The 10th event on the 11-tournament Bassmaster Elite Series will take place this week at the Potomac River, and the hotly contested race for Angler of the Year (AOY) comes back into focus. Skeet Reese, who's seeking his first AOY, holds a 20-point edge over three-time winner Kevin VanDam, and nobody else is currently within 200 points of either.
The Potomac event took place during the same calendar week a year ago. Reese finished 2nd, just 7 ounces behind winner Kelly Jordon. while VanDam's 30th-place showing broke a string of four consecutive Top 10s.
Reese is also the hotter of the two right now, as he's finished 2nd, 13th and 7th in the last three tournaments (including the Memorial Major). VanDam, meanwhile, hasn't cracked the Top 15 since his victory at Grand Lake in June, but he hasn't turned in any stinkers either – he's finished 27th, 16th and 22nd.
The big bite eluded VanDam here last year. His bags on the first 2 days were in the 12s, and he managed just two fish for 6-13 on day 3.
Reese also struggled on day 3, with three fish for 8-15. But his other stringers weighed 16-05, 17-00 and 17-14.
