Texas claims to have the biggest, best and most of a lot of things. Does the Lone Star State have the most knowledgeable BassFans in the world?

Ask Texas BassFans and they'd say yes. But what about an impartial judge? Well, how about the Stratos Boats-sponsored 2005 BassFan Patterns Game? In the inaugural edition of the game, Texans took the Top 3 positions in a field of nearly 4,000 players.



The game – the first of its kind in bass fishing – presented a different fishing scenario each week for 26 consecutive weeks during the tour season. Players were asked to determine how that week's featured pro (determined by the Top 26 anglers in the world after the 2004 season) would pattern his fish.

Out of five possible answers, one was "right" (worth 100 points), two were "okay" (50 points) and the other two were pure skunk bait (zero points).

After the player answered the main question, a timed "Speed Round" question about that week's angler popped up. A correct answer within the allotted time resulted in 25 bonus points.

The Winnah

Robert Duren of Pflugerville, Texas won with 2,375 points. Fellow Texan Chris Moore of Sachse was 2nd with 2,300, and Michael Brewton of Nacogdoches, Texas finished 3rd with 2,275.

Duren, 34, works for a computer manufacturer, but he's more of a "bass nerd" (his term) than a "cyber geek." He said: "I was really nervous the last couple of weeks when I realized I could actually win this thing. I was starting to feel the pressure.

"Before that, not in my wildest dreams would I have believed I could win it because there were so many people involved. I had some weeks where I just bombed and I thought everybody else would kill me, but they had bad weeks too."

Duren's grand prize is a $1,000 gift certificate or prize package from Stratos Boats, the game's presenting sponsor. As the runner-up, Moore receives a MotorGuide Tour 82 24-volt trolling motor.

"Stratos Boats is honored to be the sponsor of the Patterns Game on BassFan," said Teresa Johnson, Stratos' marketing director. "The game adds a unique twist to learning patterns and techniques of professional anglers in specific situations. We would like to congratulate the winners and thank everyone who participated."

Players who finished in 3rd through 7th will get a $50 gift certificate from the BassFan Store. Brewton heads that group, followed by Steve Colvin of Huntsville, Ala. (2,150 points), Scotty Pennington of Crossett, Ark. and Alan Ellis of Claremore, Okla. (tied at 2,125), and Kenny Beale of Chatham, Va. (2,100).



Chris Moore
Photo: Chris Moore

Runner-up Chris Moore was surprised by how well he fared in the BassFan Patterns Game.

Duren: A Chance to Learn

Duren said he visits BassFan daily and subscribes to numerous bass-fishing publications. The game's cerebral requirements were what most appealed to him.

"It really made you think," he said. "I mainly signed up for the learning part of it. It was a great opportunity to learn from the pros how to handle conditions like water temperature and clarity and other stuff that I might be able to apply around here.

"Where I had the most trouble was on the questions about Lake Champlain or some of the lakes in the Southeast," he added. "I'd try to put myself in the pro's shoes the best that I could. But whether I got the question right or wrong, I'd take notes and go back and study some more and try to get the next one right."

Moore: Hardcore BassFan Work Pays Off

Like Duren, 27-year-old Moore described himself as a "nerd" when the topic is useful bass fishing knowledge or just trivia about pro anglers. "I like to think of myself as a student of the game, so to speak," he said. "My wife will be happy that I was finally able to put some of that stuff to good use.

"I've read every tournament story on BassFan since it started, and knowing a certain angler's style and what he might have done on a similar lake in the past was a real bonus. It was the first thing I did every Friday morning – see how I did (the previous week) and start trying to figure out the answer to that week's question. It was a lot of fun and I'm really surprised at how well I did."

Brewton: Better Next Time

Brewton has the same type of passion for the sport as the two guys who finished ahead of him. He's a competitor, so maybe it's understandable that he's not happy about beating more than 3,000 other competitors. "My intention was to win," he said. "I live and breathe bass fishing, and I read everything I can get my hands on to keep up with what's going on."

He relied heavily on the BassFan angler profiles and the archive of tournament stories to determine his answers. "That absolutely helped on a number of occasions," he said.

He briefly considered resting on his laurels and sitting out the upcoming 2006 BassFan Patterns Game, but that's not in his makeup. "Knowing my competitive nature, I'll be right back at it again," he said. "And the pressure will be on this time."

Notable

> Pennington, who finished 5th, is a regional director for the Fishers of Men tournament organization. He said he devoted about 5 hours a week to preparation for the game. "It was unique," he said. "I'd never seen anything like it. I'd done some of the bass fishing fantasy league stuff, but this was a lot better."

> Ellis, who was 7th, once fished as Ron Shuffield's co-angler in a tournament at Grand Lake of the Cherokees. He had no trouble the week that Shuffield was featured. "I knew Ron would throw a jig until the sun went down and they told him he had to come in," he said.

> Joel James of Orange was 10th, which gave Texas four of the Top 10 spots.

> Here's some trivia for you: Miles Burghoff, who compiled 500 points to finish among the Top 1,000, is the son of Gary Burghoff, who played Radar on M*A*S*H. He conducted a bass tournament at Lake Oroville (Calif.) for his high school senior-year project, with proceeds going to the local Boys and Girls Club.

> The game drew numerous players from Canada. There were also entries from Italy, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Portugal and South Korea.

> Next year's Patterns Game will once again feature scenarios and answers from the Top 26 pros in the State Farm World Rankings.

> The 2005 answers and scenarios will be posted soon.