Wildcard Final: Velvick Over Phillips By 1-12

The final day of the Bassmaster Elite Series Wildcard Qualifier at Lake Okeechobee presented two plotlines. First was the battle for the top spot. Byron Velvick, who led both prior days, completed that quest when he sacked 11-00 today to notch his second BASS win – his first since the 2000 California (Clear Lake) Invitational.

The second, and probably more critical,

plotline was the battle for the Top 10, since those pros receive guaranteed berths in the 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series. However, those who finished out of the Top 10 might still get in. If any one of the Top 10 declines his berth, BASS will continue to work down the Wildcard standings until 10 anglers accept.

That happened once already. Keith Phillips declined his invite onstage, so the the 11th-place finisher (Steve Daniel) is in. It'll likely take weeks until the entire score settles out. Until then, here's a look at the final Top 10:

1. Byron Velvick: 40-08
2. Keith Phillips: 38-10
3. John Cox: 36-14
4. Corey Waldrop: 36-11
5. Elton Luce, Jr.: 35-05
6. Wade Grooms: 35-02
7. Rick Ash: 34-10
8. Randy Allen: 33-09
9. Dave Sherrer: 33-04
10. Bobby Myers: 32-08

Velvick, Phillips, Luce, and Ash are current Elite Series pros. The other six now get their first shot at the Elite Series.

The threat was there all week for big moves from deep back, and both Cox and Luce capitalized today. Cox stuck 20-05 and moved up 23 spots to finish 3rd. Luce's 16-00 pushed him from 18th to 5th.

Keith Phillips began and ended the day in 2nd. His 9-13 today landed him 1-12 shy of Velvick.

Steve Daniel and Billy Brewer fell out of the Top 10.

Velvick Excited

Onstage, Velvick seemed surprised that this no-entry-fee, no-payout tournament awarded him a giant trophy – nearly identical to the standard Elite Series trophy.

He and Phillips fished the same area all 3 days, but today and yesterday, heavy local traffic spooked off their big fish.

"Today was a day where, when I caught my fifth, I was actually going to make a run to where I knew some big fish were," Velvick said. "But then (I thought), 'Why do that? If I make a gamble after getting my limit, I could hit an alligator, or break down.' So I played it safe.

"It was an exciting tournament. I just enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun."

He added that traditionally he's done well this time of year in Florida, because the bite suits his style.

"I'm a worm fisherman from out west," he said. "I kind of learned that long before swimbaits came along. But you've got to sneak up on these fish. I turned my MotorGuide trolling motor way down, and let the wind blow me toward the fish. That's the key."

About the pressure this week of having to requalify, he said: "This has been a really tough day for a lot of guys. My heart goes out to the guys today who are (out there) putting their boats on their trailers.

"Going in, I didn't know how (next) year was going to shape up. It's a small tournament, but a hugely important tournament. It's such a stressful time. If I (didn't requalify), I was going to fish the Opens. There are no excuses. I had a lot of stuff go wrong this year – some physical stuff go wrong.

"I'm just glad to be able to fish again next year. I'm excited."

The full details of his winning pattern will be posted soon.

3rd: Cox Happy

Cox, who stuck a 20-pound sack today and moved up 23 spots, said he feels a sense of accomplishment. A tour-level career has been his dream since he was young, and he fished the Wildcard last year at the Harris Chain – about 30 minutes from his Florida home.

He said he "choked" last year on day 1, so to do it in Florida this time is a little bit of redemption.

About his day, he said: "I knew those big fish were there – they just needed to move up on the hump I was fishing. I pretty much waited them out. They moved up at about 12:00 today, and I caught an 8-pounder, then another right under 8, and my non-boater caught a 7."

He did it old-school – he Carolina-rigged an 8-inch black/grape Producto worm. "They like that thing for some reason," he said. "It's real soft. It's the deal."

He does plan to fish the Elite Series, provided he gets enough support to cover his entry fees. If not, he'll likely wait another year to take his shot.

5th: Luce 'Lucky'?

Luce said his emotions are mixed. On the one hand he's "elated." He connected with a 10-pounder today that basically saved his 12-year career.

At the same time, he's "sick" to his stomach. He missed three events this year to attend to his seriously ill wife, and it unnerves him to think that in this sport, a career could end because of a family illness.

"I missed three tournaments this year, and my wife was kind of blaming herself – as sick as she's been," he said. "I was just really doing it for her more than anything. She (was) blaming herself that I may not get back, so I just tried to come out here and catch some. I just got a lucky bite.

"Let's face the facts," he added. "If I didn't have a 10-pounder today, I wouldn't have made it back in. I'm sick in my stomach about the whole thing. I've been out here 12 or 14 years. I've never missed a tournament. I paid the money on time. And until this year, I never missed a tournament. I can't believe somebody's career can go down the tubes over something like that."

Luce left his wife in the hospital and made the 15-hour drive for day 1 of practice. But he got stuck in the back of a canal. He thus entered the event with about 2 hours of practice, but tipped his hat to Velvick and Phillips, who clued him into a pattern.

He noted his wife's "doing better now." She got out of the hospital on Sunday – it's the fourth time since June she's been in.

When asked if there was perhaps more than luck behind that 10-pounder, he said: "I think the Good Lord was looking over me. I think that's the bottom line. (My wife's) a very religious woman, and she said her prayers every night. I think it was just meant to be.

"And it was a 10-pound bite on a Rat-L-Trap and 12-pound Berkley 100% fluorocarbon. To get that fish to the boat on 12-pound line – that speaks highly of Berkley."

11th: Daniel Has No Regrets

While downsizing was the norm today, Daniel (an Okeechobee local) stuck with the big stuff. It didn't pay off and he finished outside the Top 10. But in a way it did, because as the 11th-place finisher, he gets a berth based on Phillips' decision not to fish next year.

"I had to make some decisions today, being Saturday," he said. "You have to make those decisions, because there's a lot of other boats out there fishing. Guys were fishing the south end this morning, practicing for a tournament."

He said he lost a big fish right off the bat, and decided to commit to that area. He figured on a bad day there he could catch 8 to 10 pounds, but by 11:30, he only had two fish. Soon after that, he lost three 3-pounders. But he still stuck with the area.

"My best odds were to stay out there and fish for big ones," he noted. "I can normally catch a small limit when the big ones don't bite. It's not in me to go out there with 10-pound line and a spinning rod. I got out the 20-pound Berkley (Trilene 100%) fluorocarbon and threw it as far as I can throw.

"I don't have any regrets. I did everything I was supposed to do. I just didn't catch them today."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 34 anglers, 25 limits (three fewer than yesterday), 1 zero (1 more than yesterday).

> About next year, 4th-place Waldrop said: "I'm so excited to fish with these guys. It's going to be tough competition."

> Ash, who finished 7th, threw a shakey-head. About the pressure this week, he said: "I think the pressure here was much more than it was all year. It came down to 3 days. I'm just glad I (had a) good day the first day. I had a good area. When I got in there at first, I didn't realize how big and extensive the area was. There was a ton of fish in there – I was catching 40 to 50 fish a day. You just couldn't get the big fish to bite all the time."

> Darrin Schwenkbeck, an Elite pro who finished 16th and failed to requalify (yet), noted: "I wish I could fish the Elite tour again next year – it's been a real treat. I just want to thank my sponsors Amsoil and Cornerstone Recruiting, who made this possible. I'm going to go fire away next year and get back to the top level."

Day 3 (Final) Standings

1. Byron Velvick -- Del Rio, TX -- 15, 40-08 -- 315
Day 1: 5, 21-05 -- Day 2: 5, 08-03 -- Day 3: 5, 11-00

2. Keith Phillips -- Calera, AL -- 15, 38-10 -- 295
Day 1: 5, 12-09 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04 -- Day 3: 5, 09-13

3. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 15, 36-14 -- 290
Day 1: 5, 08-00 -- Day 2: 5, 08-09 -- Day 3: 5, 20-05

4. Corey Waldrop -- Fort Worth, TX -- 15, 36-11 -- 285
Day 1: 5, 14-08 -- Day 2: 5, 10-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04

5. Elton Luce Jr -- Brookeland, TX -- 14, 35-05 -- 280
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 5, 08-15 -- Day 3: 4, 16-00

6. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, SC -- 15, 35-02 -- 276
Day 1: 5, 08-14 -- Day 2: 5, 14-08 -- Day 3: 5, 11-12

7. Rick Ash -- Pottstown, PA -- 15, 34-10 -- 272
Day 1: 5, 16-02 -- Day 2: 5, 10-07 -- Day 3: 5, 08-01

8. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 15, 33-09 -- 268
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04 -- Day 3: 5, 09-00

9. David Sherrer -- Shreveport, LA -- 15, 33-04 -- 264
Day 1: 5, 10-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-02 -- Day 3: 5, 08-00

10. Bobby Myers -- Tulsa, OK -- 15, 32-08 -- 260
Day 1: 5, 11-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-12 -- Day 3: 5, 11-13

11. Steve Daniel -- Clewiston, FL -- 14, 32-02 -- 257
Day 1: 5, 09-10 -- Day 2: 5, 17-03 -- Day 3: 4, 05-05

12. Billy Brewer -- Lorena, TX -- 15, 31-14 -- 254
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 08-10 -- Day 3: 5, 08-13

13. Eric Nethery -- Acworth, GA -- 15, 31-13 -- 251
Day 1: 5, 11-13 -- Day 2: 5, 08-02 -- Day 3: 5, 11-14

14. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, FL -- 15, 30-09 -- 248
Day 1: 5, 10-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-04 -- Day 3: 5, 10-09

15. Sean Dassau -- Helena, AL -- 15, 29-08 -- 245
Day 1: 5, 09-10 -- Day 2: 5, 08-07 -- Day 3: 5, 11-07

16. Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Varysburg, NY -- 14, 29-06 -- 243
Day 1: 5, 11-03 -- Day 2: 4, 06-15 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04

17. Doc Merkin -- Downers Grove, IL -- 15, 27-12 -- 241
Day 1: 5, 11-14 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15 -- Day 3: 5, 07-15

18. Preston Henson -- Vacaville, CA -- 15, 27-06 -- 239
Day 1: 5, 09-01 -- Day 2: 5, 07-01 -- Day 3: 5, 11-04

19. Bobby Stanfill -- Greenwood, SC -- 12, 27-05 -- 237
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05 -- Day 3: 2, 04-00

20. J Todd Tucker -- Moultrie, GA -- 13, 27-01 -- 235
Day 1: 5, 13-01 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13 -- Day 3: 3, 04-03

21. Trevor Rogge -- Champlin, MN -- 15, 27-00 -- 233
Day 1: 5, 09-02 -- Day 2: 5, 09-13 -- Day 3: 5, 08-01

22. Frank Scalish -- Cleveland Heights, OH -- 15, 26-11 -- 231
Day 1: 5, 10-08 -- Day 2: 5, 09-05 -- Day 3: 5, 06-14

23. Jimmy Mason -- Rogersville, AL -- 15, 26-08 -- 229
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 10-02 -- Day 3: 5, 06-11

24. Kyle A. Fox -- Lakeland, FL -- 15, 26-00 -- 227
Day 1: 5, 09-15 -- Day 2: 5, 08-06 -- Day 3: 5, 07-11

25. Patrick Pierce -- Saint John, FL -- 15, 25-03 -- 225
Day 1: 5, 08-08 -- Day 2: 5, 07-15 -- Day 3: 5, 08-12

26. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, TX -- 14, 24-07 -- 223
Day 1: 4, 06-07 -- Day 2: 5, 07-10 -- Day 3: 5, 10-06

27. Brett Mitchell -- Timmonsville, SC -- 14, 24-06 -- 221
Day 1: 5, 09-11 -- Day 2: 5, 08-14 -- Day 3: 4, 05-13

28. Luke Estel -- Murphysboro, IL -- 11, 23-07 -- 219
Day 1: 3, 03-06 -- Day 2: 3, 03-15 -- Day 3: 5, 16-02

29. Kenneth Chapman -- Woodlawn, TN -- 15, 23-03 -- 216
Day 1: 5, 10-07 -- Day 2: 5, 06-05 -- Day 3: 5, 06-07

29. Scott Dean -- Terrell, TX -- 13, 23-03 -- 216
Day 1: 5, 09-08 -- Day 2: 5, 08-14 -- Day 3: 3, 04-13

31. Ron Klys -- Gainesville, FL -- 12, 19-10 -- 213
Day 1: 5, 08-09 -- Day 2: 2, 02-07 -- Day 3: 5, 08-10

32. Dave Parsons -- Yantis, TX -- 9, 17-08 -- 210
Day 1: 5, 11-05 -- Day 2: 1, 01-04 -- Day 3: 3, 04-15

32. Robert Byrd -- Dallas, TX -- 9, 17-08 -- 210
Day 1: 4, 07-15 -- Day 2: 1, 02-12 -- Day 3: 4, 06-13

34. Mike Pickett -- Brandenburg, KY -- 7, 11-01 -- 207
Day 1: 5, 09-02 -- Day 2: 2, 01-15 -- Day 3: 0, 00-00

Big Bass

> Day 3 -- Elton Luce Jr -- Brookeland, TX -- 10-01
> Day 2 -- Keith Phillips -- Calera, AL -- 07-14
> Day 1 -- Randy Allen -- Shreveport, LA -- 06-14