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‘Lucky’ Kevin VanDam stacks up a more than 3-pound lead at Bassmaster Classic in Louisiana

Category: press release

 Feb 19th, 2011 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Feb 19th, 2011 at 12:00 AM

Kevin VanDam, often described as the best angler in the world, said he simply got lucky Saturday when he hauled 22 1/2 pounds out of the Louisiana Delta on a day when other Bassmaster Classic anglers fishing beside him fell behind.

“I don’t think that I’m doing anything different than anybody else there,” said VanDam, the defending Classic champ and reigning Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year from Kalamazoo, Mich. “I got lucky and made a couple of right casts and had my bait go by a bass that was in the right mood.”

By good fortune or by talent, he pulled in front with a two-day total of 41-11. VanDam was 3 pounds, 11 ounces ahead of Brent Chapman, in second after two days with 38-1.

VanDam said he had to work hard, “grind out” his limit.

Like the first day, Saturday was a short fishing day. Fog kept anglers on the bank for almost three hours before the fog lifted and tournament officials sent them on their way.

First-day leader Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., fell behind Saturday with a 12-11 catch from the same area. He ended the day in third with 33-2. Other anglers working alongside VanDam were Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, who was fourth with 32-8, and Scott Rook, fifth with 31-11.

The field was cut to the top 25 for Sunday’s finale. The winner’s prize is $500,000 and bass fishing’s top trophy.

Chapman, the only angler in the top five not fishing the area of the Delta’s Lake Cataouatche, said he’d repeat his long run to Venice for his spot, which he hasn’t had time to properly work over because of fog-shortened fishing time.

Chapman knew exactly how much fishing time that strategy left him Saturday.

“One hour and 10 minutes,” Chapman said. “Not very long.”

Speed-fishing, he secured a five-fish limit in the first 45 minutes flipping a Tightline UV Beaver into the canes. In the last 20 minutes of his short fishing time, he upgraded with three that he estimated went 4 pounds each.

“My alarm on my phone went off not two minutes after I caught that last one, and I had to go,” Chapman said.

He had a rough trip home, too. His route crossed the Mississippi River, in the fog.

“Luckily I was able to still keep pace, but there were boats, and I was pushing it.”

First-day leader Martens came off the Delta a frustrated man.

“I missed a bunch, I got probably 20 percent of the fish that bit. They’d hit my bait, but I couldn’t get them. When you get bit on something, you keep throwing it, but it never happened for me,” he said.

Fourth-place holder Palaniuk, the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation champ of 2010, is a 23-year-old rookie in his first pro tournament. He pulled up from 11th place. He’s also fishing Cataouatche.

“Some struggled there today,” he said. “It got better there for me today. I’m not saying what I’m doing, but it’s working for me.

“I’m excited to be here. I came here to win. I know I’m going against the best, but somebody’s going to win, and it might as well be me.”

2011 Bassmaster Classic local hosts: Louisiana Office of Tourism, Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation

2011 Bassmaster Classic Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, Bass Pro Shops, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter, Triton, Yamaha

 

About B.A.S.S.

For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

 

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications – Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times – comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

 

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

 

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

 

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Media Contact: Melissa J. Dixon at 407-566-2295 or [email protected]

 

2011 Bassmaster Classic – New Orleans, LA 02/18-02/20 Louisiana Delta, New Orleans La.

(PRO Division) Standings Day 2

 

  Angler          Hometown       No./lbs-oz Pts  Total $$$

 

1. Kevin VanDam      Kalamazoo, Mich.    10 41-11  0

 Day 1: 5  19-03  Day 2: 5  22-08

2. Brent Chapman     Lake Quivira, Kan.   10 38-01  0

 Day 1: 5  18-00  Day 2: 5  20-01

3. Aaron Martens     Leeds, Ala.      10 33-02  0

 Day 1: 5  20-07  Day 2: 5  12-11

4. Brandon Palaniuk    Rathdrum, Idaho    10 32-08  0

 Day 1: 5  14-10  Day 2: 5  17-14

5. Scott Rook       Little Rock, Ark.   10 31-11  0

 Day 1: 5  19-06  Day 2: 5  12-05

6. Derek Remitz      Grant, Ala.      10 30-03  0

 Day 1: 5  12-15  Day 2: 5  17-04

7. Gary Klein       Weatherford, Texas   10 29-07  0

 Day 1: 5  12-07  Day 2: 5  17-00

8. Todd Faircloth     Jasper, Texas     10 29-00  0

 Day 1: 5  15-02  Day 2: 5  13-14

9. Skeet Reese      Auburn, Calif.     10 28-11  0

 Day 1: 5  15-01  Day 2: 5  13-10

10. Bobby Lane       Lakeland, Fla.     10 27-07  0

 Day 1: 5  16-12  Day 2: 5  10-11

11. Kevin Wirth      Crestwood, Ky.     10 27-03  0

 Day 1: 5  14-02  Day 2: 5  13-01

12. Cliff Pace       Petal, Miss.      10 27-01  0

 Day 1: 5  15-07  Day 2: 5  11-10

13. Dale Hightower     Sand Springs, Okla.  10 26-14  0

 Day 1: 5  15-09  Day 2: 5  11-05

14. Paul Elias       Laurel, Miss.     10 26-03  0

 Day 1: 5  14-13  Day 2: 5  11-06

15. Tommy Biffle      Wagoner, Okla.     9 26-02  0

 Day 1: 5  13-05  Day 2: 4  12-13

16. John Crews       Salem, Va.       10 25-05  0

 Day 1: 5  13-14  Day 2: 5  11-07

17. Michael Iaconelli   Pitts Grove, N.J.   10 24-10  0

 Day 1: 5  13-01  Day 2: 5  11-09

18. Dean Rojas       Lake Havasu City, Ariz 7 24-07  0

 Day 1: 2  4-04  Day 2: 5  20-03

19. Boyd Duckett      Demopolis, Ala.     9 24-05  0

 Day 1: 5  13-12  Day 2: 4  10-09

20. Shaw Grigsby      Gainesville, Fla.   10 23-10  0

 Day 1: 5  9-03  Day 2: 5  14-07

21. Terry Scroggins    San Mateo, Fla.    10 22-13  0

 Day 1: 5  9-11  Day 2: 5  13-02

22. Morizo Shimizu     Matsugaoka, Japan   10 22-13  0

 Day 1: 5  10-00  Day 2: 5  12-13

23. Keith Combs      Del Rio, Texas     10 21-10  0

 Day 1: 5  13-02  Day 2: 5  8-08

24. Greg Vinson      Wetumpka, Ala.     9 21-06  0

 Day 1: 5  14-03  Day 2: 4  7-03

25. Jeff Kriet       Ardmore, Okla.     9 21-01  0

 Day 1: 5  11-01  Day 2: 4  10-00

26. Matt Herren      Trussville, Ala.    10 20-12  0

 Day 1: 5  12-15  Day 2: 5  7-13

27. Mark Davis       Mount Ida, Ark.    10 20-09  0

 Day 1: 5  7-00  Day 2: 5  13-09

28. Edwin Evers      Talala, Okla.      8 20-09  0

 Day 1: 5  14-02  Day 2: 3  6-07

29. Dave Wolak       Wake Forest, N.C.   10 20-06  0

 Day 1: 5  13-02  Day 2: 5  7-04

30. Brian Snowden     Reeds Spring, Mo.   10 19-14  0

 Day 1: 5  10-08  Day 2: 5  9-06

31. Gerald Swindle     Warrior, Ala.     10 19-13  0

 Day 1: 5  10-10  Day 2: 5  9-03

32. George Crain      Cropwell, Ala.     7 19-05  0

 Day 1: 2  3-12  Day 2: 5  15-09

33. Terry Butcher     Talala, Okla.     10 19-01  0

 Day 1: 5  9-09  Day 2: 5  9-08

34. Mike McClelland    Bella Vista, Ark.    9 18-11  0

 Day 1: 4  9-05  Day 2: 5  9-06

35. Randall Tharp     Gardendale, Ala.    8 18-08  0

 Day 1: 5  11-12  Day 2: 3  6-12

36. Andy Montgomery    Blacksburg, S.C.    9 18-06  0

 Day 1: 4  9-02  Day 2: 5  9-04

37. Kelly Jordon      Palestine, Texas    7 17-02  0

 Day 1: 5  14-03  Day 2: 2  2-15

38. Brian La Clair     Denton, Md.       8 16-05  0

 Day 1: 5  10-03  Day 2: 3  6-02

39. Bill Lowen       Brookville, Ind.    10 16-00  0

 Day 1: 5  7-11  Day 2: 5  8-05

40. Ryan Said       Wixom, Mich.      8 15-08  0

 Day 1: 3  4-15  Day 2: 5  10-09

41. Dave Watson      Sullivan, Ind.     7 15-05  0

 Day 1: 5  11-04  Day 2: 2  4-01

42. Greg Hackney      Gonzales, La.      8 15-01  0

 Day 1: 3  4-03  Day 2: 5  10-14

43. Ryan Mcmurtury     Abbeville, S.C.    10 14-14  0

 Day 1: 5  10-09  Day 2: 5  4-05

44. Sean Alvarez      Rutland, Vt.      8 14-14  0

 Day 1: 5  8-00  Day 2: 3  6-14

45. Russ Lane       Prattville, Ala.    5 14-14  0

 Day 1: 0  0-00  Day 2: 5  14-14

46. Stephen Browning    Hot Springs, Ark.    7 14-02  0

 Day 1: 5  8-12  Day 2: 2  5-06

47. Jason Williamson    Aiken, S.C.       8 13-10  0

 Day 1: 5  7-01  Day 2: 3  6-09

48. Steve Kennedy     Auburn, Ala.      3  6-10  0

 Day 1: 2  2-06  Day 2: 1  4-04

49. Tracy Adams      Wilkesboro, N.C.    2  5-02  0

 Day 1: 2  5-02  Day 2: 0  0-00

50. Clark Reehm      Lufkin, Texas      4  0-11  0

 Day 1: 0  0-00  Day 2: 4  0-11

———————————————————————–

 

———————————————————————–

Totals

Day  #Limits  #Fish   Weight

 1    40    222    555-08

 2    35    217    527-12

———————————-

     75    439   1083-04

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