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 Bassmaster Elite 50: Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee Rivers, KY

Elite 50 event # 4 of 4

Preview | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Preview: Preview: Elite 50 Finale

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PADUCAH, Ky. — Bass fishing’s most innovative tournament series comes to a climax June 16-19 in Paducah, Ky. and anglers and fishing fans can hardly wait. The Bassmaster Elite 50 season finale will crown the series champion and send 10 pros to bass fishing’s world championship, the CITGO Bassmaster Classic.

The season finale will be played out on the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers with daily weigh-ins at 7 p.m. at J.R.’s Executive Inn and Convention Center. The top 50 pros from the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail will compete across more than 100 miles of fishable waters.

One of the highlights of this tournament will be the crowning of the first series champion. After three Elite 50 events, a pair of three-time CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Years — Kevin VanDam and Mark Davis — sit in the leader board’s top two slots in the race for the $150,000 winner’s purse.

Davis, a 40-year-old pro from Arkansas, is just five points behind VanDam and will be aiming for his third consecutive Elite 50 victory after triumphing in Mississippi and Alabama.

“It’s going to be real hard to win three in a row,” Davis said. “I had been fishing a long time and never won two in a row. But I’ll sure be trying in Paducah.”

In addition to the series championship, the tournament will determine the final 10 invitations to the 2004 Classic, July 30-Aug. 1 on Lake Wylie in Charlotte, N.C.

The Elite 50 series highlights an all-star line-up in the sport’s first no-entry-fee circuit with a minumum $20,000 purse for every participant — a milestone in the competitive league created and nurtured by the BASS.

The Elite 50 series marks the first time that an entire tournament series matches the cream of the crop of today’s bass pros in limited-field events. These top pros earned their Elite status through either their combined performance over the past three CITGO Bassmaster Tour seasons or based on careers of excellence that placed them atop of the BASS all-time money list.

One of those pros is Paducah’s own Mark Menendez, who is widely considered a pre-tournament favorite.

Despite his fellow pro’s expectations, the recent rain-swollen state of the rivers has largely negated any hometown advantage, Menendez claims, pointing out that the increased size of the river means more areas are open for fishing, including spots that he may have never seen.

“The higher water makes it more a crap shoot,” he said. “It takes the advantage out of my hands. A guy could go find a place that I have no idea even exists and make a good catch there.

“With it being within the banks and in normal parameters, I would have a very distinct advantage. I really would. If it gets down to 18 to 20 (feet) by tournament time, it will play into my hands that much better, but I don’t know that it will get down that low.”

Menendez noted that the water has been dropping rapidly in recent days, which should help his chances.

“The water came up 25 feet since the last day of (pre-tournament) practice,” he explained. “But it’s coming down about 3 feet a day. As long as we don’t get more rain on the Ohio River in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, it should continue to fall. It’s 36 (feet) now and supposed to be 26 for the first day of practice and continue to fall after that.

“It’s going to get better and closer (to normal pool). It’s going to fall out of the woods and all of the backwaters. There’s not a lot of backwater here you can get to unless it’s at flood stage. But with it falling as fast as it is, you won’t be able to get to some of those old oxbows and stuff like that.”

Menendez said the pre-tournament action was “phenomenal.” That was just before the tournament waters went off-limits 30 days before the event, and the Ohio River was as low as he had ever seen it. Still, he looks for the Elite 50 contenders to catch plenty of bass regardless of the water level.

“There will be a lot of ways to catch them,” Menendez said. “It depends on which species you’re going to fish for. There’s a lot of strategy that needs to go into deciding what you’re going to fish for because it can be won on all three species. The spotted bass up the Cumberland can be a major player. The largemouth in Smithland Pool on the Ohio is most likely where it would be won by an out-of-towner. And the smallmouth have shown up in the Cumberland and the Tennessee in recent years in pretty good numbers.”

Unlike the previous Elite 50 tournaments, the Paducah event will not feature the finals format in which the top 12 and six performers rotate through designated areas throughout the day. Tournament director Trip Weldon said the finalists will be allowed to fish all of the designated tournament waters.

The daily launches will take place at 10 a.m. at the downtown Paducah Riverfront.

Day 1: Hackney Leads Day One of Elite 50 Finale

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PADUCAH, Ky. – After a night that saw over 4 inches of rainfall bring the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers up to flood stage, anglers on the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail found a changed fishery for the first day of the Bassmaster Elite 50 series’ final event.

Despite the unwelcome changes, Louisiana’s Greg Hackney brought in a five-fish limit that tipped the scales at 14 pounds, 15 ounces and gave him the lead heading into Thursday’s round. Although the limit was small by normal standards on the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail, Hackney was happy to have it.

“I thought, coming into it, that 16 or 17 (pounds) would make the cut,” said Hackney, who qualified for the elite field as the reigning CITGO Bassmaster Rookie of the Year. “But now I don’t know. It was one of those deals where, coming into the tournament, it could either be really good or be really bad. I thought that I had the potential to catch the fish that I had today, but I didn’t know.”

After Thursday’s round, the field will be cut to the top 12 anglers. Although the full field will fish on Friday for the opportunity to improve the anglers’ final places in the standings, only the top 12 will have the opportunity to make Friday’s cut to the Super Six and fish in the championship round. With so much at stake – including more than $1 million in prize money and 10 berths to this summer’s CITGO Bassmaster Classic presented by Busch Beer, the anglers are more than a little nervous about any change to the conditions.

“When the water came up, it really scared me this morning because I didn’t think I could catch them as well today,” Hackney said. “I think I could have caught them better had it stayed down, but I did better than I thought I could do today with it coming up. The fish have moved around and they’ve gotten into some stuff so that I can’t present a bait to them now. I can present a bait to them, but not the one that I need to.

“I’m just going to play it day by day, because it’s going to change. I’m going to go back to that same place tomorrow and try to get five and make the cut. I’ll worry about the rest then.”

Hackney’s big catch also earned him $1,000 for the Busch Heavyweight award, the prize given for the largest sack of each tournament day, and contained a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass that earned him another $1,000 for the Purolator Big Bass of the Day. If the 4-15 holds out for the remainder of the event, Hackney will take home an additional $1,000 for the Purolator Big Bass of the Tournament.

Michigan’s Kevin VanDam followed Hackney’s lead Wednesday with a limit of his own. VanDam’s 14-pound, 4-ounce limit was good enough to put him in second place and also allowed him to keep the Bassmaster Elite 50 series points lead.

“I just got to a spot where they were biting,” VanDam said. “I caught one fish off this one spot in practice when I fished with my dad and I told him then that they should stack up there.

“The area has got current and it’s got some good rocks on the bottom and that’s what those smallmouths like. It’s really tough on this river right now, though. With all these great anglers, you never know what can happen with the championship.”

Arizona’s Dean Rojas (12-3), Texas’ Alton Jones (11-3) and Arkansas’ Mike Wurm (10-5) rounded out the top five after day one.

The points race continues to cast a long shadow over this series, with the eventual points champion taking home a $150,000 grand prize for the four events.

Competition continues Thursday. Launches will be daily at 10 a.m. at the downtown Paducah Riverfront with the indoor weigh-ins at J.R.’s Executive Inn and Convention Center beginning at 7 p.m.
 

Day 1 Pro Standings

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
Day 1: 5 8-05
12. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 5 8-04
Day 1: 5 8-04
13. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 5 8-03
Day 1: 5 8-03
14. Chad Brauer Osage Beach, Mo. 5 8-01
Day 1: 5 8-01
15. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 5 7-13
Day 1: 5 7-13
16. Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 5 7-12
Day 1: 5 7-12
17. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 5 7-10
Day 1: 5 7-10
18. George Cochran Hot Springs, Ark. 5 7-01
Day 1: 5 7-01
19. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 3 6-14
Day 1: 3 6-14
20. Edwin Evers Mannsville, Okla. 5 6-11
Day 1: 5 6-11
20. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 4 6-11
Day 1: 4 6-11
22. Brent Chapman Shawnee, Kan. 4 6-05
Day 1: 4 6-05
23. Ishama Monroe Patterson, Calif. 5 5-15
Day 1: 5 5-15
24. Paul L Elias Pachuta, Miss. 3 5-14
Day 1: 3 5-14
25. Brian Snowden Springfield, Mo. 4 5-07
Day 1: 4 5-07
26. Ron Shuffield Bismarck, Ark. 3 5-06
Day 1: 3 5-06
27. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 4 5-03
Day 1: 4 5-03
28. Robert Lee Angels Camp, Calif. 3 4-11
Day 1: 3 4-11
29. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 5 4-10
Day 1: 5 4-10
30. Tim Horton Tuscumbia, Ala. 4 4-09
Day 1: 4 4-09
31. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 3 4-04
Day 1: 3 4-04
32. Stacey D King Reeds Spring, Mo. 2 3-10
Day 1: 2 3-10
32. Roland Martin Naples, Fla. 2 3-10
Day 1: 2 3-10
34. O T Fears III Sallisaw, Okla. 2 3-01
Day 1: 2 3-01
35. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 3 3-00
Day 1: 3 3-00
35. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 2 3-00
Day 1: 2 3-00
37. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 3 2-15
Day 1: 3 2-15
38. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, S.C. 2 2-06
Day 1: 2 2-06
38. Jack A Gadlage Benton, Ky. 2 2-06
Day 1: 2 2-06
40. Brett Hite Phoenix, Ariz. 2 2-04
Day 1: 2 2-04
41. Tom Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 2 2-02
Day 1: 2 2-02
42. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 2 1-13
Day 1: 2 1-13
43. Randy Blaukat Lamar, Mo. 2 1-11
Day 1: 2 1-11
44. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 1 1-01
Day 1: 1 1-01
45. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 1 0-15
Day 1: 1 0-15
46. Ben Matsubu Hemphill, Texas 1 0-10
Day 1: 1 0-10
46. Bud Pruitt Spring, Texas 1 0-10
Day 1: 1 0-10
48. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 3 0-00
Day 1: 3 0-00
48. David Fritts Lexington, N.C. 0 0-00
Day 1: 0 0-00
48. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 0 0-00
Day 1: 0 0-00

Day 2: VanDam Takes Lead

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PADUCAH, Ky. – It’s no secret that the anglers competing in this week’s Bassmaster Elite 50 finale are hungry for the series’ $150,000 grand prize and 10 CITGO Bassmaster Classic spots, but with only two days remaining in the four-event series finale, Michigan’s Kevin VanDam is in the catbird seat to take home the big money.

VanDam brought in a five-fish limit of smallmouth that weighed 12 pounds, 13 ounces to move into the tournament’s top spot and tighten his grasp on the lead in the Elite 50 points standings.

“I had a good day,” said VanDam, whose two-day total is 27-1. “It’s tricky to catch (smallmouth). They’re really finicky. I was using a tube most of the day. Tubes are hard to beat with smallmouth. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen tomorrow. It’s going to get tougher all the time.”

VanDam may have a virtual lock on the point standings, but he definitely has respect for the competition.

“It’s not over ‘til it’s over,” he said. “I’ve fished against these guys my whole life and these Elite 50 are good. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

CITGO Bassmaster Rookie of the Year Greg Hackney led Wednesday and brought in 7-2 on Thursday, enough for second place in the tournament. Hackney’s title earned him the only rookie spot in the elite field, which is otherwise reserved for the Classic and regular-season points champions, the top anglers on the BASS All-time Money List, and pros with the best cumulative finish over the past three seasons.

“I wanted to leave some there,” Hackney said. “I could have brought in a big bag today, but I wanted there to be some left for tomorrow. I asked myself, ‘What’s more important to me, to win the championship, or to win the event?’ I want to win this event really bad. I mean, it’s the last Elite 50 and, since I’m a rookie, I’m not going to get the chance to fish in them unless I get the Angler of the Year or win the Classic, and those are the two toughest things to do.”

Joining VanDam and Hackney in the top 12 are Texas’ Alton Jones (20-13), Missouri’s Rick Clunn (20-9) and Brian Snowden (19-5), Texas’ Gary Klein (18-7) and David Wharton (17-0), Paducah’s own Mark Menendez (16-6), California’s Skeet Reese (16-4), Texas’ Dean Rojas (16-4), North Carolina’s Dustin Wilks (16-3) and Florida’s Jim Bitter (16-1).

With two days left, North Carolina’s Dustin Wilks and 28-time Classic qualifier Rick Clunn are still mathematically eligible to make the Classic. Both anglers have to break into the top 10 in the points to qualify for the sport’s world championship, but with them both making the cut to the top 12 in the tournament, points are extremely valuable.

“I would really like to make it,” Wilks said. “I’ve got a lot of friends and fans there that would be there, so I really hope I get in. I’ve just got to go out and do my thing tomorrow and hope I can get five in the boat. Hopefully that will be enough to do it.”

Brian Snowden earned $1,000 from Busch Beer for the Busch Heavyweight award. His five-fish limit weighed 13-14 and was the heaviest catch on the second day of competition.

Gary Klein brought in the Purolator Big Bass of the Day. His 4-10 lunker earned him $1,000 from Purolator.

There was another treat for the fans that showed up at J.R.’s Executive Inn in Paducah: the return of BASS veteran and Florida pro Shaw Grigsby. Grigsby has been out of commission for the past two Bassmaster Elite 50 series events due to triple bypass heart surgery last April. Although Grigsby didn’t compete, he was on hand to greet fans and pick up his $20,000 check for 50th place in the Elite 50 series.

“I really, really, really miss this,” Grigsby said. “This is a part of me right here. I’m so glad to be back.”

Competition will continue Friday from J.R.’s Executive Inn. Launch is daily at 10 a.m. with weigh-ins beginning at 7 p.m. Fans can enjoy the BASS Sponsor Expo beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday at J.R.’s Executive Inn.

The final event of the Bassmaster Elite 50 series on the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers will be telecast in two parts, Saturday, June 26 and Saturday, July 3 at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2.

Day 2 Pro Standings

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, N.C. 10 16-03
Day 1: 5 8-09 Day 2: 5 7-10
12. Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 10 16-01
Day 1: 5 7-12 Day 2: 5 8-05
13. Ron Shuffield Bismarck, Ark. 8 15-07
Day 1: 3 5-06 Day 2: 5 10-01
14. Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Ark. 10 15-04
Day 1: 5 9-00 Day 2: 5 6-04
15. Edwin Evers Mannsville, Okla. 8 14-02
Day 1: 5 6-11 Day 2: 3 7-07
16. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 6 13-09
Day 1: 4 8-15 Day 2: 2 4-10
17. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 8 13-04
Day 1: 4 6-11 Day 2: 4 6-09
18. George Cochran Hot Springs, Ark. 10 12-07
Day 1: 5 7-01 Day 2: 5 5-06
19. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 8 11-08
Day 1: 5 8-04 Day 2: 3 3-04
20. Brent Chapman Shawnee, Kan. 8 11-04
Day 1: 4 6-05 Day 2: 4 4-15
21. Tom Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 7 10-07
Day 1: 2 2-02 Day 2: 5 8-05
22. Robert Lee Angels Camp, Calif. 6 10-05
Day 1: 3 4-11 Day 2: 3 5-10
22. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 5 10-05
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 0 0-00
24. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 8 10-03
Day 1: 3 4-04 Day 2: 5 5-15
25. Brett Hite Phoenix, Ariz. 7 10-00
Day 1: 2 2-04 Day 2: 5 7-12
26. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 8 9-06
Day 1: 3 2-15 Day 2: 5 6-07
26. Ishama Monroe Patterson, Calif. 8 9-06
Day 1: 5 5-15 Day 2: 3 3-07
28. Chad Brauer Osage Beach, Mo. 6 9-04
Day 1: 5 8-01 Day 2: 1 1-03
28. Roland Martin Naples, Fla. 5 9-04
Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 3 5-10
30. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 6 8-15
Day 1: 5 8-03 Day 2: 1 0-12
31. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 7 8-12
Day 1: 4 5-03 Day 2: 3 3-09
32. Stacey D King Reeds Spring, Mo. 7 8-04
Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 5 4-10
33. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 7 7-10
Day 1: 5 4-10 Day 2: 2 3-00
34. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 3 6-14
Day 1: 3 6-14 Day 2: 0 0-00
35. Ben Matsubu Hemphill, Texas 5 6-13
Day 1: 1 0-10 Day 2: 4 6-03
36. Paul L Elias Pachuta, Miss. 4 6-08
Day 1: 3 5-14 Day 2: 1 0-10
37. Jack A Gadlage Benton, Ky. 6 6-03
Day 1: 2 2-06 Day 2: 4 3-13
37. Tim Horton Tuscumbia, Ala. 5 6-03
Day 1: 4 4-09 Day 2: 1 1-10
39. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 6 6-01
Day 1: 3 3-00 Day 2: 3 3-01
40. O T Fears III Sallisaw, Okla. 4 5-14
Day 1: 2 3-01 Day 2: 2 2-13
41. Bud Pruitt Spring, Texas 4 5-09
Day 1: 1 0-10 Day 2: 3 4-15
42. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, S.C. 5 5-05
Day 1: 2 2-06 Day 2: 3 2-15
43. Randy Blaukat Lamar, Mo. 4 4-07
Day 1: 2 1-11 Day 2: 2 2-12
44. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 4 4-05
Day 1: 1 1-01 Day 2: 3 3-04
45. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 3 4-03
Day 1: 2 3-00 Day 2: 1 1-03
46. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 5 2-04
Day 1: 3 0-00 Day 2: 2 2-04
47. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 2 2-02
Day 1: 1 0-15 Day 2: 1 1-03
48. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 2 1-13
Day 1: 2 1-13 Day 2: 0 0-00
49. David Fritts Lexington, N.C. 1 1-08
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 1-08
50. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 0 0-00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

Day 3: Anglers Rock Leaderboard at Elite 50 Finale

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PADUCAH, Ky. – Only six anglers remain in the hunt at the final Bassmaster Elite 50 series event on the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, where zeroed weights heading into Friday’s round set the stage for a complete shake-up of the leader board. Texan Alton Jones skipped from third to first place as the 12 anglers vied for the opportunity to make the top six and stay alive for Saturday’s grand finale.

Jones’ day three weight of 12 pounds, 8 ounces came on a Yum Houdini worm that he is split-shotting and throwing into current.

“I’ve improved my position a little bit,” Jones said. “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. I hope it holds up for another day. …

“Today I only fished that area for about two hours and then just tied up and just twiddled my thumbs for the rest of the day. It’s produced probably about 25 keepers for me in the last three days. 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.”

Jones’ fellow Texan David Wharton jumped to second place Friday with a day three weight of 11-14. Wharton had a brush with danger as storms moved through the area and lightning came a little too close to his boat for comfort.

“I don’t do well in lightning, I’m telling you,” Wharton said. “That stuff scares me. I had a pretty good day today. I didn’t catch any more fish today; they were just bigger, you know.

“I’m catching them on a small, shallow-running crankbait, a Norman Baby N. It’s got a little square bill and runs about 3 feet deep. I’m also Texas rigging a Zoom Brush Hog.”

Wharton took home some money for his catch Friday. He won the $1,000 Busch Heavyweight award for the heaviest sack of all the anglers who participate in the voluntary program. The 11-14 catch also contained a 4-pound, 2-ounce lunker that earned him an additional $1,000 from Purolator for the Purolator Big Bass of the Day.

Michigan’s Kevin VanDam is still holding on to the lead in the Bassmaster Elite 50 points standings and, because he made the Super Six for the final day with a weight of 7-1, he is expected to retain the lead and the $150,000 grand prize.

Joining Jones, Wharton and VanDam are California’s Skeet Reese (10-3), Missouri’s Rick Clunn (9-7) and local favorite Mark Menendez (6-14). Clunn, who holds the most ever and most consecutive qualifications for the CITGO Bassmaster Classic (28), fell just short of his bid for one of the Elite 50s’ 10 spots in the world championship. The popular pro would have had to lead Friday’s round and win the tournament to make the 2004 Classic.

North Carolina’s Dustin Wilks is still fighting for one of the world championship spots, but did not make the cut to the Super Six and finished the tournament in 8th place, earning 268 points. He is currently in 10th place in the Elite 50 standings and, depending on the outcome of Saturday’s weigh-in, he may be locked into a Classic spot.

The Paducah Bassmaster Elite 50 event will conclude Saturday at J.R.’s Executive Inn. Launch will be at 10 a.m. with weigh-ins beginning at 7 p.m.

The BASS Sponsor Expo is also at J.R.’s Executive Inn Saturday. Fans can enjoy the interactive expo beginning at 10 a.m.

The Bassmaster CastingKids program sponsored by CITGO will be held in conjunction with the BASS Sponsor Expo Saturday from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. at the Executive Inn. Children between the ages of 7 and 14 can participate in the contest with the chance to earn scholarships.

Fans can catch the final event of the Bassmaster Elite 50 series on the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers in two parts, Saturday, June 26 and Saturday, July 3 at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2.

 

Day 3 Pro Standings

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: VanDam Wins Series, Jones Wins Event

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PADUCAH, Ky. – Michigan’s Kevin VanDam made history Saturday when he added the first Bassmaster Elite 50 series championship to his collection of laurels, which includes three CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles and a world championship title from the 2001 CITGO Bassmaster Classic.

“What a day,” VanDam 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.”

VanDam has owned the lead in the Elite 50 point standings since the conclusion of the series’ second event. Although he was just a few points ahead of Mark Davis coming into the series finale, he pulled away from the competition with a 5th place finish this week to claim the $150,000 grand prize, the lion’s share of the $1.6 million total purse.

“I respect each of these guys. They are the world’s best,” VanDam said. “It worked out this time for me. 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. 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 that winner’s purse?

“It’s going for a college education for my kids,” he said. “I really wanted to win and the money’s great, but the prestige of the Elite 50 championship is more.”

In addition to VanDam’s championship, the season finale put the final touches on the field for the 2004 CITGO Bassmaster Classic.

According to Classic qualification rules, the top 10 finishers in the Bassmaster Elite 50 series will join the 25 anglers from the CITGO Bassmaster Tour presented by Busch Beer, 12 anglers from the CITGO Bassmaster Open series presented by Busch Beer, five anglers from the CITGO BASS Federation Championship presented by Busch Beer and the 2003 CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Jay Yelas, as they advance to the crown jewel of bass fishing, July 30-Aug. 1 in Charlotte, N.C. However, seven of the top 10 anglers in the Elite 50 standings had already qualified through the Tour standings, which means the next seven pros in the Tour standings will earn Classic berths, according to qualification rules. BASS will announce the names of the additional qualifiers next week

Texan Alton Jones took top honors for the final Bassmaster Elite 50 tournament with a total of 22 pounds, 7 ounces. With the win, Jones slid into second in the Elite 50 series points and walked away with the $100,000 second prize.

“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’ catch included a 3-5 bass that earned him $1,000 for the Purolator Big Bass of the Day. It wasn’t enough to overtake Greg Hackney’s 4-15 lunker from day one, which earned the Purolator Big Bass of the Touranment. Hackney earned an additional $1,000 for the fish.

California’s Skeet Reese brought in a five-fish limit that tipped the scales at 19-5 Saturday and earned a $1,000 bonus from Busch Beer for the voluntary Busch Heavyweight incentive program. Jones does not participate in the program.

Paducah native Mark Menendez had a heartbreaking day. Menendez, a local favorite, was disqualified for removing his personal flotation device in an unauthorized area. When he realized his mistake, Menendez called BASS Tournament Director Trip Weldon and reported the infraction, at which time Weldon informed him that he should release all of his fish and that he had been eliminated from competition.

“We have to make it evident … what this sport is about and where this sport is going,” Menendez said. “That’s what Bassmaster is about. It’s about creating the highest playing field that you can possibly have. To do that you have to have a huge amount of credibility and honesty. That will assure that we have the absolute highest playing field that there is.

“I broke a rule. I called it in; no one else called it in. I could have kept fishing and it’s tough because I caught about 17 pounds today and I could have won, but it would have been much tougher if I would have won the event and then when the show came out they would have seen that I broke the rule and taken the win away from me.

“If I had it to do over, I would do it over. If I had caught 30 pounds, I would do it over. It was the right call.”

The Bassmaster CastingKids program sponsored by CITGO was held in conjunction with the BASS Sponsor Expo Saturday. Ten-year-old Texan Kristen Jones, pro angler Alton Jones’ daughter, took the win in the 7-10 age group while 13-year-old Laurie Schreiber from Georgetown, Ky., won the 11-14 age group.

Fans can watch telecasts of the final event of the Bassmaster Elite 50 series on the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers in two parts, Saturday, June 26 and Saturday, July 3 at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
 

Day 4 Pro Standings

Articles from BASS

By Brandon Shook