Reese, VanDam Vie for Coveted Bassmaster Angler of the Year Title, Top Position in Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index
Toyota Rookie of the Year, Moving Forward Races Heat Up
CELEBRATION, Fla. – Skeet Reese has recorded a steady and consistent career worthy of envy at BASS. But the Auburn, Calif., Bassmaster Elite Series pro has yet to secure the award he covets most: the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
After five Bassmaster Elite Series events in 2007, Reese leads the standings with 1,288 points, and the importance of leading the race near the midway point of the season is not lost on the veteran angler.
“Every event that I can finish in the top 10 is a plus for me,” said Reese, a one-time BASS winner. “I have had a lot of close calls of late where I didn’t seal the deal, and as disappointing as that is, winning the Angler of the Year title would make all that disappointment go away. I have always said it is the ultimate dream for any professional angler to win this title.”
Following up the season-opening Bassmaster Classic, in which Reese finished second by a mere six ounces, he scored four consecutive top-10 finishes in Elite events. Included in that run was another second-place finish at California’s Clear Lake.
With his strong start, Reese opened up a commanding lead, but he relinquished much of it to 11-time BASS winner Kevin VanDam at the fifth Elite event of the season two weeks ago at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville. VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., was the winner of that event, while Reese finished in a tie for 53rd, missing his first cut in an Elite event this season. Reese now leads VanDam by just 25 points.
Unlike Reese, VanDam already has won three Angler of the Year titles and is the BASS all-time money leader, but despite his bevy of accomplishments, his desire for yet another Angler of the Year title is strong.
“I think the rest of the season sets up well for me, but you have to perform to win at this level,” said VanDam, who has 1,263 points. “To win Angler of the Year against this level of competition truly validates a career.”
The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year program, which along with the Bassmaster Classic becomes one of the most prestigious titles in the sport, is a lucrative, season-long points race that rewards the most consistent angler with $125,000.
Rounding out the top five are California’s Jared Lintner with 1,234 points, California’s Ish Monroe with 1,169 points; and red-hot rookie Derek Remitz of Alabama, with 1,129 points.
Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., seized his first Angler of the Year title in 2006. He is tied for 39th in the 2007 standings.
Toyota Rookie of the Year
Entrenched in the top five in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, Derek Remitz of Madison, Ala., has opened up a wide margin in the Toyota Rookie of the Year race. The consistent rookie has put himself in prime position to take home the award that provides the top-performing rookie with a $25,000 top prize and is based on the Angler of the Year standings.
“This season has been a dream come true thus far,” said the 24-year-old, who leads the race with 1,129 points. “If you told me at the start of the season that I would have already won my first Elite event and been in the top position in the Rookie of the Year standings, I would have thought you were crazy.”
Trailing Remitz by more than 100 points in the standings is Bryan Hudgins of Orange Park, Fla., with 989 points. Following Hudgins are Casey Ashley, the youngest competitor in the Elite Series at 23, of Donalds, S.C., with 982 points; Scott Campbell of Springfield, Mo., with 917 points; and Jason Williamson of Aiken, S.C., with 832 points.
Steve Kennedy won the Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and narrowly missed his chance for an Angler of the Year bid, ultimately finishing second to Iaconelli.
Toyota Moving Forward Award
By improving 62 positions in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings from his ranking last year, California’s Fred Roumbanis is the leader in the 2007 Toyota Moving Forward award standings.
The award honors the Bassmaster Elite Series angler who posts the greatest improvement from season to season based on the AOY points standings. The winning angler receives $10,000.
Roumbanis, of Auburn, Calif., is seventh in the 2007 AOY standings after a strong run of opening tournaments.
“It’s nice to show improvement from year to year,” said the 28-year-old, who finished 69th in the 2006 Angler of the Year standings. “The schedule this year is fantastic and I feel like I have been capitalizing on some opportunities to catch some big fish.”
Denny Brauer secured the title in 2006, improving 99 positions from his 2005 performance. Roumbanis leads Mississippi’s Pete Ponds, who has improved 60 places in the Angler of the Year standings. Rounding out the top five are Connecticut’s Ken Brodeur, with an improvement of 57 places; Florida’s Chris Lane, with an improvement of 46 places; and Kentucky’s Mark Menendez, with an improvement of 44 spots.
Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index
With strong, consistent performances in the first half of the Elite Series season, Kevin VanDam and Skeet Reese have made significant strides in the Power Index, a system that ranks an angler by his average weight caught during his last 12 qualifying tournaments in the last two years. The two anglers hold the top positions in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, but VanDam leads Reese in the Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index standings.
VanDam is averaging 51 pounds, 10 ounces of weight per tournament while Reese is averaging 50 pounds, 7 ounces. Reese and VanDam are the only two anglers averaging more than 50 pounds per tournament.
The Power Index closely mirrors the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings for the top 3 positions as Jared Lintner, third in the AOY standings, holds down that position in the Power Index as well with 44-15 per tournament. In fourth is Alabama’s Steve Kennedy, averaging 43-10 per tournament. Kennedy likely was aided by his four-day catch on California’s Clear Lake of 122 pounds, 14 ounces, which edged Reese by more than five pounds and established a BASS record for heaviest tournament weight.
Oklahoma’s Tommy Biffle is fifth, averaging 41-13.
“This is another gauge of how successful an angler you are,” said VanDam. “It feels great to be at the top and I can only hope I stay there.”
Full standings for all four Elite Series programs are below.
2007 TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Skeet Reese Calif. 1288
2 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1263
3 Jared Lintner Calif. 1234
4 Ishama Monroe Calif. 1169
5 Derek Remitz Texas 1129
6 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1128
7 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 1119
8 Aaron Martens Ala. 1115
9 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1102
10 Scott Rook Ark. 1067
11 Mike McClelland Ark. 1059
12 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1033
13 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1032
14 Kelly Jordon Texas 1027
15 Chris Lane Fla. 1025
16 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1024
17 Alton Jones Texas 1021
18 Brent Chapman Kan. 998
19 Todd Faircloth Texas 997
20 Stephen Browning Ark. 994
21 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 989
22 Casey Ashley S.C. 982
23 Pete Ponds Miss. 981
24 Mark Menendez Ky. 977
25 Timmy Horton Ala. 974
26 Cliff Pace Miss. 973
27 Paul Elias Miss. 972
27 Dean Rojas Texas 972
29 Gary Klein Texas 970
30 John Crews Va. 969
31 John Murray Ariz. 958
32 Kevin Wirth Ky. 956
33 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 949
34 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 942
35 Jason Quinn S.C. 940
36 Mark Tyler Okla. 932
36 Brian Snowden Mo. 932
38 Peter Thliveros Fla. 921
39 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 918
39 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 918
41 Ken Brodeur Conn. 917
41 Scott Campbell Mo. 917
43 Kevin Short Ark. 907
44 Rick Morris Va. 905
45 Edwin Evers Okla. 873
46 Randy Howell Ala. 872
47 Greg Hackney La. 866
48 Jimmy Mize Ark. 865
49 Takahiro Omori Texas 859
50 Mark Tucker Mo. 847
51 Russ Lane Ala. 846
52 Shaw Grigsby, Jr Fla. 843
53 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 841
54 Ben Matsubu Texas 840
55 Davy Hite S.C. 833
56 Jason Williamson S.C. 832
57 Dave Wolak N.C. 829
58 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 822
59 Boyd Duckett Ala. 798
59 Ken Cook Okla. 798
61 Denny Brauer Mo. 797
62 Bernie Schultz Fla. 791
63 Britt Myers S.C. 786
64 Matt Reed Texas 779
65 Zell Rowland Texas 778
66 Bill Lowen Ohio 777
66 Lee Bailey Ala. 777
68 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 776
68 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 776
70 Bradley Hallman Okla. 771
71 James Charlesworth Fla. 764
72 Jim Murray Ga. 762
73 Mike Wurm Ark. 761
74 Charlie Hartley Ohio 757
75 Jami Fralick S.D. 754
76 Marty Robinson S.C. 753
77 Jeff Connella La. 752
77 Paul Hirosky Pa. 752
79 Mark Rogers Fla. 751
80 Rick Clunn Mo. 736
81 James Niggemeyer Texas 724
81 Bill Smith Ky. 724
83 Kevin Langill N.C. 723
84 Matt Amedeo Ohio 722
85 Guy Eaker N.C. 712
86 Kenyon Hill Okla. 711
87 Grant Goldbeck Md. 710
88 Kurt Dove Va. 702
89 Glenn Delong Ohio 684
90 James Kennedy La. 677
91 Marty Stone N.C. 675
92 Preston Clark Fla. 660
93 Steve Daniel Fla. 651
94 Keith Phillips Ala. 639
95 Eric Nethery Ga. 620
96 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 614
97 Jon Bondy Canada 596
98 Terry Butcher Okla. 595
99 Darrin Schwenkbeck Md. 586
100 Rick Ash Pa. 570
101 Dave Smith Okla. 562
102 Jimmy Mason Ala. 558
103 Doc Merkin Ill. 527
104 Charlie Youngers Fla. 494
105 Byron Velvick Texas 491
106 Frank Scalish Ohio 483
107 Bradley Stringer Texas 447
108 Elton Luce Jr Texas 426
2007 TOYOTA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Derek Remitz Texas 1129
2 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 989
3 Casey Ashley S.C. 982
4 Scott Campbell Mo. 917
5 Jason Williamson S.C. 832
6 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 776
7 James Charlesworth Fla. 764
8 Marty Robinson S.C. 753
9 James Niggemeyer Texas 724
10 Matt Amedeo Ohio 722
11 Glenn Delong Ohio 684
12 James Kennedy La. 677
2007 TOYOTA MOVING FORWARD AWARD STANDINGS
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Place Name 2006 Finish 2007 Standings
---------------------------------------------------------
1 Fred Roumbanis 69 7
2 Pete Ponds 83 23
3 Ken Brodeur 98 41
4 Chris Lane 61 15
5 Mark Menendez 68 24
6 Scott Rook 47 10
6 Rick Morris 81 44
8 Ishama Monroe 37 4
9 Mark Tyler 64 36
10 Jeff Kriet 33 6
11 Stephen Browning 45 20
12 Kevin Short 67 43
13 Brent Chapman 41 18
14 Paul Elias 49 27
15 Mark Rogers 99 79
16 Brian Snowden 54 36
16 Terry Scroggins 31 13
18 Ray Sedgwick 56 39
19 Jared Lintner 18 3
20 Ken D Cook 73 59
21 Britt Myers 76 63
22 Greg Gutierrez 46 34
23 Mike McClelland 22 11
23 Jimmy Mize 59 48
25 Charlie Hartley 83 74
26 Gary Klein 36 29
27 Skeet Reese 7 1
28 Timmy Horton 30 25
29 Todd Faircloth 23 19
30 Grant Goldbeck 88 87
30 Kevin VanDam 3 2
30 Gerald Swindle 13 12
TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
Rank Name Total Weight Average Weight Power Index (Avg. Weight)
1 VanDam, Kevin 619 lbs 8 ozs 51 lbs 10 ozs 100.00 %
2 Reese, Skeet 604 lbs 15 ozs 50 lbs 7 ozs 97.70 %
3 Lintner, Jared 539 lbs 1 ozs 44 lbs 15 ozs 87.05 %
4 Kennedy, Stephen 523 lbs 5 ozs 43 lbs 10 ozs 84.50 %
5 Biffle, Tommy 501 lbs 14 ozs 41 lbs 13 ozs 80.99 %
6 Martens, Aaron 481 lbs 12 ozs 40 lbs 2 ozs 77.72 %
7 Faircloth, Todd 475 lbs 7 ozs 39 lbs 10 ozs 76.76 %
8 Swindle, Gerald 470 lbs 3 ozs 39 lbs 3 ozs 75.91 %
9 Chapman, Brent 451 lbs 13 ozs 37 lbs 10 ozs 72.88 %
10 Gutierrez, Greg 449 lbs 1 ozs 37 lbs 7 ozs 72.52 %
11 Monroe, Ishama 440 lbs 11 ozs 36 lbs 12 ozs 71.19 %
12 McClelland, Mike 438 lbs 2 ozs 36 lbs 8 ozs 70.70 %
13 Lane, Russell 436 lbs 7 ozs 36 lbs 6 ozs 70.46 %
14 Jordon, Kelly 436 lbs 4 ozs 36 lbs 6 ozs 70.46 %
15 Rook, Scott 430 lbs 5 ozs 35 lbs 14 ozs 69.49 %
16 Iaconelli, Michael 430 lbs 1 ozs 35 lbs 13 ozs 69.37 %
17 Roumbanis, Fred 424 lbs 13 ozs 35 lbs 6 ozs 68.52 %
18 Snowden, Brian 420 lbs 5 ozs 35 lbs 0 ozs 67.80 %
19 Kriet, Jeff 419 lbs 1 ozs 34 lbs 15 ozs 67.68 %
20 Murray, John 418 lbs 12 ozs 34 lbs 14 ozs 67.55 %
21 Lane, Chris 415 lbs 5 ozs 34 lbs 10 ozs 67.07 %
22 Jones, Alton 414 lbs 6 ozs 34 lbs 9 ozs 66.95 %
23 Klein, Gary 410 lbs 11 ozs 34 lbs 4 ozs 66.34 %
24 Short, Kevin 409 lbs 13 ozs 34 lbs 2 ozs 66.10 %
25 Browning, Stephen 408 lbs 8 ozs 34 lbs 1 ozs 65.98 %
26 Scroggins, Terry 406 lbs 6 ozs 33 lbs 14 ozs 65.62 %
27 Quinn, Jason 402 lbs 8 ozs 33 lbs 9 ozs 65.01 %
28 Hackney, Greg 398 lbs 9 ozs 33 lbs 3 ozs 64.29 %
29 Howell, Randy 390 lbs 10 ozs 32 lbs 9 ozs 63.08 %
30 Rojas, Dean 390 lbs 9 ozs 32 lbs 9 ozs 63.08 %
31 Wolak, David 389 lbs 0 ozs 32 lbs 7 ozs 62.83 %
32 Evers, Edwin 387 lbs 7 ozs 32 lbs 5 ozs 62.59 %
33 Elias, Paul 384 lbs 15 ozs 32 lbs 1 ozs 62.11 %
34 Connella, Jeff 384 lbs 5 ozs 32 lbs 0 ozs 61.99 %
35 Lowen, Bill 383 lbs 4 ozs 31 lbs 15 ozs 61.86 %
36 Horton, Timmy 380 lbs 12 ozs 31 lbs 12 ozs 61.50 %
37 Wirth, Kevin 379 lbs 9 ozs 31 lbs 10 ozs 61.26 %
38 Hite, Davy 377 lbs 14 ozs 31 lbs 8 ozs 61.02 %
39 Fralick, Jami 375 lbs 14 ozs 31 lbs 5 ozs 60.65 %
40 Ponds, Pete 373 lbs 14 ozs 31 lbs 3 ozs 60.41 %
41 Thliveros, Peter 370 lbs 5 ozs 30 lbs 14 ozs 59.81 %
42 Brauer, Denny 366 lbs 5 ozs 30 lbs 8 ozs 59.08 %
43 Sedgwick, Ray 364 lbs 1 ozs 30 lbs 5 ozs 58.72 %
44 Morris, Rick 362 lbs 10 ozs 30 lbs 4 ozs 58.60 %
45 Brodeur, Ken 358 lbs 12 ozs 29 lbs 14 ozs 57.87 %
46 Cook, Ken 357 lbs 12 ozs 29 lbs 13 ozs 57.75 %
47 Menendez, Mark 355 lbs 1 ozs 29 lbs 9 ozs 57.26 %
48 Grigsby, Jr, Shaw 354 lbs 2 ozs 29 lbs 8 ozs 57.14 %
49 Bailey, Lee 353 lbs 11 ozs 29 lbs 8 ozs 57.14 %
50 Reynolds, Jeff 351 lbs 6 ozs 29 lbs 5 ozs 56.78 %
51 Tyler, Mark 348 lbs 3 ozs 29 lbs 0 ozs 56.17 %
52 Shimizu, Morizo 347 lbs 4 ozs 28 lbs 15 ozs 56.05 %
53 Hallman, Bradley 345 lbs 8 ozs 28 lbs 13 ozs 55.81 %
54 Rowland, Zell 345 lbs 6 ozs 28 lbs 13 ozs 55.81 %
55 Crews, John 341 lbs 13 ozs 28 lbs 8 ozs 55.21 %
56 Smith, William 336 lbs 8 ozs 28 lbs 1 ozs 54.36 %
57 Langill, Kevin 333 lbs 9 ozs 27 lbs 13 ozs 53.87 %
58 Reed, Matt 330 lbs 0 ozs 27 lbs 8 ozs 53.27 %
59 Myers, Britt 329 lbs 13 ozs 27 lbs 8 ozs 53.27 %
60 Kiriyama, Kotaro 328 lbs 2 ozs 27 lbs 6 ozs 53.03 %
61 Omori, Takahiro 325 lbs 3 ozs 27 lbs 2 ozs 52.54 %
62 Schultz, Bernie 324 lbs 11 ozs 27 lbs 1 ozs 52.42 %
63 Bondy, Jon 323 lbs 5 ozs 26 lbs 15 ozs 52.18 %
64 Daniel, Stephen 321 lbs 11 ozs 26 lbs 13 ozs 51.94 %
65 Tucker, Mark 320 lbs 13 ozs 26 lbs 12 ozs 51.82 %
66 Miyazaki, Yusuke 319 lbs 8 ozs 26 lbs 10 ozs 51.57 %
67 Wurm, Mike 318 lbs 10 ozs 26 lbs 9 ozs 51.45 %
68 Mize, Jimmy 316 lbs 5 ozs 26 lbs 6 ozs 51.09 %
69 Phillips, Keith 315 lbs 0 ozs 26 lbs 4 ozs 50.85 %
70 Stone, Marty 314 lbs 5 ozs 26 lbs 3 ozs 50.73 %
71 Dove, Kurt 313 lbs 6 ozs 26 lbs 2 ozs 50.61 %
72 Butcher, Terry 312 lbs 11 ozs 26 lbs 1 ozs 50.48 %
73 Starks, Jeremy 310 lbs 14 ozs 25 lbs 15 ozs 50.24 %
74 Luce Jr, Elton 304 lbs 6 ozs 25 lbs 6 ozs 49.15 %
75 Hirosky, Paul 303 lbs 5 ozs 25 lbs 4 ozs 48.91 %
76 Pace, Cliff 302 lbs 12 ozs 25 lbs 4 ozs 48.91 %
77 Eaker, Guy 301 lbs 11 ozs 25 lbs 2 ozs 48.67 %
78 Clunn, Rick 301 lbs 10 ozs 25 lbs 2 ozs 48.67 %
79 Scalish, Frank 301 lbs 8 ozs 25 lbs 2 ozs 48.67 %
80 Goldbeck, Grant 299 lbs 13 ozs 25 lbs 0 ozs 48.43 %
81 Schwenkbeck, Darrin 292 lbs 6 ozs 24 lbs 6 ozs 47.22 %
82 Youngers, Charlie 290 lbs 7 ozs 24 lbs 3 ozs 46.85 %
83 Matsubu, Ben 287 lbs 1 ozs 23 lbs 15 ozs 46.37 %
84 Hartley, Charlie 278 lbs 14 ozs 23 lbs 4 ozs 45.04 %
85 Rogers, Mark 274 lbs 7 ozs 22 lbs 14 ozs 44.31 %
86 Hill, Kenyon 266 lbs 0 ozs 22 lbs 3 ozs 42.98 %
87 Velvick, Byron 263 lbs 4 ozs 21 lbs 15 ozs 42.49 %
88 Merkin, Doc 262 lbs 10 ozs 21 lbs 14 ozs 42.37 %
89 Smith, Dave 260 lbs 5 ozs 21 lbs 11 ozs 42.01 %
90 Ash, Rick 247 lbs 3 ozs 20 lbs 10 ozs 39.95 %
91 Clark, Preston 243 lbs 6 ozs 20 lbs 5 ozs 39.35 %
92 Stringer, Bradley 235 lbs 12 ozs 19 lbs 10 ozs 38.01 %
93 Nethery, Eric 225 lbs 8 ozs 18 lbs 13 ozs 36.44 %
94 Mason, Jimmy 179 lbs 1 ozs 14 lbs 15 ozs 28.93 %
*** Remitz, Derek
*** Ashley, Casey
*** Duckett, Boyd
*** Hudgins, Bryan
*** Niggemeyer, James
*** Charlesworth, James
*** Campbell, Scott
*** Williamson, Jason
*** Kennedy, James
*** Sphar, Matthew
*** Delong, Glenn
*** Robinson, Marty
*** Amedeo, Matt
*** Murray, Jim
***An angler must have fished 12 qualifying events during the last two seasons for his weight to appear. A qualifying event is a Bassmaster Tour tournament, an Elite 50 tournament or Bassmaster Classic. In 2006 and beyond, a qualifying event is defined as a CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series tournament, a Bassmaster Major and a CITGO Bassmaster Classic.