“I’m more excited about tournament bass fishing than maybe I’ve ever been,” said Wendlandt. “Usually it’s the young guys that are the excited ones. It’s just been a fun year. My roommate, Mike Surman, and I have just had a fun year and we’ve enjoyed being out here and I’m looking forward to next year.”
A 13-year veteran of the FLW Tour, Wendlandt claimed his first Angler of the Year title in 1997 and received his second title in 2000. The bass-fishing legend has accumulated 34 top-10 finishes and three victories while earning a staggering $1.6 million.
“There’s going to be a bunch of young anglers coming on in the next few years,” Wendlandt said. “We’re going to see tons of them. The old guys better get it together — and I’m one of them — they’d better get it together because they’re about to be taken over by the young guys.”
Rounding out the top five anglers in the Angler of the Year race were: Team Chevy pro Luke Clausen of Gainesville, Ga. (1,091 points); National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. (1,084 points); Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn. (1,004 points); and Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. (990 points).
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage to get your edge and win.
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