Virtual Championship 2006: Finals
Last chance to vote for one of 12 finalists in virtual championship; will fishing fans predict real winner?
During the countdown to the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, FLWOutdoors.com again hosted its own version of the “virtual championship” – a featured daily poll where readers can make their own picks and weigh in on exactly who they think will be crowned champion during the Aug. 2-5 year-ending event on Alabama’s Logan Martin Lake. With the actual championship kicking off Wednesday, it’s down to the final 12 anglers as chosen by fishing fans through Virtual Championship 2006. This is the last chance to cast a ballot in the vote to determine who will wear the “virtual” crown. Will FLWOutdoors.com readers be able to predict the actual winner?
The final poll will remain open to voting until noon Central time Aug. 2, midway through the first day of actual championship competition. An article detailing the winner of Virtual Championship 2006 will be posted at FLWOutdoors.com shortly after the polls have closed. Polls are located on the right-hand side of FLWOutdoors.com’s home page and in the same area of the FLW Tour page. After the final votes are tabulated, the virtual championship bracket will be immediately updated to reflect the readers’ choices. Full details of Virtual Championship 2006 are provided underneath that bracket layout.
Today’s featured matchup – the 12 pro anglers, in order of actual seeding, as picked by FLWOutdoors.com visitors through Virtual Championship 2006 to fish for the big prize at the FLW Tour Championship in Birmingham, Ala.
Anthony Gagliardi – No: 1 seed: Hailing from Prosperity, S.C., Gagliardi has had a banner year to say the least, capturing the 2006 FLW Tour event at Lake Murray, winning the coveted 2006 FLW Angler of the Year award and winning more than $250,000 on the FLW Tour this year alone. One of the most consistent anglers on the circuit, Gagliardi has continued his long climb up the year-end standings each and every year. In 2000, Gagliardi finished the year in 112th place. The next season, he finished in 74th, in 2001 he finished 51st, then 45th (2003), 31st (2004), third (2005) and then first in 2006. Correspondingly, Gagliardi’s reputation and bank account has grown in direct proportion to his success. In total, Gagliardi has netted $631,000 in career earnings in FLW Outdoors events, including eight top-10 finishes (including five on the FLW Tour) as well as two FLW tournament titles – Murray and a win at the 2004 FLW Tour event on Kentucky Lake. Gagliardi, who started fishing FLW Outdoors events in 1998, will undoubtedly be on the favorites heading into the FLW Tour Championship, slated for Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 2-5.
Jim Moynagh – No. 3 seed: With seven top-10 FLW Tour appearances to his credit and a third-place finish in the 2006 Land O’ Lakes Angler of the Year race, Jim Moynagh is arguably the hottest angler north of the Mason-Dixon Line right now. However, the question is: How will the Minnesota native fare in the Deep South come championship time? If the 2006 season is any indication, the answer almost assuredly is pretty darn well as Moynagh boasts two top-10 performances this year alone in tour venues about as far away from his hometown waters as possible (notably a second-place finish during a stingy Pickwick Lake, Ala., tour stop and an eighth-place finish at Kentucky Lake). If the southern boys decide to take Moynagh lightly, look for the Carver, Minn., native to capitalize. After all, he hasn’t amassed $630,000 in career earnings at FLW Outdoors events by just fishing Lake Minnetonka.
Scott Martin – No. 5 seed: Part of Scott Martin’s fame may come from his golden locks and charming smile, but make no mistake, this Florida boy can fish with the best of them. Raised on the shores of Lake Okeechobee under the bass tutelage of his father Roland, Martin has been rooted in the sport of fishing his entire life. Martin began competing on the FLW Tour as a pro in 2000 and has quickly ascended to the sport’s upper echelon. In fact, the Clewiston, Fla., native has already accumulated over $650,000 in FLW Outdoors events including two FLW Tour victories. Martin’s 2006 season has been impressive, having already earned $54,750. Even scarier is the fact that in his last two events he has finished 12th and fourth respectively. So when the tour returns to Birmingham for the 2006 championship, expect Martin to be licking his chops. He finished second there in 2004, only a mere 6 ounces from claiming a $500,000 payday.
Larry Nixon – No. 8 seed: A nine-year tour veteran out of Arkansas, Nixon has baits in his tackle box older than some of the sport’s young hotshots against whom he fishes on a daily basis. One of the true pioneers of tournament bass fishing, he is threat to win anywhere, anytime, as evidenced by his two FLW Tour victories, eight top-10 finishes and more than $640,000 in FLW Outdoors career earnings. Nixon consistently vies for the tour standings title and is accepting his eighth bid to the FLW Tour Championship, having missed the big show only once, in 2004, during his illustrious FLW Tour career. This season unfolded in a typically Nixonian fashion for him; he earned checks in five out of six events and never finished worse than 81st place. While he didn’t make any cuts out of the opening round this season, his season-best showing of 16th place, at Lake Okeechobee, and consistent finishes in the top 60 easily earned him his championship berth as the No. 8 seed. In fact, Nixon caught a limit every day he fished in FLW Tour competition this year except two, and those were at a stingy Pickwick Lake where he earned a check nevertheless.
Brent Chapman – No. 16 seed: In 2002, his junior year of the FLW Tour, Brent Chapman qualified for championship as the No. 34 seed and went head-to-head with veteran angler Wesley Strader in the opening round. Chapman, a resident of Lake Quivira, Kan., nearly doubled Strader’s catch, weighing in 17 pounds, 5 ounces for the third-heaviest weight of the round. His next match would make anyone nervous – Greg Hackney, who was leading the event with nearly 22 pounds. However, Chapman buckled down and easily defeated Hackney by more than 5 pounds, securing his position in the finals and ultimately a third-place payday. That event proved that Chapman was a pressure player and capable of getting things done when money was on the line. Since then, he has posted 17 top-10s, three more FLW Tour Championship berths and six appearances at the Bassmaster Classic. Head-to-head competition suits Chapman’s abilities, and he’ll be tough to beat.
Clark Wendlandt – No. 23 seed: After a freakish 2005 season that saw Clark Wendlandt plunge down the leaderboard into unfamiliar territory, 2006 was a refreshing return to form for the well-known Leander, Texas, pro. Casting 2005 aside, Wendlandt has assembled one of the most lauded careers on the FLW Tour, and indeed, last season was the only season he did not make the championship. The two-time angler of the year is a threat anywhere he goes, and the last time the FLW Tour visited Logan Martin Lake – for the championship, no less – Wendlandt finish ninth. In fact, five of his 25 career top-10 finishes across all FLW Outdoors tournament trails have come on Alabama fisheries. Anyone paired against Wendlandt – anytime, anywhere – should be shaking in their boots.
Dan Morehead – No. 31 seed: If there is a “Who’s Who” of bass fishing, Dan Morehead’s name is printed in big, bold letters. On the FLW Tour alone, he has two wins, 11 top-10s and a Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title to his name. But it doesn’t stop there. The Paducah, Ky., resident has been to the FLW Tour Championship eight times, finishing seventh in 1999; competed in the Bassmaster Classic three times; and posted three wins in the Stren Series, where he led the Central Division in 2004. As a professional angler, Morehead has an additional 23 top-10s in the record books. While he is a fairly consistent angler, Morehead has the ability to put one away when he knows a victory is within his reach. If he can register a sixth-place finish at the FLW Tour Championship in August, he will join the elite million-dollar club for FLW Outdoors career earnings.
Jay Yelas – No. 35 seed: Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, hasn’t been to an FLW Tour championship since 2002, and he has only been to two of them in his FLW Outdoors career. He faired well in both events with a solid 19th-place finish in 2002 and an impressive seventh-place finish in 1997. The 2006 season has not been bad for the legendary angler and former Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year, pushing his FLW Outdoors career earnings to more than $150,000. He has dominated many different tournament trails and earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Steve Kennedy – No. 36 seed: Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., may be carrying momentum on his side with a recent FLW Tour win on Kentucky Lake, his second win there in his career. The nail-biting final round between Kennedy and local pro Terry Bolton showcased Kennedy’s fishing prowess. In years past, the fishing at Logan Martin Lake has been dominated by finesse tackle and light equipment. Kennedy may be renowned as a big stick when it comes to ledge fishing, but don’t tie him down to that. He is not afraid to change his pattern to catch a quality limit of fish. One can tell he is versatile by noting that he is one of the most dominating anglers in competitive fishing today. He has racked up $485,469 in FLW Outdoor earnings through seven wins and 25 top-10 finishes. With this track record and experience, Kennedy is one to watch in `06.
Luke Clausen – No. 39 seed: As FLW Outdoors events have spread to the West in recent years, fishing fans everywhere are witnessing the high caliber of not only the region’s fisheries but its anglers, and in the forefront of that group is Luke Clausen of Spokane, Wash. Clausen won the very first FLW Outdoors even he ever fished in 2003 – a Stren Western event on Clear Lake – and followed it up with a top-10 in the same event the following year. But in 2004, few were prepared for Clausen to win the vaunted FLW Tour Championship on Logan Martin Lake in his rookie season on tour. Though he missed qualifying for the championship in 2005, Clausen is dialed in again this year, currently ranked fifth in the FLW Series and having fished an extremely consistent season on tour. With $688,250 already amassed in FLW Outdoors career earnings after only a few years of fishing with the organization, Clausen has a taste for winning, and everyone will be watching to see if he can reprise his 2004 championship win on Logan Martin Lake when the tour returns to the Alabama fishery to finish the 2006 season.
Dion Hibdon – No. 43 seed: After five qualifying tournaments, veteran pro Dion Hibdon was languishing in 75th place in the 2006 FLW Tour points race. He knew that in order to qualify for the 2006 FLW Tour Championship, he would need an amazing performance on legendary Lake Champlain. While Lake Champlain is notorious for having some of the best smallmouth fishing in the country, Hibdon, who has earned over $650,000 in his career, chose to target big largemouths in the grass. The Stover, Mo., pro made the hour-long run south each day to the shallow Ticonderoga, N.Y., area of the lake. The plan worked brilliantly as Hibdon bagged over 40 pounds during the opening round and finished with a fourth-place check for $25,000, and more importantly the championship berth he coveted. Hibdon who won the 2000 FLW Tour Championship on the Red River, now has the unique opportunity to become the first angler in history to win the championship twice in his career.
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 high seeding, Strader’s versatile fishing arsenal and tournament savvy should serve him well in the upcoming bracket brawl.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
Semifinals: Pirch vs. Chapman
Semifinals: Fukae vs. Clausen
Semifinals: Martin vs. Dudley
Semifinals: Bosley vs. Hibdon
Semifinals: Chapman vs. Strader
Semifinals: Moynagh vs. Blaukat
Semifinals: Yelas vs. Lefebre
Semifinals: Rojas vs. Kennedy
Semifinals: Morehead vs. Yamamoto
Semifinals: Nixon vs. Kilby
Semifinals: Herren vs. Wendlandt
Semifinals: Gagliardi vs. Knapp
Correia vs. Knapp
Wendlandt vs. Ferguson
Couch vs. Blaukat
Chapman vs. Harrison
Robertson vs. Dudley
Bosley vs. Shaw
Morgan vs. Morehead
Browne vs. Kilby
Chapman vs. Colson
Fukae vs. Jones
Hawkes vs. Yelas
Klinger vs. Kennedy
Rojas vs. Bolton
Le vs. Lefebre
Monsoor vs. Clausen
Pirch vs. Ehrler
Nixon vs. Cochran
Bolivar vs. Yamamoto
Bennett vs. Hibdon
Martin vs. Berry
Scheide vs. Strader
Moynagh vs. Stricker
Herren vs. Namiki
Gagliardi vs. Monroe