SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On a day when most Bassmaster Elite Series competitors were plagued by constant rain on Oneida Lake, Steve Kennedy managed to remain mostly dry. The Auburn, Ala., pro weighed in 17 pounds, 14 ounces, Thursday avoiding the weather and grabbing the lead at the Champion’s Choice presented by Ramada Worldwide, the final Bassmaster Elite Series event of the season.
Fishing fans can watch the on-the-water action from the Aug. 7-10 Champion’s Choice on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, Aug. 16, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. Additionally, fans can check into Bassmaster.com for live, streaming video of the weigh-ins, real-time leaderboards, analysis, photo galleries and more throughout the four-day event.
While Kennedy staked his lead in the chase for the $100,000 top prize, the two anglers battling for the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year competition, Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, took center stage. With this, the 11th event in 2008, the ‘Trail to the Trophy’ will culminate and the winner will take home $250,000.
The two, however, failed to capitalize on each other’s struggles. Faircloth, the leader by 21 points heading into the event, was 62nd while VanDam, a three-time Angler of the Year, limped to 59th place. The winner could be crowned on any of the final three days and the race appears that it will go down to the wire for the third consecutive season since the Elite Series was created.
While VanDam and Faircloth will sweat out the top spot, many anglers who are at or below the cutline to qualify for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, set for Shreveport-Bossier City, La., on Feb. 20-22, needed to perform this week to cement their status in the marquee event. The top 36 will earn qualifying berths and have a shot at the $500,000 top prize.
Kennedy is safely in the Classic cutline as he was 20th in the AOY standings heading into this week’s event. The 2006 Advance Auto Parts Rookie of the Year is searching for his second BASS victory after narrowly missing out by ounces at a 2007 Bassmaster Major event on New York fisheries last year. In the first two days of competition on Oneida, Kennedy was second, only trailing Dean Rojas, who is fifth this week.
Behind Kennedy was Terry Butcher of Talala, Okla., in second with 16 pounds, 9 ounces; Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., in third with 16 pounds, 6 ounces; Dean Rojas of Phoenix with 15 pounds, 14 ounces in fourth and four-time Bassmaster Classic champ Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., was fifth with 15 pounds, 13 ounces.
“I’m not sure what I have will hold up all week,” said Kennedy, a one-time BASS winner. “Today was a struggle early. You can’t expect to catch 18 pounds every day so I’ll just have to go back at them tomorrow.”
He attributed most of his success to the pattern he was running and felt it was effective throughout the lake. He was focusing on shallow water with a Kinami Flash and another lure he kept close to the vest.
Despite his banner day, Kennedy said he missed a few quality fish that could have added to his weight. During the three-day practice period, he had no indication he would do well on Oneida but made the necessary slight adjustments Thursday.
He had most of the areas he fished mainly to himself as other competitors were targeting deeper fish and expects more of the same Friday.
“Honestly, I’m very concerned about the way the fish were biting,” said Kennedy, 39. “I’m just not certain that I can continue to catch them well.”
Butcher, who has had a somewhat disappointing season as he is 70th in the AOY standings, is looking for redemption on Oneida. Like Kennedy and Rojas, Butcher has found success on New York fisheries, finishing in fourth place at an Elite event on Lake Erie out of Buffalo last year.
A one-time BASS winner, Butcher weighed in both largemouth and smallmouth bass. One of the few competitors to target both species, Butcher played it close to the vest on the tactics he used Thursday.
“I ran multiple patterns and caught them in a couple different areas,” the 37-year-old said. “I had a rough practice so I’m happy to get the bites that I did today.”
Myers, in third, needed a big tournament to propel himself into the Classic cutline. In 37th in the AOY standings heading into the event, he put himself in good position to qualify for his first Bassmaster Classic.
Perhaps Rojas is Kennedy’s biggest threat. In fourth, he is targeting shallow water, much like Kennedy, and has his areas all to himself. If he is to earn $25,000 between his finish from Oneida and his Angler of the Year winnings, a very real possibility, Rojas will push his career BASS earnings over $1 million.
In the co-angler division and the race for the $25,000 top prize, local Ron Plocek of Liverpool, N.Y, took the Day 1 lead with 10 pounds, 13 ounces. Trailing Plocek were Allan Hall of Brandon, S.D., with 9 pounds, 11 ounces and Tom Frink of Simi Valley, Calif., with 8 pounds, 15 ounces. Frink is searching for his third BASS win in the co-angler division.
Known as the “thumb” of New York’s Finger Lakes, Oneida is 21 miles long and 5 miles wide, with shelves and shoals formed by glaciers. The natural body of water features plenty of shoreline vegetation and an abundance of rocky offshore structure.
As part of the celebration of crowning the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, BASS’ outdoors expo Saturday and Sunday at the season finale will include performances by national recording artist Heartland and local musical group The Custom Taylor Band. At the conclusion of the final weigh-in Sunday night, BASS will host a fireworks display at Oneida Shores, set for approximately 8:40 p.m.
Launches Thursday-Saturday for the Champion’s Choice begin at 8 a.m. ET and weigh-ins at 5 p.m. at Oneida Shores County Park, 9400 Bartell Road, Brewerton, N.Y. Sunday’s final-day launch begins at 10 a.m. and the final weigh-in begins at 7:30 p.m.
Weekend activities at the Champion’s Choice include a Berkley Beginner fishing class at 3:30 p.m. and a “Boat Performance with Skeeter” class daily at 4 p.m. On Saturday, fans can talk to the Elite pros during “Ask the Experts” at Bassmaster University, set for 4:30 p.m. on the weigh-in stage.
Sunday’s activities include the live taping at 6:35 p.m. of Hooked Up, hosted by ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. The show will preview the final weigh-in. Live, streaming video of the Champion’s Choice daily weigh-ins begins at 4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and at 7 p.m. Sunday on Bassmaster.com.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.
Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women's Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 525,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
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