich Lake Guntersville, is strong. Reese excelled there last season, when he took second place with 104 pounds, 4 ounces, to Aaron Martens’ winning weight of 107 pounds, 8 ounces.
Interesting tidbits about Reese’s 2010 season so far:
- He lost the first event win by 1 ounce.
- Hungering for a homestate victory, he was 2nd and 5th in the California events, then turned around and won in Virginia, far across the country.
- On the third day at the Pickwick event, he led a tight field by 2 ounces.
- He has led the 2010 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race since the second event.
EYE ON THE BALL: It’s a huge accomplishment to win the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, and every Elite angler has his eye on the trophy and the honor, not to mention the $200,000 first prize.
After the eighth event of the regular Elite season wraps up on June 20, only the top 12 pros in the AOY standings will advance to the postseason in Alabama, the July 24-31 Toyota Trucks Championship Week.
The first leg, the July 24-25 Trophy Chase, returns to Lake Jordan out of Wetumpka. The finale, the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph, is slated for July 30-31 on the Alabama River out of Montgomery.
ROOKIE RACE: The youngest-ever Bassmaster Elite Series pro not only holds the lead in the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race, he widened the margin Sunday.
At the conclusion of the Alabama Charge, 19-year-old Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., led the rookies with 769 points. That’s 113 points more than the angler in the No. 2 position, Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, La. Sunday, Crochet managed to surpass Matt Greenblatt of Tequesta, Fla., by 28 points.
Roy led after the second Elite event by 43 points ahead of then-No. 2 Greenblatt. After the third event, Roy had a 63-point cushion over Greenblatt. With the conclusion of the Alabama Charge ? the fourth of eight regular-season Elite events ? Roy widened the margin to a more comfortable 113 points.
Within the standings of the full Elite field, Roy now sits in 36th place. That’s exactly on the cutline for 2011 Bassmaster Classic qualification.
There are four more tournaments remaining in the season, so there’s still time for any pro to ride the standings elevator up ? or down.
Rookie of the Year standings are below. The number in parentheses is the rookie’s full-field standing.
1. Bradley Roy, Ky. 769 (36th)
2. Cliff Crochet, La. 656 (66th)
3. Matt Greenblatt, Fla. 628 (69th)
4. Dennis Tietje, La. 624 (71st)
5. Keith Poche, Ala. 555 (83rd)
6. Byron Haseotes, Mass. 502 (87th)
7. Scott Ashmore, Okla. 432 (93rd)
FUN IN G’VILLE: The forecast is for mainly sunny skies with only a slight chance of rain in Guntersville, Ala., during the May 6-9 Synergy Southern Challenge, the fifth of eight regular-season Bassmaster Elite Series events.
Decent weather is good news for fans, especially those who got wet as they followed the Elite trail to Pickwick Lake last weekend. The threats of violent thunderstorms ruined some fans’ plans to enjoy watching the competition in person.
But Elite fun is all set to happen again, this time on the shores of Lake Guntersville at the state park’s big facilities. Fans are invited to watch the takeoff at 6 a.m. CT and the weigh-in beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, the Elite show kicks into high gear at noon. Fans can get in on a barbecue cook-off, BASS giveaways of goodies, Sport Dogs, and other events, all at Guntersville State Park, 4242 Aubrey Carr Scenic Drive, Guntersville.
All BASS events are free and open to the public. Click here for a full list of the activities for kids and adults.
Elite coverage continues online at the Bassmaster website. Fans can click in for live BASSCam video reports, real-time leaderboards, photo galleries, BASSCast (onboard cameras), BASSTrakk (unofficial standings reported from the water) and Hooked Up! with ESPNOutdoors’ own Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona.
INSIDE THE OPEN: It is no coincidence that the next Bassmaster Southern Open tournament is coming to David Kilgore’s hometown of Jasper, Ala.
A real estate appraiser and manager of commercial property, Kilgore is chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Walker Co. He’s also a familiar face on the Bassmaster trail, currently competing in the pro division of the Southern Open circuit.
He fishes for fun, but he worked hard to entice BASS to bring the May 13-15 Open to Smith Lake, knowing the positive economic impact a big tournament would have on the region.
“The president of the chamber and I both ramrodded it. We petitioned BASS to get an Open here,” Kilgore said. “Smith’s a great lake. It’s deep and clear and intimidates a lot of people not used to that, but we have a lot of fish.”
For a pro-level event like the Open, 35 to 40 pounds will be needed to win, he predicted.
“Topwater fishing will probably be a good way to catch them, and there will be a lot of people fishing deep, throwing a worm or a jig,” he said.
He said his home-lake advantage will be minimal.
“I’ve just been gone, fishing everywhere else, and I haven’t been able to keep up with it (Smith) like I should have,” he said.
Kilgore is in 17th place in the Bassmaster Southern Open points race. That’s not too far back to work up into the top seven to qualify for the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series ? or even into the top two for a 2011 Bassmaster Classic berth.
He qualified for the Elites via the Southern Open circuit in 2009 but turned it down after considering the opportunity.
“It was fun, I can always say I qualified,” he said.
The Classic, of course, is another story. He missed it by one place last year. He’s hoping he can someday make it to the big show.
THE SHORT APPROACH: “I knew the fish to win were in there, it was just a matter of me remaining patient and finding a way to catch them.” ? Kevin Short, after pulling up from fourth place to win his second Bassmaster Elite Series trophy Sunday on Alabama’s Pickwick Lake
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in the Bassmaster, BASSInsider, ESPNOutdoors and ESPN360 websites, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.By: BASS Communications / BASS
