“Unlucky Thirteen” Has A New Meaning On The Elite Series
Story
by Pete Robbins
Posted
- July 10th, 6:49am CDT
Norman,
OK. – Historically, a 13th place finish in the Bassmaster Elite Series has been nothing to sneeze at. Over the past three years, that place has been occupied by Gerald Swindle, Jeff Kriet and Aaron Martens, each of whom has had a stellar season en route to that finish, which in turn easily earned each of them a berth in the subsequent Bassmaster Classic.
But this year, the 13th place finisher may very well feel instead of having a Classic-worthy season he’s suffering as the first man out.
He’ll get to go to the Classic, and have a shot at glory that way, but when twelve other anglers head out for two post-season events in Alabama, there will be no room in the weigh-in line for him.
(Photos
by Mark Jeffreys & Matt Pangrac)
He’ll be at home, doing something else..
While the points race is a dynamic affair, and any (but not all) of the following anglers could push inside the dirty dozen, it’s tough to make up ground. Right now Tommy Biffle in 13th is only 16 points behind Cliff Pace in 12th. Casey Ashley in 19th is 57 points behind Pace – not insurmountable, but not insignificant, either.
Everyone in this group has been to the Classic, but none of them have won a Classic. Similarly, all but Swindle have won a BASS event (if Invitationals and Wild Cards are included). The talent is there. So is the drive.
Who will get the job done?
13th – Tommy Biffle
Biffle has earned six checks this year, including the big prize for his victory at Wheeler. He’s a veteran of 15 Classics and hasn’t missed the big dance since 2003, and he won’t miss it this year, but surely he wishes he could have another shot at Smith Mountain Lake, where he finished 63rd. In addition to the win on Wheeler, he finished 4th at the Mississippi River, but otherwise he hasn’t threatened to make a twelve cut.
His history on Oneida is stout. He won the first time the Elites went there, during the inaugural season of 2006. He followed that up with a 15th at the 2007 Major and a 16th at last year’s Elite Series tournament. He also has experience ending the year in the top twelve – in both 2006 and 2007, he was 9th overall in the AOY race.
14th – Brent Chapman
Chapman is on track for his 9th Classic appearance on the strength of six checks this year. Like Biffle, his one whiff was at Smith Mountain. Like Biffle, he made the final day cut at Wheeler (finishing 4th) but that was his only opportunity to fish for cash on Sunday.
He made the money in both prior Elite Series visits to Oneida, but barely, finishing 49th in 2006 and 40th last year. He also finished 38th (out of 51) in the 2007 Major. He’ll have to step his game up a bit if he wants to vault both Biffle and Pace. Since the advent of the Elite Series, he’s ended the year in the top twelve once in three tries – when he finished 8th in 2007. His other recent top AOY finish was 10th in 2004.
15th – Shaw Grigsby
After a 91st place bomb at Amistad that he’d no doubt like to have back, Grigsby has reeled off (reeled in?) six straight checks, including twin sixth place finishes at Smith Mountain and the Mississippi River, two very different fisheries.
After missing every Classic from 2004 to 2008 (some of that absence no doubt due to health problems), he’s on track to fish the big event for the second consecutive year. Oneida has not been particularly good to Grigsby. After squeaking into the check line with a 44th place finish in 2006, he was 44th (out of 51) in the 2007 Major and a dismal 85th last year. Nor has he sniffed a top twelve in the AOY standings in recent years – his best in the past half-decade was his 30th place result this year.
Is this the year that he shows that the cagey veteran still has it? With travel partner Gary Klein a virtual shoo-in to fish the post-season, they’d no doubt love to double the chances of one of the “old guys” beating Skeet and KVD at their own game.
16th – Kevin Wirth
After breaking through with his first Elite Series win last year at Old Hickory, Wirth came close again this year when he joined the century club and finished 3rd at Guntersville. He has four checks in seven tournaments, and his three misses were close calls – 56th at Amistad, 53rd at Wheeler and 54th at Smith Mountain.
Wirth is on the verge of joining the BASS million dollar club and he’d love to do so at Oneida. He’s earned a check all three times the Tour has been there, finishing 45th in each of the two Elite Series events and 16th (out of 51) at the 2007 Major. A comparable finish would not push him into seven figures. He’s always in the upper echelon of the Tour standings – indeed, he hasn’t missed a Classic since 2001 – but his only AOY top twelve in recent years was a 6th place finish in 2006.
17th – Gerald Swindle
Swindle is the only fisherman to have won AOY among this group, but since that title in 2004, he’s only finished above 36th overall once, in 2006 when he ended up 13th. Fortunately for him, he seems to be peaking at the right time, with 9th and 11th place finishes in the last two tournaments.
Unfortunately for him, Oneida has been tough on him in the past. He’s never earned a check there, with twin 79th place finishes in the two Elite Series tournaments and a 35th in the 2007 Major. It’s well-known that he’s anxious to fish another Lay Lake Classic after his Day Two DQ in 2007, but with a berth in the Classic likely secured, will he be able and motivated to figure something out to move up five spots?
18th – Byron Velvick
For all of those fans who doubted him, it appears that Velvick’s 35th place AOY finish in 2008 was a sign of an angler on the rise rather than an aberration. Despite early-season stumbles at Dardanelle and Wheeler, he rebounded like a veteran with consecutive top twelves at Smith Mountain, Guntersville and Kentucky Lake.
The question now is whether he can keep his engine running in this high gear for at least one more event. He and Casey Ashley (see below) are the only two anglers in this group who didn’t qualify to fish the 2007 Major. Velvick has made the cut to Saturday both times he’s fished Oneida, but in both events it has been by the skin of his teeth – 50th in 2006 and 49th in 2008. If he’s going to leapfrog this stout group, he’ll have to kick it up a notch.
19th – Casey Ashley
Ashley is by far the youngest member of this group, but he hasn’t shown any willingness to be intimidated. His AOY standing has improved each year he’s been on tour, from 32nd in his rookie season to 26th last year, all the way up to 19th right now. He doesn’t yet know what it’s like to miss a Classic. For all we know, he never will.
The question is whether he can make a big enough move, and have enough others stumble, to rise up into the post-season field. If his one event on Oneida is any indication of future performance, there’s a chance. Last year he came in 7th in New York. His four checks this year have only included one Sunday appearance, at Wheeler, where he finished as the runner-up to Biffle. He’d certainly like to make up for three fifty-something disappointments by ending the regular season with a bang.
