World Rankings Analysis
Details On Some Under The Radar Movements

Photo: Yamaha Marine David Dudley got back on track this season, and capped it with his second consecutive Top 10 at the Forrest Wood Cup.

BassFans know the names near the top of the BassFan World Rankings presented by Tru-Tungsten – those pros like Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Aaron Martens and Steve Kennedy who always seem to be there.

But the Rankings should be studied for much more than the Top 10 or 20. They also show hot streaks, cold streaks, up-and-comers, veterans back on the rise, and a whole lot more.

What follows is a brief look at some of the under-the-radar Rankings movements throughout 2007. Keep in mind that the below information focuses on just a few of the Rankings movements – primarily those that haven't received much coverage this year.

6th: Dudley's Back

If there was ever an up/down angler in the Rankings, it's David Dudley. He's a powerhouse, who swoops in and kills when it counts, then seems to retreat to his Virginia farm for a while.

He's back out of hiding and tearing it up. He rocked the FLW Series in 2006, which still counts toward the Rankings, with finishes of 21st, 13th, 11th, and 42nd. A disappointing 79th at the Lewis-Smith closer cost him the Series points championship, but the campaign was nonetheless stout.

His 2006 FLW Tour numbers were weak to start – 127th, 85th, 94th, and 62nd – but he shifted gears and finished 6th and 17th in the final two Tour events, then 8th at the FLW championship (now Forrest Wood Cup).

That momentum briefly subsided at the start of this season when he finished 99th at Travis, but he subsequently rallied to post finishes of 11th, 24th, 16th, 2nd, 51st, then 8th at the Cup.

Consider that each of his finishes were in 200-boat fields, and Dudley's clearly hot, which is why he's ranked 6th in the world right now (up from 28th at the start of this season).

10th: Duckett's Rise

Some BassFans have questioned Boyd Duckett's year-end presence inside the Top 10 (he's ranked 10th in the world). Remember that a debut near or inside the Top 10 has happened before – one example is John Murray, who debuted at 8th in April 2003.

Duckett's rise is the factor of several vectors. One certainly is his Bassmaster Classic win. Championships are weighted more heavily in the Rankings formula, so his Classic win has a lot of legs. He also won an event this year – the Bassmaster Legends at Dardanelle – which gives him even more legs.

Photo: BassFan Boyd Duckett ended the season ranked 10th in the world, helped by a Bassmaster Classic and Major win.

Interesting will be his quest to follow up next year. But if this year is any litmus test, this guy's here to stay. And don't undervalue the fact that he fishes without financial pressure. He's independently wealthy, and most pros will tell you it's easier to fish on a steak- or shrimp-filled stomach than one bloated with Ramen noodles.

13th: McClelland Hot

Winning at the tour level is tough. In fact, it's not uncommon to go a decade or more without a tour-level win. But Mike McClelland won an event this year (Clarks Hill), and last year (Grand Lake). He also won the Bassmaster Open Championship in 2005, which was pretty close to a tour-level event in terms of difficulty, although it doesn't influence the Rankings.

He fished his first big event in 1998 – the Harris Chain Megabucks – so he's been at it a long time. And when you slice the stats, he's won five of 124 BASS events he entered.

The real story behind his current 13th-place ranking, though, is relative consistency alongside those wins. He's finished outside the money just eight times in his prior 29 non-championship events.

14th: Hack Drops Back

Greg Hackney hasn't dominated headlines like he did a few years ago, when he ended the 2005 season ranked No. 1 in the world (the only one other than VanDam ever to do that). That's because he's not challenging for wins anymore.

He still exhibits his trademark consistency – he's bombed only once in the past 2 years – but he's no longer the hunter.

Photo: BassFan Greg Hackney didn't have a horrible season by any means – it was just a long way from his 2005-06 numbers.

His numbers lately are more around the 20th-, 30th-, and 40th-place spots.

He may have lost an edge, but more likely, he's just riding a typical downturn in a long career curve, which eventually should turn north again.

That downturn has him ranked 14th right now – a drop of 11 spots from 3rd, where he started the year.

26th: Murray Making Cuts

Arizona's John Murray has quietly been fishing well, with a few notable exceptions that have prevented him from climbing higher. He began the year ranked 83rd, and ended it at 26th.

Sore spots include a 91st this year at the California Delta – a venue where he was pegged as a potential winner – and a 90th at the Potomac. Alongside stands his ill-fated 2006 FLW Tour, with outings of 63rd, 94th, 116th, 108th, 189th, and 82nd.

Take that '06 FLW Tour out and his average finish the last 2 years is 35th. With the '06 Tour included, the average jumps up to 48th.

What stands out about Murray this season is that he started to make Top 12 cuts. He's a salty angler, and points are ever on his mind, but the fact that he made the Top 12 in seven of 14 events this year is a significant benchmark in his long career.

– End of part 1 (of 2) –