For anyone who thinks bass fishing is "all luck" -- well, maybe it is for some, but not for those in the top ranks of the sport. As proof of that, look no further than the Top 10s of the three BASSMASTER Tour events fished this season:

> Davy Hite has two 1sts (St. Clair and the Red River) and a 10th (Toho)

> Larry Nixon has a 6th (St. Clair) and a 2nd (Toho)

> Roland Martin has a 7th (Red River) and a 3rd (Toho)

> Mississippi's Jeff Magee has a 6th (Red River) and a 4th (Toho)

Are all of these anglers merely lucky? Hardly. And notice that three of the above four fishermen (Hite, Martin and Magee) had consecutive Top 10 finishes -- yet more evidence of the fact that pros often fish well in "streaks."

Hite, Magee: Serious This Year

Hite has already told BassFans the reason for his turnaround this season: practice -- or more specifically, pre-practice. He buckled down and spent pre-practice time at Lake St. Clair, the Hudson River (moved to Toho), the Red River and Toho. "I wanted to focus and have a good year this year," he said.

Magee is attacking the BASSMASTER Tour the same way.

For a while he hung around near the bottom of the BASSMASTER Top 150s, then during the 1990s he fell out and had to re-qualify through the Invitationals (Opens). In those days he "rarely pre-fished any tournament," he said, partly because he runs a few businesses, including one that sells commercial barbecues. But now he's serious.

"I've been pre-fishing this year," he said. "I fully intend to give Davy Hite a run for his money for Angler of the Year." (Magee is now tied for 14th in the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year standings.)

Magee added he's changed his approach this year because next season he will jump into being a full-time fisherman.

5 Have Multiple Top 20s

In addition to the four anglers above, five more fishermen have multiple Top 20 finishes on the BASSMASTER Tour this year.

> Indiana's Chip Harrison, Jr. has a 2nd (St. Clair) and an 18th (Toho)

> Florida's Chuck Economou has a 5th (Toho) and a 14th (Red River)

> New Hampshire's Rick Lillegard has a 10th (Red River) and a 14th (Toho)

> Kentucky's Kevin Wirth has two 17ths: on St. Clair and Toho

> Oklahoma's O.T. Fears III has a 12th (Red River) and 15th (Toho)

Indicator for FLW?

Some of the above anglers will be fishing the 2002 FLW Tour schedule and some won't. For those who do, the above might be an indication that they will do well on that tour this year.

On the other hand, anglers can fish very well on one tour and not well on the other within the same year.

One thing's for sure: BassFans can't wait to find out.