David Walker shows that 1999 Angler of the Year award was no fluke
Kentucky native bounces back after disappointing 2000 season to grab overall lead in first FLW tournament of the year
CLEWISTON, Fla. – It didn’t take long for David Walker to put to rest any doubts that he is no longer on top of his game. Although Walker had a relatively disappointing season in 2000, finishing 13th overall in the Pro Division, the 1999 Kellogg’s Angler of the Year bounced back with a vengeance right out of the starting blocks in 2001, registering a whopping 22-pound, 14-ounce stringer on the first day of competition on Lake Okeechobee.
Walker’s day-one performance not only vaulted the Kentucky native to the top of a dangerously talented leaderboard, but also served to reinforce the notion that he is indeed an angler to be reckoned with in 2001.
“I know I didn’t do as well in 2000 as I would have liked,” said Walker, a native of Cannon, Ky, “but sometimes a good, old-fashioned butt-kicking makes you come back stronger. And right now, I feel like I’m back.”
While Walker’s catch was impressive, he said that no one more surprised by his day-one performance than himself.
“My pre-fishing went very badly,” he said. “My boat had mechanical problems on Friday and my first real day of pre-fishing was on Monday (two days before the start of the tournament). That day was extremely cold and windy and I didn’t catch much. Tuesday wasn’t much better. So, I figured if I caught anything today I would be lucky.”
However, Walker’s luck changed almost immediately once competition began. After only a few casts, Walker landed a 9-pound, 10-ounce lunker – a result that restored his confidence almost instantaneously.
“It really took the pressure off,” said Walker of the fish that also landed him the day’s Big Bass award worth $750. “That was almost worth a limit right there. My next step was to keep hammering at those bass throughout the day and try to catch a solid stringer. And I think I did that.”
Although Walker claimed first place after day one of competition, he most certainly will be looking over his shoulder at Kevin Van Dam of Kalamazoo, Mich. Van Dam, one of the sport’s most accomplished anglers, landed a 20-pound, 9-ounce stringer to take second place overall. Kim Stricker of Howell, Mich., is also proving to be a worthy competitor after landing a 19-pound, 7-ounce stringer – a catch good enough for third place.
Rounding out the top five anglers in the Pro Division were Robert Vogelsang of Jessup, Md., with a catch of 17 pounds, 9 ounces; and Mark Hardin of Canton, Ga., with a catch of 17 pounds, 5 ounces.
Fishing legends go cold
Perhaps the biggest story of the day was the list of incredibly talented anglers who struggled mightily during the first day of competition on Lake Okeechobee. With the likes of Rick Clunn, Gary Klein, Larry Nixon, Dion Hibdon, Bernie Schultz, Tommy Biffle, Peter Thliveros, Darrel Robertson and tournament host Scott Martin all failing to break into the top 30, it was clear that that many household names in the world of professional bass fishing were battling to keep their heads above water.
“I’ve had a hard couple of weeks in Florida,” said Biffle, who finished second in the 2000 FLW Championship but lagged in 133rd place after day one. “And I really struggled today.”
Clunn, a regular atop the leaderboard at nearly every FLW tournament, found himself languishing in 55th place.
“I haven’t been on fish all week,” he said. “I just wasn’t getting enough bites today.”
Martin, who knows the ins and outs of Lake Okeechobee probably better than almost any other angler, finished a disappointing 42nd.
“I caught my fourth fish at 9:30 a.m. and I said to my partner that I felt like I might not catch anything else for the rest of the day,” said Martin. “I don’t know if it was a premonition or not, but that’s exactly what happened.”
Perennial powerhouses Klein (100th place), Hibdon – winner of the 2000 FLW Championship (130th place), Nixon (75th place), Schultz (118th place), Robertson (118th place) and Thliveros – 2000 ESPN Great Outdoor Games Champion – (64th place) didn’t fare much better.
However, with $100,000 on the line for a first-place finish on Saturday, the competition in the Pro Division should only intensify as the tournament progresses.
Virginia native blows away the field in the Co-Angler Division after day one
Donald Tross of Newport News, Va., grabbed the overall lead in the FLW Co-Angler Division with a catch of 20 pounds, 14-ounces – distancing himself from the rest of the field by a staggering total of 7 pounds, 8 ounces.
Not surprisingly, Tross was ecstatic with the day’s results.
“It feels great,” said Tross, who has never finished higher than 21st place in the FLW Tour as a co-angler. “The last two years here I really bombed out. But this year more than makes up for it.”
Like most of the anglers, Tross said that the majority of his success came in the early morning hours.
“My (pro) partner (Mark Hardin) and I had our limits by noon,” he said. “And obviously, if you’re able to do that, you should have a pretty good day.”
Although he has more than a 7-pound lead on the rest of the competition, Tross said he doesn’t plan on taking it easy on Friday.
“I’m going all out tomorrow,” he said. “I’m not slowing down at all. I really want to make the top 10.”
Bryan Williams of Mahomet, Ill., finished in second place with a catch of 13 pounds, 6 ounces. Williams also won $750 for registering the largest bass of the day – 7 pounds, 3 ounces – in the Co-Angler Division.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Abbie Israel of Clewiston, Fla., with a catch of 12 pounds, 9 ounces; Michael Brown of Chatsworth, Ga., with a catch of 11 pounds, 10 ounces; and Tammie Muse of North Little Rock, Ark., with a catch of 10 pounds, 11 ounces.
Takeoff for Friday’s competition is scheduled to take place at 7:00 a.m. at Roland Martin’s Marina.
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