Velvick Takes WildCard

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – After sharing the same stretch of water for the first two days of the Bassmaster Elite Series WildCard Event, Byron Velvick of Del Rio, Texas, and Keith Phillips of Calera, Ala., were forced to find new water Saturday on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. In the end, Velvick located the most productive secondary areas and held off Phillips with a three-day total of 40 pounds, 8 ounces, besting him by nearly 2 pounds.

Crappie boat traffic crowded the area, centered around a bridge, causing both anglers to move from their shared spot. Velvick’s decision proved best as he boated three fish by 9:30 a.m. He used the remainder of the competition day to build and upgrade his five-fish limit.

Live, streaming video footage of the daily weigh-ins and real-time leaderboard information was available on www.espnoutdoors.com. Along with Velvick and Phillips, the eight others who finished in the top 10 earned berths in the 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series. The final Elite field will be announced in mid-December. The previously announced competitors derived from the 2007 Elite Series fields and 2007 Bassmaster Opens can be viewed on www.Bassmaster.com.

“This was a tough, tough tournament,” said Velvick, who scored his second BASS win. “It was a do-or-die situation for a lot of these anglers and it was very stressful. But it’s a nice end to what has been a roller-coaster season.”

Velvick primarily used four baits: a Gambler worm, a Berkley Power worm, a River2Sea Tungsten Vibe and a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap. The 10-inch Gambler worm in redbug color proved to be the most effective, he said.

The area that was key for the top two competitors in the first two days of competition was a migratory spot that had key cover for pre-spawning bass. That location allowed Velvick to build a lead for the first two days, and the Texan was able to close with a modest limit Saturday.

“I played it safe today,” Velvick said. “And it was a good decision. This was an exciting tournament and I knew it was going to be really close.”

Phillips charged into second place after a 16-pound, 4-ounce limit Friday, but he wasn’t able to catch the quality of fish that Velvick found. Phillips rounded out his limit at 2 p.m., barely before check-in time.

“My best decision was waiting out the bridge the first two days,” said Phillips, 35. “I feel comfortable with all the decisions I made. I wouldn’t take anything back.”

Rounding out the top five were John Cox of Debary, Fla., in third with 36 pounds, 14 ounces; Corey Waldrop of Fort Worth, Texas, in fourth with 36 pounds, 11 ounces; and Texan Elton Luce, who was aided by a 10-pound, 1-ounce behemoth caught Saturday, in fifth with 35 pounds, 5 ounces.

Also qualifying for the 2008 Elite Series on the strength of their top-10 performances were Rick Ash of Pottstown, Pa., in seventh with 34 pounds, 10 ounces, and Bobby Myers of Tulsa, Okla., in 10th with 32 pounds, 8 ounces. The full list of standings can be found below.

In the co-angler division, Robbie Anderson of Crystal River, Fla., took home more than $4,000, claming victory with 29 pounds, 3 ounces. Finishing behind Anderson were Marty Scoggins of Trion, Ga., with 26 pounds, 15 ounces, and Brandon Stanley of Johnson City, Tenn., with 26 pounds, 10 ounces.

The WildCard tournament was a second-chance competition for 2007 Elite pros who failed to qualify via their performance on the top-level circuit, as well as 2007 Bassmaster Open pros who put together solid seasons.


Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$



1. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 15 40-08 315

Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 08-03 Day 3: 5 11-00

2. Keith Phillips Calera, AL 15 38-10 295

Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 09-13

3. John Cox Debary, FL 15 36-14 290

Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 5 08-09 Day 3: 5 20-05

4. Corey Waldrop Fort Worth, TX 15 36-11 285

Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 5 11-04

5. Elton Luce Jr Brookeland, TX 14 35-05 280

Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 08-15 Day 3: 4 16-00

6. Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 15 35-02 276

Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 11-12

7. Rick Ash Pottstown, PA 15 34-10 272

Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 10-07 Day 3: 5 08-01

8. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 15 33-09 268

Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 09-00

9. David Sherrer Shreveport, LA 15 33-04 264

Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 08-00

10. Bobby Myers Tulsa, OK 15 32-08 260

Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 08-12 Day 3: 5 11-13

11. Steve Daniel Clewiston, FL 14 32-02 257

Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 4 05-05

12. Billy Brewer Lorena, TX 15 31-14 254

Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 5 08-13

13. Eric Nethery Acworth, GA 15 31-13 251

Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 08-02 Day 3: 5 11-14

14. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 15 30-09 248

Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 10-09

15. Sean Dassau Helena, AL 15 29-08 245

Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 08-07 Day 3: 5 11-07

16. Darrin Schwenkbeck Varysburg, NY 14 29-06 243

Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 4 06-15 Day 3: 5 11-04

17. Doc Merkin Downers Grove, IL 15 27-12 241

Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 07-15 Day 3: 5 07-15

18. Preston Henson Vacaville, CA 15 27-06 239

Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 07-01 Day 3: 5 11-04

19. Bobby Stanfill Greenwood, SC 12 27-05 237

Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 09-05 Day 3: 2 04-00

20. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 13 27-01 235

Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 3 04-03

21. Trevor Rogge Champlin, MN 15 27-00 233

Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 08-01

22. Frank Scalish Cleveland Heights, OH 15 26-11 231

Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 09-05 Day 3: 5 06-14

23. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, AL 15 26-08 229

Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 5 06-11

24. Kyle A. Fox Lakeland, FL 15 26-00 227

Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 08-06 Day 3: 5 07-11

25. Patrick Pierce Saint John, FL 15 25-03 225

Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 07-15 Day 3: 5 08-12

26. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 14 24-07 223

Day 1: 4 06-07 Day 2: 5 07-10 Day 3: 5 10-06

27. Brett Mitchell Timmonsville, SC 14 24-06 221

Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 08-14 Day 3: 4 05-13

28. Luke Estel Murphysboro, IL 11 23-07 219

Day 1: 3 03-06 Day 2: 3 03-15 Day 3: 5 16-02

29. Kenneth Chapman Woodlawn, TN 15 23-03 216

Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 06-05 Day 3: 5 06-07

29. Scott Dean Terrell, TX 13 23-03 216

Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 5 08-14 Day 3: 3 04-13

31. Ron Klys Gainesville, FL 12 19-10 213

Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 2 02-07 Day 3: 5 08-10

32. Dave Parsons Yantis, TX 9 17-08 210

Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 1 01-04 Day 3: 3 04-15

32. Robert Byrd Dallas, TX 9 17-08 210

Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 1 02-12 Day 3: 4 06-13

34. Mike Pickett Brandenburg, KY 7 11-01 207

Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 2 01-15 Day 3: 0 00-00

 

From BASS