Ghosts of BASS's past walk the streets of Montgomery, Ala. – a city that was once headquarters of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society.
And ghosts seemed to circle through Skeet Reese's mind as once again Kevin VanDam hoisted the Toyota Trucks Angler of the Year (AOY) trophy in front of the Montgomery faithful.
One year ago, Reese likewise watched VanDam wrest the AOY title from his grips, and the circumstances were eerily similar. Today, and 1 year ago, VanDam won the Montgomery leg of the Toyota Trucks BASS Championship Week, while Reese finished 6th, with the result that KVD held the trophy while Reese made a few statements and walked offstage.
This time around though, Reese was noticeably more emotional. For a moment
onstage, as he fought to find the words, he seemed unable to reconcile his blistering season (which included six Top 5s, including two wins) and his 3rd-place finish in the AOY race.
Where Reese's season ultimately stands will be up to the record-keepers, but it rests side-by-side with the best any BASS angler has ever offered, including Denny Brauer's amazing run in the late-90s of four BASS wins in five events including the Bassmaster Classic, alongside five FLW Tour Top 10s that same year.
But BASS's new post-season performance emphasizes the two-event Championship week, during which points are readjusted to raise the stakes. And under that format, VanDam is clearly dominant.
VanDam won the Montgomery leg and the title last year, and he did it again this year. But this title seems all the more amazing given his struggles during the regular season.
VanDam slipped all the way to 38th in the AOY race at the midpoint of the season. But he rebounded and registered three Top 10s including a win over the final four regular-season events. That was good enough to make the post-season, and that's when he turned on the juice.
VanDam finished 3rd at the Jordan leg and won today.
Reese, on the other hand, recorded a 10th at Jordan and a 6th today.
VanDam has won the three most recent AOY titles, and the two most recent titles serve as bookends to his 2010 Bassmaster Classic win.
And with a comparatively light 10 1/2-pound limit today, VanDam certainly left the door open for Reese. But VanDam's 15 1/2-pound sack yesterday was enough to put him over the top.
VanDam's 10-09 was the sixth-best sack today, but his 15 1/2-pound day 1 made the difference.
Here's a look at the final Top 12 standings in the 2010 BASS AOY race.
1. Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 275
2. Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla. -- 265
3. Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif. -- 260
4. Terry Butcher, Talala, Okla. -- 252
5. Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala. -- 244
6. Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss -- 244
7. Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala. -- 243
8. Greg Hackney, Gonzales, La. -- 238
9. Tommy Biffle, Waggoner, Okla. -- 228
10. Gary Klein, Weatherford, Texas -- 219
11. Derek Remitz, Grant, Ala. -- 217
12. John Crews, Salem, Va. -- 216
VanDam: Each One Means More
VanDam now possesses six BASS AOY titles, plus an FLW Tour AOY title. The only pro who possesses more is Roland Martin, who won nine BASS titles.
With his $200,000 AOY prize plus a $60,000 boat package for winning this leg, VanDam is also very close to breaking the $5 million mark in combined BASS and FLW Tour career earnings. Nobody else is even close.
"It's amazing, and I just cannot believe that I'm standing here and the week has went this way," VanDam said. "Going in I knew it was going to be a longshot. I'd have to perform real well and Skeet would have to open the door. In this format anything can happen. I can't tell you how much this one means. It never gets old, man. It's incredible."
He thanked the fans – both those in the audience and those he saw on the water today – and said it's the fans that "really make it special." He added that he couldn't do it without the support of his wife Sherry and his sons Jackson and Nicholas.
About the perceived rivalry between himself and Reese, he said: "Without a doubt Skeet and I have had a heck of a rivalry the last few years. But he really motivates me. I think I motivate him. And each year it seems like it comes down to us. I'm just glad to be here. It's been an incredible week."
And as his career marches on, the wins and titles keep coming. But as any dominant sports figure knows, it could all end soon.
"Every one is more special than the one before," he said. "I've been doing it for a long time, and I'll tell you, the competition out here – they're incredible. Just to get an opportunity to be in contention going into finals week is really something. To be able to win again – there's nothing like it. You just never know when your last one is going to happen. So I cherish every one."
He threw Strike King cranks in the river and fished hard and fast. Details of his pattern, plus more of his thoughts on the season and the title, will be published soon.
Skeet Reese became emotional when he reflected on his incredible season that included two wins and four other Top 5s.
Reese Emotional
Reese's 9-03 limit today initially put him tied with Cliff Pace for 5th in the Alabama River standings, but Pace won the tiebreaker (most live fish weighed) and thus Reese finished 6th.
Even if Reese weighed five live fish on day 1, instead of four, his resultant 5th-place finish (earned via a third tiebreaker) wouldn't have been enough to unseat VanDam.
Reese's ultimate undoing was day 2 at Jordon, when he weighed just four fish. A single other keeper would have boosted him several spots in that event's final standings. Coupled with his finish today, it would likely have been enough to win.
"I'm proud of the season I had this year," Reese said onstage. "Obviously this is not the way I want to end up. I guess I peaked a little early and Kevin peaked late. Bottom line: Him and I have had some good battles here the last 5 or 6 years. Unfortunately he's a couple up on me right now. He fuels me. But like you say, he's King Kong. He's Godzilla. He's all that.
"But I also know that what I've done – I had one of the greatest seasons..."
At that point, Reese trailed off and choked up.
After he collected himself, he said: "I want to thank all the fans for coming out. I want to thank my sponsors for the season. You guys have given me one of the greatest seasons ever and I'll never forget it. Thanks."
Evers Improves
Lost in all the VanDam-Reese drama was the fact that Edwin Evers climbed back up from 5th to finish 2nd in the AOY race – a position he held at the start of the post-season.
And he did it the third-heaviest sack today (12-10) and a 2nd-place finish.
"I was going out there swinging with a big bat and trying to catch some big fish," Evers noted. "I landed everything that bit my bait today and that's what I caught. I was hoping for 16 or 17 pounds. That's all I could get.
"I keyed on backwaters the whole time," he added. "I was way up in backwaters and I caught everything on a Yum Wooly Bug, (although) I think I caught one fish on a crankbait."
Notable
> Aaron Martens and Cliff Pace tied for 5th in the final points, but Martens won the tiebreaker (total weight caught during post-season).
> Although Reese's emotions were on full display, the most chilling moment of tonight's weigh-in occurred when emcee Keith Alan asked Tommy Biffle to name his favorite part of Championship Week. Biffle could barely choke out words about the Hope for the Warriors event earlier this week, in which the 12 post-season pros fished with service folk recently wounded overseas.
> Although pro sponsorships come and go, it was interesting to hear Klein remark today that every bass he's ever caught in his carrer has been caught on a Zebco (or Quantum) reel, and every bass he's ever weighed in has been on Berkley Trilene line.
Day 2 (Final) Standings
Note: Winnings reflect Angler of the Year prize money. VanDam's winnings also reflect $60,000 boat prize for winning this leg.
1. Kevin VanDam -- Kalamazoo, Mich. -- 10, 26-00 -- 0, $260,000
Day 1: 5, 15-07 -- Day 2: 5, 10-09
2. Edwin Evers -- Talala, Okla. -- 10, 24-00 -- 0, $75,000
Day 1: 5, 11-06 -- Day 2: 5, 12-10
3. Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla. -- 10, 22-12 -- 0, $35,000
Day 1: 5, 7-15 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13
4. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla. -- 10, 21-10 -- 0, $18,000
Day 1: 5, 7-12 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14
5. Cliff Pace -- Petal, Miss. -- 10, 21-07 -- 0, $22,500
Day 1: 5, 9-10 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13
6. Skeet Reese -- Auburn, Calif. -- 10, 21-07 -- 0, $40,000
Day 1: 5, 12-04 -- Day 2: 5, 9-03
7. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, La. -- 10, 21-06 -- 0, $19,000
Day 1: 5, 11-01 -- Day 2: 5, 10-05
8. Aaron Martens -- Leeds, Ala. -- 10, 19-12 -- 0, $25,000
Day 1: 5, 12-02 -- Day 2: 5, 7-10
9. Derek Remitz -- Grant, Ala. -- 10, 19-09 -- 0, $15,000
Day 1: 5, 7-12 -- Day 2: 5, 11-13
10. Russ Lane -- Prattville, Ala. -- 10, 17-05 -- 0, $20,000
Day 1: 5, 8-01 -- Day 2: 5, 9-04
11. John Crews -- Salem, Va. -- 10, 12-12 -- 0, $14,000
Day 1: 5, 6-00 -- Day 2: 5, 6-12
12. Gary Klein -- Weatherford, Texas -- 5, 5-11 -- 0, $16,000
Day 1: 2, 2-02 -- Day 2: 3, 3-09
