Randy Howell was one of four pros who dropped out of the Bassmaster Classic at the season-ending Toho Bassmaster Elite Series. In his case, a 76th-place finish dropped him from 32nd to 40th in the points. In more defined terms, he caught six fish for 6-08 at Toho. If he'd caught 6 pounds more, he'd be headed to the Classic for sure. And if he'd caught 4-11 more, he'd probably be going, if other pros qualify as planned through the Bassmaster Opens. But as it stands, he's the first pro guaranteed to be out – he can't be helped by those fishing the Opens.
About missing the Classic, he said: "This is disappointing. It's kind of one of those deals – there's somebody in my position every year. One man has to miss it and be the first out. I worked hard all year to make it – it was my biggest goal of the year – and you don't ever want to be in that position where you're on the bubble going into the last event and fishing with that kind of pressure on you. But I really thought I wouldn't have any problem in Florida doing well enough to make it."
Where it gets frustrating, he added, is that an extra fish or so each day might have been enough. But all is not a loss. "I'm thankful I had a decent year," he said. "The guys who needed to catch them, caught them. It's a competitive sport. I'm going to regroup now and put it all in perspective."
