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The Final Report
Bassmaster Elite 50: Ohio, Cumberland, and
Tennessee Rivers, KY Mark Davis: "The fishing
is really tough. It’s not good. I just don’t think that many bass live
here." Kevin VanDam: "It’s going to be hard here.
Mississippi was tough, but it looks like El Salto compared to this place."
Mark Menendez: "It’s going to be tough."
With those words, the E50 pros buckled down to work on an extremely
tough, high, and muddy fishery. Many pros struggled, and no pro caught over
ten pounds every day. In Shock
 Alton Jones of
Waco, TX, won the Elite 50 finale in Kentucky by over seven pounds. Jones
overcame a nearly seven pound deficit on Day 3 to lead the event, and wound
up winning by nearly that amount.
"It feels really good," Jones
said. "I’m tickled because, going into this event, I didn’t even think I had
a mathematical possibility of finishing any higher than about fifth. I
thought I was looking at, on a bad tournament, winning $20,000 and on a good
tournament winning $35,000, so coming out of here winning $100,000 is
absolutely a dream come true. I’m still just in shock."
Jones' victory gave
him second place in the Elite 50 Series, after Kevin VanDam.
"I’m
not catching big stringers where I’m at, you know, it hasn’t coughed up any
big fish yet, but it’s a four-day event and consistency over a long haul
will usually hold out," Jones said. "It’s a really good spot; it’s a
strategically located spot, the kind of place that certainly has the
potential to reload every night," he said.
A split-shot
rigged Yum Houdini worm thrown into the current gave Jones his victory.
The Stats:
| Day |
Rank |
Weight |
| 1 |
4 |
11-03 |
| 2 |
3 |
20-13 |
| 3 |
1 |
12-08 |
| 4 |
1 |
43-04 |
Keep Climbing
Skeet Reese of Auburn, CA,
took second place in this Elite 50 finale. Reese already qualified to fish
the 2004 Classic via the Western Opens. On Day 1, Reese was mired in 17th
place, close to seven pounds out of first. On Day 2, he leapt into 9th
place, tied with Dean Rojas, and almost eleven pounds out of first. However,
on Day 3, Reese's spot produced a limit that weighed 10-03, rocketing him
into third. He moved again on Day 4, up one notch to second, finishing out
with $28,500. The Stats:
|
Day |
Rank |
Weight |
|
1 |
17 |
7-10 |
|
2 |
9 |
16-04 |
|
3 |
3 |
10-03 |
|
4 |
2 |
35-09 |
Just Out of Classic Competition
Rick Clunn
of Ava, MO, collected $28,500 for his third place finish, and failed to make
the 2004 Classic. Clunn would have had to win the event to qualify, and he
fell just over four pounds short of that objective.
However, Clunn did not have a bad event. Beginning in 11th
place on Day 1, he leapt into 4th on Day 2, and never fell below that
position during the final two days.
The Stats:
|
Day |
Rank |
Weight |
|
1 |
11 |
8-05 |
|
2 |
4 |
20-09 |
|
3 |
4 |
9-07 |
|
4 |
3 |
38-15 |
Special Report: Elite 50 Series Winner
Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, MI, won the $150,000 winner's purse as the Elite
50 Series champion.
"What a day," he said. "It was a
great day today. This is a big deal. It probably commands as much respect as
the Angler of the Year to the pros. We’ve dreamed about having a series like
this for a long time and to be able to win it for the first time is great."
Since the end of the second E50
event, VanDam has held the lead. "I came out on top, but it’s tough; these
guys are really good and I’m glad I got this one because there may not be
another one," he remarked. "It’s so competitive. Everything is getting so
much bigger now and the sport is growing so fast that it just gets harder
and harder every year."
And what about the winner's purse? "It’s going for a college education for
my kids," VanDam said. "I really wanted to win and the money’s great, but
the prestige of the Elite 50 championship is more."
As For the Rest...
In at fourth place is Texan David Wharton, of Sam Rayburn.
Wharton caught 30-08, earned $26,400, and was trailed by Kevin VanDam with
40-00. VanDam earned $151,000 as the Elite 50 Series champion. Local
favorite Mark Menendez was sixth place after
being disqualified.
He caught 23-04 and won $23,500.
Standings:
For more complete standings, please
refer to The Full Story or each individual day's story on the
National Tournament News
page. Day 1:
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
| 1 |
Greg Hackney |
Gonzales, LA |
5 |
14-15 |
| 2 |
Kevin VanDam |
Kalamazoo, MI |
5 |
14-04 |
| 3 |
Dean Rojas |
Grand Saline, TX |
5 |
12-03 |
| 4 |
Alton Jones |
Waco, TX |
5 |
11-03 |
| 5 |
Mike Wurm |
Hot Springs, AR |
5 |
10-05 |
| 6 |
David Wharton |
Sam Rayburn, TX |
5 |
9-01 |
| 7 |
Larry Nixon |
Bee Branch, AR |
5 |
9-00 |
| 8 |
Denny Brauer |
Camdenton, MO |
4 |
8-15 |
| 9 |
Dustin Wilks |
Rocky Mount, NC |
5 |
8-09 |
| 10 |
Gary Klein |
Weatherford, TX |
5 |
8-07 |
| 11 |
Rick Clunn |
Ava, MO |
5 |
8-05 |
| 12 |
Michael Iaconelli |
Runnemede, NJ |
5 |
8-04 |
| 13 |
Todd Faircloth |
Jasper, TX |
5 |
8-03 |
| 14 |
Chad Brauer |
Osage Beach, MO |
5 |
8-01 |
| 15 |
Mark Menendez |
Paducah, KY |
5 |
7-13 |
| 16 |
Jim Bitter |
Fruitland Park, FL |
5 |
7-12 |
| 17 |
Skeet Reese |
Auburn, CA |
5 |
7-10 |
| 18 |
George Cochran |
Hot Springs, AR |
5 |
7-01 |
| 19 |
Kenyon Hill |
Norman, OK |
3 |
6-14 |
| 20 |
Edwin Evers |
Mannsville, OK |
5 |
6-11 |
| 20 |
John Murray |
Phoenix, AZ |
4 |
6-11 |
| 22 |
Brent Chapman |
Shawnee, KS |
4 |
6-05 |
| 23 |
Ishama Monroe |
Patterson, CA |
5 |
5-15 |
| 24 |
Paul Elias |
Pachuta, MS |
3 |
5-14 |
| 25 |
Brian Snowden |
Springfield, MO |
4 |
5-07 |
Day 2:
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
| 1 |
Kevin VanDam |
Kalamazoo, MI |
10 |
27-01 |
| 2 |
Greg Hackney |
Gonzales, LA |
9 |
22-01 |
| 3 |
Alton Jones |
Waco, TX |
10 |
20-13 |
| 4 |
Rick Clunn |
Ava, MO |
10 |
20-09 |
| 5 |
Brian Snowden |
Springfield, MO |
9 |
19-05 |
| 6 |
Gary Klein |
Weatherford, TX |
10 |
18-07 |
| 7 |
David Wharton |
Sam Rayburn, TX |
10 |
17-00 |
| 8 |
Mark Menedez |
Paducah, KY |
10 |
16-06 |
| 9 |
Skeet Reese |
Auburn, CA |
10 |
16-04 |
| 9 |
Dean Rojas |
Grand Saline, TX |
7 |
16-04 |
| 11 |
Dustin Wilks |
Rocky Mount, NC |
10 |
16-03 |
| 12 |
Jim Bitter |
Fruitland Park, FL |
10 |
16-01 |
| 13 |
Ron Shuffield |
Bismarck, AR |
8 |
15-07 |
| 14 |
Larry Nixon |
Bee Branch, AR |
10 |
15-04 |
| 15 |
Edwin Evers |
Mannsville, OK |
8 |
14-02 |
| 16 |
Denny Brauer |
Camdenton, MO |
6 |
13-09 |
| 17 |
John Murray |
Phoenix, AZ |
8 |
13-04 |
| 18 |
George Cochran |
Hot Springs, AR |
10 |
12-07 |
| 19 |
Michael Iaconelli |
Runnemede, NJ |
8 |
11-08 |
| 20 |
Brent Chapman |
Shawnee, KS |
8 |
11-04 |
| 21 |
Tom Biffle |
Wagoner, OK |
7 |
10-07 |
| 22 |
Robert Lee |
Angels Camp, CA |
6 |
10-05 |
| 22 |
Mike Wurm |
Hot Springs, AR |
5 |
10-05 |
| 24 |
Zell Rowland |
Montgomery, TX |
8 |
10-03 |
| 25 |
Brett Hite |
Phoenix, AZ |
7 |
10-00 |
Day 3:
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
| 1 |
Alton Jones |
Waco, TX |
5 |
12-08 |
| 2 |
David Wharton |
Sam Rayburn, TX |
5 |
11-14 |
| 3 |
Skeet Reese |
Auburn, CA |
5 |
10-03 |
| 4 |
Rick Clunn |
Ava, MO |
5 |
9-07 |
| 5 |
Kevin VanDam |
Kalamazoo, MI |
3 |
7-01 |
| 6 |
Mark Menendez |
Paducah, KY |
5 |
6-14 |
| 7 |
Jim Bitter |
Fruitland Park, FL |
4 |
6-09 |
| 8 |
Dustin Wilks |
Rocky Mount, NC |
3 |
6-05 |
| 9 |
Gary Klein |
Weatherford, TX |
4 |
3-10 |
| 10 |
Greg Hackney |
Gonzales, LA |
1 |
2-13 |
| 11 |
Dean Rojas |
Grand Saline, TX |
1 |
2-00 |
| 12 |
Brian Snowden |
Springfield, MO |
1 |
0-12 |
Day 4:
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
Pts. |
Winnings |
| 1 |
Alton Jones |
Waco, TX |
20 |
43-04 |
310 |
$106,000.00 |
| 2 |
Skeet Reese |
Auburn, CA |
20 |
35-09 |
295 |
$28,500.00 |
| 3 |
Rick Clunn |
Ava, MO |
20 |
38-15 |
290 |
$28,000.00 |
| 4 |
David Wharton |
Sam Rayburn, TX |
16 |
30-08 |
285 |
$26,400.00 |
| 5 |
Kevin VanDam |
Kalamazoo, MI |
17 |
40-00 |
285 |
$151,000.00 |
| 6 |
Mark Menendez |
Paducah, KY |
15 |
23-04 |
276 |
$23,500.00 |
Big Bass:
|
Day |
Name |
City, State |
Weight |
Award |
|
1 |
Greg Hackney |
Gonzales, LA |
4-15 |
$1,000.00 |
|
2 |
Gary Klein |
Weatherford, TX |
4-10 |
$1,000.00 |
|
3 |
David Wharton |
Sam Rayburn, TX |
4-02 |
$1,000.00 |
|
4 |
Alton Jones |
Waco, TX |
3-05 |
$1,000.00 |
Final Elite 50 Standings:
Rank Name State Points
1 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1102
2 Alton Jones Texas 1033
3 Stacey D King Mo. 1030
4 Greg Hackney La. 1025
5 Gary Klein Texas 1017
6 Zell Rowland Texas 1014
7 Mark Davis Ark. 1007
8 Dean Rojas Texas 1006
9 Tom Biffle Okla. 1001
10 Dustin Wilks N.C. 984
11 Todd Auten S.C. 980
11 Edwin Evers Okla. 980
13 Jim Bitter Fla. 960
14 Denny Brauer Mo. 958
15 Gerald Swindle Ala. 957
16 Rick Clunn Mo. 949
17 Davy Hite S.C. 943
18 Brent Chapman Kan. 933
19 Skeet Reese Calif. 932
20 Mark Menendez Ky. 929
21 David Wharton Texas 924
22 Randy Howell Ala. 923
23 Larry Nixon Ark. 918
24 Jay Yelas Texas 914
25 Kenyon Hill Okla. 912
26 Peter Thliveros Fla. 907
27 John Murray Ariz. 905
28 Brian Snowden Mo. 904
29 O T Fears Okla. 896
29 Todd Faircloth Texas 896
31 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 887
32 George Cochran Ark. 871
33 Ron Shuffield Ark. 870
34 Kevin Wirth Ky. 868
35 Kelly Jordon Texas 866
36 Roland Martin Fla. 862
37 David Fritts N.C. 858
37 Chad Brauer Mo. 858
39 Ben Matsubu Texas 851
40 Randy Blaukat Mo. 844
41 Robert Lee Calif. 843
42 Brett Hite Ariz. 842
43 Jack A Gadlage Ky. 826
44 Mike Wurm Ark. 814
45 Bud Pruitt Texas 812
46 Tim Horton Ala. 810
47 Paul L Elias Miss. 798
48 Ishama Monroe Calif. 780
49 Bernie Schultz Fla. 776
50 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Fla. 251
By Brandon Shook
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