Kimberling City, Mo. - Second place just gets old after a while. Greg Hackney and Aaron Martens know this all too well. Both are successful BASS pros who have long since earned the respect of their peers, but neither has climbed to the top of the bass fishing mountain. Hackney has come close to winning a Tour event on several occasions while Martens finished second in the Bassmaster Classic two of the past three years.
Both anglers reached milestones at Table Rock Lake this week at the season finale of the 2005 Bassmaster Tour.
Martens brought in a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 11 ounces which was enough to vault him into second place at Table Rock and earn him the title of 2005 Bassmaster Angler of the Year in a tight race against North Carolina's Marty Stone. Martens needed to finish fourth or better to take the award and was sixth heading into the final day of competition.
Stone, who missed the cut to 12 anglers for the semifinals, sat stage-side and could only watch as Martens brought his catch to the scales.
"I didn't really think I had a chance at Angler of the Year coming into Table Rock," Martens said. "I still can't believe I won it."
Hackney had never won a Bassmaster Tour event prior to the Table Rock tournament and had been saddled with the bridesmaid tag a few times. His fourth consecutive limit gave him a tournament total of 57-9, more than seven pounds better than Martens, who finished second with 50-3.
"I thought I might choke again when I wasn't catching the same fish that I had been catching the previous days," Hackney said. "This is a great way to top off the year."
Following Hackney and Martens were Kansas's Brent Chapman (47-14), Michigan's Kevin VanDam (47-7), Oklahoma's Jeff Reynolds (46-7) and Mississippi's Pete Ponds (46-5).
Hackney fished a green pumpkin Strike King 3X finesse worm on a small jighead around secondary points in major creeks. He used spinning gear and 8-pound fluorocarbon line to work the bait slowly around ledges dropping from eight to 12 feet deep to catch his winning strings.
Hackney took a slim two-ounce lead over VanDam into the finals and was shocked when VanDam zeroed on the final day.
"It was unreal when Kevin didn't weigh a fish," Hackney said. "I almost lost my breath."
"It was just one of those days," VanDam said. "That's fishing. I couldn't buy a keeper, but I sure helped out today because I burned a lot of gas out there driving around the lake."
Sunday's Big Bass Award went to Mississippi's Pete Ponds for his 3-14 lunker. Impressively, Ponds took big bass honors on three of the four days of competition, earning $1,000 for each lunker.
The only day that Ponds didn't take big bass honors was Day Two, when Aaron Martens came to the scales with a nine-pound largemouth. Martens won $1,000 for the Big Bass of Day Two and an additional $1,000 for Big Bass of the tournament. That big fish was instrumental in Martens claiming the Angler of the Year title.
Angler of the Year runner-up, Marty Stone, was gracious in defeat and enjoyed a terrific year on the Tour. Had he made the cut to the semifinals, he and Martens would have battled things out on the water. He spoke highly of his friend, Martens, calling him a "world-class angler."
"Let me tell you something about talking to Aaron. Ignore the 'dudes' and the 'mans' he loves to use, and listen to everything else," Stone joked. "He's an amazing fisherman and really deserves this honor."
In addition to the money he earned for his big bass, Martens takes home $100,000 as Angler of the Year, $38,000 for his second-place finish in the tournament and another $1,000 for the catch of the final day (12-11). His final round catch included four spotted bass and a largemouth, all caught on a drop-shotted Aaron's Special Roboworm.
The event on Table Rock Lake will be telecast on The Bassmasters on Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
2005 Missouri Bassmaster Tour Pro 03/31-04/03
Table Rock Lake, Kimberling City, Mo.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total
$$$
1. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 20 57-09 310
$102,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 14-13 Day 4: 5
10-00
2. Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 16 50-03 295
$42,000.00
Day 1: 4 11-10 Day 2: 5 21-15 Day 3: 2 3-15 Day 4: 5
12-11
3. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 16 47-14 290
$24,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 3 7-12 Day 4: 3
7-03
4. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 14 47-07 290
$20,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 4 12-03 Day 4: 0
0-00
5. Jeff Reynolds Platter, Okla. 17 46-07 280
$15,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 4 10-12 Day 4: 3
8-13
6. Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 14 46-05 276
$20,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 2 6-14 Day 4: 2
5-15
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Bass
Day
1 Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 6-12 $1,000.00
2 Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 9-00 $1,000.00
3 Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 4-08 $1,000.00
4 Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 3-14 $1,000.00
Protected by Bonus
Day
1 Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 6-12 $1,000.00
3 Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 4-08 $1,000.00
4 Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 3-14 $1,000.00
Big Bass of Tournament
Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 9-00 $1,000.00
Busch Heavyweight
Day
1 Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 19-04 $1,000.00
2 Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, Kan. 22-05 $1,000.00
3 Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 14-13 $1,000.00
4 Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. 12-11 $1,000.00
Angler of the Year Leader
Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala. $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 24 326 857-07
2 30 365 1032-05
3 1 30 84-14
4 2 18 44-10
----------------------------------
57 739 2019-04
2005 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Pro Points
After Kimberling City, Mo. Ending 04-03-2005, Day 4
-------------------------------------------
Place Name St Pts
-------------------------------------------
1 Aaron Martens Ala. 1392
2 Marty Stone N.C. 1380
3 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1348
4 Dave Wolak Pa. 1300
5 Greg Hackney La. 1297
6 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1263
7 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1245
8 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1240
9 Skeet Reese Calif. 1235
10 Ron Shuffield Ark. 1198
11 Edwin Evers Okla. 1182
12 Mark Tucker Mo. 1171
13 David Walker Tenn. 1160
14 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1149
15 Preston Clark Fla. 1133
16 Scott Rook Ark. 1128
17 Tim Horton Ala. 1124
18 George Cochran Ark. 1119
19 John Crews Va. 1117
20 Rick Clunn Mo. 1112
21 Jay Yelas Texas 1100
22 Ishama Monroe Calif. 1091
23 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 1084
24 Andre Moore Ariz. 1082
25 Mike Reynolds Calif. 1063
26 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1056
27 Brian Snowden Mo. 1042
28 Stacey D King Mo. 1039
29 Jimmy Mize Ark. 1004
30 Luke Clausen Wash. 978
31 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 972
32 Mike Wurm Ark. 968
33 Takahiro Omori Texas 967
34 Bernie Schultz Fla. 963
35 Guy Eaker N.C. 959
36 Gary Yamamoto Texas 957
37 Scott Suggs Ark. 956
38 Frank Scalish Ohio 952
39 Larry Nixon Ark. 945
40 Brent Chapman Kan. 941
41 Russ Lane Ala. 938
42 Todd Faircloth Texas 936
43 Jason Quinn S.C. 926
44 Mark Tyler Ariz. 922
45 Mark Rizk Ala. 921
46 Tommy Martin Texas 919
47 Lee Bailey Conn. 914
48 David Fritts N.C. 910
49 Jack A Gadlage Ky. 906
50 Dion Hibdon Mo. 896
51 Bud Pruitt Texas 894
52 David Dudley Va. 860
53 Gerald Swindle Ala. 858
54 Davy Hite S.C. 854
55 Robert Lee Calif. 851
56 O T Fears III Okla. 846
57 Stephen Browning Ark. 845
57 Kenyon Hill Okla. 845
59 Rick Morris Va. 842
60 Terry Butcher Okla. 834
60 Charlie Hartley Ohio 834
62 Jay Kendrick Tenn. 831
63 Zell Rowland Texas 825
63 Darryl Burkhardt Ore. 825
65 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 822
66 Kelly Jordon Texas 820
67 Dean Rojas Texas 817
68 Mike McClelland Ark. 815
69 Kevin Short Ark. 814
70 Paul Elias Miss. 808
70 Curt Lytle Va. 808
72 Frank Ippoliti Md. 804
73 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 799
74 Randy Howell Ala. 798
75 Robert Hamilton Jr Miss. 795
76 David Wharton Texas 782
77 Chad Morgenthaler Ill. 775
78 Chris Baumgardner N.C. 765
79 Peter E Thliveros Fla. 764
80 Mark Rose Ark. 759
81 Todd Auten S.C. 753
82 Ben Matsubu Texas 739
83 Dustin Wilks N.C. 727
84 Chris Bielert Conn. 723
85 Gary Klein Texas 719
85 Norio Tanabe Japan 719
87 David Gliebe Calif. 716
88 Mark Davis Ark. 714
88 Jeff Magee Miss. 714
90 Chad Brauer Mo. 710
91 Mike Auten Ky. 703
92 John Murray Ariz. 699
93 Cliff Pace Miss. 698
94 Terry Baksay Conn. 695
95 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Fla. 690
96 Matt Reed Texas 687
97 Jack Wade Tenn. 686
98 Alton Jones Texas 685
99 Roger Boler La. 681
100 Mark Rogers Fla. 680
101 Roland Martin Fla. 679
102 Johnny Lesesne Ga. 671
103 R J Bennett Calif. 664
104 Jason Reyes Texas 656
105 Art Ferguson III Mich. 654
106 Randy Blaukat Mo. 645
107 Gerald Gostenik Mich. 643
108 Cody Bird Texas 638
109 Joe Thomas Ohio 633
110 Mike Hicks Va. 626
110 Ken Cook Okla. 626
112 Pete Ponds Miss. 623
113 Denny Brauer Mo. 621
114 Jarrett Edwards Colo. 615
115 Danny White Ga. 611
116 Tom Mann, Jr Ga. 610
117 Jimmy Houston Okla. 608
118 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 605
118 Pete Gluszek N.J. 605
120 Jesse Draime Miss. 592
121 Chip Hawkins Ark. 584
122 Charlie Weyer Calif. 583
123 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 581
124 Byron Velvick Nev. 564
125 Jim Bitter Fla. 560
126 Doug Garrett Ark. 556
127 Mike O'Shea Calif. 553
128 Chris Daves Va. 548
129 Steve Sennikoff Texas 541
130 Tim Loper Miss. 538
131 Woo Daves Va. 536
132 Eric Nethery Ga. 522
133 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 520
133 Tommy Stiles Tenn. 520
135 Elton Luce Jr Texas 518
136 Zachary Thompson Calif. 516
137 Harold Allen Texas 515
138 Marcel Veenstra Mich. 514
139 Brooks Rogers Texas 487
140 Homer Humphreys, Jr La. 485
141 Randy Yarnall Pa. 475
142 Tim Carroll Okla. 440
143 Sean Hoernke Texas 437
144 Thad Takes Iowa 427
145 Jimmy Mason Ala. 418
146 David Mansue N.J. 389
147 Steve Daniel Fla. 365
148 Kyle Mabrey Ala. 356
149 Bink Desaro Idaho 330
150 Brett Hite Ariz. 290
151 Bradley Stringer Texas 280
152 Grant Goldbeck Md. 226
153 Randy Dearman Texas 221
154 Terry Adams La. 193
155 Mark Menendez Ky. 187
156 Louis Iribarren N.Y. 174
157 Charlie Youngers Fla. 168
158 David Cooke N.C. 58
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
2005 Tournament Year
After KIMBERLING CITY, MO ending 04-03-2005, Day 4
Place Angler Name City State Total Points
1 David Wolak Warrior Run Pa. 1300
2 Preston Clark Palatka Fla. 1133
3 Andre Moore Scottsdale Ariz. 1082
4 Greg Gutierrez Red Bluff Calif. 972
5 Russell Lane Prattville Ala. 938
6 Terry Butcher Talala Okla. 834
7 Chris Bielert Danbury Conn. 723
8 David Gliebe Stockton Calif. 716
9 Cliff Pace Petal Miss. 698
10 Jesse Draime Long Beach Miss. 592
11 Chip Hawkins White Hall Ark. 584
12 Fred Roumbanis Auburn Calif. 520
13 Zachary Thompson Orinda Calif. 516
14 Thad Takes Center Point Iowa 427
15 Bradley Stringer Huntington Texas 280
16 Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg Md. 226
2005 HORIZON AWARD
2005 After KIMBERLING CITY, MO ending 04-03-2005, Day 4
---------------------------------------------------------
Place Name 2004 Finish 2005 Standings
---------------------------------------------------------
1 Gary Yamamoto 151 36
2 Frank Scalish 147 38
3 Jeff Kriet 109 6
4 John Crews 107 19
5 Jay Kendrick 143 62
6 Todd Faircloth 116 42
6 Stephen Browning 131 57
8 Mike Wurm 103 32
9 Rick Morris 122 59
9 Norio Tanabe 148 85
9 Frank Ippoliti 135 72
12 Mike Reynolds 85 25
13 Jeff Reynolds 80 23
14 Kotaro Kiriyama 120 65
15 Roger Boler 153 99
16 Robert Hamilton Jr 124 75
17 Ron Shuffield 58 10
18 Mark Rizk 89 45
19 David Fritts 91 48
20 Scott Rook 55 16
21 Jimmy Mize 67 29
22 Terry Scroggins 40 3
22 Luke Clausen 67 30
24 Curt Lytle 106 70
25 Jay Yelas 56 21
25 Ishama Monroe 57 22
27 Johnny Lesesne 134 102
28 Mark Tyler 75 44
29 George Cochran 48 18
30 Guy Eaker 63 35
31 Tommy Biffle 52 26
31 Ken Cook 136 110
33 Rick Clunn 45 20
33 Terrence Baksay 119 94
35 Mark Tucker 36 12
36 Larry Nixon 62 39
37 Edwin Evers 31 11
37 Pete Gluszek 138 118
37 Pete Ponds 132 112
37 Morizo Shimizu 93 73
41 Kevin VanDam 26 7
41 Kenyon Hill 76 57
41 Kevin Wirth 33 14
44 Jack A Gadlage 64 49
45 David Walker 27 13
45 Tom Mann, Jr 130 116
47 Marty Stone 14 2
48 Roland Martin 110 101
49 Darryl Burkhardt 70 63
50 Charlie Hartley 66 60
50 Tommy Stiles 139 133
50 Doug Garrett 132 126
50 Robert Lee 61 55
54 Aaron Martens 6 1
55 Tim Horton 20 17
55 Brian Snowden 30 27
57 Byron Velvick 126 124
57 Homer Humphreys, Jr 142 140
59 Stacey D King 29 28
Busch Heavy-Weight
2005 Tournament Year
After KIMBERLING CITY, MO ending 04-03-2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Place Name Body Of Water Day lbs-Ozs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Morizo Shimizu Lake Guntersville, Ala. 4 30-05
2 Edwin Evers Lake Guntersville, Ala. 1 27-15
2 Gerald Swindle Lake Guntersville, Ala. 2 27-15
4 Jim Bitter Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 1 26-12
5 Frank Ippoliti Clarks Hill/Strom Thurmon 1 26-07
6 Scott Rook Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 2 22-08
7 Zell Rowland Lake Guntersville, Ala. 3 22-06
8 Brent Chapman Table Rock Lake, Mo. 2 22-05
9 Guy Eaker Clarks Hill/Strom Thurmon 2 20-07
10 Peter Thliveros Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 4 19-15
11 Kotaro Kiriyama Lake Norman, N.C. 1 19-07
12 Greg Hackney Table Rock Lake, Mo. 1 19-04
13 Takahiro Omori Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 2 17-15
14 Peter Thliveros Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 3 16-13
15 Marty Stone Lake Norman, N.C. 2 16-12
16 Mike Reynolds Clarks Hill/Strom Thurmon 3 15-09
17 Kevin Wirth Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 1 15-05
18 Greg Hackney Table Rock Lake, Mo. 3 14-13
19 Edwin Evers Lake Norman, N.C. 3 12-15
20 Aaron Martens Table Rock Lake, Mo. 4 12-11
21 David Wharton Clarks Hill/Strom Thurmon 4 12-08
22 Rick Clunn Lake Norman, N.C. 4 12-05
23 Gerald Swindle Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 3 12-04
24 Jeff Reynolds Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 4 8-13
ALL MONEY REPORT
All Years
After KIMBERLING CITY, MO ending 04-03-2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
Place Angler Name City State
Cash Merchandise Cash Total
Winnings Bonus Bonus Winnings
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
1 Denny Brauer Camdenton Mo.
1,277,676.71 556,000.00 55,500.00 1,889,176.71
2 Rick Clunn Ava Mo.
1,052,820.53 512,000.00 62,724.00 1,627,544.53
3 Larry Nixon Bee Branch Ark.
1,087,055.58 450,000.00 42,603.00 1,579,658.58
4 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo Mich.
852,211.33 420,000.00 177,897.00 1,450,108.33
5 Jay Yelas Tyler Texas
818,507.00 357,000.00 137,100.00 1,312,607.00
6 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville Fla.
746,605.23 471,500.00 41,750.00 1,259,855.23
7 Gary Klein Weatherford Texas
874,543.97 298,000.00 66,800.00 1,239,343.97
8 Ron Shuffield Bismarck Ark.
735,521.00 260,000.00 52,000.00 1,047,521.00
9 Roland Martin Naples Fla.
764,528.16 220,000.00 53,539.00 1,038,067.16
10 George Cochran Hot Springs Ark.
758,141.45 232,000.00 38,268.33 1,028,409.78
11 Mark Davis Mount Ida Ark.
697,821.30 256,000.00 64,300.00 1,018,121.30
12 Davy Hite Prosperity S.C.
585,750.00 289,500.00 66,900.00 942,150.00
13 Zell Rowland Montgomery Texas
739,065.90 144,000.00 54,700.00 937,765.90
14 David Fritts Lexington N.C.
469,505.00 384,000.00 27,850.00 881,355.00
15 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville Fla.
603,539.00 197,500.00 37,250.00 838,289.00
16 Jim Bitter Fruitland Park Fla.
554,568.60 225,000.00 44,800.00 824,368.60
17 Alton Jones Waco Texas
504,979.17 175,000.00 136,500.00 816,479.17
18 Tommy Biffle Wagoner Okla.
494,475.80 264,000.00 51,503.00 809,978.80
19 Takahiro Omori Emory Texas
579,275.00 185,000.00 43,500.00 807,775.00
20 David Wharton Sam Rayburn Texas
532,699.50 196,000.00 45,056.30 773,755.80
21 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede N.J.
551,053.00 130,000.00 51,192.00 732,245.00
22 Randy Blaukat Lamar Mo.
414,445.70 272,000.00 37,437.00 723,882.70
23 Tommy Martin Hemphill Texas
462,609.71 199,300.00 10,316.80 672,226.51
24 Stacey D King Reeds Spring Mo.
423,454.00 163,000.00 84,155.33 670,609.33
25 Ken Cook Lawton Okla.
518,038.20 108,000.00 23,954.00 649,992.20
26 Tim Horton Muscle Shoals Ala.
378,267.31 207,500.00 38,420.00 624,187.31
27 Woo Daves Spring Grove Va.
459,626.80 144,300.00 8,509.00 612,435.80
28 Guido Hibdon Gravois Mills Mo.
429,380.40 167,000.00 13,000.00 609,380.40
29 Kelly Jordon Mineola Texas
412,645.50 130,000.00 60,217.00 602,862.50
30 Paul Elias Laurel Miss.
454,001.73 95,000.00 34,288.00 583,289.73