In 2007 on Lay Lake, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala., made BASS history when he became the first home-state Bassmaster Classic champion. He’s still the only angler in the Classic’s 39-year history to disprove the native-son jinx.
Duckett is aiming for a second Classic win in Alabama when the sport’s biggest event returns in 2010 to Lay Lake and Birmingham. But first he has to earn a berth in the 51-angler field for the Feb. 19-21 tournament with the $500,000 prize.
As it stands, Duckett is 32nd in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, which determine Classic qualifiers from the Bassmaster Elite Series. Because Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., will take his 2010 qualification as reigning Classic champ, the Elite pro in 37th place will also qualify. Right now, that’s Matt Reed of Madisonville, Texas, who has 1,346 points.
Measured against Reed’s standing, Duckett’s 1,360 points gives him a 14-point margin on the inside of the Classic cutline. He realizes just how tenuous that advantage is. He also realizes the importance of qualifying for the sport’s marquee event in his home state.
“I can’t imagine how sick I’d be if I don’t qualify,” he said. “The Classic is the biggest show in the world. You dream your whole life of making it. Regardless of what your anticipation is, it’s more than that. If I ever miss one, it doesn’t need to be Lay Lake.”
He knows that to get to his fourth consecutive Classic he needs a decent finish — 30th or above, he said — at the final Elite regular-season event, the Aug. 13-16 Ramada Champion’s Choice on Oneida Lake in Syracuse, N.Y.
“Oneida’s a pressure event for me because the Classic means so much,” said Duckett, who after winning the 2007 Classic went on in the same season to claim a Bassmaster Majors title. His winnings that year of $852,750 made him the top single-season BASS money winner, a record he holds today.
Despite what’s at stake, he said he has no plans to prefish Oneida Lake. Instead, he’ll rely on what he learned from his three previous tournaments there. His finishes — 81st in 2005; 36th in 2007; 15th at the 2008 Elite event — are proof that he has a line on Oneida’s bass.
The Oneida event will also set the field for the inaugural Elite Series postseason, the Toyota Trucks Championship Week. Like the Classic, the postseason will be in Duckett’s home state. Short of a miracle, he isn’t likely to make up his 166-point deficit and emerge from Oneida among the top 12. Only the top dozen will qualify for the two-part Championship Week.
The Sept. 12-13 Trophy Chase on Alabama’s Lake Jordan kicks off the postseason. The final leg, the Sept. 17-18 Evans Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph, will be on the Alabama River out of Montgomery, Ala., where the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year will claim his crown and the top AOY prize of $200,000.
Full AOY standings are available at Bassmaster.com.
SNEAK PEEK: Bassmaster.com will provide exclusive coverage this week from the floor of the ICAST trade show in Orlando, Fla.
ICAST is where many tackle makers debut their new products to retail and wholesale buyers. The July 15-17 show is not open to the general public, but this week Bassmaster.com will give fishing fans a first look at the new gear that will be available to consumers in 2010.
According to the American Sportfishing Association, the producer of the show, the 2008 event in Las Vegas covered 350,000 square feet of exhibit hall. This is the first time in 10 years the show has been in Orlando, and it is reportedly sold out. BASS headquarters are nearby in Celebration, Fla.
WINNING WAYS: Willie Leaver of Camden, Tenn., and Rick Cross of Otsego, Mich., are the two latest winners in the Ramada Worldwide Winning Weight online game, in which fans predict how much weight it will take for a pro to win a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament.
Cross correctly foretold Bobby Lane’s wining weight of 97 pounds, 9 ounces, at the June 3-6 SpongeTech Tennessee Triumph on Kentucky Lake. For the June 11-16 Genuity River Rumble on the Mississippi, Leaver guessed 42 pounds, 14 ounces, coming closest to Kevin Short’s trophy-taking weight of 43-3.
Leaver and Cross each received a big bag of Elite Series autographed items, a Ramada fleece pullover, 5,000 Wyndham Rewards points and a collection of tackle and outdoor gear.
The game will continue through the one remaining 2009 regular-season Elite event, the Ramada Champion’s Choice, Aug. 13-16 on Oneida Lake out of Syracuse, N.Y. Entries are now being accepted at Bassmaster.com or by texting to 4ESPN (43776).
After all eight Winning Weight winners are determined, one will be randomly selected to win the grand prize of a $1,000 shopping spree at Bass Pro Shops.
MORE WINNING WAYS: Less than one week remains in the BASS Insider contest to win an Abu Garcia Revo S reel.
The 2009 BASS Insider Summer Giveaway began June 11. Each day before the contest wraps up June 18, players can register at www.Bassinsider.com/giveaway, and answer that day’s trivia question. Each day of the contest, one reel will be awarded to a player randomly selected from all players who correctly answered the day’s question.
A total of 38 Revo reels will be awarded. Those who enter the contest will be given an opportunity to sign up for a 30-day free trial to BASS Insider, but there’s no obligation to do so.
TAKE A KID FISHING: “Kade is doing well; I took him out on the water the other day for a few hours, and despite the 100-degree-plus heat he was all smiles the entire time.” — Bassmaster Elite Series pro Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., writing about his 5-month-old son in his BASS Insider blog on Bassmaster.com
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multimedia 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 ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.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, Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS annually sanctions more than 20,000 events.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 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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