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Bassmaster Elite Series Pros Face Tough Conditions in Sunshine Showdown

Final Event of the Year Determines 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year

By BASS Communications
(Archive)

Updated: September 12, 2007, 2:59 PM ET

What's at stake: $673,150 in cash to the top 50 Elite pros, and valuable points in the race for the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award. In addition to crowning the final Elite Series event winner of 2007, one angler will emerge as the winner of bass fishing's highest honor: the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. Also to be awarded: the Toyota Rookie of the Year award, and the Toyota Moving Forward Award. Additionally, 36 Bassmaster Classic berths will be awarded to the Elite anglers with the highest number of points, and the top 84 anglers in the AOY standings will qualify for the 2008 season.

Telecast: The Sunshine Showdown presented by Allstate Boat Insurance on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla., will be aired on ESPN2's The Bassmasters Saturday, Sept. 29, at 9 a.m. ET.

The Pros Said It
"Right now practice is pretty slow and I've yet to get a limit of bites in one day. I'm still hunting and pecking, trying to find a glory hole or solid pattern where I can go catch a limit each day. The fish are biting first thing in the morning and then they really shut down. If anything, I've eliminated a lot of stuff. I'm hoping to find something today and then let the derby begin! As long as I beat Kevin (VanDam) by one point (in the AOY race), that's all that matters." — Skeet Reese, 38, Auburn, Calif., eight-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points leader headed into final event

"I can sum up the practice in one word: challenging. There's something wrong with the water clarity in the lake, it's off-color and there's no current moving. When you combine those two things it makes it really tough. It's going to be one tough event to win and I think you're going to have to fish two or three patterns to do it. It's tough enough to fish here four days when the fishing is good, and the conditions right now are making it much more difficult." — Terry Scroggins, 38, San Mateo, Fla., four-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, fifth in combined Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings for 2006 and 2007

"The lake's fishing pretty tough right now. I'm doing a lot of flipping but it's sporadic and it's hard to get a big bite and duplicate on the conditions that we have. I'm looking for that magic spot and have to almost win this tournament as well as Skeet (Reese) have a bad tournament for me to win Angler of the Year. I've seen enough good things happen that it gets me excited, but I'm also a realist. I'm looking for five big ones in fives casts and haven't found that yet." — Kevin VanDam, 39, Kalamazoo, Mich., two-time Bassmaster Classic Winner, now second in the 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings

The Strategy
Reese: The leader in Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points is playing up his fishing strengths by flipping grass beds and hoping it will work to his advantage in the final event. He is fishing a variety of lures including crankbaits, top-water baits, Carolina rigs and a variety of soft plastics. He is moving often and targeting several areas, including shallow-water grassy areas, deep-water grassy areas, pockets and points. The spinnerbait and jig are not factors in his strategy.

Scroggins: Before practicing for the Sunshine Showdown, the Floridian estimated that it would take 17 to 20 pounds to win the event, but now he believes it will be far less: an estimated 13 pounds per day to win. He is fishing a variety of lures, including a Carolina rig with Houdini worm and flipping a Big Show Craw lure. Scroggins is planning to cover as much water as possible. He has identified a little bit of schooling activity but says it is limited.

VanDam: He's moving often and covering lots of water. While he has fished Lake Toho several times in the past, he has never fished it at this time of year, which is making it tough. The Michigan pro is targeting Kissimmee grass, reeds, hydrilla and matted vegetation, as well as searching for structure and deeper water. VanDam estimates that pros will need 13 pounds a day on average, and 50 to 55 pounds overall will likely win.

Location and Field
Sunshine Showdown
Lake Tohopekaliga
Kissimmee, FL
Sept. 13-16, 2007

Field
108 pros, 108 co-anglers
Cut to top 50 after Day 2
Cut to top 12 pro anglers after Day 3

Launch/Weigh-in
Kissimmee Lake Front Park
698 Lakeshore Blvd.
Kissimmee, Blvd. 34744
6:50 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. ET

Background
Previous BASS events
2006 Bassmaster Classic
2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2005 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series Championship
2005 BASS Southern Open
2005 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series
2005 Bassmaster Tour
2001 Bassmaster Tour
2001 Bassmaster Top 150
2000 Bassmaster Top 150
1999 Bassmaster Top 150
1982 BASS Invitational
1980 BASS Invitational
1978 BASS Invitational
1977 Bassmaster Classic

Previous winners on lake
56-2, Luke Clausen, 2006
15-8, Josh Guess, 2006
27-11, Jeff Coble, 2005
39-9, Terry Scroggins, 2005
21-7, Charlie Coleman, 2005
50-11, Takahiro Omori, 2005
61-4, Tim Horton, 2001
108-12, Dean Rojas, 2001
53-11, Shaw Grigsby, 2000
41-0, Danny Kirk, 1999
30-1, Ken Cook, 1982
33-11, Horace Phipps, 1980
David Gliebe, 1978
Rick Clunn, 1977

Heaviest winning weight
108-12, Dean Rojas, 2001

Lowest winning weight
15-8, Josh Guess, 2006

Temperature
90 degrees

Lake level
0 ft. above mean sea level

Local sponsors: Central Florida Sports Commission and the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Bassmaster Elite Series sponsors: Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include Toyota Tundra, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Evan Williams Bourbon, Ramada Worldwide and Costa Del Mar.

Live, streaming video of the Sunshine Showdown's daily weigh-ins begins at 3 p.m. ET at www.ESPNOutdoors.com. Also live on www.ESPNOutdoors.com, the pre-show Hooked Up will preview the final weigh-in Sunday. ESPN2 Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders return as the Hooked Up hosts.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.

News exclusives, audio and video clips of bass fishing's biggest stars, loads of discounts and more are all part of BASS Insider, an exclusive membership, now available at www.bassmaster.com.

BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, staging more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.

BASS stages and sanctions bass fishing tournaments for every skill level culminating with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

2007 TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Skeet Reese Calif. 2579 2 Kevin VanDam Mich. 2472 3 Jared Lintner Calif. 2276 4 Steve Kennedy Ala. 2178 5 Terry Scroggins Fla. 2166 6 Aaron Martens Ala. 2165 7 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 2136 8 Kelly Jordon Texas 2133 9 Todd Faircloth Texas 2109 10 Boyd Duckett Ala. 2063 11 Scott Rook Ark. 2054 12 Edwin Evers Okla. 2053 13 Tommy Biffle Okla. 2038 14 Greg Hackney La. 2037 15 Chris Lane Fla. 2030 16 Jeff Kriet Okla. 2027 16 Kevin Wirth Ky. 2027 18 Ishama Monroe Calif. 2024 19 Stephen Browning Ark. 2023 20 Gary Klein Texas 1999 21 Brent Chapman Kan. 1979 22 Derek Remitz Texas 1978 23 John Murray Ariz. 1976 24 Peter Thliveros Fla. 1972 25 Cliff Pace Miss. 1964 26 Timmy Horton Ala. 1954 27 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1929 28 Takahiro Omori Texas 1922 29 Casey Ashley S.C. 1917 30 Mark Tyler Okla. 1878 31 Mike McClelland Ark. 1852 32 Randy Howell Ala. 1834 33 Alton Jones Texas 1830 33 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1830 35 Jason Quinn S.C. 1805 36 John Crews Va. 1803 37 Dave Wolak N.C. 1799 38 Davy Hite S.C. 1794 38 Matt Reed Texas 1794 40 Jason Williamson S.C. 1784 41 Dean Rojas Texas 1783 42 Kevin Short Ark. 1782 43 Mark Menendez Ky. 1781 44 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 1779 45 Shaw Grigsby, Jr Fla. 1772 46 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 1770 47 Scott Campbell Mo. 1756 48 Mike Wurm Ark. 1755 49 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1751 50 Brian Snowden Mo. 1741 51 Rick Morris Va. 1735 51 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 1735 53 Britt Myers S.C. 1720 54 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 1719 55 Bill Lowen Ohio 1715 56 Marty Robinson S.C. 1712 57 Denny Brauer Mo. 1700 58 James Niggemeyer Texas 1673 59 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 1668 60 Kenyon Hill Okla. 1657 61 Mark Tucker Mo. 1653 62 Kurt Dove Va. 1638 63 Jami Fralick S.D. 1636 64 Rick Clunn Mo. 1632 65 Bernie Schultz Fla. 1621 66 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 1618 67 Paul Elias Miss. 1612 68 Ken Cook Okla. 1609 69 Bradley Hallman Okla. 1585 70 Russ Lane Ala. 1566 71 Pete Ponds Miss. 1558 72 Grant Goldbeck Md. 1553 73 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 1552 74 Ben Matsubu Texas 1549 75 James Kennedy La. 1521 76 Lee Bailey Ala. 1509 77 Jim Murray Ga. 1502 78 Jimmy Mize Ark. 1498 79 Jeff Connella La. 1497 80 Charlie Hartley Ohio 1466 81 Preston Clark Fla. 1461 82 Ken Brodeur Conn. 1438 83 Paul Hirosky Pa. 1432 84 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 1407 85 Mark Rogers Fla. 1393 86 Kevin Langill N.C. 1391 87 Marty Stone N.C. 1390 88 Matt Amedeo Ohio 1388 89 James Charlesworth Fla. 1372 90 Terry Butcher Okla. 1349 91 Guy Eaker N.C. 1329 92 Glenn Delong Ohio 1298 93 Zell Rowland Texas 1295 94 Dave Smith Okla. 1259 95 Bill Smith Ky. 1253 95 Keith Phillips Ala. 1253 97 Steve Daniel Fla. 1240 98 Darrin Schwenkbeck N.Y. 1232 99 Doc Merkin Ill. 1181 100 Bradley Stringer Texas 1173 101 Frank Scalish Ohio 1172 102 Jon Bondy Canada 1152 103 Eric Nethery Ga. 1142 104 Jimmy Mason Ala. 1099 105 Byron Velvick Texas 1065 106 Rick Ash Pa. 985 107 Charlie Youngers Fla. 980 108 Elton Luce Jr Texas 855

2007 TOYOTA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RACE

2007 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR After Potomac River, Charles County, MD ending 08-12-2007, Day 4 ------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Derek Remitz Texas 1978 2 Casey Ashley S.C. 1917 3 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1830 4 Jason Williamson S.C. 1784 5 Scott Campbell Mo. 1756 6 Marty Robinson S.C. 1712 7 James Niggemeyer Texas 1673 8 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 1618 9 James Kennedy La. 1521 10 Matt Amedeo Ohio 1388 11 James Charlesworth Fla. 1372 12 Glenn Delong Ohio 1298

2007 TOYOTA MOVING FORWARD AWARD --------------------------------------------------------- Place Name 2006 Finish 2007 Standings --------------------------------------------------------- 1 Fred Roumbanis 69 7 2 Chris Lane 61 15 3 Scott Rook 47 11 4 Mark Tyler 64 30 5 Rick Morris 81 51 6 Stephen Browning 45 19 6 Terry Scroggins 31 5 8 Mark Menendez 68 43 8 Kevin Short 67 42 10 Britt Myers 76 53 11 Kurt Dove 82 62 11 Brent Chapman 41 21 13 Ishama Monroe 37 18 14 Jeff Kriet 33 16 15 Grant Goldbeck 88 72 15 Ken Brodeur 98 82 15 Gary Klein 36 20 18 Jared Lintner 18 3 19 Todd Faircloth 23 9 19 Mark Rogers 99 85 21 Pete Ponds 83 71 22 Takahiro Omori 35 28 23 David Wolak 43 37 23 Skeet Reese 7 1 25 Ken D Cook 73 68 26 Timmy Horton 30 26 26 Yusuke Miyazaki 55 51 26 Brian Snowden 54 50 29 Charlie Hartley 83 80 29 Jami Fralick 66 63 31 Davy Hite 40 38 31 Kelly Jordon 10 8 33 Kevin VanDam 3 2