by Cara
Clark / B.A.S.S.
The field for the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series is set. With 102
top professional anglers from 25 states and Japan, the lineup is the strongest
ever and the largest since 2008.
The group contains 11 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Anglers of the Year
(21 total titles), 11 Bassmaster Classic champions (17 Classic wins) and more
than 200 B.A.S.S. tournament victories.
These anglers will vie for millions in prize money over the course
of eight events in seven states covering four rivers, three reservoirs and one
natural lake. The season begins on March 14 at the Sabine River Challenge
Presented by STARK Cultural Venues in Orange, Texas, and ends in August at the
Lake St. Clair Championship out of Detroit, Mich., where the 2013 Toyota Tundra
Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be crowned and nearly 30 berths in the 2014
Bassmaster Classic on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville will be determined.
"We’re excited about the lineup for the upcoming
season," said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. "The Elite Series
represents the highest level of competition our sport has to offer, and nowhere
is that more evident than in the field of anglers who will be competing next
year. They tell our members and fans that ’Elite’ is not just a name - it’s a
level of performance and of commitment."
"Star-studded" might be the best way to describe the
2013 Elite field. It’s led by seven-time Angler of the Year and four-time
Classic champion Kevin VanDam. He returns along with the legendary Rick Clunn (the only other
four-time Classic champ), Skeet Reese, Michael Iaconelli, Aaron Martens, 2012
Classic winner Chris Lane and last season’s Angler of the Year, Brent Chapman.
Of the 25 states represented, Alabama leads the way with 16
anglers, followed by 13 from Texas and 12 from Oklahoma, site of the 2013
Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees out of Tulsa, Feb. 22-24.
New to the Elite field for 2013 are nine rookies who qualified via
the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens: Hank Cherry of North Carolina; Chad Pipkens of Michigan; Jason Christie, James Elam and Chip Porche ofOklahoma; Kevin Hawk and
Kelley Jaye of Alabama: and Josh Bertrand and
Clifford Pirch of Arizona. One of them will earn the
title of 2013 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year.
"Making the leap from the Bassmaster Opens to the Elite
Series is one of the biggest and most challenging transitions in all of
sport," said B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon. "Our 2013
rookies are an extremely talented group, and they have been winners on just
about every other tournament circuit in the country. I think they’re going to
challenge our Elite veterans and make for some great competition."
Also returning to the Elites next season are Kurt Dove (Texas),
Byron Haseotes (Massachusetts) and Dennis Tietje (Louisiana). Dove, who last participated in 2008, requalified through the Bassmaster Opens, while Haseotes and Tietje come back
from hardship exemptions.
Invitations to compete in the Bassmaster Elite Series are earned
by performance in the previous year’s Elite circuit and the Bassmaster Opens.
Competing this year are:
|
Casey
Ashley |
Donalds, S.C. |
|
Scott Ashmore |
Broken
Arrow, Okla. |
|
Josh
Bertrand |
Gilbert,
Ariz. |
|
Tommy Biffle |
Wagoner,
Okla. |
|
Brent
Broderick |
Oregonia, Ohio |
|
Stephen
Browning |
Hot
Springs, Ark. |
|
Brandon
Card |
Knoxville,
Tenn. |
|
Brent
Chapman |
Lake
Quivira, Kan. |
|
Hank
Cherry |
Maiden,
N.C. |
|
Jason
Christie |
Park
Hill, Okla. |
|
Rick
Clunn |
Ava,
Mo. |
|
Keith
Combs |
Huntington,
Texas |
|
John
Crews |
Salem,
Va. |
|
Cliff
Crochet |
Pierre
Part, La. |
|
Mark
Davis |
Mount
Ida, Ark. |
|
Ott DeFoe |
Knoxville,
Tenn. |
|
Kurt
Dove |
Del
Rio, Texas |
|
Boyd Duckett |
Demopolis,
Ala. |
|
Paul
Elias |
Laurel,
Miss. |
|
Edwin Evers
|
Talala, Okla. |
|
Todd
Faircloth |
Jasper,
Texas |
|
Jami Fralick |
Martin,
S.D. |
|
Grant Goldbeck |
Boerne,
Texas |
|
Matt Greenblatt |
Port
St. Lucie, Fla. |
|
Shaw
Grigsby |
Gainesville,
Fla. |
|
Greg
Hackney |
Gonzales,
La. |
|
Charlie
Hartley |
Grove
City, Ohio |
|
BJ Haseotes |
Centerville,
Mass. |
|
Kevin
Hawk |
Guntersville,
Ala. |
|
Matt Herren |
Trussville,
Ala. |
|
Kenyon
Hill |
Norman,
Okla. |
|
Davy
Hite |
Ninety
Six, S.C. |
|
Jamie
Horton |
Centreville,
Ala. |
|
Timmy
Horton |
Muscle
Shoals, Ala. |
|
Randy
Howell |
Springville,
Ala. |
|
Michael
Iaconelli |
Pittsgrove, N.J. |
|
Kelley Jaye |
Dadeville,
Ala. |
|
Alton
Jones |
Lorena,
Texas |
|
Kelly
Jordon |
Palestine,
Texas |
|
Steve
Kennedy |
Auburn,
Ala. |
|
Kotaro Kiriyama |
Moody,
Ala. |
|
Gary
Klein |
Weatherford,
Texas |
|
Jeff Kriet |
Ardmore,
Okla. |
|
Bobby
Lane |
Lakeland,
Fla. |
|
Chris
Lane |
Guntersville,
Ala. |
|
Russ
Lane |
Prattville,
Ala. |
|
Kevin
Ledoux |
Choctaw,
Okla. |
|
Jared
Lintner |
Arroyo
Grande, Calif. |
|
Bill
Lowen |
Brookville,
Ind. |
|
Aaron
Martens |
Leeds,
Ala. |
|
Billy McCaghren |
Mayflower,
Ark. |
|
Mike
McClelland |
Bella
Vista, Ark. |
|
Jared
Miller |
Norman,
Okla. |
|
Yusuke
Miyazaki |
Forney,
Texas |
|
Ish
Monroe |
Hughson,
Calif. |
|
Andy Montgomery
|
Blacksburg,
S.C. |
|
Rick
Morris |
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