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The Final Report
BASS Tour: Table Rock Lake, MO
What is it about the weather during tournaments this year? There has either
been rain pouring down or a hard wind, or both, during nearly every Tour
event so far this year. At Table Rock, the weather let up slightly, but
there were still fronts moving in and severe weather that delayed the Day 1
launch by an hour. The bad weather may be good this year. It
really brings out the best in the pros; it shows just how versatile and
proficient they really are. Mark Davis definitely showed what he was made of
during this tournament by bringing in a four-day total of 67-02, nearly 8
pounds ahead of Roland Martin, who placed second.
Davis: Get the
Momentum Going
Mark Davis of Mount Ida, AR, has been waiting a long time for this victory.
Since he triumphed at the 1995 Bassmaster Classic, he has been without a
win. Davis enjoyed regaining his momentum with this win. On
Day 3, Davis commented that "when
you’ve
got that confidence and you’ve got that momentum going, you have to keep
riding
it.” After
the win, his minds was still on gaining the necessary momentum to do well in
future tournaments.
"It's always a weight off your shoulders to get a win," Davis said. "I
think,
other than that, the only win I had was the Classic in 1995. It's always
great
to get a win and the good part about this is, if you look, usually when a
guy
breaks through and wins one, he usually goes ahead and wins two or three.
It's
a confidence thing. You get on a roll and get momentum.
"Fishing is a lot like other sports. Some people look at fishing and see a
guy
out on a boat casting and reeling, but I think there's a lot to be said for
momentum. When you get momentum going and you get confidence and know what's
going on, you just roll with that momentum."
Davis
never fell below 2nd place during the entire event. He ground out the win
using a time-proven antique lure: a crawfish Wiggle Wart crankbait. Using
the Wart, he secured a Day 4 limit by 8:40 a.m. The crankbait eventually
caught a 17-08 limit on the final day, enough to win by a very comfortable
margin.
The Stats:
| Day |
Rank |
Weight |
| 1 |
2 |
18-10 |
| 2 |
2 (tie) |
33-03 |
| 3 |
2 |
49-10 |
| 4 |
1 |
67-02 |
Million-Dollar Martin
Legendary pro and nine-time Angler of the Year Roland Martin from
Naples, FL, had to place 1st or 2nd on Table Rock to earn his place in the
Millionares' Club, a club for all BASS pros that have made a million dollars
in winnings. With that in mind, he proceeded to take the Day 3 lead, and
secure 2nd place on the final day.
“I retired one time, 10 or 12 years ago and I came back and I’ve since done
pretty well on the Tour, but I’ve done terrible this year,” Martin said.
“This
has just been the worst year I’ve ever had. I’m way down in the (Angler of
the
Year) points and this is the best tournament that I’ve had, so I’ve felt
like,
well, maybe I will retire but I’m not going to retire for sure until I hit
the
million dollar mark.”
Mission
accomplished.
Martin did a lot of running and gunning on the first two days, using jigs
and spinnerbaits, and said the windy conditions helped his pattern.
"You have to have three or four things," Martin said. "You have to have
wind,
you have to have shade and you have to have a shady bank, and they're
hitting
on spinnerbaits and jigs only in the shade; they won't hit in the sun. I
caught them all day. I had a limit by about 10:30," he commented on Day 2.
Martin refined his pattern until it was almost perfect:
“I’ve narrowed it down to a very narrow window,” he said. “It’s a
precise
water temperature, water clarity and type of pocket and the wind has to be a
certain way. You know all those things are critical, and I pretty well know
what to look for.
"I saw the weather report before the tournament," Martin added, "and saw
that
there was a front moving in. I figured it would muddy up the water a bit and
I
thought, 'This might be alright. Muddy water is my kind of thing.' I threw a
jerkbait in practice, but caught most of my fish on a spinnerbait this
week." The Stats:
|
Day |
Rank |
Weight |
|
1 |
5 |
15-03 |
|
2 |
2
(tie) |
33-03 |
|
3 |
1 |
52-01 |
|
4 |
2 |
59-07 |
Gerald Swindle
It seems that there is
always a pro that makes a leap from the middle of the pack to place among
the top 5. Gerald Swindle of Hayden, AL, did just that at Table Rock. After
starting in 16th place with 11-10, Swindle moved up to 7th on Day 2. Day 3
found him in 3rd place, and he held that position on the final day.
"I've won on other circuits, but I haven't won a BASS event," he said. "I've
been second in Invitationals where I missed it by ounces. I've been close on
the Tour, but I've just never got the breaks to win one. But I know it's
coming.
"I want to win one. I just have a driving force to want to do it."
This finish gave Swindle a strong AOY lead with two Tour events left in the
year. Swindle also bagged the Day 3 big bass, earning an extra $1,000 from
Purolator. The Stats:
|
Day |
Rank |
Weight |
|
1 |
16 |
11-10 |
|
2 |
7 |
27-02 |
|
3 |
3 |
44-15 |
|
4 |
3 |
55-06 |
As For the Rest...
Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, IL, weighed in 17 bass that
gave him a four-day total of 53-07 and $21,000. Todd Auten brought in a
four-day total of 14 Table Rock bass weighing 49-09. Auten, from Lake Wylie,
S.C., earned $15,000 for the finish. Paul Elias led the first two days of
this event, but slipped in the final two days to finish in 6th place with
42-06. Elias' 12 bass secured $15,000 for the pro to take home to Pachuta,
MS.
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 |
Paul Elias |
Pachuta, MS |
5 |
20-05 |
| 2 |
Mark Davis |
Mount Ida, AR |
5 |
18-10 |
| 3 |
Chad Brauer |
Osage Beach, MO |
5 |
16-06 |
| 4 |
John Murray |
Phoenix, AZ |
5 |
15-09 |
| 5 |
Roland Martin |
Naples, FL |
5 |
15-03 |
| 6 |
Edwin Evers |
Mannsville, OK |
4 |
14-09 |
| 7 |
Tom Burns |
Carbondale, IL |
5 |
14-05 |
| 8 |
Jack Wade |
Knoxville, TN |
5 |
14-01 |
| 9 |
Takahiro Omori |
Emory, TX |
5 |
13-12 |
| 10 |
David Walker |
Sevierville, TN |
3 |
12-11 |
| 11 |
Kevin VanDam |
Kalamazoo, MI |
4 |
12-10 |
| 12 |
Todd Auten |
Lake Wylie, S.C. |
3 |
12-02 |
| 12 |
Kevin Wirth |
Crestwood, KY |
4 |
12-02 |
| 14 |
Mike Auten |
Benton, KY |
4 |
12-00 |
| 14 |
Tommy Biffle |
Wagoner, OK |
5 |
12-00 |
| 16 |
Gerald Swindle |
Hayen, AL |
4 |
11-10 |
| 17 |
Marty Stone |
Linden, N.C. |
3 |
11-08 |
| 18 |
Kelly Jordon |
Mineola, TX |
4 |
11-02 |
| 19 |
George Cochran |
Hot Springs, AR |
5 |
10-09 |
| 20 |
Harold Allen |
Shelbyville, TX |
3 |
10-04 |
| 21 |
Danny Correia |
Marlborough, MA |
3 |
9-09 |
| 22 |
Chris Baumgardner |
Gastonia, N.C. |
4 |
9-06 |
| 23 |
John Crews |
Jetersville, VA |
3 |
9-01 |
| 24 |
Michael Iaconelli |
Runnemede, N.J. |
3 |
9-00 |
| 25 |
Jarrett Edwards |
Del Norte, CO |
2 |
8-15 |
| 25 |
Gerald Gostenik |
Dearborn, MI |
3 |
8-15 |
Day 2:
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
| 1 |
Paul Elias |
Pachuta, MS |
10 |
37-08 |
| 2 |
Mark Davis |
Mount Ida, AR |
10 |
33-03 |
| 2 |
Roland Martin |
Naples, FL |
10 |
33-03 |
| 4 |
Takahiro Omori |
Emory, TX |
10 |
30-05 |
| 5 |
John Murray |
Phoenix, AZ |
10 |
28-10 |
| 6 |
Todd Auten |
Lake Wylie, S.C. |
7 |
27-11 |
| 7 |
Gerald Swindle |
Hayden, AL |
9 |
27-02 |
| 8 |
Tom Burns |
Carbondale, IL |
10 |
26-05 |
| 9 |
Chad Morgenthaler |
Coulterville, IL |
7 |
25-05 |
| 10 |
George Cochran |
Hot Springs, AR |
10 |
23-12 |
| 11 |
Chad Brauer |
Osage Beach, MO |
7 |
23-09 |
| 12 |
Jack Wade |
Knoxville, TN |
7 |
23-07 |
The following anglers did not qualify to fish the final two days.
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
Points |
Winnings |
| 13 |
Brent Chapman |
Shawnee, KS |
7 |
22-11 |
251 |
$5,400.00 |
| 14 |
Tommy Biffle |
Wagoner, OK |
9 |
22-04 |
248 |
$5,300.00 |
| 15 |
Jay Yelas |
Tyler, TX |
6 |
21-10 |
245 |
$5,200.00 |
| 16 |
Greg Hackney |
Gonzales, LA |
8 |
21-02 |
243 |
$5,100.00 |
| 17 |
Scott Suggs |
Alexander, AR |
7 |
20-15 |
241 |
$5,000.00 |
| 18 |
Mike McClelland |
Vella Vista, AR |
8 |
20-13 |
239 |
$4,900.00 |
| 19 |
Mark Rogers |
Naples, FL |
8 |
19-11 |
237 |
$4,800.00 |
| 20 |
Edwin Evers |
Mannsville, OK |
6 |
19-08 |
235 |
$4,700.00 |
| 21 |
David Walker |
Sevierville, TN |
6 |
19-07 |
233 |
$4,600.00 |
| 22 |
Art Ferguson III |
Saint Clair Shores, MI |
8 |
19-06 |
231 |
$4,500.00 |
| 23 |
Michael Iaconelli |
Runnemede, N.J. |
8 |
18-15 |
229 |
$4,400.00 |
| 24 |
Marty Stone |
Linden, N.C. |
7 |
18-07 |
227 |
$4,300.00 |
| 25 |
Stacey King |
Reeds Spring, MO |
5 |
18-04 |
225 |
$5,200.00 |
Day 3:
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
| 1 |
Roland Martin |
Naples, FL |
15 |
52-01 |
| 2 |
Mark Davis |
Mount Ida, AR |
15 |
49-10 |
| 3 |
Gerald Swindle |
Hayden, AL |
14 |
44-15 |
| 4 |
Todd Auten |
Lake Wylie, S.C. |
12 |
44-09 |
| 5 |
Paul Elias |
Pachuta, MS |
11 |
40-05 |
| 6 |
Chad Morgenthaler |
Coulterville, IL |
12 |
39-01 |
The following anglers did not qualify to fish the
final day.
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
Points |
Winnings |
| 7 |
Takahiro Omori |
Emory, TX |
12 |
35-14 |
272 |
$12,000.00 |
| 8 |
George Cochran |
Hot Springs, AR |
15 |
35-06 |
268 |
$10,000.00 |
| 9 |
Tom Burns |
Carbondale, IL |
11 |
29-09 |
264 |
$9,000.00 |
| 10 |
Jack Wade |
Knoxville, TN |
9 |
29-05 |
260 |
$8,000.00 |
| 11 |
John Murray |
Phoenix, AZ |
10 |
28-10 |
257 |
$6,000.00 |
| 12 |
Chad Brauer |
Osage Beach, MO |
8 |
26-02 |
254 |
$5,500.00 |
Day 4:
| Rank |
Name |
Hometown |
Bass |
Weight |
Points |
Winnings |
| 1 |
Mark Davis |
Mount Ida, AR |
20 |
67-02 |
305 |
$100,000.00 |
| 2 |
Roland Martin |
Naples, FL |
17 |
59-07 |
300 |
$40,000.00 |
| 3 |
Gerald Swindle |
Hayden, AL |
18 |
55-06 |
290 |
$25,000.00 |
| 4 |
Chad Morgenthaler |
Coulterville, IL |
17 |
53-07 |
285 |
$21,000.00 |
| 5 |
Todd Auten |
Lake Wylie, S.C. |
14 |
49-09 |
280 |
$15,000.00 |
| 6 |
Paul Elias |
Pachuta, MS |
12 |
42-06 |
286 |
$15,000.00 |
Big Bass:
|
Day |
Name |
City, State |
Weight |
Award |
|
1 |
Jarrett Edwards |
Del Norte, CO |
6-10 |
$1,000.00 |
|
2 |
Jason Quinn |
Clover, S.C. |
7-10 |
$1,000.00 |
|
3 |
Gerald Swindle |
Hayden, AL |
7-03 |
$1,000.00 |
|
4 |
Roland Martin |
Naples, FL |
4-09 |
$1,000.00 |
New AOY Standings:
| Rank |
Name |
State |
Points |
| 1 |
Gerald Swindle |
AL |
930 |
| 2 |
Chad Brauer |
MO |
925 |
| 2 |
Scott Suggs |
AR |
897 |
| 4 |
Michael Iaconelli |
N.J. |
885 |
| 5 |
Brent Chapman |
KS |
869 |
| 6 |
Marty Stone |
N.C. |
824 |
| 7 |
David Walker |
TN |
817 |
| 8 |
Tim Horton |
AL |
812 |
| 9 |
Aaron Martens |
CA |
803 |
| 9 |
Takahiro Omori |
TX |
790 |
By Brandon Shook
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