Except for his 84th-place finish at Smith Mountain Lake, nothing about Edwin Evers' 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series season has been particularly poor. He's cashed checks in three of the five events and missed a fourth by one place.
What's missing, though, are the high finishes that the Oklahoman has become known for. He's fared no better than 25th so far,
and from his position at No. 43 in the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year (AOY) race, he currently sits outside the cutoff for the 2010 Bassmaster Classic and far from his goal of being one of the 12 anglers who'll compete in the inaugural Elite Series postseason.
He said he hasn't fished any differently than in seasons past and that his desire to be at home to spend time with 3 1/2-month-old son Cade hasn't affected his performance. It's just that his execution and decision-making haven't been quite up to the high standards he'd previously established.
"It's just the way things have shaken out," he said. "I've had the bites and had the fish on to have some really good finishes.
"I've generally had 2 good days (at each tournament), but then there's been 1 day when I haven't made the right adjustments to get where I needed to be."
No Classic Concerns
Evers has competed in eight consecutive Classics and finished 5th at the most recent edition of bass fishing's premier event at Louisiana's Red River. He needs to gain a few places in the standings to qualify for the 2010 event at Lay Lake in Alabama (berths go to the Top 36, and that number will rise to at least 37 because defending champion Skeet Reese is a sure bet to double-qualify).
He fully expects to compete at Lay. In fact, he hasn't even considered giving up his primary objective of reaching the postseason.
"It's very important to make the Classic, not necessarily because of the streak, but it's just a big goal each year," he said. "It hasn't crossed my mind that I'm not going to make it, but I've got my work cut out for me for the Top 12."
Indeed he does. But if the feat can be pulled off, he's a likely one to achieve it.. He's capable of getting red-hot in a hurry, and just about every year he puts together a streak of four or five tournaments in which his average finish is in single digits.
Last year he had five straight tournaments in which he finished no lower than 13th, including a pair of 3rds. The year before he had a win, a 3rd and a 7th in a five-derby span in which his other two finishes were 22nds. In 2006 he ended up 8th or better four times in five outings.
A run like that hasn't happened yet this year, but it certainly could over the three regular-season events that remain on the schedule.
"I really haven't done the math, but I'm guessing they'd probably all have to be Top 8s. If I can get a little streak going like I've done in the past, I think I've got a chance."
Evers has had great success at Kentucy Lake, which the Elite Series will visit next week.
It would have to start next week at Kentucky Lake, and that's a distinct possibility considering his record there. He's fished on Sunday both times the Elite Series has visited that venue (12th last year and 8th in '06).
"Kentucky Lake has been good to me and I'm ready to go. I have to take them one at a time, but I'm looking forward to all three that are left."
Could be a Threat
If Evers can somehow get to the postseason, he could make a big September splash. He has great fondness for the two Alabama venues at which it'll be contested (Lake Jordan and the Alabama River).
He was the runner-up at the Alabama River Elite 50 in 2004 and he loves Jordan because of its versatility.
"It's just got so much to it," he said. "I caught them deep-cranking and I caught them shallow. It's got spotted bass and a bunch of largemouth and you can catch them a lot of different ways.
"It's just really a fun lake to fish. And with only eight tournaments this year, if you don't make it, it's going to be kind of a short season."
Notable
> Evers took Cade on his first fishing expedition recently, but the outing was short. "We caught two bluegill on our first two casts and he thought they were the greatest thing at first," he said. "Then he got mad because he was hungry, so we had to leave. We had to go find mom to feed him."
> He said his dismal outing at Smith Mountain was spurred by a 6-pounder that got away right at the boat. He also lost a 3 1/2-pounder that he had his hands on three times.
