Adams' Adjustment Leads To His Initial Tour Victory

Tracy Adams made one key adjustment today, and it transformed his 2006 season from miserable to memorable. His 17-11 bag gave him a 2-day total of 34-07, and he won the Champlain FLW Tour by a 1-06 margin.

It was the first tour-level victory for the veteran from North Carolina, who came to upstate New York in the midst of one of his worst seasons ever. He'd finished outside the Top 100 in four of the previous five events

and was floundering at 134th in the Angler of the Year race with no chance of qualifying for the FLW Tour Championship (FLWTC).

He spent the entire tournament fishing for largemouths in the Ticonderoga area at the southern end of the lake – the same locale that Missouri's Dion Hibdon exploited to garner the heaviest sacks on each of the first 3 days. But the bite there had slowed down, so he tweaked his pattern today while Hibdon stuck to his guns. The move paid off handsomely.

Kevin Vida of Michigan caught 17-04 today to claim the runner-up position with a 34-07 total. Hibdon (14-05 today) was 3rd with 31-03 and 2004 winner Scott Martin of Florida finished 4th with 16-14 today and a 30-09 total.

Texas' Shinichi Fukae, a two-time winner this year, completed the Top 5 with 15-12 today and a 30-03 total.

Here's how the rest of the Top 10 field finished:

6. Scott Dobson: 29-08
7. Thomas LaVictoire: 28-00
8. Keith Williams: 24-12
9. Jerry Williams: 21-09
10. Curt Lytle: 13-02

The weather in the Plattsburgh, N.Y. area was relatively stable (some clouds, some sun), but Ticonderoga experienced a moderate north wind for the second day in a row. That hindered the grass patterns that largemouth-chasers Hibdon, Adams and Lytle had employed to secure their spots in the Top 10.

Adams switched to flipping willow bushes to catch four of his five weigh-in fish, while Hibdon stuck with the grass in a determined attempt to get one more big bite. It never came.

This was the final event on the six-tournament circuit, and the 48-angler field is set for the FLWTC, to be held Aug. 2-5 at Alabama's Logan Martin Lake. South Carolina's Anthony Gagliardi clinched the Angler of the Year (AOY) award on day 2 with a 44th-place finish.

A Thrill for Adams

Adams has fished the tour full-time since 1997 and has twice finished among the Top 10 in the points (he was 3rd in 2000 and 6th in 2004). This was his first Top 10 in more than 2 years, and his previous best finish of 2006 was 68th at Murray.

"This feels wonderful," he said. "Finally! That's what it feels like – finally!

"I still hate to miss the Championship, but this eases the pain a little bit, and it will definitely make me fish harder in the future."

He said it will give him inspiration to improve his standing in the FLW Series, where he's 106th in the points through three of five events. "Definitely, it does for sure."

He had a limit by 9:00 and made his final cull 4 hours later. Then he started on the 70-mile trek back to the launch.

"I turned to the cameraman and said, 'I'm out of here.' I wanted to be able to take it easy on the way back and keep my fish alive, because the (8-ounce) penalty for a dead one could have really cost me. I was just hoping that I had enough.

"I had to be in at 3:05, and I got back at about 2:10. Then I tried one spot (near the launch) and on my first cast I caught a 3-01 smallmouth that didn't help me, and then caught another smallmouth a few casts later.

"I guess I really couldn't do anything wrong today."

Details of his winning pattern, as well as those of the 2nd- through 5th-place finishers, will be posted soon.

2nd: Vida Satisfied

Vida, a smallmouth expert, came up one spot shy of his first tour win. It was his fourth FLW Tour Top 10.

"I feel great," he said. "I absolutely don't think there's anything more I could have done. It's a very positive finish for me.

"I thought if I could get 17 or 18 pounds today, I'd have a shot, depending on what the largemouth guys did. Dion stumbled a little bit, but Tracy still caught them."

He had five in the livewell today after fishing for just 20 minutes. He spent the day on a shallow flat, throwing a soft jerkbait.

He weighed in 18 smallmouths and two largemouths over the 4 days. He caught both largemouths on day 3.

3rd: No Regrets for Hibdon

Hibdon's primary goal coming into the tournament was to make the Top 10 and qualify for the FLWTC. With that out of the way, he shifted his focus to winning and was unwilling to abandon the jig-in-the-grass pattern that had netted him more than 40 pounds over the first 2 days.

"I don't have any regrets – the better man won," he said. "Tracy changed up, and I didn't do that. I was hardheaded, and it cost me.

"I came in swinging for the fences and I went out doing the same thing, so everything's fine with me. It was a hard-fought tournament, I enjoyed it and I caught a lot of fish. I just maybe had one little mental miscue by not trying to change.

He'd considered an adjustment after his day 3 weight was more than 3 pounds lighter than his average over the first 2 days, but ultimately opted to stay the course.

"Last night I rigged up rods with an array of different baits, but I ended up saying to heck with that. I tried to make it happen doing what I'd been doing. If I'd gotten one more bite, and if it had been the right one, it would have been good enough. I just came up a little short."

4th: Martin not Fulfilled

Martin has tasted victory here, and coming up short this time left something to be desired.

"Of course I'm very happy with where I finished in the tournament," he said. "But I've won here before, and when you've won all you want to do is win again, so I have that little bit of disappointment going.

"I'm happy with my performance – today especially. I caught the kind of fish you need to win. Yesterday (when he came in with 13-11) was the mess-up. I just got myself a little off balance."

He went to Varata Bay today and caught some spawning smallmouth he'd been saving. It's the place where he caught his winning fish 2 years ago.

"I went down there not knowing if they were still there," he said. "The Lord blessed me and they were."

He also weighed in the fry-guarding largemouth he found late on day 3. "I spent about an hour on him this morning and I caught him. It was a 3 1/2-pounder."

5th: Fukae Pleased

Including his two wins, Fukae made the Top 10 in three of the six regular-season events. That pleased him immensely.

"I cannot believe that I made another Top 10 this year," he said through a translator. "I had a great season this year and made the championship, and I'm very happy about it.

"I'm going to fish the rest of the season really hard and try to get another win."

His practice sessions focused almost exclusively on smallmouths.

"I had a pretty good practice, and I knew the lake pretty good. I wanted to concentrate on one thing."

He caught his weigh-in fish on finesse worms, but issued a good-natured warning to the other anglers on the FLW Tour and Series.

"My next goal is to master power-fishing."

7th: LaVictoire Happy

LaVictoire, the local favorite from West Rutland, Vt., caught his lightest bag of the tournament (12-11). Still, he enjoyed the chance to fish the last two days.

"It feels great," he said. "I don't have any regrets whatsoever."

He considered going to Ticonderoga in search of largemouths today, but eventually settled on a trip to the north of the launch to sight-fish for smallmouths.

"I thought I could get the same kind of bag I got the first couple of days (17-12 and 17-13). But some of those fish had been caught by other people and some had moved off the beds. That's just the way it goes."

He caught his weigh-in fish on finesse worms, tubes and Senkos.

Notable

> Day 4 stats – 10 anglers, 10 limits.

> Adams compiled his day-best bag despite not catching a fish that weighed more than 4 pounds.

>Hibdon beat out 197 anglers to reach a goal that he badly wanted to achieve. When asked if that type of single-minded approach might be effective every time out, he responded, "We're about to find out."

> Two-tour angler Ish Monroe of California claimed the final berth for the FLWTC (48th in the points). David Fritts was the first angler out, just one point behind.

Day 4 (Final) Standings

1. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, NC -- 5, 16-12 -- 5, 17-11 -- 10, 34-07 -- $100,000

2. Kevin Vida -- Clare, Mi -- 5, 15-13 -- 5, 17-04 -- 10, 33-01 -- $36,000

3. Dion Hibdon -- Stover, Mo -- 5, 16-14 -- 5, 14-05 -- 10, 31-03 -- $25,000

4. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 5, 13-11 -- 5, 16-14 -- 10, 30-09 -- $20,000

5. Shinichi Fukae -- Mineola, Tx -- 5, 14-07 -- 5, 15-12 -- 10, 30-03 -- $18,000

6. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 5, 14-12 -- 5, 14-12 -- 10, 29-08 -- $17,000

7. Thomas LaVictoire -- West Rutland, Vt -- 5, 15-05 -- 5, 12-11 -- 10, 28-00 -- $16,000

8. Keith Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 5, 15-04 -- 5, 9-08 -- 10, 24-12 -- $15,000

9. Jerry Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 5, 11-15 -- 5, 9-10 -- 10, 21-09 -- $14,000

10. Curt Lytle -- Zuni, Va -- 0, 0-00 -- 5, 13-02 -- 5, 13-02 -- $13,000

Final FLW Tour Points

1. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, Sc -- 1025
2. Matt Herren -- Trussville, Al -- 1002
3. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 985
4. Ray Scheide -- Russellville, Ar -- 972
5. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 937
6. Michael Bennett -- Roseville, Ca -- 928
7. Gabe Bolivar -- Ramona, Ca -- 922
8. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 906
9. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 899
10. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 887
11. Thanh Le -- Davie, Fl -- 870
12. Dean Rojas -- Grand Saline, Tx -- 863
13. Tim Klinger -- Boulder City, Nv -- 858
14. Mike Hawkes -- Sabinal, Tx -- 856
15. Shinichi Fukae -- Mineola, Tx -- 854
16. Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Ks -- 851
17. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 846
18. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 836
19. Brennan Bosley -- Benton, Ar -- 835
20. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 829
21. Bill Chapman -- Salt Rock, Wv -- 827
22. Tony Couch -- Buckhead, Ga -- 824
23. Danny Correia -- Marlborough, Ma -- 822
23. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 822
25. Jason Knapp -- Uniontown, Pa -- 821
26. Art Ferguson Iii -- St. Clair Shores, Mi -- 817
27. Randy Blaukat -- Lamar, Mo -- 816
28. Chip Harrison -- Bremen, In -- 815
29. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 815
30. Alvin Shaw -- State Road, Nc -- 814
31. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 807
32. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 803
33. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 803
34. Alton Jones -- Waco, Tx -- 802
35. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Tx -- 799
36. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Al -- 795
37. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 789
38. Dave Lefebre -- Union City, Pa -- 789
39. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 789
40. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 788
41. George Cochran -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 787
42. Gary Yamamoto -- Mineola, Tx -- 785
43. Dion Hibdon -- Stover, Mo -- 785
44. Art Berry -- Hemet, Ca -- 784
45. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 783
46. Kim Stricker -- Howell, Mi -- 782
47. Toshinari Namiki -- Mineola, Tx -- 778
48. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 777
49. David Fritts -- Lexington, Nc -- 776
50. Chris Elliott -- Beaufort, Nc -- 775
51. David Walker -- Sevierville, Tn -- 769
52. David Cooke -- Mooresville, Nc -- 769
53. Greg Pugh -- Cullman, Al -- 768
54. Charles Cummings -- Leeds, Al -- 764
55. Pat Fisher -- Buckhead, Ga -- 764
56. Katsutoshi Furusawa -- Tokyo Japan, Jp -- 757
57. Ralph Laster Jr -- Lees Summit, Mo -- 754
58. Jerry Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 752
59. Mark Rose -- Marion, Ar -- 751
60. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ar -- 749
61. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 745
62. Sean Hoernke -- Magnolia, Tx -- 743
63. Toby Hartsell -- Livingston, Tx -- 743
64. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 739
65. Tony Defilippo -- Lake Ann, Mi -- 737
66. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 736
67. Curt Lytle -- Zuni, Va -- 732
68. Kevin Vida -- Clare, Mi -- 727
69. Mark Hardin -- Jasper, Ga -- 724
70. Kevin Lasyone -- Dry Prong, La -- 723
71. Craig Powers -- Rockwood, Tn -- 719
72. Carl Svebek Iii -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 719
73. Jerry Green -- Justiceburg, Tx -- 713
74. Jeremiah Kindy -- Benton, Ar -- 710
75. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 693
76. Nate Wellman -- Jenison, Mi -- 690
77. David Wolak -- Warrior Run, Pa -- 687
78. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 682
79. Andre Moore -- Alabaster, Al -- 681
80. Guido Hibdon -- Gravois Mills, Mo -- 679
81. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 675
82. David Smith -- Del City, Ok -- 673
83. Sean Minderman -- Spokane, Wa -- 673
84. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 673
85. George Jeane Jr -- Evans, La -- 670
86. Chris Mccall -- Jasper, Tx -- 669
87. David Curtis -- Trinity, Tx -- 657
88. Stephen Tosh Jr -- Modesto, Ca -- 656
89. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Ok -- 650
90. Takahiro Omori -- Emory, Tx -- 646
91. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, Nc -- 636
92. John Tanner -- Quitman, Tx -- 627
93. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 624
94. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fl -- 613
95. Ken Wick -- Star, Id -- 612
96. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 611
97. Keith Pace -- Monticello, Ar -- 610
98. Keith Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 609
99. Barrett Moss -- Somerset, Ky -- 607
100. Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, Nc -- 606
101. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 604
102. Jeffrey Thomas -- Broadway, Nc -- 602
103. David Young -- Mayfield, Ky -- 588
104. J T Kenney -- Daytona Beach, Fl -- 586
105. Mark Goines -- Shady Point, Ok -- 585
106. Mike Wurm -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 581
107. Zack Bull -- Memphis, Tn -- 580
108. Harmon Davis -- Marlow, Ok -- 575
109. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 573
110. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 573
111. William Davis -- Russellville, Al -- 568
112. Jack Gadlage -- Benton, Ky -- 567
113. Billy Schroeder -- Paducah, Ky -- 566
114. Sam Newby -- Pocola, Ok -- 565
115. Tim Carroll -- Owasso, Ok -- 556
116. Dwayne Horton -- Knoxville, Tn -- 554
117. John Murray -- Phoenix, Az -- 554
118. Morizo Shimizu -- Suita, Osaka Japan, -- 548
119. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 547
120. Jody Cordell -- Flowery Branch, Ga -- 540
121. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 537
122. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 534
123. Karen Savik -- St. Louis Park, Mn -- 533
124. Terry Tucker -- Gadsden, Al -- 527
125. Dale Teaney -- Williamsburg, Oh -- 521
126. Marcus Clouse -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 520
127. Pete Gluszek -- Franklinville, Nj -- 518
128. Bobby Curtis -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 514
129. John Sappington -- Willard, Mo -- 511
130. Fred Roumbanis -- Auburn, Ca -- 510
131. Pierre Fortin -- Lady Lake, Fl -- 508
132. Clint Johanson -- Benton City, Wa -- 502
133. R J Bennett -- Roseville, Ca -- 501
134. John Crews -- Salem, Va -- 499
135. Brian Hensley -- Edwardsburg, Mi -- 492
136. Robert Karbas Jr -- Wake Forest, Nc -- 492
137. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 487
138. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, Sc -- 486
139. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, Sc -- 485
140. Jason Kilpatrick -- Satsuma, Al -- 485
141. Chris Cox -- Appleton, Wi -- 480
142. Wes Thomas -- Hanover, In -- 473
143. Wayne Jeffcoat -- Chapin, Sc -- 471
144. Kevin Long -- Berkley, Mi -- 468
145. Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va -- 465
146. Sam Swett -- Covington, La -- 453
147. Robert Sherry -- Saint Charles, Il -- 451
148. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 447
149. Jimmy Millsaps -- Canton, Ga -- 444
150. Joel Richardson -- Kernersville, Nc -- 433
151. Kelly Jordon -- Mineola, Tx -- 424
152. Alfred Williams -- Jackson, Ms -- 413
153. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 411
154. Bill Stutzman -- Nampa, Id -- 407
155. Tee Watkins -- East Point, Ky -- 404
156. Sandy Melvin -- Boca Grande, Fl -- 395
157. Dale Evans -- Ridgeville, Sc -- 395
158. Gary Riffle -- Paris, Tx -- 391
159. Todd Ary -- Moody, Al -- 384
160. Craig Taylor -- Tallahassee, Fl -- 378
161. Charles King -- Shreveport, La -- 376
162. Al Little -- Greensboro, Nc -- 375
163. Randy Morris -- Garfield, Ar -- 368
164. Mark Pack -- Mineola, Tx -- 367
165. Aaron Hastings -- Middletown, Md -- 366
166. Tom Mann Jr -- Buford, Ga -- 358
167. Mark Fann -- Clewiston, Fl -- 351
168. Yancy Windham -- Gordo, Al -- 340
169. Mike Ellenstein -- Newburgh, In -- 336
170. David Lauer -- South Bend, In -- 329
171. Cecil Kingsley -- Lawrence, Ks -- 327
172. Nick Grebb -- Maumelle, Ar -- 322
173. Bill Mcdonald -- Indianapolis, In -- 322
174. Rock Monteith -- Columbia, Sc -- 315
175. Derek Jones -- Chicago, Il -- 314
176. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Al -- 312
177. Emily Shaffer -- Mount Juliet, Tn -- 308
178. Al Gagliarducci -- Agawam, Ma -- 305
179. Brad Wall -- Clarksville, Oh -- 300
180. Jason Abram -- Chuckey, Tn -- 297
181. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 285
182. Rich Tauber -- Camarillo, Ca -- 268
183. Asa Godsey -- Clewiston, Fl -- 258
184. Marcel Veenstra -- Brighton, Mi -- 254
185. Neil Nix -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 254
186. John Peters -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 251
187. Rick Marsh -- High Point, Nc -- 234
188. Mike Leblanc -- Colchester, Vt -- 229
189. Jim Blake -- Lincoln, Ne -- 225
190. Tim Sitterding -- Freetown, In -- 224
191. Chad Cook -- Summerville, Sc -- 215
192. James Parker -- Fayetteville, Nc -- 208
193. Terry Baksay -- Easton, Ct -- 205
194. Roger Crafton -- Boca Grande, Fl -- 203
195. Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Tx -- 199
196. Thomas Lavictoire -- West Rutland, Vt -- 194
197. Lewis Denney -- Indian Mound, Tn -- 190
198. Steve Wilson -- Lufkin, Tx -- 180
199. Chic Aydelette -- Thomasville, Nc -- 178
200. Warren Wyman -- Calera, Al -- 177
201. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 171
202. James Quillman -- Dallas, Tx -- 168
203. Ricky Shumpert -- Lexington, Sc -- 156
204. Craig Workman -- Fort Worth, Tx -- 141
205. Brian Gates -- Mendon, Vt -- 138
206. Johnny Crase -- Lexington, Ky -- 130
207. Edward Gettys -- Stevenson, Al -- 122
208. Bill Vierzen -- Hanover, Nh -- 111
209. Clay Dyer -- Hamilton, Al -- 108
210. Charlie Ingram -- Santa Fe, Tn -- 96
211. Lee Skipper -- Lancaster, Sc -- 86
212. Joe Lucarelli -- New Hampton, Nh -- 85
213. Tom Burns -- Carbondale, Il -- 72
214. Craig Melton -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 71
215. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 67
216. Shirley Crain -- Van Buren, Ar -- 67
217. Allen Cauthen -- Lancaster, Sc -- 66
218. Rodney Hairgrove -- Gilbertsville, Ky -- 60
219. Glenn Miller -- Newborn, Ga -- 59
220. Chuck Medley -- Owens Cross Roads, Al -- 52
221. William Drown -- Roseland, Fl -- 50
222. Gerald Beck -- Lexington, Nc -- 48
223. Randy Ramsey -- Battle Creek, Mi -- 47
224. Charlie Hill -- Franklin, Ky -- 46
225. David Borodziuk -- Audubon Park, Nj -- 45
226. Bob Izumi -- Milton, On -- 36
227. Derek Yamamoto -- Austin, Tx -- 33
228. Brad Dunn -- Fayetteville, Ar -- 31
229. John Little -- Texarkana, Ar -- 31
230. Ron Moake -- Columbia City, In -- 18
231. Robert Messenger -- Sunapee, Nh -- 14
232. Michael Yawgel -- Cromwell, Ct -- 10
233. Larry Allard -- Ware, Ma -- 8
234. Thomas Hunnell -- Ashland City, Tn -- 5
235. Steve Lucarelli -- Meredith, Nh -- 2