Skeet Reese notched two victories among his six Top-5 finishes during the Bassmaster Elite Series regular season. He might need another triumph in the second leg of the post-season at the Alabama River to claim the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) title he's seemed destined for since March.
His lead in the adjusted points race shrunk considerably today as the initial round of Toyota Trucks Championship Week concluded at Alabama's Lake Jordan. The Californian and 2007 AOY brought in a four-fish sack that weighed 9 pounds, which left him with a 10th-place finish for the derby.
He came into the event with a 15-point lead over the rest of the 12-angler field, but that margin is down to 5 and there are now five pursuers within 12 points. Among that quintet are Prattville's own Russ Lane – the first-leg winner who knows the river every bit as well as he knows Jordan – and five-time AOY Kevin VanDam, who's can now see a third consecutive crown in his headlights.
“I’m pretty heated right now,” said Reese, who had three fish come unbuttoned on him today. “That was my toughest day of the season without a doubt. It's so frustrating and now I’m not in the best position. But in the end, it comes down to this and I just have to take care of business next week.”
Here's a look at the new points breakdown. Each angler's name is followed by his points total following the Jordan leg. After that comes points deficit in red, then notation on upward or downward movement from the beginning of the event in green or blue.
1. Skeet Reese -- 232
2. Russ Lane -- 227 (5, up 7 spots)
3. Kevin VanDam -- 225 (7, up 1 spot)
4. Aaron Martens -- 222 (10, up 5 spots)
5. Edwin Evers -- 220 (12, down 3 spots)
6. Greg Hackney -- 213 (19, up 3 spots)
7. Terry Butcher -- 212 (20, down 1 spot)
7. Cliff Pace -- 212 (20, down 4 spots)
9. Gary Klein -- 209 (23, no movement)
10. John Crews -- 203 (29, down 2 spots)
11. Derek Remitz -- 198 (34, down 7 spots)
12. Tommy Biffle -- 192 (40, down 5 spots)
All 12 anglers are still mathematically alive for the title, since the 40-point gap between 1st and 12th places matches the differential for the points available next weekend at the river (50 for 1st, 10 for 12th). But in reality, it would now take some unlikely occurrences for someone outside the Top 5 to win.
If Lane sweeps both legs, he'll cop the crown. Another victory for him and a runner-up showing by Reese at the river would leave the two deadlocked in the points, but post-season ties are broken by cumulative weight over the two events – a matchup Lane would win handily under that scenario.
Skeet Reese still leads the AOY race, but his advantage shrunk from 15 points to 5 over the weekend.
Then there's VanDam, whose aggressive style plays extremely well in these abbreviated events. Recall that he won the second leg last year to snatch the title from Reese.
Martens, an Alabama resident by way of California, put himself in the picture with his 2nd-place finish. He would've won the leg if he hadn't had three fish die on him today, and he threw back three others – all between 3 and 4 pounds – that were struggling in his livewell (BASS rules prohibit the culling of dead fish).
A Wild Final Day
Lane caught a 15-03 sack today to secure the victory (which netted him a $60,000 boat package) with a 32-03 total. He did most of his work with a variety of deep-running crankbaits, including a Spro Little John DD, but also utilized a Big Bite Baits Kriet Tail Worm.
He came into the post-season in a four-way tie for 9th in the points, knowing he had a chance to bank some money on two fisheries he knows far better than anyone in the field. Now he's got a legitimate shot at the biggest prize of all.
“I just realized that winning the Angler of the Year is now a possibility,” he said. “I have to keep my head right and have fun and block out all the distractions. I can’t control what anyone else does and I can’t get wrapped up in thinking about what winning the (AOY) would mean.”
He had a frenetic day that included the loss of a rod-and-reel outfit to a 4 1/2-pound crankbait fish he hooked just below the Mitchell dam (the fish literally pulled the combo from his hands and into the water). He also won a wrestling match – barely – with a similarly-sized fish that found its way back to the water after the first time it entered his boat (fortunately for him, one hook remained embedded).
He went the first 3 1/2 hours of the day without a keeper.
“I could have panicked early, but I stayed calm all day long. That was the key to the victory – keeping calm. If I didn't panic today, I know I'm not going to panic at the river."
Martens' day was just as chaotic, if not more so. He described the first part as dreamlike and the latter portion as a nightmare.
He weighed a tournament-best 18 pounds, but said he would've topped 21 if he could've brought in his best five alive. He finished 3 ounces behind Lane.
Kevin VanDam will head into the final leg of the post-season with a shot at his third straight AOY.
He blamed the fish-care issue on himself, but carelessness wasn't the problem. If anything, he overdid it in the other direction.
"I was catching them shallow and the surface temperature was 91 degrees," he said. "I brought 60 pounds of ice, and I think I shocked them. The temperature (in the livewell) was 20 degrees colder, and I guess that was too much."
He caught all of his fish on a 6-inch Roboworm attached to a shakey-head of his own design that he said will soon be produced commercially by William Davis.
VanDam bagged 14-14 to finish 3rd with 30-02. He cranked up all of his weigh-in fish on a Strike King Series 6 XD.
“I like the post-season format,” he said. “It’s very similar to other sports with playoffs and you have to be performing at the end of the year to be the champion. (They're) the most intense events I have ever fished and it’s exciting as heck.”
Evers dropped from 2nd to 5th on the points list with his 9th-place finish at Jordan, although the gap between he and Reese is smaller now than when the event got under way (12 points instead of 15). He could've taken over the lead with a Top-5 finish.
"I really expected to do a lot better – I didn't have the tournament I thought I'd have," he said.
Notable
> Day 2 stats – 12 anglers, 10 limits, 1 four, 1 two.
> Lane, a former pitcher for a couple of independent minor-league teams, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Monday night's Montgomery Biscuits game against the Carolina Mudcats. The Biscuits are the double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
> Tommy Biffle was the only angler besides Reese who didn't weigh a limit – he brought just two fish to the scale for 2-14. "I probably didn't fish to my strengths here and in hindsight I should've done things differently," he said. "But this puts me in the right frame of mind for next week."
Day 2 (Final) Standings
1. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 10, 32-03 -- $60,000
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 15-03
2. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 10, 32-00 -- $1,000
Day 1: 5, 14-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-00
3. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 10, 30-02
Day 1: 5, 15-04 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14
4. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 10, 29-04
Day 1: 5, 16-09 -- Day 2: 5, 12-11
5. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 10, 23-00
Day 1: 5, 13-06 -- Day 2: 5, 9-10
6. Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla. -- 10, 21-14
Day 1: 5, 8-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02
7. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 10, 21-14
Day 1: 5, 9-02 -- Day 2: 5, 12-12
8. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 10, 21-12
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 9-08
9. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 10, 21-06
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 9-12
10. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 9, 21-04
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 4, 9-00
11. Derek Remitz -- Grant, Ala. -- 10, 20-06
Day 1: 5, 6-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12
12. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 7, 13-04
Day 1: 5, 10-06 -- Day 2: 2, 2-14
