Heading into the Elite Series season, many looked at the two-week West Coast swing as a possible make-or-break portion of the schedule. Come back with two decent finishes and the momentum could carry someone through the second half of the season. On the flip side, those who struggled more than 2,000 miles from home could fall into a rut they never get out of.
The financial ramifications of the trip west are not to be overlooked, either. Of the 112 anglers who competed in both events, 36 missed both money cuts, meaning they were unable to offset their travel expenses for the past three weeks with tournament winnings.
The Sacramento River and Lake Havasu events were stops 3 and 4, respectively, on the ledger, so there’s still half a season left to go before races for Bassmaster Classic berths and and the Angler of the Year trophy are settled, but some will probably look back on the momentum gained or lost during the Western swing as a major turning point in their season.
Here’s a look at who helped themselves in the points standings the most and who lost the most ground out west (difference shown reflects place in AOY points after two events vs. after four events):
Moving Up
> Brandon Palaniuk: +47 (97th to 50th)
> Bobby Lane: +44 (71st to 27th)
> Gary Klein: +43 (68th to 25th)
> Ott DeFoe: +38 (69th to 31st)
> Brent Ehrler: +34 (43rd to 9th)
> Edwin Evers: +31 (59th to 28th)
> Jared Lintner: +30 (92nd to 62nd)
> Dennis Tietje: +29 (53rd to 24th)
> Brian Snowden: +29 (87th to 58th)
> David Walker: +27 (46th to 19th)
Moving Down
> Derek Remitz: -57 (12th to 69th)
> Byron Velvick: -39 (56th to 95th)
> Hank Cherry: -38 (11th to 47th)
> Todd Faircloth: -38 (16th to 54th)
> Brett Hite: -37 (45th to 82nd)
> Mark Menendez: -36 (20th to 56th)
> Mike McClelland: -33 (9th to 42nd)
> J. Todd Tucker: -33 (54th to 87th)
> Gerald Swindle: -30 (13th to 43rd)
> Paul Elias: -30 (72nd to 102nd)
