AOY Update: Beaver Lake
Cox continues to lead a tremendous AOY top 10
At the halfway point of the 2016 season, the Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year top 10 features a stellar mix of veterans, bass fishing super stars and up-and-coming talent. And they’re all off to a blistering pace, with every angler in the top 10 averaging at least a 30th-place finish or better per tournament.
Here’s a breakdown of the top five anglers in the standings.
1. John Cox – DeBary, Fla. – 577 points
Florida pro John Cox maintains the top spot that he took over after his win at Lake Hartwell, and he’s averaging better than a top-10 finish per tournament. Averages aside, Cox’s actual finishes are 13th, first and 12th. He’s red hot.
So far, Cox has had a lot of chances to fish shallow – his preference, obviously – and to target spawning bass. He’s one of the best on Tour when the fish are on beds, especially if he can see them.
The next stop is Pickwick, where Cox hasn’t exactly shown out. His last two Tour finishes there are 75th and 65th. Probably some fish will be around spawning areas, but it’s also likely that this event will feature decent postspawn action. Unless there’s something unlucky about Pickwick for Cox, the conditions shouldn’t really be a problem. There’ll be enough shallow fish and grass fish for him to target, and he can pretty much catch fish in a bathtub right now. The dude is on fire.
In the last nine Tour events, he hasn’t finished worse than 42nd. And you have to believe that the sting of losing his AOY bid at the finale last season hasn’t worn off just yet.
Cox needs points at Pickwick because Kentucky Lake, which is stop No. 5, is going to be dominated by offshore fishing. It’ll be interesting to see where he’s at going into Kentucky.
2. Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague – Point, Texas – 572 points
Whatever it is that Jeff Sprague is doing differently this season, this young gun from Texas doesn’t need to change anything. Sprague is just five points behind Cox and has posted finishes of 15th, 13th and third so far.
Last season, Sprague closed out the Tour with finishes of 26th at Lake Chickamauga and 11th at the Potomac River. While those fisheries are certainly not a ton alike, they have some similar characteristics. Notably, they’re grassy fisheries where current is a factor and where anglers tend to power fish.
Looking ahead, Sprague is facing three fisheries where grass, current and power fishing will all be in play – Pickwick, Kentucky and Champlain. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that this self-proclaimed power fisherman should be able to fish in his comfort zone for the second half of the season.
Sprague admitted before the Beaver Lake tournament that Beaver was one of the lakes that didn’t really suit his tastes – clear water and finesse are not his forte. Unusually dirty water was a blessing that changed his fate and might have rerouted the course of the 2016 AOY campaign. Usually winning the season-long points title requires a few things to go your way. So far, things are going Sprague’s way. Now it’s up to him to capitalize in the second half of the season. Cox should be watching over his shoulder.
3. Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla. – 566 points
This must be the year for veterans in professional bass fishing. Rick Clunn won a Bassmaster Elite Series event. Jimmy Houston was in the hunt for the win at Beaver Lake, at least in the opening rounds. And Darrel Robertson, the former Forrest Wood Cup champion, is in third place in the Tour’s AOY standings thanks to back-to-back top-10 finishes.
You almost have to root for Robertson. He’s won more than $1.8 million with FLW, but he’s never finished better than ninth in the AOY standings in a career that dates back to 1997.
Interestingly, the Oklahoman’s Tour performance over the last decade has resembled many American’s 401K statements – lots of ups and downs. He’s posted AOY finishes in the top 20 three times in that span, but has finished worse than 100th three times too.
Robertson’s current upswing didn’t start this season, either. He finished fourth at the Tour finale on the Potomac last year, so his last four Tour finishes have all been top 30 or better. He hasn’t made the Cup since 2011, but by all appearances this ought to be his year to go back to the show.
Robertson’s biggest hurdle if he wants to overcome the 11-point deficit separating him from Cox might be the Tennessee River, site of the next two tournaments. In 2014, Robertson finished 98th at Pickwick and 108th at Kentucky Lake. In 2008, he finished 80th at Kentucky Lake. He’ll have to improve this season to roll with this bunch of hammers in the second half.
4. Chris Johnston – Peterborough, Ontario – 563 points
Down two spots in the standings is Ontario rookie Chris Johnston. His “fall” to fourth place illustrates just how well the anglers in the current top 10 are fishing. Johnston finished 25th – yes, 25th – at Beaver Lake for his third consecutive five-figure payday and his first finish outside the top 20 in 2016. Yet he still dropped a couple spots.
The Tennessee River swing will be a fun one for Johnston. Both lakes on the schedule are multi-species fisheries, which is right up his alley, and Pickwick should offer a good variety of patterns.
Interestingly, he’s fished three FLW events on the Tennessee River, and all three were Costa FLW Series Championships. Held in the fall, those events should have at least given him a taste of what to expect at Pickwick and Kentucky. As an additional data point, Johnston finished 13th in the Bassmaster BASSFest held last June – a ledge-fishing event of the truest form. If he can stay in the top five going into Champlain, Johnston has as good a shot as anyone at winning AOY. He’s got a ton of experience on Champlain, and we have to assume that his tournament-fishing experience in Canada makes him a favorite on any natural Northern lake.
5. Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 558 points
Mr. Everything Scott Martin is hoping to join the elite list of anglers who have won two AOY titles, and quite honestly he’s right where he needs to be to do it. Martin is lurking 19 points behind Cox, and the next three tournaments are all on lakes where he has performed well in the past. In fact, Martin has won on Champlain. Everyone ahead of him should be worried.
Last year when he won AOY, Martin said he had changed his tournament strategy a little bit. He was no longer swinging for the fences to try and win every tournament. The home run attitude had cost him too many bombs. His new strategy is to worry about making top-20 cuts so he can get to day three and have a shot at the top 10. The proof is in the paychecks. Dating back to the 2014 season, Martin has logged 12 top-20 finishes in regular-season tournaments and Forrest Wood Cups, and he’s cut a check at every stop.
The dude is a top-20 machine, and top 20s are what win AOY titles. There’s a good chance his 2015 trophy won’t be lonely on the mantle much longer.
The rest of the top 10
6. Jeff Gustafson – Keewatin, Ontario – 554
7. Clark Wendlandt – Leander, Texas – 528
8. Jacob Wheeler – Indianapolis, Ind. – 517
9. Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn. – 515
10. Stetson Blaylock – Benton, Ark. – 513