Extra Motivation
With Classic Streak Over, Horton Seeks Return To The Top

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Tim Horton missed his 11th consecutive Bassmaster Classic berth by just 4 Angler of the Year points.

"I really took a lot of pride in that (10-year Classic qualification streak) and I wish it was still going," he said. "Being in Birmingham when all the other guys are competing, that's going to make it kick in even more.

"But I've always been a person who's easily motivated, and this is going to motivate me to work that much harder to make sure it doesn't happen again the following year. If somebody had told me when I started my career that I'd make 10 Classics in a row, I would've said, 'Yeah, right.' If I can make 10 for every one I miss, I'll take it."

Didn't Miss by Much

Horton complied 1,478 points during the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series season, which was good for 40th place in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race. Four more points – the equivalent of an ounce or 2 here or there – would've pushed him past the three-way logjam at 37th and into the Classic.

Only the Top 36 are guaranteed berths, but two of the three anglers who tied at No. 37 (Jami Fralick and Mark Tucker) got in via the double-qualifications of defending Classic champion Skeet Reese and Central Opens AOY James Niggemeyer. Horton held out faint hope through much of the late summer and fall that at least four qualifiers from the Elite Series would finish 1st or 2nd in one of the three Open points chases, but that proved to be too much to ask.

He said it wasn't much of a downer when all those circuits were complete because his chances of back-dooring his way in were so slim to begin with. His regrets all center around his own performance on the Elite Series.

"The real letdown for me was the final event at Oneida," he said. "I thought I'd caught them good enough to make it, but there was some kind of schooling deal going on out in the middle of the lake and guys were taking other guys out there. I was tucked away in my own little corner and I missed it.

"You can look back on a lot of moves you made throughout the year that would've made the difference, and that's one of the things that makes this sport so much fun. It's such a razor's edge between being at the top and being at the bottom (of the standings). People talk about how good the guys are out here and it's not a cliché – it's so competitive that one right move vs. one wrong one makes such a big difference."

No Great Highs

Oneida, where he ended up 65th, was Horton's worst showing of the eight-event Elite season. The other three cuts he missed were by a combined total of 14 places (52nd, 57th and 55th).

On the flip side, his best finish was the 24th he logged at Amistad to kick off the campaign.

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Horton's 2009 Elite Series campaign was uncharacteristically devoid of high finishes.

He won the AOY in 2000, his rookie year as a tour pro, and he sets capturing another as his primary goal before each season.

"It's something we all aspire to every year, and it's important to get the year off to a good start and get on a roll. I'm ready to do that next year. The last couple of years I've been in kind of a rut. I was involved in some other things from a political standpoint (he wrapped up a stint as president of the Professional Anglers Association last spring).

"I feel like I've served my time in that regard and I'm ready to get out there and get competitive again."

If there's anything good about missing the Classic other than the motivational factor, it's that he'll get to visit with a lot of people while he's there representing his sponsors and doing some TV work.

"It's a bittersweet deal, but being in Alabama, I'll see a lot of friends that I haven't gotten to talk to much in quite awhile. When you're competing, you just don't have the time to do that."

Notable

> Horton inked a deal with Vicious Fishing this offseason and will use the company's line in 2010.

> Unlike some eastern-based Elite pros, he's greatly looking forward to opening the new campaign with two stops in California. "It's one of my favorite places to go," he said. "I enjoy the trip because some of us caravan out there and spend the time talking to each other, and when we get there the fishing is as good as anywhere we go. I've had some good finishes there and I wish it was on the schedule every year."