Michigan’s Kevin VanDam Takes Lead at Bassmaster Elite Event on Smith Mountain Lake; In Prime Position in AOY Race
MONETA, Va. – Despite experiencing a “slow day,” four-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., managed a two-day total of 32 pounds, 9 ounces – enough to take the lead at the Advance Auto Parts Blue Ridge Brawl on Smith Mountain Lake. A notoriously fast angler, VanDam’s patience was tested Friday, but the reigning AOY ably managed to adapt.
VanDam, a 14-time BASS winner, was running a defined pattern in different areas, primarily focusing on smallmouth bass. He mixed in sight fishing – a technique used by many in the top tier of the field – along with a number of blind casts. A key to his success was stealthy boat operation, as he said it was important to identify a fish and quickly cast to it before it sensed him.
“I was pretty fortunate today because it was definitely a struggle out there,” said VanDam, who leads the BASS career earnings list with more than $3 million. “The fish were in a pretty funny mood today and it was important to be patient.”
While he has established a slim lead – 14 ounces over Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., -- VanDam said he would search for new water as he had tapped into many of the productive spots he located in practice. He said he knew that the fish were relating to bottom but couldn’t identify exactly what about the bottom the larger bass liked.
Similar to last year, VanDam is making his performance count just when the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race is getting interesting. Nearly halfway through the regular season, with a solid finish here, VanDam could grab hold of the AOY lead. Dangerous with any lead, VanDam is excited about the new Bassmaster Elite Series postseason.
“This year, especially, there is going to be a ton of drama,” said VanDam, 41. “I’m on a pretty good roll right now but it’s important to peak right near the postseason. Anything can happen this year.”
While VanDam’s pattern was defined, Roumbanis was all over the place Friday. He had 15 rods strapped to the deck and used every one of them while junk fishing around spacious Smith Mountain. A skilled sight fisherman, Roumbanis tried that tactic but came up empty-handed Friday. He did, however, locate some bedding bass that he plans to go to Saturday.
His day started quickly – he boated a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass one hour into his competition day.
“The water is so clear so you can cover a huge area with one cast,” said Roumbanis, 30, who called his style “slow-fast.”
“So you don’t need to get to keyed in to any one area. I had the trolling motor on full all day. But at the same time, you need to patient.”
Roumbanis scored a 16th-place finish on Smith Mountain in 2007 but conditions were much different at that event. Searching for his third BASS victory, Roumbanis is 33rd in the AOY standings and in solid position to qualify for his third Bassmaster Classic.
Behind Roumbanis by 1 ounce was Day One leader Kelly Jordon of Mineola Texas, with 31-10. Jumping to fourth was Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., with 30-13. Holding steady in fifth was Matthew Sphar of Pavilion, N.Y., with 30-10.
Another talented sight-fisherman, Dean Rojas was lurking close in sixth with 30 pounds, 0 ounces. The field was cut to the top 50 anglers for Saturday’s competition, and only the top 12 will advance to Sunday’s final day of competition.
Other anglers safely in the cut included Japan’s Morizo Shimizu (13th), Elite rookie J Todd Tucker of Moultrie, Ga.. (18th) and home-state pro John Crews of Salem (45th). The 2007 Blue Ridge Brawl champion, Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., just missed the cut and finished 56th.
Several anglers noted that Smith Mountain could really turn on in the final two days. Jordon was giddy at the possibilities and figured that a 30-pound bag was still possible. Rojas, too, was encouraged and felt that the final day could be a slugfest.
The Blue Ridge Brawl includes a top prize of $100,000 and awards valuable points in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title race. The top 12 pros in the AOY standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the two-event postseason, during which the Angler of the Year will be determined.
Local sponsors of the Blue Ridge Brawl are Franklin and Bedford counties.
Official sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards
DAY 2 STANDINGS- ADVANCE AUTO PARTS BLUE RIDGE BRAWL
2009 Advance Auto Parts Blue Ridge Brawl 4/23-4/26
Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta VA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 32-09 305
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 17-02
2. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 10 31-11 295
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 16-08
3. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX 10 31-10 295
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 11-01
4. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 30-13 285
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 16-11
5. Matthew Sphar Pavilion, NY 10 30-10 280
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 12-13
6. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 30-00 276
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 11-09
7. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 10 29-07 272
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 11-12
8. Shaw E Grigsby Gainesville, FL 10 29-01 268
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 13-15
9. Mark Tyler Vian, OK 10 28-15 264
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 13-08
10. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 10 28-12 260
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 12-06
11. Jeff Reynolds Idabel, OK 10 28-09 257
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 12-02
12. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 10 28-03 254
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 14-14
13. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 10 28-02 251
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 13-12
14. Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 10 28-00 248
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 13-09
15. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 27-13 245
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 14-00
16. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 10 27-11 243
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 13-08
17. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ 10 27-07 241
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 11-10
18. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 10 26-15 239
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 12-03
19. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 10 26-15 237
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-09
20. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 10 26-14 235
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 11-12
21. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 10 26-14 233
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 13-15
22. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 10 26-13 231
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 12-04
23. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 26-11 229
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 12-09
24. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 10 26-09 227
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 10-04
25. Randy Howell Springville, AL 10 26-07 225
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 12-04
26. Terry Butcher Talala, OK 10 26-06 223
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 10-15
27. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 9 25-15 221
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 4 09-00
28. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 25-13 219
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 15-06
29. Jeff Connella Bentley, LA 10 25-12 217
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 14-03
30. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 10 25-11 215
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-00
31. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 9 25-11 213
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 4 10-07
32. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL 10 25-08 211
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-10
33. Billy Mccaghren Mayflower, AR 9 25-01 209
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 4 10-03
34. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 25-00 207
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 11-07
35. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 25-00 205
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 12-06
36. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 10 24-12 203
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 15-09
37. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 24-12 201
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-04
38. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 24-10 199
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 11-08
39. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 24-07 197
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 11-04
40. Brian Clark Haltom City, TX 10 24-04 195
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 12-00
41. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 24-03 193
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 08-13
42. Pat Golden High Point, NC 10 24-01 191
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 13-04
43. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 10 23-14 189
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 07-09
44. Marty Stone Fayetteville, NC 10 23-14 187
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 08-05
45. John Crews Salem, VA 10 23-14 185
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 11-15
46. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 23-10 183
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 08-14
47. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 23-09 181
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 10-00
48. Chris Lane Lakeland, FL 10 23-08 179
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 10-14
49. Jason Quinn York, SC 10 23-04 177
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 09-08
50. Scott Campbell Springfield, MO 10 23-04 175
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 12-06
51. Alton Jones Waco, TX 10 23-03 173
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 13-07
52. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 22-15 171
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 09-05
53. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 10 22-15 169
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 11-05
54. Jim Murray Arabi, GA 10 22-13 167
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 12-06
55. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 9 22-13 165
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 4 07-09
56. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 9 22-10 163
Day 1: 4 12-11 Day 2: 5 09-15
57. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 22-09 161
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 13-10
58. Vince Fulks Purcell, OK 10 21-14 159
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 09-12
59. Luke Gritter Kalamazoo, MI 10 21-14 157
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 11-04
60. Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 9 21-14 155
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 4 07-10
61. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 9 21-14 153
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 4 08-13
62. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA 10 21-10 151
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 10-13
63. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 21-08 149
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 10-11
64. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, AR 10 21-07 147
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 10-14
65. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 21-06 145
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 11-10
66. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 10 21-03 143
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 10-12
67. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 21-02 141
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 10-10
68. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 21-00 139
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 09-10
69. David Smith Del City, OK 10 21-00 137
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 10-14
70. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 9 21-00 135
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 4 07-00
71. Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 9 21-00 133
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 5 12-01
72. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, MD 10 20-14 131
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 10-15
73. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 8 20-14 129
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 3 06-03
74. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 10 20-11 127
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 09-01
75. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 20-11 125
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 09-12
76. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 8 20-10 123
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 3 08-15
77. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 8 20-06 121
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 3 05-11
78. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 8 20-02 119
Day 1: 3 11-00 Day 2: 5 09-02
79. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 20-00 117
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 08-00
80. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 19-15 115
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 09-07
81. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, AR 10 19-10 113
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 07-13
82. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 10 19-07 111
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 09-09
83. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 9 19-05 109
Day 1: 4 07-10 Day 2: 5 11-11
84. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 8 19-05 107
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 3 06-14
85. Jeremy Starks Charleston, WV 9 18-15 105
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 4 07-05
86. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 18-10 103
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 07-09
87. Kevin Langill Terrell, NC 9 18-05 101
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 4 08-13
88. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 18-02 99
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 09-12
89. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH 7 18-00 97
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 2 03-10
90. Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 8 17-06 95
Day 1: 3 05-03 Day 2: 5 12-03
91. Mark Burgess Norton, MA 9 16-12 93
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 4 07-02
92. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 7 16-02 91
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 2 05-01
93. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 8 15-14 89
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 3 05-15
94. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 7 15-09 87
Day 1: 2 04-11 Day 2: 5 10-14
95. Clark Reehm Russellville, AR 7 15-03 85
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 2 05-00
96. Elton Luce Jr. Brookeland, TX 5 13-08 83
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
97. Ken D Cook Lawton, OK 5 11-15 81
Day 1: 4 09-09 Day 2: 1 02-06
98. Peter E Thliveros St Augustine, FL 4 08-15 79
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
99. Brent Broderick Oregonia, OH 1 01-04 77
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
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BIG BASS
Day
1 Wade Grooms Bonneau, SC 06-08 $0.00
2 Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 06-07 $0.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 90 479 1244-06
2 77 447 1030-12
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167 926 2275-02
