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The Full Story

BASS Elite 50 Series: Lake Wissota, Wisconsin

E50 Event # 4 of 4

Day 1: Tough Day One on Wissota

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. --- Michael Iaconelli and Kevin VanDam must have forgotten the fishing was so tough. Just like they have for most of the Elite 50 series, these two anglers are running away from the field in the Citgo Bassmaster Elite 50 on Lake Wissota.

Or it might be fairer to say the rest of the field is falling away from these anglers.

Iaconelli posted the only limit of the day in an event where the 50 best anglers in the world only caught 71 keepers out of a possible 250. Iaconelli’s “giant” stringer weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds, 12 ounces, that’s a full 8 ounces more than VanDam, which is no small measure in this event VanDam is in second with four fish weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces. Mike Wurm is in third with three fish totaling 8 pounds, 2 ounces, while Dean Rojas (three fish, 7-7) is in fourth and Randy Howell (four fish, 7-4) rounds out the top five.

Those weights only give one indication of how tough things are on Wissota. Add to that 12 anglers failed to weigh in a keeper, another 21 only managed one keeper, and six caught two.

“I fished real hard hoping to catch two and only caught one,’’ said Larry Nixon, who needs a top finish to qualify for the Bassmasters Classic.

Maybe so. But it was that way for every one and Nixon is still in contention to make the Classic, sitting unofficially in sixth place in the Elite 50 points.

But that’s obviously a precarious position. One fish could easily be no fish.

“It’s worse because I have no idea what to do,’’ Nixon said

With so many anglers in the same confused boat, it’s anybody’s guess what might happen on day two. Reports from the lake are that smallmouth and largemouth are not quite in the post-spawn mode, but still in transition.

“This is that week when they are just coming off the beds and they aren’t chasing anything, they don’t want to feed and it’s tough,’’ VanDam said. “It requires something different and these northern ponds are a little different than what we’re used to most of the time.’’

Which might explain why the two leaders are both from the North. And as luck would have it, they are the two anglers battling it out for the Elite 50 points title. Even if none of the other anglers caught a fish, the battle of the Yankees makes this tournament worth watching.

Even more so considering that each of them is armed with separate histories on lakes like this.

Iaconelli said that Wissota is just like the lakes he grew up fishing on and VanDam said he used tactics he learned as a kid to catch the fish he weighed in.

“I think most of these guys are fishing over the fish, fishing too fast, fishing too big,’’ Iaconelli said.

And that’s about all they would say. Although Iaconelli’s lead came on the shoulders of three largemouth bass, while the rest of the field weighed in primarily smallmouth bass. Of those 71 keepers, eight of them were largemouth, the rest smallmouth.

“I knew with the position the smallmouth were in that largemouth could really help me,’’ Iaconelli said. “There’s only about three places on the lake where you can catch largemouth so I stayed in those areas. I caught three smallmouth early and when the sun got up I started targeting largemouth.’’

He caught eight keepers in all. And the three he culled would have kept him in the top 10.

But even with that type of performance, Iaconelli still believes he will have to catch more to make it the semifinal 12-angler cut. His fears are a direct contradiction to many of the anglers in the field.

“I doubt seriously if there are any more fish out there left to be caught,’’ said David Fritts, who zeroed.

Others believe that it could take as much as 10 pounds to get in, almost double the weight from day one. Edwin Evers sits in 12th now with 5 pounds, 2 ounces. And still others think it could be as light as 7 pounds.

“I think the difference will be in what the wind does,’’ said George Cochran. “It blew really strong today, which wiped out half the lake. If it lays, then the weights will go up.’’

The questions of who will catch them or won’t, who will make the Classic or won’t and which Yankee will win makes it an interesting start.

Rank Name Hometown Bass Weight Pts. Winnings
1. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 5 9-12 305 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 9-12
2. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 4 9-04 295
Day 1: 4 9-04
3. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 3 8-02 290 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 8-02
4. Dean Rojas Grand Saline, Texas 3 7-07 285
Day 1: 3 7-07
5. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 4 7-04 280
Day 1: 4 7-04
6. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 3 6-11 276
Day 1: 3 6-11
7. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 4 6-09 272
Day 1: 4 6-09
8. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 3 6-05 268
Day 1: 3 6-05
9. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 3 5-12 264
Day 1: 3 5-12
10. Rick Clunn Ava, Mo. 3 5-05 260
Day 1: 3 5-05
10. George Cochran Hot Springs, Ark. 3 5-05 260
Day 1: 3 5-05
12. Edwin Evers Mannsville, Okla. 2 5-02 254
Day 1: 2 5-02
13. Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 2 4-14 251
Day 1: 2 4-14
14. Stacey D King Reeds Spring, Mo. 2 4-05 248
Day 1: 2 4-05
15. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 2 4-03 245
Day 1: 2 4-03
16. Jeff Reynolds Platter, Okla. 2 3-10 243
Day 1: 2 3-10
17. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 2 3-03 241
Day 1: 2 3-03
18. Dave Wolak Warrior Run, Pa. 1 2-14 239
Day 1: 1 2-14
19. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, N.C. 1 2-11 237
Day 1: 1 2-11
19. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 1 2-11 237
Day 1: 1 2-11
21. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 1 2-08 233
Day 1: 1 2-08
22. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 1 2-07 231
Day 1: 1 2-07
23. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 1 2-05 229
Day 1: 1 2-05
24. Luke Clausen Spokane Valley, Wash. 1 2-01 227
Day 1: 1 2-01
25. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 1 2-00 225
Day 1: 1 2-00
25. Ron Shuffield Bismarck, Ark. 1 2-00 225
Day 1: 1 2-00
27. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 1 1-15 221
Day 1: 1 1-15
28. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 1 1-11 219
Day 1: 1 1-11
28. Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Ark. 1 1-11 219
Day 1: 1 1-11
30. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 1 1-10 215
Day 1: 1 1-10
30. Bud Pruitt Spring, Texas 1 1-10 215
Day 1: 1 1-10
32. Roland Martin Naples, Fla. 1 1-09 211
Day 1: 1 1-09
33. Marty Stone Linden, N.C. 1 1-07 209
Day 1: 1 1-07
34. Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 1 1-06 207
Day 1: 1 1-06
35. Terry Scroggins Palatka, Fla. 1 1-05 205
Day 1: 1 1-05
35. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 1 1-05 205
Day 1: 1 1-05
37. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 1 1-03 201
Day 1: 1 1-03
38. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 1 0-15 0
Day 1: 1 0-15
39. David Fritts Lexington, N.C. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Ishama Monroe Hughson, Calif. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, Ill. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Mark Tyler Scottsdale, Ariz. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. David Wharton Sam Rayburn, Texas 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00
39. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 0 0-00 0
Day 1: 0 0-00

Day 2: Ike on Top After Two

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. --- In the battle of Yankee vs. Yankee, score the second round for Michael Iaconelli.

Iaconelli has created the only thing in this event that is easy to understand. That understanding comes in the form of an old fashioned whipping. He posted his second limit of the tournament totaling 9 pounds, 3 ounces to take a commanding lead of 18 pounds, 15 ounces, after the other Yankee in the battle, Kevin VanDam failed to catch a keeper on day two.

Even with the goose egg, VanDam stays in the top six. Jay Yelas is second after he weighed in the third limit of the event (10 pounds, 14 ounces) and finished with 13 pounds, 9 ounces, more than five pounds behind Iaconelli.

The five-pound difference is enough for another angler to finish in the top 20 as conditions stayed tough. While the number of limits doubled over day one, from one limit to two, the total number of fish caught fell drastically. On the first day, 71 keepers out of a possible 250 were brought to the scales, on day two it was 53.

But there were those who obviously figured things out (if that’s really possible on this lake). Topping the list is Yelas, whose heavyweight stringer moved him from 19th to second. Gerald Swindle made a move as well. He caught four keepers (three in the last hour) totaling 9 pounds, 15 ounces to jump from 22nd to fourth. While Zell Rowland, who zeroed on day one, posted 8 pounds even and slipped into the semifinal in 12th place.

By the end of the day, the top three anglers (Iaconelli, Yelas, and Takahiro Omori) were the last three years Bassmasters Classic Champions. Of the top 12, eight are former Classic champions. And three of the semifinal 12 (VanDam, Mike Wurm and Rowland) posted a zero on one of the two days.

The shake up in standings produces an interesting and almost certain dramatic finish. Iaconelli and VanDam are still one and two in the Elite 50 point standings and they’ve been sharing a healthy amount of gamesmanship as they vie for the title. But at the end of the event that won’t mean a thing compared to the some of the other consequences.

Heading up that list is who will or won’t make the next two Bassmasters Classics. The top 10 in the Elite 50 points’ standings receive automatic berths and those standings probably won’t be set until the last fish hits the scales on Saturday.

Those who will be watching and waiting the most are anglers like Randy Howell (7th place, 9-3) who needs to finish in third place or better to make it in the top 10, or he can lead on day three and finish fourth and still get in.

If that happens, a few other anglers’ necks are on the line. For instance, Larry Nixon, who is in unofficially in 10th place could get bumped by one of those scenarios. And Gary Klein, unofficially in 11th place has no shot at all.

The “what ifs” don’t stop there. If Omori, who is unofficially in 13th place, leads the next two days, it would put him in a three way tie with Chad Morganthaler and Dean Rojas for 9th place, leaving one of those anglers off the list and Klein and Nixon definitely out.

Or if Rick Clunn (5th place, 9-5), who is also in fifth place on the points list, finishes in 12th place on day three it would put him in a tie with Klein for 10th place, leaving one of them out of the top 10, although Clunn has already qualified for the Classic through the Tour points standings.

And we can’t even get a good grasp on how those ties will be broken or who will get a berth into the Classic from the Tour standings as a result of any of those scenarios.

“It’s too confusing for me,’’ Nixon said. “I’ve done all I can do anyway, so I guess we’ll just to see how it turns out.”

Which boils down to the fishing on Lake Wissota, yet another confusing scenario. Obviously the fishing has been tough, but the 12 remaining anglers will get to fish for the first time what some say is the best part of the lake. It’s better because it has more structural variations from the lake, but even that isn’t a sure thing.

There’s no way of knowing if the tactics that worked (if you can call it working) will succeed in this new water. There certainly hasn’t been a pattern that has set itself apart from anything.

Iaconelli has primarily fished a Berkley Sinking Minnow, but he’s concentrated on largemouth a species that may or may nor be in the creek. VanDam caught his first day stringer on a shallow-diving Smithwick Rogue, but failed to catch anything on day two, while Rowland used the Rogue to move into the semifinal. And Swindle caught his weight on a Lucky Craft G-Flash, a topwater chugger.

If you can find a clue in there, more power to you. The best guess, though, is no one can count on anything on day three except however it plays out with fish caught or none caught, the third day will be dramatic if only for a few anglers.

Rank Name Hometown Bass Weight Pts. Winnings
1. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 10 18-15 310 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 9-12 Day 2: 5 9-03
2. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 6 13-09 295
Day 1: 1 2-11 Day 2: 5 10-14
3. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 7 13-03 290
Day 1: 3 5-12 Day 2: 4 7-07
4. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 5 12-06 285 $1,000.00
Day 1: 1 2-07 Day 2: 4 9-15
5. Rick Clunn Ava, Mo. 5 9-05 280
Day 1: 3 5-05 Day 2: 2 4-00
6. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 4 9-04 276
Day 1: 4 9-04 Day 2: 0 0-00
7. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 5 9-03 272
Day 1: 4 7-04 Day 2: 1 1-15
8. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 5 8-15 268
Day 1: 3 6-05 Day 2: 2 2-10
9. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 4 8-07 264
Day 1: 3 6-11 Day 2: 1 1-12
9. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 3 8-07 264 $1,500.00
Day 1: 1 2-08 Day 2: 2 5-15
11. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 3 8-02 257 $2,000.00
Day 1: 3 8-02 Day 2: 0 0-00
12. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 4 8-00 254
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 4 8-00
13. Dean Rojas Grand Saline, Texas 3 7-07 251 $5,700.00
Day 1: 3 7-07 Day 2: 0 0-00
14. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 4 6-15 248 $5,600.00
Day 1: 2 3-03 Day 2: 2 3-12
15. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 4 6-09 245 $5,500.00
Day 1: 4 6-09 Day 2: 0 0-00
15. Dave Wolak Warrior Run, Pa. 3 6-09 245 $5,500.00
Day 1: 1 2-14 Day 2: 2 3-11
17. Denny Brauer Camdenton, Mo. 3 5-06 241 $5,500.00
Day 1: 1 1-15 Day 2: 2 3-07
18. George Cochran Hot Springs, Ark. 3 5-05 239 $5,500.00
Day 1: 3 5-05 Day 2: 0 0-00
19. Edwin Evers Mannsville, Okla. 2 5-02 237 $5,500.00
Day 1: 2 5-02 Day 2: 0 0-00
20. Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 2 4-14 235 $5,400.00
Day 1: 2 4-14 Day 2: 0 0-00
21. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 3 4-13 233 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 1-05 Day 2: 2 3-08
22. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 2 4-11 231 $5,700.00
Day 1: 1 1-10 Day 2: 1 3-01
23. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, Ill. 2 4-07 229 $5,200.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 4-07
24. Stacey D King Reeds Spring, Mo. 2 4-05 227 $5,200.00
Day 1: 2 4-05 Day 2: 0 0-00
24. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 2 4-05 227 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 2-05 Day 2: 1 2-00
26. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 2 4-03 223 $5,200.00
Day 1: 2 4-03 Day 2: 0 0-00
27. Terry Scroggins Palatka, Fla. 3 3-15 221 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 1-05 Day 2: 2 2-10
28. Jeff Reynolds Platter, Okla. 2 3-10 219 $5,200.00
Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 0 0-00
28. Bud Pruitt Spring, Texas 2 3-10 219 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 1-10 Day 2: 1 2-00
28. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 2 3-10 219 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 2-00 Day 2: 1 1-10
31. Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Ark. 2 3-02 213 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 1-11 Day 2: 1 1-07
32. Marty Stone Linden, N.C. 2 3-01 211 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 1-07 Day 2: 1 1-10
33. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, N.C. 1 2-11 209 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 2-11 Day 2: 0 0-00
34. Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 1 2-03 207 $5,200.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 2-03
35. Luke Clausen Spokane Valley, Wash. 1 2-01 205 $5,200.00
Day 1: 1 2-01 Day 2: 0 0-00
36. Mark Tyler Scottsdale, Ariz. 1 2-00 203 $5,100.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 2-00
36. David Wharton Sam Rayburn, Texas 1 2-00 203 $5,100.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 2-00
36. Ron Shuffield Bismarck, Ark. 1 2-00 203 $5,100.00
Day 1: 1 2-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
39. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 1 1-11 197 $5,100.00
Day 1: 1 1-11 Day 2: 0 0-00
40. Roland Martin Naples, Fla. 1 1-09 195 $5,100.00
Day 1: 1 1-09 Day 2: 0 0-00
41. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 1 1-08 193 $5,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 1-08
42. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 1 1-06 191 $5,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 1-06
42. Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 1 1-06 191 $5,000.00
Day 1: 1 1-06 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 1 1-03 187 $5,000.00
Day 1: 1 1-03 Day 2: 0 0-00
45. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 1 0-15 185 $5,000.00
Day 1: 1 0-15 Day 2: 0 0-00
46. David Fritts Lexington, N.C. 0 0-00 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
46. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 0 0-00 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
46. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 0 0-00 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
46. Ishama Monroe Hughson, Calif. 0 0-00 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
46. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 0 0-00 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

Day 3: VanDam Leads - Again

Kevin VanDam leads Day 3 CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. --- Just like that all the weird scenarios fell by the way side, all the questions were answered, and the battle of the two Yankees is over.

Kevin VanDam has taken the lead in the Citgo Bassmaster Elite 50 event on Lake Wissota, while Michael Iaconellli fell to ninth place, giving the Elite 50 points’ title to VanDam for the second year in a row. And all the little things that needed to happen to shake the points’ standings up and get some anglers into the Bassmaster Classic didn’t materialize. But man, it was fun watching.

The tough conditions that have come to define this event persisted. None of the anglers caught a limit, and three of the 12 zeroed, including Rick Clunn, if you can believe that.

Considering that, VanDam smoked them, weighing in four fish that totaled 8 pounds, 7 ounces and threatens to win his second consecutive Elite 50. Takahiro Omori is second with 6 pounds, 13 ounces, Shaw Grigsby is third (5 pounds, 9 ounces), Jay Yelas is fourth (5 pounds, 5 ounces), Zell Rowland is fifth (4 pounds, 10 ounces) and Davy Hite slipped into the final with a whopping 3 pounds, 4 ounces.

Going into the day, there were close to a dozen separate scenarios that could play out that would have shaken up the points’ standings in the Elite 50, with the chance of knocking some anglers out of the Classic and putting others in.

Gary Klein was on the immediate bubble in 11th place and needed Clunn to zero and finish 12th to put the two anglers in a tie for 10th place and give Klein a shot at making the Big Show. It seemed impossible, but Clunn zeroed. And ironically was saved by Randy Howell and Mike Wurm zeroing as well it to put the three anglers in a tie for 10th place in the event, and moved Clunn in a tie for 9th place with Larry Nixon in the points’ standings. That leaves Klein out, but it was obviously a close call.

If you are still following all this, get ready because there’s more. Howell and Mark Davis both needed to make the cut to keep their Classic hopes alive. Howell’s zero washed his hopes away. And Davis missed the cut by 10 ounces, even more painful considering that he lost three 2-pound class fish that not only would have given him the lead in the event, but put him in a position to bump Clunn or Nixon and make the next two year’s Classics.

And the last close call came from Omori, who needed to lead today and win the event to bump Clunn or Nixon and give a Classic berth to Wurm. Omori missed that mark by more than a pound. But as the pounds and ounces were counted and the zeroes assessed none of those anglers needing to have things happen or not happen could take an easy breath.

And it’s much the same for the final six anglers. While VanDam can breath easily in regards to the Points’ Title, he doesn’t have that luxury in the tournament. Wissota has already shown VanDam how easily a zero can happen. He blanked on day two. And has no idea if he can catch a keeper or not on the final day, but neither does any one else.

If Wissota has proven anything it is that even the best anglers in the world don’t figure them out all the time. VanDam caught his keepers on a topwater chugging bait and a Strike King 5-inch Zero, but ask him he figured out a pattern and all you’ll get is a confused look.

And judging by the way the rest of the anglers caught their keepers there aren’t very many clues to help figure it out.

For instance, Omori caught two of his keepers flipping docks, but he caught a largemouth off a bed. Grigsby caught his three on a Sumo Frog skittered across the top of the mucky algae bloom over grass beds and Rowland caught his three flipping a Yum Tube in the muck.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever fished a tournament that is as mentally tough as this one,’’ VanDam said.

Part of the problem centers on the phase these fish are in, somewhere between the spawn and post-spawn, where they don’t want to feed or chase food. Added to that is a lake that obviously doesn’t have the population of fish could produce a lot of fiish. But what it lacks in fish, it makes up for in spectators. There are hundreds of them, some on jet skies and others in wake-producing walleye boats and all of them are rocking the small course on the lake.

“You are constantly bouncing up and down,’’ VanDam said. “And the water on the banks stays muddy.’’

Those things, like the Classic standings, won’t change. It’s anybody’s guess whether the leaderboard will or not.

Rank Name Hometown Bass Weight Pts. Winnings
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 4 8-07 305 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 9-04 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 4 8-07
2. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 3 6-13 295 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 5-12 Day 2: 4 7-07 Day 3: 3 6-13
3. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 3 5-09 290 $1,500.00
Day 1: 1 2-08 Day 2: 2 5-15 Day 3: 3 5-09
4. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 2 5-05 285
Day 1: 1 2-11 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 2 5-05
5. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 3 4-10 280
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 4 8-00 Day 3: 3 4-10
6. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 2 3-04 276
Day 1: 3 6-11 Day 2: 1 1-12 Day 3: 2 3-04
7. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 2 2-10 272 $7,000.00
Day 1: 3 6-05 Day 2: 2 2-10 Day 3: 2 2-10
8. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 1 2-06 268 $7,800.00
Day 1: 1 2-07 Day 2: 4 9-15 Day 3: 1 2-06
9. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 1 0-04 274 $7,600.00
Day 1: 5 9-12 Day 2: 5 9-03 Day 3: 1 0-04
10. Rick Clunn Ava, Mo. 0 0-00 260 $6,200.00
Day 1: 3 5-05 Day 2: 2 4-00 Day 3: 0 0-00
10. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 0 0-00 260 $6,200.00
Day 1: 4 7-04 Day 2: 1 1-15 Day 3: 0 0-00
10. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 0 0-00 260 $8,200.00
Day 1: 3 8-02 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00

Day 4: Back to Back

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. --- Kevin VanDam has done it again, as if there were any doubt.

VanDam posted a final-day four-fish stringer totaling 6-05 to take his second consecutive Citgo Bassmaster Elite 50 tournament a day after he won his second consecutive Elite 50 points title.

It’s almost as if you can start to take these things for granted. But the truth is it wasn’t all that easy.

Davy Hite was second; putting together an impressive charge that looked like it could over take VanDam on the final day. He weighed in four fish weighing 8-12. Zell Rowland was third with 4-01.

And while those anglers provided the bulk of the fireworks, the rest of the field sort of slipped into the Lake Wissota doldrums. Shaw Grigsby only caught one (1-04) finishing in fourth, while Takahiro Omori and Jay Yelas failed to catch a keeper and finished in tied for fourth and sixth with 6-13 and 5-05, respectively.

The two zeroes made added to the list of the four anglers in the final who experienced a fishless day in the four days of competition. The others on that list were VanDam and Rowland, who zeroed on days two and one, respectively.

Those fishless days, though, helped VanDam start putting together a game plan. And on the third day, a 2-pound smallmouth completed it and gave him the final clue on how to win the event.

"I was fishing up to a dock and there was all kinds of weeds and vegetation under it," VanDam said. "It was a perfect place for a largemouth. Just an ideal place. I skipped my (Strike King) Zero under there and thunk, I set the hook and reeled in a smallmouth.

"That smallmouth had no business being up there. But that told me right then that smallmouth were the prevalent species in this course. From that moment on, my mind was on nothing but smallmouth."

And he switched his tactics to target those species of fish.

"Smallmouth like to be around cover, not in it like a largemouth," VanDam said.

So, to pick off the prevalent species he tied on an old-style Smithwick Rogue casting it along the edges of boat docks and mats of muck and vegetation with a cadence that kept the bait constantly moving, but not moving out of the strike zone.

"Basically you just jerk the heck out of it on a slack line," VanDam said. "That way it’s always moving, but it stays in the strike zone and the smallmouth really never get a good look at it. But that constant movement produces a lot of reaction strikes."

It was the perfect remedy for a tough lake. But while VanDam was concentrating on the smallmouth, Hite was zeroed in on the largemouth hoping to catch the weight needed to overcome VanDam.

It almost worked. He caught his weight on the final day by casting a methiolate-colored floating worm in the holes in the middle of the matted grass beds. It produced four keeper bites, and like the prevalent Wissota pattern, the fifth one never materialized.

And it wasn’t because anyone in front of him was catching them either. The only angler to have multiple bites beside him and VanDam was Rowland. Rowland’s stringer was made up of a largemouth and smallmouth, each caught on a Yum Tube flipped into matted grass.

Rank Name Hometown Bass Weight Pts. Winnings
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 7 14-12 310 $102,000.00
Day 1: 4 9-04 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 4 8-07 Day 4: 3 6-05
2. Davy Hite Prosperity, S.C. 6 12-00 295 $21,000.00
Day 1: 3 6-11 Day 2: 1 1-12 Day 3: 2 3-04 Day 4: 4 8-12
3. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 5 8-11 290 $12,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 4 8-00 Day 3: 3 4-10 Day 4: 2 4-01
4. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 4 6-13 285 $12,150.00
Day 1: 1 2-08 Day 2: 2 5-15 Day 3: 3 5-09 Day 4: 1 1-04
4. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 3 6-13 285 $11,650.00
Day 1: 3 5-12 Day 2: 4 7-07 Day 3: 3 6-13 Day 4: 0 0-00
6. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 2 5-05 276 $10,000.00
Day 1: 1 2-11 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 2 5-05 Day 4: 0 0-00

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President/Publisher: Brandon Shook.