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Toyota Tundra
Bassmaster Angler of the Year Leader Kevin VanDam Aims to Keep up
Momentum at Kentucky Lake, Site of 2008 Victory
(May 27, 2009) Kentucky Lake has
hosted 10 previous BASS events,
including the 2008 Bluegrass Brawl,
won by reigning Toyota Tundra
Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin
VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., who
edged Timmy Horton of Muscle Shoals,
Ala., by more than 1 pound. VanDam
recently wrapped up another victory
– 15th in his BASS career – at the
Advance Auto Parts Blue Ridge Brawl
in April on Virginia’s Smith
Mountain Lake.
Fishing fans can catch all of the
on-the-water action from the
Tennessee Triumph on The Bassmasters,
which airs Saturday, June 13, at 9
a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily
weigh-ins for all regular-season
Elite events and the two postseason
events will air live on ESPN360.com,
ESPN’s broadband sports network,
while a wealth of unique content
will also be available at
Bassmaster.com.
Jones, who finished 13th at Kentucky
Lake in 2008, is in third and just
58 points behind VanDam in the 2009
Angler of the Year points race.
Jones recently stopped by Kentucky
Lake a week before the off-limits
period, and said the Elite pros are
going to get their fill of bass.
“I think it’s going to be one of the
best Elite events of the season,” he
said. “If you’re not catching them,
you’re going to be way behind the
8-ball. I think our winning weight
is going to be similar or higher,
somewhere in the 90 pound range.”
Jones added that the Elite pros who
typically like to fish shallow can
go catch them at Kentucky Lake, and
guys who like to fish deep can catch
them deep, too.
“Shell bed and deep structure
patterns are heavily favored in my
book,” he said. “The wild card,
though, is the amount of rain they
get upstream. If the lake doesn’t
come down, it could be a wide-open
shallow flipping bite, too. It all
depends on the weather for how it’s
going to play out.”
Jones said that big crankbaits, such
as a fat free shad, will be players
at Kentucky Lake, as well as
football head jigs and the like.
“Summertime is when bass are the
most predictable of any season,
especially in early summer, as they
set up in their warm weather
haunts,” Jones said. “That’s why
those types of lures will be the key
players.”
Straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee
border, Kentucky Lake is 185 miles
in length, with 160,000 surface
acres and 2,380 miles of shoreline.
Lake Barkley, a navigable canal,
adds another 80,000 surface acres.
In the 2008 event on Kentucky Lake,
VanDam’s whopping 84 pounds, 13
ounces, were courtesy of a variety
of lures, including jigs,
spinnerbaits and crankbaits. His
most productive lure was what would
become the trademark in his march to
the 2008 Angler of the Year title: a
Strike King Series 6 in sexy shad
color.
He keyed on rough spots on shell
beds at the bottom of the lake,
figuring that the fish were bunched
around those spots and finding most
of his productive schools there.
VanDam agreed with Jones about the
winning weight, predicting it would
be around 85-90 pounds again, and
about the tremendous volume of rain
recently and water levels being a
factor.
“The lake is real high, but it will
probably come down between now and
then,” VanDam said. “It’ll be the
offshore bite just like last year,
the fish will be on ledges, but
going out of Paris, it’ll change
things because it opens up the rest
of the lake all the way to the
south.”
VanDam said that finding the perfect
depth won’t matter; rather the area
of the lake the Elite pros choose to
fish will make the difference. He
said he thinks the victory will play
out over on the main river and
offshore structure.
The SpongeTech Tennessee Triumph
includes a top prize of $100,000 and
awards valuable points in the 2009
Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of
the Year title race. In the heat of
the chase and with just three events
remaining in the regular season,
VanDam leads with 1,298 points, but
is trailed by a mere five points by
2009 Bassmaster Classic champion and
2007 AOY Skeet Reese of Auburn,
Calif., in second with 1,293 points.
Rounding out the top five in the AOY
race are Jones, in third with 1,240
points; Aaron Martens of Leeds,
Ala., in fourth with 1,224; and Gary
Klein of Weatherford, Texas, in
fifth with 1,205 points.
The top 12 pros in the AOY standings
at the end of the regular season
will advance to the inaugural
Bassmaster Elite Series postseason,
when the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster
Angler of the Year will be
determined. Toyota Trucks
Championship Week is set for Sept.
10-18, and will be played out on two
productive Alabama fisheries. The
first of the two post-season
tournaments will take place on Lake
Jordan out of Wetumpka; the finale,
the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy
Triumph, is slated for the Alabama
River from Montgomery.
“It’s going to be an interesting
race,” VanDam said about the AOY
points battle. “We have a good cast
of characters at the top of the
points. With three tournaments to
go, lots can happen – chances are
that seven of the top 12 are going
to be seven who’ll be fishing in the
postseason.
“I’m trying to win at every
tournament. If you do that, the AOY
race takes care of itself. I can
tell you from the first cast this
year, I’m thinking about AOY. And
I’ll think about it on the last
cast. With only eight events to get
into the top 12, there’s a bigger
sense of urgency.”
Fans are encouraged to attend the
Wednesday-Saturday daily launches (6
a.m. CT) and weigh-ins (4 p.m.) at
Paris Landing State Park, 16055 Hwy.
79 N., Buchanan, Tenn. After Day
Two’s competition Thursday, the
field will be cut to the top 50
anglers for Day Three. Only the top
12 will go on to compete in
Saturday’s Day Four.
Other activities Friday and Saturday
at the Tennessee Triumph will begin
at 1 p.m. CT at Paris Landing State
Park, featuring the popular Dog
Training & Retriever Demonstrations
Brought To You By SportDog, as well
as a live concert by Nashville
recording artist Greta Gaines on
Friday, June 5, at the conclusion of
the day’s weigh-in.
At 1:30 p.m. Friday, fans are
invited to experience Bassmaster
University, which includes the “Ask
the Experts” session with Elite pros
at 3 p.m.
Saturday’s activities include the
live taping of Hooked Up, hosted by
ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark
Zona and Tommy Sanders. The show,
which will air live at 3:30 p.m. ET
on Bassmaster.com, will preview
Sunday’s final weigh-in.
All events at the SpongeTech
Tennessee Triumph are free and open
to the public. Up next for the Elite
Series is the June 11-14 Genuity
River Rumble on the Mississippi
River out of Fort Madison, Iowa.
For more information, contact BASS
Communications at (407) 566-2208 or
visit Bassmaster.com. Visit
ESPNOutdoorsmedia.com for BASS’
latest releases, schedules and other
news, plus photos and more.
The local sponsor of the Tennessee
Triumph is the Paris-Henry County
Alliance.
Official sponsors of the Bassmaster
Elite Series: Toyota Trucks,
Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams
Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries,
Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards.
Supporting sponsors of the
Bassmaster Elite Series: Bass Pro
Shops, Costa Del Mar, Ramada,
SpongeTech and Triton Boats.
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.
Media Contact: Doug Grassian; (407)
566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com
2009 TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER
OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
2009 Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern
Challenge - Marine Formula STA-BIL
Southern Challenge Pro Points After
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville,
Ala. Ending 05-10-2009, Day 4
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1298
2 Skeet Reese Calif. 1293
3 Alton Jones Texas 1240
4 Aaron Martens Ala. 1224
5 Gary Klein Texas 1207
6 Todd Faircloth Texas 1178
7 Greg Hackney La. 1155
8 Mark Menendez Ky. 1152
9 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1116
10 James Niggemeyer Texas 1108
10 Kevin Short Ark. 1108
12 Mark Tucker Mo. 1104
13 Randy Howell Ala. 1095
14 Brent Chapman Kan. 1094
15 Bradley Hallman Okla. 1065
16 Denny Brauer Mo. 1060
17 Cliff Pace Miss. 1058
18 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1048
19 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1047
20 John Murray Ariz. 1037
21 Casey Ashley S.C. 1031
22 Matt Herren Ala. 1030
23 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 1027
24 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1022
25 Kelly Jordon Texas 1013
26 Mike McClelland Ark. 1003
27 Boyd Duckett Ala. 998
27 Byron Velvick Texas 998
29 Jami Fralick S.D. 996
30 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 990
31 Bobby Lane Fla. 985
32 Terry Butcher Okla. 981
33 Stephen Browning Ark. 978
34 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 966
35 Bill Lowen Ohio 959
36 Russ Lane Ala. 955
36 Gerald Swindle Ala. 955
38 Timmy Horton Ala. 951
39 Davy Hite S.C. 942
40 Jeff Kriet Okla. 939
41 Matt Reed Texas 938
42 Greg Vinson Ala. 935
43 Edwin Evers Okla. 931
44 Takahiro Omori Texas 926
45 Jason Williamson S.C. 903
46 Steve Kennedy Ala. 893
47 Billy Mccaghren Ark. 892
48 Marty Stone N.C. 888
49 Dave Wolak N.C. 887
50 Jason Quinn S.C. 885
50 Dustin Wilks N.C. 885
52 Kenyon Hill Okla. 883
53 Bernie Schultz Fla. 879
54 Jared Lintner Calif. 874
55 Pat Golden N.C. 865
56 Terry Scroggins Fla. 863
56 Todd Auten S.C. 863
58 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 857
59 Brian Clark Texas 856
60 Mark Tyler Okla. 855
61 J Todd Tucker Ga. 847
62 Chris Lane Fla. 842
63 Mark Davis Ark. 839
63 Brian Snowden Mo. 839
65 Rick Morris Va. 828
66 Marty Robinson S.C. 823
67 Jeff Connella La. 798
68 Jim Murray Ga. 779
68 Derek Remitz Ala. 779
70 Chad Griffin Texas 777
70 Vince Fulks Okla. 777
72 Charlie Hartley Ohio 775
73 Rick Clunn Mo. 773
74 Morizo Shimizu Japan 757
75 Ish Monroe Calif. 753
76 Wade Grooms S.C. 751
77 Britt Myers S.C. 743
78 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 715
79 Guy Eaker N.C. 705
80 Paul Elias Miss. 695
81 Scott Campbell Mo. 687
82 Scott Rook Ark. 681
83 Ken Cook Okla. 677
84 Clark Reehm Ark. 661
85 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 651
86 Mark Burgess Mass. 645
86 Pete Ponds Miss. 645
88 Mike Wurm Ark. 635
89 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 633
90 John Crews Va. 623
91 Jimmy Mize Ark. 615
92 Luke Gritter Mich. 611
93 Peter Thliveros Fla. 595
94 David Smith Okla. 567
95 Zell Rowland Texas 547
96 Grant Goldbeck Md. 544
97 Elton Luce Texas 531
98 Jon Bondy Canada 495
99 Kevin Langill N.C. 484
100 Brent Broderick Ohio 461
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