The FLW Tour’s Finest

Michael Bennett frog fished his way to a $1 million win in the Forrest Wood Cup with the same Snag Proof frog that won Fred Roumbanis a Bassmaster Elite victory on the same body of water earlier in the season. And while Fred was happy to share his frogs and his favorite spots, Bennett found his own unique pattern comprised of docks, shade, and grass to twitch his way to the biggest win of his life. He’ll talk about the tackle, the technique, and mindset that made him this year’s million-dollar man on the FLW Tour.

But first we hear from the FLW Tour Rookie of the Year, Scott Canterbury. Scott lays out his long road to the FLW Tour and talks about how important winning ROY is for him. He also shares the fundamentals of his success as he explains the value of fishing your strengths, growing your confidence, and catching limits.

After Scott, we get the straight story on deep crankbait fishing from FLW Tour Angler of the Year David Dudley. Dudley credits the technique for his tour win this season and for moving him up the leaderboard in several other events. In this interview, he busts some myths about cranking in his own pull-no-punches style that perfectly mirrors his cast-far and crank-fast style of fishing.

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BASS Updates AOY Standings

BASS officials released today the updated 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings. An error in the computing process lead to an incorrect allocation of points to some Bassmaster Elite Series anglers, and the standings have since been updated.

As a result, Kansas’ Brent Chapman moves from 23rd to 22nd place in the standings; Alabama’s Timmy Horton moves from 24th to 23rd; Alabama’s Kotaro Kiriyama from 22nd to 24th; New York’s Matt Sphar from 70th to 68th; Texan James Niggemeyer from 68th to 69th; Missouri’s Mark Tucker from 69th to 70th; Florida’s Preston Clark from 85th to 84th; and Texan Corey Waldrop moves from 84th to 85th.

The race for the 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title heated up dramatically in June at the ninth tournament of the 11-event season, the Tennessee Triumph presented by Longhorn on Old Hickory Lake out of Hendersonville, Tenn. Just 12 points separate leader Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., from Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, in second place, and fifth-place angler Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu, Ariz., is just 234 points behind VanDam.

The top 36 Elite pros in the AOY standings will automatically qualify for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

The complete list of updated standings is below.

2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Standings

—————————————————————
Place Name Hometown Points
—————————————————————
1 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 2254
2 Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 2238
3 Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark. 2139
4 Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 2118
5 Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 2020
6 Alton Jones Waco, Texas 2019
7 Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 1973
8 Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Fla. 1953
9 Scott Rook Little Rock, Ark. 1939
10 Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 1908
11 Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 1895
12 Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 1880
13 Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 1840
14 Bobby Lane Lakeland, Fla. 1836
15 Bryan Hudgins Orange Park, Fla. 1834
16 Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 1820
17 Bill Lowen North Bend, Ohio 1784
18 Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, N.C. 1769
19 Byron Velvick Del Rio, Texas 1757
20 Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 1739
20 Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 1739
22 Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 1719
23 Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 1716
24 Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, Ala. 1713
25 Morizo Shimizu Osaka, Japan 1712
26 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 1711
27 Fred Roumbanis Bixby, Okla. 1709
28 Jason Quinn York, S.C. 1694
29 Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 1691
30 Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 1688
31 Casey Ashley Donalds, S.C. 1684
32 Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, Fla. 1681
33 Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, Fla. 1670
34 Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 1666
35 Dave Wolak Wake Forest, N.C. 1652
36 Davy Hite Ninety Six, S.C. 1649
37 Rick Morris Virginia Beach, Va. 1644
38 Britt Myers Lake Wylie, S.C. 1639
39 Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 1622
40 Ish Monroe Hughson, Calif. 1619
41 Jason Williamson Aiken, S.C. 1615
42 Derek Remitz Grant, Ala. 1609
43 Rick Clunn Ava, Mo. 1607
44 Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, Calif. 1604
45 Marty Stone Fayetteville, N.C. 1600
46 Chris Lane Lakeland, Fla. 1586
47 Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 1578
48 Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 1572
49 Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 1568
50 Kevin F Short Mayflower, Ark. 1560
51 Boyd Duckett Demopolis, Ala. 1556
52 Ray Sedgwick Cross, S.C. 1550
53 Bradley Hallman Norman, Okla. 1548
54 Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 1529
55 Scott Campbell Springfield, Mo. 1526
56 Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 1521
57 Matt Reed Madisonville, Texas 1488
58 Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 1457
58 Terry Butcher Talala, Okla. 1457
60 Cliff Pace Petal, Miss. 1444
61 Jeff Reynolds Idabel, Okla. 1439
62 Jami Fralick Martin, S.D. 1435
63 Jeff Connella Bentley, La. 1429
64 Wade Grooms Bonneau, S.C. 1427
65 Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 1414
66 Russ Lane Prattville, Ala. 1413
67 John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 1411
67 Matthew Sphar Pavilion, N.Y. 1411
69 James Niggemeyer Van, Texas 1398
70 Mark Tucker Saint Louis, Mo. 1397
71 Jeremy Starks Charleston, W.Va. 1394
72 Kevin Langill Terrell, N.C. 1371
73 Jon Bondy Windsor, Canada 1368
74 John Crews Salem, Va. 1365
75 Stephen Browning Hot Springs, Ark. 1356
76 Paul Elias Laurel, Miss. 1352
76 Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, Md. 1352
78 Brian Clark Haltom City, Texas 1348
79 Todd Auten Lake Wylie, S.C. 1328
80 Clark Reehm Russellville, Ark. 1320
81 Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, Texas 1291
82 Billy Brewer Bruceville, Texas 1280
83 Jim Murray Arabi, Ga. 1271
84 Preston Clark Palatka, Fla. 1268
85 Corey Waldrop Fort Worth, Texas 1266
86 David Smith Del City, Okla. 1261
87 Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 1258
88 Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 1254
89 Pat Golden High Point, N.C. 1244
90 Marty Robinson Lyman, S.C. 1239
91 Mark Tyler Vian, Okla. 1238
92 Ken D Cook Lawton, Okla. 1193
93 Ben Matsubu Hemphill, Texas 1188
94 Kurt Dove Fairfax, Va. 1185
95 Glenn Delong Bellville, Ohio 1173
96 Steve Daniel Clewiston, Fla. 1160
97 Jay Fuller Kingston, Okla. 1154
98 Charlie Hartley Grove City, Ohio 1141
99 Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 1138
100 Elton Luce Brookeland, Texas 1091
100 Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 1091
102 James Kennedy Lacombe, La. 994
103 David Sherrer Shreveport, La. 993
104 Rick Ash Pottstown, Pa. 977
105 Randy Allen Shreveport, La. 914
105 Greg Gutierrez Red Bluff, Calif. 914
107 Matt Amedeo Clinton, Ohio 875
108 Paul Hirosky Guys Mills, Pa. 845
109 Bobby Myers Broken Arrow, Okla. 438

Faircloth’s Run on KVD

Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, needs one more burst of speed to retake the lead in the race for the prestigious Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown and the $250,000 prize that comes with it.

Sunday he moved in on Kevin VanDam, chopping the Kalamazoo, Mich., pro’s 65-point lead in the Trail to the Trophy to 12 points.

It could have gone the other way, with VanDam’s 65-point margin morphing into a mountain. Going into the June 26-29 Tennessee Triumph presented by Longhorn on Old Hickory Lake, KVD was red-hot. He’d just won his fourth Bassmaster Elite Series win and grabbed the points lead — from Faircloth.

Faircloth didn’t appear to be fazed. “I’m not worried about what everyone else is doing,” he said on the BASS weigh-in stage on the Tennessee Triumph’s first day. “I’m going about it the same way I’ve been going about it all year. If I can put together a limit each day of quality fish, I feel like I have a legitimate shot at it. … We have this event, and two more. There’s a lot of fishing left to be done.”

Then, on the Tennessee tournament’s third day, Faircloth made the final top-12 cut. VanDam did not. Sidelined, VanDam could only watch.

On the final day, when it was clear Faircloth wasn’t going unseat VanDam, Faircloth was his same even self. “We’ve got two more events after this one, and the points are real tight now. … I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never been in this position in my career to have a shot at Angler of the Year, and it’s a goal of mine, and I hope I can accomplish it.”

VanDam already owns three AOY titles. Faircloth is seeking his first crown.

The race’s last leg will be in New York. The July 31-Aug. 3 stop will be in Buffalo, N.Y., where the pros will compete on challenging Lake Erie and the Niagara River. The finish line will be on Oneida Lake near Syracuse, N.Y., Aug. 7-10.

“I love fishing up there because we can catch a lot of big smallmouth bass,” VanDam said. “It (points race) is going to be fun; that’s what it’s all about. If it was not close, it wouldn’t be exciting. These next two events, they’re going to be nerve-wracking. … And it’s really easy to have a bad tournament — you can have a breakdown or something like that, you just never know.”

Faircloth is eager to get to the New York fisheries, too.

“I had a pretty good tournament there (Lake Erie) last year. Catching those big 4-, 5-pound smallmouth on 6- and 8-pound-test line, and looking at them on the graph, that’s a lot of fun, I enjoy doing that. Oneida is a good fishery as well.… I’ll have to look for some largemouth and hope Kevin goes for the smallmouth.”

Besides determining the 2008 AOY, the points race will qualify 36 Elite pros for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 20-22 in Louisiana out of Shreveport/Bossier City.

AOY Race Heads for Old Hickory

The Bassmaster Elite Series will bring its ninth tournament of the season – the Tennessee Triumph presented by Longhorn – to Old Hickory Lake out of Hendersonville, Tenn., marking BASS’ seventh visit to the lake.

Fishing fans can watch the on-the-water action from the June 26-29 Elite Series event on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, July 5, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

Daily weigh-ins and launches will take place at Sanders Ferry Park, 100 Sanders Ferry Rd., Hendersonville. Launches will begin at 6 a.m. CT while weigh-ins will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Old Hickory will play host to the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors this week as the third event of the WBT season takes place Thursday through Saturday out of Hendersonville.

OId Hickory, a Cumberland River impoundment, has been the site of four other pro-level BASS tournaments. One was a Bassmaster Top 100 event in October 1996, won by Missouri’s Chad Brauer — son of Bassmaster Elite Series pro Denny Brauer — with a three-day total of almost 50 pounds.

Fresh off his victory at the Bluegrass Brawl on Kentucky Lake, three-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., is excited about the possibilities of another big win in 2008, this time on Old Hickory Lake. In the three pro tournaments held at Hickory Lake since 1996, VanDam has three top-10 finishes – eighth (1999), fifth (1998) and ninth (1996).

Other Elite Series pros who have enjoyed top-10 finishes in pro events at Old Hickory: 2008 Bassmaster Classic winner Alton Jones of Waco, Texas (fifth, 1996); four-time Classic winner Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo. (second, ’96); Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla. (fifth, ’99), three-time Angler of the Year Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. (sixth, ’99; eighth, ’98; ), Davy Hite of Prosperity, S.C. (seventh, ’99) and Ray Sedgwick of Cross, S.C. (10th, ’99; sixth, ’96).

While he thinks the Tennessee Triumph will produce some big bags, VanDam doesn’t think the weights will be similar to those at the two most recent Elite stops: Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., and Kentucky Lake in Guntersville, Ky.

“We’re there at a much different time of year than what I’ve fished there before,” VanDam said. “But it’s like a miniature Wheeler or Kentucky lake, it’s got a lot of river to it on the upper end and a lot of ledges and drops on the lower end. It’s a typical summertime deal, so I’m sure there’ll be a good offshore bite – the lake used to have a lot of grass in it too, in the midsection, so that’s always a factor there, too.”

VanDam predicts that it will take about 15 pounds a day during the four-day Tennessee Triumph to have a shot at winning.

“It being right there near Nashville it gets a lot of pressure,” VanDam said. “For four days – you’re going to see some big limits there, but it’s going to be hard to catch 20-plus-pound bags every day.”

While angling for a first-place prize of $100,000, the Elite pros also are in the thick of the Trail to the Trophy with just three tournaments to go. After last week’s Bluegrass Brawl on Kentucky Lake out of Gilbertsville, Ky., VanDam leads the Angler of the Year points race with 2,043 after his victory on the weekend. His top threat for the $250,000 top prize is Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, who fell to second in AOY points after the weekend but is just 65 points behind VanDam.

“You know, I think about it from the first day of the first tournament of the season,” VanDam said. “But there’s a lot of fishing to go. It’s nice to be in the lead, I’ve had a couple of good weeks in a row, but, as I saw last year, a lot of things can happen … ”

In the race to qualify for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla., is on the bubble in 39th place with 1,442 points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. Mark Menendez of Paducah, Ky., (1,437 points) and Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., (1,421) are lurking in 40th and 41st, respectively.

Live, streaming video of the Tennessee Triumph’s daily weigh-ins begins at 2:30 p.m. CT on Bassmaster.com. Sunday’s activities include the live taping at 2 p.m. CT of Hooked Up, hosted by BASS emcee Keith Alan and ESPN Outdoors personalities Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona. The show will preview the final weigh-in.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.

Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.

About BASS

For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 525,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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Media contact: Doug Grassian, (407) 566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com

TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
——————————————-
Place Name St Pts
——————————————-
1 Kevin VanDam Mich. 2043
2 Todd Faircloth Texas 1978
3 Mike McClelland Ark. 1949
4 Skeet Reese Calif. 1898
5 Edwin Evers Okla. 1862
6 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1772
7 Scott Rook Ark. 1770
8 Alton Jones Texas 1741
9 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1735
10 Kenyon Hill Okla. 1719
11 Brian Snowden Mo. 1671
12 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1647
13 Kelly Jordon Texas 1632
14 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 1628
15 Randy Howell Ala. 1618
16 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 1610
17 Mark Davis Ark. 1603
18 Bobby Lane Fla. 1601
19 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 1588
20 Byron Velvick Texas 1582
21 Aaron Martens Ala. 1566
22 Casey Ashley S.C. 1551
23 Morizo Shimizu Japan 1549
24 Ish Monroe Calif. 1545
25 Dave Wolak N.C. 1532
26 Rick Morris Va. 1529
27 Dustin Wilks N.C. 1524
27 Derek Remitz Ala. 1524
29 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 1515
30 Timmy Horton Ala. 1513
31 Gary Klein Texas 1494
32 Bill Lowen Ohio 1489
33 Jason Quinn S.C. 1485
34 Britt Myers S.C. 1474
35 Bradley Hallman Okla. 1456
36 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1447
36 Brent Chapman Kan. 1447
38 Peter Thliveros Fla. 1442
39 Bernie Schultz Fla. 1437
40 Mark Menendez Ky. 1431
41 Jared Lintner Calif. 1421
42 Boyd Duckett Ala. 1415
42 Denny Brauer Mo. 1415
44 Jason Williamson S.C. 1409
45 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1407
46 Davy Hite S.C. 1406
47 Matt Reed Texas 1399
48 Chris Lane Fla. 1396
49 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1389
50 Takahiro Omori Texas 1381
51 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1368
52 Cliff Pace Miss. 1352
53 Marty Stone N.C. 1346
54 Wade Grooms S.C. 1344
55 Kevin Short Ark. 1333
56 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1330
57 Rick Clunn Mo. 1329
58 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1322
59 Mike Wurm Ark. 1313
60 Scott Campbell Mo. 1309
61 Greg Hackney La. 1305
62 Terry Butcher Okla. 1290
63 Russ Lane Ala. 1286
64 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 1282
65 John Murray Ariz. 1281
66 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 1273
67 Jon Bondy Canada 1265
68 Jeff Connella La. 1252
69 Jami Fralick S.D. 1240
70 Brian Clark Texas 1231
71 Paul Elias Miss. 1217
72 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 1215
73 Billy Brewer Texas 1208
74 Grant Goldbeck Md. 1193
75 Jimmy Mize Ark. 1187
76 James Niggemeyer Texas 1184
77 Mark Tucker Mo. 1176
78 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 1167
79 David Smith Okla. 1164
79 John Crews Va. 1164
81 Stephen Browning Ark. 1163
82 Corey Waldrop Texas 1161
83 Preston Clark Fla. 1159
84 Kevin Langill N.C. 1129
85 Ken Cook Okla. 1123
86 Jim Murray Ga. 1119
87 Marty Robinson S.C. 1109
88 Clark Reehm Ark. 1106
89 Todd Auten S.C. 1099
90 Pat Golden N.C. 1098
91 Jay Fuller Okla. 1081
92 Kurt Dove Va. 1039
93 Ben Matsubu Texas 1036
94 Zell Rowland Texas 1023
95 Glenn Delong Ohio 1016
96 Pete Ponds Miss. 1012
97 Mark Tyler Okla. 1005
98 Charlie Hartley Ohio 1000
99 Elton Luce Texas 996
100 Guy Eaker N.C. 951
101 David Sherrer La. 917
102 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 914
103 Steve Daniel Fla. 903
104 Rick Ash Pa. 889
105 Matt Amedeo Ohio 875
106 James Kennedy La. 857
107 Randy Allen La. 837
108 Paul Hirosky Pa. 732
109 Bobby Myers Okla. 438