Virtual Championship 2006
Opening round – Bracket 4: Scheide vs. Strader
Another exciting season of tour-level pro bass fishing drew to a close in record-smashing fashion last week on Lake Champlain, leaving only the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship on the horizon before 2006 is etched forever in the history books. FLWOutdoors.com will once again host its own “virtual championship” – a featured daily poll where readers can make their own picks and weigh in on who they think will be crowned champion during the Aug. 2-5 year-ending event on Logan Martin Lake in Birmingham, Ala.
In the days leading up to the championship, FLWOutdoors.com will ask readers to vote on who they think will advance in each of the daily bracket challenges (polls are located on the right-hand side of the FLW Outdoors and FLW Tour home pages). After each day’s votes are tabulated, the virtual championship bracket will be immediately updated to reflect the readers’ choices.
Will fishing fans correctly forecast the winner of this year’s championship? Vote each day to support your favorite qualified angler and to learn more about the 48 pros who will actually compete on Logan Martin Lake for a top prize of $500,000.
Today’s featured bracket matchup: Ray Scheide (No. 4) vs. Wesley Strader (No. 45)
Ray Scheide – No. 4 seed: Recently finishing the 2006 regular season in fourth place, Ray Scheide certainly has momentum on his side. His 2006 FLW Tour season was his best ever, and it included four top-50 finishes that added up to nearly $50,000 in earnings. In fact, the Russellville, Ark., pro cashed a check in every FLW Tour qualifying event. Despite these lofty accomplishments, Scheide is still relatively green in terms of experience against the best bass anglers in the world. He began fishing the FLW Tour only two years ago, and the 2006 FLW Tour Championship will be only the second championship of his career. His prior championship appearance was on Logan Martin Lake, the site of this year’s season-ending tournament, and Scheide was able to catch 20 pounds, 6 ounces over the two-day opening round. Too bad his 2004 opponent, Kevin Vida, sacked 22-4 to knock him out early. But if his current pace is any indication, Scheide will be one to watch in early August.
Wesley Strader – No. 45 seed: By any measure, Wesley Strader is an accomplished bass pro, even at the tender age of 32. Not only does he have over $535,000 in career earnings, but he has qualified for the prestigious FLW Tour Championship each of the past six seasons. Strader’s 2006 FLW Tour season got off to a rough start, but he rallied with three consecutive top-50 finishes to close the season. In those three tournaments alone, Strader earned $32,500, catching 30 bass that weighed over 78 pounds. The worst he can do at Logan Martin Lake is cash a check worth $15,000. But Strader likely has bigger things on his mind as the Spring City, Tenn., native finished eighth at last year’s championship, earning $22,000. Despite his low seeding, Strader’s versatile fishing arsenal and tournament savvy should serve him well in the upcoming bracket brawl.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click the link for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click the link for more information)
Virtual Championship 2006: Bracket 3