Virtual Championship 2006: Bracket 7
Opening round – Bracket 7: Bolivar vs. Yamamoto
Virtual Championship 2006
Opening round – Bracket 7: Bolivar vs. Yamamoto
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: Gabe Bolivar (No. 7) vs. Gary Yamamoto (No. 42)
Gabe Bolivar – No. 7 seed: After making a splash at the 2005 Stren (then EverStart) Series Championship with a narrow, 1-ounce loss to Sam Newby for victory at Lake Cumberland, Bolivar dove headfirst into the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour and hasn’t come up for air yet. As a first-year pro, he earned checks at five out of the six regular-season events and finished in the top 35 at four of them. It was that type of consistency that earned the young Californian the 2006 Gain Rookie of the Year award and the No. 7 seed entry into his first FLW Tour Championship. However, Bolivar displayed consistency in other ways, as well, which proved frustrating for him despite his standout first season. He admits that he’s had trouble stringing together two good days on the water; he caught a limit on day one at all six events, but he was only able to back it up with another limit on day two three times. In fact, in each of the regular-season tournaments, Bolivar always caught more weight on day one than he did on day two. Whether he can figure them out for two days in a row will be crucial to his success at his first tour-level championship.
Gary Yamamoto – No. 42 seed: If you’ve ever fished for bass, you’ve probably used Yamamoto’s baits – and very likely caught a few, too, on those irresistible Senkos. The legendary luremaker from Texas is making his second trip to the FLW Tour Championship thanks to an up-and-down season that saw him struggle at Lake Murray and then almost win at Kentucky Lake. A five-year tour veteran, Yamamoto started hot at Lake Okeechobee with an 11th-place finish but floundered out of the money at the next three events. However, he finished strong by taking third place at Kentucky Lake and finishing in the money at Lake Champlain, which cemented his bid to the championship.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
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