(Editor's note: This is the last BassFan story of 2004. The BassFan staff is taking the week between Christmas and New Year's Day off, though FeedBack will continue to be updated during that time. We wish all BassFans a happy and relaxing holiday, and a great start to 2005.)

With tons of Top 10 lists winding up the year, the BassFan staff decided to compile a list of the Top 10 performances of 2004. Prominent members of the bass fishing media were given the list and asked to comment on their picks for the best, 2nd- and 3rd-best performances. Their comments are below.



But before getting into that, even though this wasn't a contest to pick a "winner," everyone likes stats, so here they are:

> Most No. 1 votes: 4, a tie between Hackney and Omori.
> Most No. 2 votes: 5, Davis (Omori's 3 was runner-up).
> Most No. 3 votes: 4, VanDam (Davis' 3 was runner-up).
> Most total votes: 10, Davis. Omori had 9 and Hackney had 6.

BassFan's Top 10 Performances of 2004

Here they are, in rough order by media vote:

1. Omori's Classic win

Takahiro Omori won the 2004 Bassmaster Classic by going with his gut. On day 3, the last day of competition, he spent most of the day flipping but didn't get the fish he needed to win. With 45 minutes left in the competition, he felt that with the conditions he was seeing the best thing to do was to stop flipping and start cranking. In short order he caught three fish and won the tournament. A big-time decision by an angler completely on his game.

Alan Clemons, Outdoors Editor, The Huntsville (Ala.) Times
(best) A superb performance under pressure against the toughest competitors by an angler who epitomizes the American Dream. To see the joy and relief in Takahiro's face following the win, and the respect for him from Dean Rojas, Kevin VanDam and the other top finishers, clearly was the top story of the year.

Jack Wollitz, Fishing Columnist, Vindicator newspaper (Youngstown, Ohio)
(best) Takahiro Omori's victory at Lake Wylie epitomizes the tournament fishing experience. He got to the Classic through sheer determination and dedication, prepared well to put himself in the vicinity of the winning fish, and then, at an absolutely critical crossroad under the glare of the Classic spotlight, made an outstanding decision that paid off in bass fishing's ultimate prize. His victory is further underscored by the fact that he succeeded in overcoming the loss of not one but two big bass that could have shattered his spirit and left him to rationalize that this year's Classic
was not meant to be his.

Ed Zieralski, Outdoor Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune
(best) The Japanese invasion of Major League Baseball rosters and pro bass fishing tours is connected in some way, although I'm still working on my hypothesis and will need both a translator and one of Bush's foreign relations specialists to complete it. Omori's win was not that unexpected by the game's wise guys (of which I am not). Omori was BASS's most improved angler in 2003, taking BASS's Horizon Award and $25,000 for jumping 98 places in the season point standings. The fact he held off the likes of Martens, VanDam and Rojas to win the Classic made his win that much more impressive. Bar none, Omori's win was the biggest story in bass fishing in 2004. It was a pleasant change to the 2003 Classic and Iaconelli's childish screaming, which has spawned too many screamers. And it covered Iaconelli's bush-league stunt of fishing off-limits water at the 2004 Classic.

Bob Hodge, Outdoors Editor, Knoxville News Sentinel
(best) It's not only winning the Classic, but the entire story of Omori and how he got where he is that makes this No. 1.

George Fiorille, New York Outdoor Communicator
(2nd best) Omori's Classic win was great. You have to give him a lot of credit to come to a foreign country and beat the best bass anglers in the world. Japan's baseball players are proving they are some of the best at the game, and their bass anglers are doing the same. Their competitiveness is helping to make the sport of bass fishing a worldwide favorite.

Wade Middleton, Host, Fishing and Hunting Texas (FOX Sports and OLN)
(2nd best) Best story in years when you look at the big picture of all the sacrifices traveling from abroad to a new country to chase his dream of being a professional angler -- all wrapped up in the fact that he made the right decisions late in the day by following his instincts to capture the title.

Jay Kumar, BassFan
(2nd best) It's the biggest and toughest tournament in bass fishing, and he won it in awesome fashion -- meaning no secret spot. He just outfished everyone.

Andy Crawford, Staff Writer, Louisiana Sportsman Magazine
(3rd best) He's the first foreigner to win the Big Show. He has worked from the bottom and proved over the past couple of years that he has what it takes to be a champion.

Patrick Johnston, The Eufaula Tribune
(3rd best) He played for 1st, and it paid off.

2. Hackney's two AOY 2nds



Bassmaster.com
Photo: Bassmaster.com

The Hack Attack is as hot as you can get, but he still needs a win.

Over the last couple of years, Greg Hackney has become one of the best anglers in the world (he's currently ranked 6th). Though he has yet to win a tournament, he's come close several times and in 2004 finished 2nd in the Angler of the Year points on both tours. That's a feat which, as far as anyone knows, has never been accomplished before, in no small part because winning an AOY points race is known as the toughest feat in pro fishing. At this pace, Hackney is shaping up to be the best angler to come along since the Kevin VanDam/Jay Yelas year class.

Andy Crawford, Staff Writer, Louisiana Sportsman Magazine
(best) Hackney seemed to burst onto the scene last year, but he's paid his dues by working his way up from small-town tournaments through the FLW system. And the experience shows. This guy is simply the most consistent angler on the two tours right now, and he's proving that winning isn't everything. Three consecutive Classic appearances (counting 2005, for which he just won a berth) and hundreds of thousands in winnings. If he can keep up this pace, the wins will come.

George Fiorille, New York Outdoor Communicator
(best) This guy is amazing and will become one of bass fishing's future superstars. Actually, he already is. The bass fishing world will be cheering him on and looking forward to his first major win, which shouldn't be too far away.

Wade Middleton, Host, Fishing and Hunting Texas (FOX Sports and OLN)
(best) To come that close to winning in both Angler of the Year races against the best of the best on lakes of all kinds all over the nation showcases the fact that he may soon be the No. 1 angler in the world. If his roll continues, he won't be easy to knock out of No. 1 and he may become the man to beat week in and week out. No weakness in his game at this point. Certainly he was the best angler, bar none, during 2004. Can you say "superstar?"

Alan Clemons, Outdoors Editor, The Huntsville (Ala.) Times
(2nd best) Easily the hottest angler on either tour right now, and fishing at a performance level unequaled by anyone else. Greg Hackney knows how to win. He's no rookie by any stretch and is doing everything possible on the water to get his first victory. A big bite here, a gut reaction there and he'll be holding the trophy this season. When he does win on either tour, and blasts that little monkey off his back, things could get scary.

Jack Wollitz, Fishing Columnist, Vindicator newspaper (Youngstown, Ohio)
(3rd best) It may seem strange to single out the efforts of an AOY runner-up over the championship performances of Gerald Swindle in BASS and Shinichi Fukae in FLW, but Greg Hackney's pair of 2nds is exceptional. Hackney's breakout year as a two-tour pro sets a new standard of professionalism in bass fishing and almost overnight earned him star status. He loves what he does, is extraordinarily good at it, and is ready, willing and able to work harder than 99 percent of his competition.

3. Mark Davis wins three

Until this year, Mark Davis had only won one tournament -- the 1995 Bassmaster Classic. But that seemed anomalous since for the last decade or so he's been one of the best anglers on tour (right now he's ranked 2nd in the world). But this year he made up for lost time. He won three tournaments: one Bassmaster Tour event and back-to-back E50s. That has never been accomplished in the modern era of bass fishing and may never be again, especially since bass fishing is a sport where, unlike golf, wins typically are few and far between.

Joe Foley, This Week in Fishing Radio Show (Ohio, Ky., Ind.)
(best) Hat trick. Everybody talks about "the zone." Everybody says it, but who has really been there? The big names, and Davis is a part of that crowd.

Jay Kumar, BassFan
(best) Hackney's performance was awesome, but in this and every sport, you get judged by wins. And in 2004, no one won more than Mark Davis.

Bassmaster.com
Photo: Bassmaster.com

Mark Davis won three bass fishing events in the same year. What more needs to be said?

Andy Crawford, Staff Writer, Louisiana Sportsman Magazine
(2nd best) It's one thing to win a tournament here and there. It's something else to win three in one season on one circuit, with two of those being back to back.

Jack Wollitz, Fishing Columnist, Vindicator newspaper (Youngstown, Ohio)
(2nd best) While nobody doubts his talent, Mark Davis emphatically stamped his ticket to the Hall of Fame with his three-victory performance in 2004. To win once at the top level of the sport is big. Twice is amazing, and three times in one season is out of this world.

Joe Mosby, Outdoor Writer, Log Cabin Democrat/Arkansas Outdoors
(2nd best) Davis is far from a beginner, but he's still lacking in recognition for his top-notch bassing abilities. These three 2004 wins help correct that.

Bob Hodge, Outdoors Editor, Knoxville News Sentinel
(2nd best) Some of the best fishermen on tour have never won a tournament, and he wins three in one year. That's pretty amazing.

Wade Middleton, Host, Fishing and Hunting Texas (FOX Sports and OLN)
(3rd best) To win three events in 1 year at any level is almost unheard of, so when you think of what he did this year it leaves you almost speechless. His year is only overshadowed by Omori's sacrifice to reach the pinnacle of the sport, and Hackney's unheard-of run over the past 12 months. In any other year, Davis three wins. It truly shows Davis' ability as an angler to adjust, adapt and win in any situation.

Ed Zieralski, Outdoor Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune
(3rd best) Only the best in any sport can string wins together. In modern golf we see a Tiger Woods or Vijay Singh win a bunch in a row. Pitchers and quarterbacks do it, but they get lots of help, usually. And, oh yeah, bowlers can too. But to win a Bassmaster Tour event and back-to-back Bassmaster E50s all in a row -- now that's the stuff of fishing legends. This was Richard Petty back in the day (he once won 10 races in a row, 1967), or pro golfer Byron Nelson winning 11 in a row in 1945, before even I was born. Davis fished against BASS's new "elite" in the last two and out-fished them all, twice. Like Petty's 10 and Nelson's 11, Davis' three may be around awhile.

Alan Clemons, Outdoors Editor, The Huntsville (Ala.) Times
(3rd best) Cool, calm and laser-focused when he's dialed in. Winning one tournament in a season is tough enough. To win a Tour event and consecutive Elite 50s against a nucleus of the best anglers in the world is strong. Off-season shoulder surgery could limit his performances the first half of the 2005 season, but Davis has a strong faith in God that things happen for a reason. He won't be down for very long.

4. VanDam wins the E50s

Is there anything Kevin VanDam can't do? He's won Bassmaster Angler of the Year three times and has been 2nd a few other times (not to mention seven tournament victories and 58 Top 10s). He won FLW Angler of the Year the first year he fished that tour. He's won a Bassmaster Classic. And he's been the No. 1-ranked angler in the world at the end of the tour seasons for 4 straight years. This year he added another trophy to his trophy room by winning the inaugural Bassmaster Elite 50 points race -- and at the end of the season was one fish away from winning the Classic again. This guy is amazing.

Bassmaster.com
Photo: Bassmaster.com

Are Kevin VanDam's mind-blowing achievements taken for granted now?

Joe Mosby, Outdoor Writer, Log Cabin Democrat/Arkansas Outdoors
(best) VanDam has been a winner for several years now, and the E50 victory is one more for his bulging trophy case.

George Fiorille, New York Outdoor Communicator
(3rd best) VanDam has been dominating so long that his great accomplishments are becoming sort of an everyday ritual. I would rate Rick Clunn as the top bass angler of the past 35 years, but Kevin should take over that honor in just a few years. This guy has the best shot of breaking Roland Martin's record of 19 wins. He is the Babe Ruth of bass fishing.

Jay Kumar, BassFan
(3rd best) Maybe everybody else is numb to his accomplishments, but not me. Put it this way: We haven't yet seen something he can't win. Scary.

Bob Hodge, Outdoors Editor, Knoxville News Sentinel
(3rd best) He deserves to be on any list that has anything to do with professional bass fishing.

5. Clausen wins the FLWTC

How does it feel to fish for $500,000? Better yet, how does it feel to be 26 years old and win $500,000 in your rookie year on the FLW Tour -- on boiling hot Alabama water when you're from Spokane, Wash.? Ask Luke Clausen, who won this year's FLW Tour Championship on Logan Martin. A great performance by an up-and-coming angler under pressure-packed conditions.

Ed Zieralski, Outdoor Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune
(2nd best) Covering BASS's Western Opens on occasion, I've seen the best and worst from
Clausen and other western pros. Just when it looks like he's going to break through, Big Luke disappears. I'm told young pro anglers do that. I'm told old anglers do too. But on those hot days in August in Alabama, Clausen did the western anglers proud and proved he's an emerging star. The FLW Tour Championship isn't the Classic, but it pays more. And isn't winning the most money and making the most sponsors happy what pro fishing is all about?

Joe Foley, This Week in Fishing Radio Show (Ohio, Ky., Ind.)
(3rd best) Twenty-six years old and $500,000 in the checking account. Enough said!

Joe Mosby, Outdoor Writer, Log Cabin Democrat/Arkansas Outdoors
(3rd best) Clausen's FLW Tour Championship victory has to rank as the longest shot to pull out a major victory in 2004.

6. Brauer wins at Eufaula again

Denny Brauer has said it over and over: he swings for the fence. He'll fish for the fish to win, period. Fishing for points isn't even in his vocabulary. This year he got on a classic Brauer big fish/few bites pattern at the Lake Eufaula Bassmaster Tour event. And while other pros didn't see its potential and/or were worried about points, he put it together to win -- the second time in 3 years he's won at Eufaula. Another masterful performance by one of the sport's masters.

Patrick Johnston, The Eufaula Tribune
(best) It's amazing how he seemingly pulls a rabbit out of his hat every time at this lake. Lake Eufaula is to Denny what Bristol Speedway was to Darrell Waltrip.

7. Fukae wins FLW AOY

Shinichi Fukae, a bass fishing champion in Japan, fished the FLW Tour this year, and in his first time fishing U.S. waters won FLW Angler of the Year (AOY). Winning AOY your first year on tour is an incredible feat, especially if it's your first time fishing U.S. waters and don't know any English. But there's one hiccup here: Fukae didn't qualify for the Tour. Popeye, a big Japanese Ranger Boats dealer, simply got him in, which can happen on the Ranger-sponsored FLW Tour.

Joe Foley, This Week in Fishing Radio Show (Ohio, Ky., Ind.)
(2nd best) Yes, he got a sponsor exemption. So did a bunch of others, but he won fair and square. I interviewed Shin, and I had two translators and that still didn't help that much. My hat is off to him. Do you know what it could be like to find a gas station in Arkansas without being able to speak English?

8. Chris McCall's 2nd at Okeechobee

On day 1 of the Okeechobee FLW Tour event, Jasper, Texas pro Chris McCall's mother died unexpectedly. Yet he persevered and ended up finishing 2nd, his best finish of the year. That's really all that needs to be said -- a great performance under the most difficult of circumstances.

Patrick Johnston, The Eufaula Tribune
(2nd best) An amazing performance under difficult circumstances.

9. Swindle wins Bassmaster AOY

Gerald Swindle has been a tour pro for 7 years, and this year put it together the best he ever has by winning Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY). Never mind that he barely squeaked by Greg Hackney to win, 2004 was one of the toughest Tour seasons yet with several of the mostly pre-spawn events fished in near-freezing weather -- prompting BassFan to dub AOY "angler of the spring" instead. Regardless, Swindle fished almost completely instinctively, and his win shed light on his true potential.

10. King at the Alabama River E50

Stacey King was one of four anglers who almost took a bullet at the Alabama River Bassmaster Elite 50 tournament in June. A lone gunman on the bank fired several shots in the direction of King's boat and the boat of BASS photographer Gerald Crawford, and put a slug into King's Nitro. That was on day 2 of the event, a cut day. On day 1, King was in 15th. On day 2, the day of the shooting, he fell to 22nd. But on day 3, all the anglers who didn't make the Top 12 cut were fishing for 13th place -- which is where King ended up. A great performance the day after a shocking event.

Notable

> Wollitz: Each of the performances nominated as the Top 10 of 2004 is outstanding and a case can be made that each is worthy of a top ranking. Throughout the year, Bassmaster and FLW tour competitors overcame great odds and pulled amazing rabbits out of their caps. Kevin VanDam rallied from -- for him -- an "off" year to return to No. 1 in the world. Luke Clausen's FLW Tour Championship victory is unquestionably a highlight, and Gerald Swindle's Bassmaster AOY will be remembered not only as a great achievement but also for its obvious
splash of personality to the title. But Omori, Davis and Hackney stood at the top of their profession in 2004 and deserve whatever accolades can be awarded. No asterisks. They just went
to the water and flat-out did it.

> Zieralski: Kevin Van Dam gets the No. 1 spot if he catches one more fish at the
Classic. Swindle's accomplishment as Bassmaster Angler of the Year is much more impressive than Shinichi Fukae taking the FLW Angler of the Year. Fukae's achievement was great, though diminished some because of the sponsor's exemption onto the FLW Tour. Chris McCall's 2nd at Okeechobee certainly gets a tip of the sportsman's cap. Hackney gets a nod too, but 2nds don't get headlines. He needs to win something.

> Hodge: I didn't vote for Fukae because he got on tour with what amounts to a sponsor's exemption in golf. That's how the woman golfer got into a tournament a couple of years ago, and my argument was she should have to qualify like everybody else. Fukae should have had to qualify to get on the FLW Tour. Still, he obviously did great once he got there.

> Kumar: "Picking three was tough. I can't believe I didn't vote for Hackney."

Who do you think had the best performance of 2004? Click here to let us know.