Chickamauga AOY Update
2010 AOY Bryan Thrift takes over the lead
On the heels of his third consecutive Walmart FLW Tour top-10 finish, Shelby, N.C., pro and 2010 Angler of the Year Bryan Thrift moves into the lead in the 2015 AOY race going into the final event on the Potomac River in LaPlata, Md., June 25-28.
Thrift won the Tour’s fourth stop on Lake Eufaula back in May and followed it up with a ninth-place finish this week on Lake Chickamauga. His AOY point total through five of six events is 945.
As a shallow-water specialist and one of the people to put the ChatterBait on the bass fishing radar, Thrift is expected to do well at the Potomac, where flipping, pitching, tossing topwaters and swimming bladed jigs such as the ChatterBait usually produce top results.
Shallow-Water Specialist Cox Just 9 Points Back
Just nine points back of Thrift, however, is one of the Tour’s most dedicated shallow-water specialists, John Cox of DeBary, Fla., who moves up one spot in the standings following his 12th-place finish on Chickamauga. Cox is fishing this Tour season without a sonar transducer, which more or less limits him to fishing shallow areas. The strategy has worked for him to the tune of four top-20 finishes through five events and 936 AOY points. His worst finish of the season was 31st at the opener on Lake Toho. Cox is also a tournament favorite for the finale on the Potomac.
Former Potomac Champ Martin Moves to Third
In third place is a former Potomac River Tour champion (2012) and an angler who’s won just about every major FLW title except the AOY – Scott Martin. The Clewiston, Fla., pro and 2011 Forrest Wood Cup champion has 914 AOY points, putting him 31 back of Thrift and 22 behind Cox. Martin has four top-20 finishes this season, including a 15th-place finish on Chickamauga.
Strader Slips to Fourth with 77th-Place Finish at the Chick
Despite leading the AOY race since the Tour’s second stop on Smith Lake, and living just 30 minutes up the road from Dayton, Tenn., and Lake Chickamauga, Wesley Strader of Spring City slipped to fourth place in the AOY standings with a 77th-place finish this week. Strader has 895 points, which is 50 points off Thrift’s pace. Strader finished in the top 20 in the first four events of the season.
Three Consecutive Top 20s Propel Davis to Fifth
Rounding out the top five is Dover, Fla., pro Darrell Davis, who has earned 892 AOY points. Davis has made the top 20 in three consecutive tournaments, including fourth place at Chickamauga. He needs to make up 53 points at the finale on the Potomac River.
The Full Top 10
1. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 945 points
2. John Cox – DeBary, Fla. – 936
3. Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 914
4. Wesley Strader – Spring City, Tenn. – 895
5. Darrell Davis – Dover, Fla. – 892
6. Tracy Adams – Wilkesboro, N.C. – 883
7. Luke Clausen – Spokane, Wash. – 878
8. Adrian Avena – Vineland, N.J. – 868
9. Stetson Blaylock – Benton, Ark. – 859
10. Dave Lefebre – Erie, Pa. – 857