Wire-to-Wire Effort Brings Kentucky’s Kevin Wirth His First BASS Victory in 14 Years at Tennessee Triumph on Old Hickory Lake
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. – Kevin Wirth
of Crestwood, Ky., tried a new strategy that made him uncomfortable throughout the
Tennessee Triumph presented by Longhorn on Old Hickory Lake, but the decision and
his execution helped him take home the trophy Saturday at the ninth 2008 Bassmaster
Elite Series event.
The Elite Series veteran and former
Kentucky Derby jockey led from start to finish to claim the $100,000 first-place
prize and valuable points toward the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year
title. With a four-day weight of 55 pounds, 10 ounces, Wirth, 45, sealed his first
BASS win in 14 years and the first wire-to-wire victory of the 2008 Elite season.
Wirth also rallied to 30th
in the AOY standings – the top 36 in the standings will qualify for the Classic,
set for Feb. 20-22 out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. The winner of the AOY will
receive $250,000 and the points will also determine the brunt of the 2009 Bassmaster
Classic qualifiers.
Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, who
is in second place in the AOY title race, finished 10th with and 42-14.
He closed the gap between himself and leader Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., by
three more points, now just 12 behind with only two events remaining in the Trail
to the Trophy.
Fishing fans can catch all of the action
from the Tennessee Triumph on The
Bassmasters on
Saturday, July 5, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
After a disappointing Day 3, Bill Lowen
of North Bend, Ohio, rebounded on Day 4 with the Berkley Big Bag of the Day at 14-9
for 50-5 overall. Wirth’s 17-2 catch Thursday won the Berkley Big Bag of the tournament.
Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., held
firm in third place with 12-15 for 50 pounds, 0 ounces overall, and he took home
the bonus for the Purolator Big Bass of the Tournament for his Day 2 catch of 6-6.
Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu, Ariz., was fourth with 48-12, and in a tie for fifth
place with 48-10 were 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones of Waco, Texas,
and four-time Bassmaster Classic champ Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo.
Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., who finished seventh with 47-11, weighed one
Sunday at 5-8, good for the $1,000 premium for the Purolator Big Bass of the Day.
Wirth said Sunday that on the third
day of practice he didn’t like what he was doing, because it went against the grain
of how he was accustomed to fishing, but he said he put one rod in his hand and
said to himself, “I’m going fishing.”
“I can’t hardly hold my emotions here, you know, because it’s been a long, hard
grind,” Wirth said on the weigh-in stage as he fought off tears. “There’s been many
a day when you think, man, this is not the right thing to be doing. And right now,
this makes it all worth it. Dreams can come true, if you have a dream and stick
with it, go get it.”
Wirth’s two biggest fish Sunday came
on a buzzbait he hadn’t used the rest of the week. He fished shallow through the
competition, mainly flipping a Berkley Power Hog creature bait in green pumpkin.
“I noticed the water come up with a
lot of cloud cover, we had some rain last night, so the water was pretty dark,”
Wirth said of Sunday’s conditions that led to his using the buzzbait. “I noticed
the fish were roaming around and weren’t getting up on the targets. As soon as I
pulled in my area I saw a couple flicker up on top, so it had come to me this morning
before take-off and I reached in the lock box and tied one on, and it paid off.”
In the Advance Auto Parts Rookie of
the Year race, Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., continues to lead with 1,836 points.
He is 409 points ahead of second-place Wade Grooms of Bonneau, S.C.
Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, Ark.,
leads the Berkley Heavyweight Award race with 307 pounds, 4 ounces through nine
events.
Up next is the July 31-Aug. 3 Empire
Chase on Lake Erie and the Niagara River out of Buffalo, the 10th event
of 11 Elite Series tournaments in the Trail to the Trophy.
For more information, contact BASS Communications
at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest
releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio clips and more.
The local sponsor of the Tennessee Triumph
is the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series include
Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter,
Yamaha, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Costa Del
Mar, MotorGuide and Ramada Worldwide.
Location and Field
Tennessee presented by Longhorn
Old Hickory Lake
Hendersonville, Tenn.
June 26-29, 2008
Field
106 pros, 107 co-anglers
Cut to top 50 pros and co-anglers after
Day 2
Cut to top 12 pro anglers after Day 3
Launch/Weigh-in
Sanders Ferry Park
100 Sanders Ferry Park Rd.
Hendersonville, TN
6 a.m./2:30 p.m. CT
2008 Bassmaster Elite Series Event Tournament
Locations/Dates
March 6-9 Sunshine
Showdown Harris Chain of Lakes Leesburg, Fla.
March 13-16 Citrus Slam
Kissimmee Chain
Lake Wales, Fla.
April 3-6 Lone Star Shootout Falcon Lake
Zapata, Texas
April 10-13 Battle on the Border Lake Amistad
Del Rio, Texas
May 1-4 Pride of Georgia
Clarks Hill Lake Evans, Ga.
May 15-18 Carolina Clash
Lake Murray Columbia, S.C.
June 5-8 Southern Challenge Wheeler
Lake Decatur, Ala.
June 12-15 Bluegrass Brawl Kentucky
Lake Gilbertsville, Ky.
June 26-29 Tennessee Triumph Old Hickory
Lake Hendersonville, Tenn.
July 31- Aug. 3 Empire Chase Lake Erie/Niagara
River Buffalo, N.Y.
Aug. 7-10 Champion’s Choice Oneida Lake
Syracuse, N.Y
