You couldn't have scripted a better scenario for the Bassmaster Angler of the Year Race. Going into the season-ending event, a glance at the standings reveals a smorgasbord of anglers within striking distance of the top spot.
Young, old, accomplished, legendary, West coast, East coast. Whatever your preference, you can find an angler in the top-10 to root for going into the Tour finale on Missouri's Table Rock Lake.
At the moment, North Carolina's Marty Stone is hanging on by a thread over a host of familiar faces.
"This is something I've always wanted to do in my career. All I wanted was to go into the last tournament and have a shot at winning Angler of the Year," said Stone, 39, a two-time BASS winner.
Complicating matters for Stone is an extremely talented top 10 which is so close that any one of these guys could take the prize with a strong finish at Table Rock.
Rounding out the top 10 are New Jersey's Michael Iaconelli, Lake Norman event winner Edwin Evers, Florida's Terry Scroggins, California's Skeet Reese and Aaron Martens, Tennessee's David Walker, Toyota Rookie of the Year leader David Wolak of PENNSYLVANIA, Missouri's Rick Clunn and Arkansas's George Cochran.
Only Clunn, the four-time Classic champion and semifinalist in the Greatest Angler Debate, has ever won Angler of the Year honors. In 1988, he won the title for the only time in his illustrious career.
Michael Iaconelli, the 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion who continues to pump excitement into the sport with his personal brand of exuberance, sits in second place in the Angler of the Year standings, largely on the strength of three top-20 finishes. He trails Stone by a mere ten points.
"You obviously think about it [Angler of the Year], and it's something that I've wanted to accomplish my entire life, but you don't want it to overwhelm you," Iaconelli said. "I want to go there [Table Rock] and approach it like any other lake and find an area that will produce for me."
Narrowly missing out on a win at Guntersville earlier this year, Edwin Evers found redemption by winning at Lake Norman with a final day catch that vaulted him from third to first. Perhaps the hottest angler on Tour for the past few events, Evers recognizes the importance of an award of this magnitude.
"It's the biggest goal in my life, and it's something I want really badly," Evers said. "It means a lot to me. But if I can control it, I'm sure going to make things happen."
Terry Scroggins was the AOY leader going into the Lake Norman event and sits just 29 points behind the leader after a disappointing finish in North Carolina. Table Rock holds promise for Scroggins' wide-open style.
"I'm fishing wide open," Scroggins said, "It's the only way I know how. I like that lake [Table Rock] pretty well, and I'm a little more familiar with it than most."
Representing the West Coast are Reese and Martens, both from California. To many, they also represent the new face of BASS - young and talented with big personalities.
"We'll see where the cards fall," Reese said. "I've really tried to fish my strengths this year, and I am certainly not going to fish Table Rock conservatively."
Walker, who continues to nip at the heels of his first BASS win, believes his consistent nature makes him an excellent candidate for the award.
"I would love to win a tournament, but sometimes I think I don't have the nerve for it," Walker said. "I don't want to change my recipe because I've qualified for the Classic every year of my career."
Although Wolak and Clunn sit side-by-side in the standings, they're at disparate ends of their careers. At 28 years of age, Wolak has barely lived as many years as Clunn has been Classics. Wolak is climbing the mountain as he seeks a Classic berth in his rookie season. Clunn has been to the mountaintop many times and is in strong position to qualify for an unprecedented 29th Classic and his first in four years.
Going into the final event, the Angler of the Year standings are so close that even the tenth-place angler has a viable shot at the honor, especially if that angler is two-time Bassmaster Classic champion George Cochran. The AOY title would be his first and would go a long way toward cementing his position as one of the sport's all-time greats.
This year's Angler of the Year race is shaping up like one for the ages. With such diversity and slim margins separating the challengers, it's anyone's and everyone's crown. The only thing for certain is that it will be decided at Table Rock Lake, March 31-April 3.
May the best angler win!
2005 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Pro Points
After Near Charlotte, N.C. Ending 03-20-2005, Day 4
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Marty Stone N.C. 1129
2 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1119
3 Edwin Evers Okla. 1117
4 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1100
4 Skeet Reese Calif. 1100
6 Aaron Martens Ala. 1097
7 David Walker Tenn. 1047
8 Dave Wolak Pa. 1040
9 Rick Clunn Mo. 1038
10 George Cochran Ark. 1028
11 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1018
12 Greg Hackney La. 987
13 Mark Tucker Mo. 972
13 Brian Snowden Mo. 972
15 Ron Shuffield Ark. 961
16 Kevin VanDam Mich. 955
17 Jimmy Mize Ark. 943
18 Preston Clark Fla. 940
19 Scott Rook Ark. 931
20 Luke Clausen Wash. 923
21 Kevin Wirth Ky. 920
22 Guy Eaker N.C. 919
23 John Crews Va. 894
24 Ishama Monroe Calif. 880
25 Mark Tyler Ariz. 879
26 Mike Reynolds Calif. 862
27 Tim Horton Ala. 856
28 Takahiro Omori Texas 850
29 Tommy Biffle Okla. 847
30 Jay Yelas Texas 843
31 Larry Nixon Ark. 836
32 Frank Scalish Ohio 833
33 Bud Pruitt Texas 824
33 Bernie Schultz Fla. 824
35 Todd Faircloth Texas 819
36 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 817
37 Gerald Swindle Ala. 813
38 Andre Moore Ariz. 810
39 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 804
40 Mark Rizk Ala. 792
41 Kelly Jordon Texas 783
42 Jay Kendrick Tenn. 781
42 Rick Morris Va. 781
44 Mike Wurm Ark. 777
45 Scott Suggs Ark. 775
45 Stacey D King Mo. 775
47 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 774
48 O T Fears III Okla. 770
49 Lee Bailey Conn. 763
50 Paul Elias Miss. 756
51 Tommy Martin Texas 754
52 Jason Quinn S.C. 753
53 Zell Rowland Texas 749
54 Randy Howell Ala. 737
55 Gary Yamamoto Texas 736
56 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 727
57 David Wharton Texas 719
58 Stephen Browning Ark. 718
59 Russ Lane Ala. 713
60 David Dudley Va. 699
61 Darryl Burkhardt Ore. 692
62 Charlie Hartley Ohio 691
63 David Fritts N.C. 681
63 Terry Butcher Okla. 681
65 David Gliebe Calif. 677
66 Peter E Thliveros Fla. 669
67 Chris Baumgardner N.C. 666
68 Davy Hite S.C. 665
68 Jack A Gadlage Ky. 665
70 Curt Lytle Va. 663
71 Dustin Wilks N.C. 660
72 Kenyon Hill Okla. 658
73 Gary Klein Texas 655
74 Robert Hamilton Jr Miss. 654
75 Brent Chapman Kan. 651
76 Dean Rojas Texas 646
77 Robert Lee Calif. 644
78 Dion Hibdon Mo. 637
78 Matt Reed Texas 637
80 Kevin Short Ark. 635
80 Cliff Pace Miss. 635
82 Mike McClelland Ark. 632
83 Frank Ippoliti Md. 629
84 Mike Hicks Va. 626
84 Mark Rogers Fla. 626
86 Norio Tanabe Japan 616
87 Jarrett Edwards Colo. 615
87 Roger Boler La. 615
89 R J Bennett Calif. 611
89 Danny White Ga. 611
91 John Murray Ariz. 606
92 Pete Gluszek N.J. 605
93 Art Ferguson III Mich. 603
94 Gerald Gostenik Mich. 601
95 Chad Morgenthaler Ill. 590
96 Jeff Magee Miss. 589
97 Denny Brauer Mo. 580
98 Todd Auten S.C. 576
99 Roland Martin Fla. 574
100 Randy Blaukat Mo. 568
101 Jim Bitter Fla. 560
101 Alton Jones Texas 560
103 Mark Rose Ark. 554
104 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Fla. 551
105 Jimmy Houston Okla. 547
106 Chad Brauer Mo. 545
107 Steve Sennikoff Texas 541
108 Woo Daves Va. 536
109 Mike Auten Ky. 532
110 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 526
111 Eric Nethery Ga. 522
112 Tommy Stiles Tenn. 520
113 Doug Garrett Ark. 518
114 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 511
115 Jesse Draime Miss. 509
115 Mark Davis Ark. 509
117 Byron Velvick Nev. 507
118 Chris Bielert Conn. 504
119 Joe Thomas Ohio 502
120 Ben Matsubu Texas 500
121 Tom Mann, Jr Ga. 499
122 Chip Hawkins Ark. 495
123 Tim Loper Miss. 494
124 Johnny Lesesne Ga. 476
125 Randy Yarnall Pa. 475
126 Elton Luce Jr Texas 471
127 Jack Wade Tenn. 469
128 Harold Allen Texas 458
129 Terry Baksay Conn. 452
130 Chris Daves Va. 445
131 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 435
132 Jason Reyes Texas 423
133 Ken Cook Okla. 409
134 Cody Bird Texas 401
135 David Mansue N.J. 389
136 Mike O'Shea Calif. 382
137 Homer Humphreys, Jr La. 378
138 Zachary Thompson Calif. 367
138 Marcel Veenstra Mich. 367
140 Charlie Weyer Calif. 366
140 Sean Hoernke Texas 366
142 Kyle Mabrey Ala. 356
143 Tim Carroll Okla. 351
144 Pete Ponds Miss. 347
145 Jimmy Mason Ala. 321
146 Brett Hite Ariz. 290
147 Steve Daniel Fla. 284
148 Thad Takes Iowa 268
149 Brooks Rogers Texas 256
150 Bradley Stringer Texas 234
151 Terry Adams La. 193
152 Mark Menendez Ky. 187
153 Randy Dearman Texas 184
154 Louis Iribarren N.Y. 174
155 Bink Desaro Idaho 173
156 Charlie Youngers Fla. 168
157 Grant Goldbeck Md. 152
158 David Cooke N.C. 58