And then there were 10
VanDam leads Pro Division heading into the semifinal round of FLW competition
CLEWISTON, Fla. – Legendary angler Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., used an impressive two-day catch of 33 pounds, 13 ounces to vault into the overall lead of the $500,000 FLW tournament on Lake Okeechobee. However, despite his successful bid for a top-10 finish in the first FLW tournament of the year, VanDam said he was taking a wait-and-see approach for the remainder of the tournament.
“It’s nice to be here, but tomorrow’s another day,” said Van Dam. “This tournament is different than any other tournament I’ll fish this year. There’s a lot of strategy involved. And it’s going to take a lot of effort and hard work to win.”
While a household name in the world of professional bass fishing, VanDam is a relative novice on the FLW Tour – participating in only a few scattered tournaments over the past three years. However, VanDam says that’s about to change.
“The FLW Tour is a really neat format,” said VanDam, who has racked up over $100,000 in lifetime prize money on the tour despite fishing in only a few tournaments. “I like the elimination format. It provides a real test for anglers to see who can adapt and who can change during the competition. It’s really a lot of fun.”
Although VanDam’s low-key approach is largely based on his modest personality, it would be a mistake to assume that the Michigan native is not gunning for the title with everything he has.
“I definitely have some confidence,” he said. “I know where the fish are going to be and there are still a couple of spots I haven’t been too. The key is to keep fishing hard. Yesterday, I could have stopped at 15 pounds, but I didn’t. I kept fishing as hard as I could and so far, it’s paid off.”
But what if the weather changes for the worse tomorrow?
“I hope it gets really cold,” he said. “The more windy and cold it gets, the better off I’m going to be.”
By contrast, second-place finisher Kim Stricker of Howell, Mich., said he was ecstatic to make the top-10.
“I had a really tough day out there on the lake, but it was awesome nonetheless,” he said. “I was really worried throughout the day. I was scheduled to be in at 3:20 p.m. and at 3:00 p.m. I only had two fish that weighed a combined 3 pounds. But five minutes later, I hooked into a 7-pound fish and then I caught another 4-pounder. So, yes, I’m happy to be where I am.”
While uncertain about tomorrow’s conditions, Stricker believes he has found a location with a huge amount of fish that should be good enough to win the tournament.
“There are quality fish out there,” said Stricker, who produced a two-day total of 33 pounds, 4 ounces. “I found a hole in practice that should produce about 25 pounds of fish. As long as the fish bite, I should be in great shape. I’m definitely excited.”
After the second day of competition, third place belonged to George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., who registered a total catch of 33 pounds, 1 ounce. David Walker, of Cannon, Ky., was in fourth place with a total catch of 30 pounds, 14 ounces. However, if you hear Walker tell it, he was lucky to make the top 10 at all given his harrowing day on the water.
“First I hooked into an alligator,” he said. “I saw that thing and had no idea what to do. Luckily, my partner was able to get it off.”
But if that wasn’t enough, Walker nearly had to come to the rescue of fellow competitor, Mark Rose, whose boat whirled out of control and struck a rock embankment at nearly 50 miles an hour.
“For (Rose) not to get hurt was really amazing,” Walker said. “That was one scary deal.”
Although Walker offered his assistance, Rose managed to start his boat and drive in safely with no injuries.
Mark Hardin, of Canton, Ga., was in fifth place after day two with a total catch of 30 pounds, 8 ounces.
Rounding out the top 10 pro finalists were Kelley Williamson (sixth place), of Purdy, Mo.; Charlie Hartley (seventh place) of Grove City, Ohio; Mike Wurm (eighth place) of Hot Springs, Ark.; Paul Elias (ninth place) of Pachuta, Miss.; and David Fritts (10th place) of Lexington, N.C.
After Friday’s competition, the top five anglers will advance to Saturday’s final round. Saturday’s champion will take home $100,000.
Ohio native takes overall lead in Co-Angler Division
Arlyn “Art” Johnson of Enon, Ohio, finished in first place in the Co-Angler Division with a total catch of 21 pounds, 12 ounces after day two of competition on Lake Okeechobee. Johnson, who finished fourth overall in the 2000 FLW rankings for Co-Angler of the Year, said that he has been fishing with confidence all week and was not surprised by his overall performance to date.
“I did really well pre-fishing all week,” said Johnson, who also took home a check for $500 for winning the day-two Big Bass co-angler competition. “I found a lot of fish so far and I’m pretty confident right now. I’ve very excited for tomorrow.”
Working in Johnson’s favor is the fact that he will be paired with VanDam during tomorrow’s competition.
“I know what Kevin VanDam is doing and he is fishing the same way I’m fishing,” he said. “And that really helps a lot. It’s not always the case that you fish the same style as your pro partner, so I’m pretty happy right now. Hopefully, I’ll do well.”
Despite registering a goose egg on the second day of competition, Donald Tross of Newport News, Va., finished the day in second place with a total catch of 20 pound, 14 ounces. Tammie Muse of North Little Rock, Ark., one of two women to make the top 10 in the Co-Angler Division, finished Thursday’s competition in third place with a total catch of 19 pounds, 13 ounces – an impressive feat considering that this was Muse’s first FLW tournament.
Bryan Williams of Mahomet, Ill., was in fourth place with a total catch of 15 pounds, 1 ounce. And Michael Brown of Chatsworth, Ga., finished in fifth place with a total catch of 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
Rounding out the top 10 were Andrew Arnold of Princeton, Ky.; Abbie Israel of Clewiston, Fla.; Gary Henry of Conyers, Ga.; Doug Caldwell of Kane, Penn.; and Wanda Rucker of Cocoa, Fla.
Co-anglers will be competing for a $15,000 first-place prize which will be awarded after Friday’s final round of competition.
Day-three takeoff is scheduled for 8 a.m. at the Roland Martin Marina. Weigh-in is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1005 West Sugarland Highway in Clewiston.
Links, Day 2: