Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 4: Walker's Wild Win!

By Deb Johnson

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Jun 19, 2011

DECATUR, Ala. — Most David Walker fans automatically assume he’s won a major tournament in his career, and now they are correct. 

A win and a Classic spot; David Walker couldn't be happier!
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Amassing a Wheeler Lake catch of 63 pounds, 10 ounces the Sevierville, Tenn., pro took possession Sunday of the Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel trophy, his first win in a premier circuit.

“I’ve fished a lot of them, and I hadn’t won one,” said Walker, 46, an experienced pro who made a name for himself on the FLW circuit before joining the Elite Series for the 2011 season. “I always felt like I was good enough to do it, and I feel like I’ve paid my dues. And why not a win?

“That was my slogan for the whole week: ‘Why not me?’ And here I am, talking about a win — I might be a little rusty on that topic,” he quipped.

Walker won $100,000 and a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth, his primary goal in becoming an Elite pro. Because he also earned enough Toyota Tundra Bassmaster of the Year points for a ticket to the 2012 world championship, Walker reached his goal of returning to the Classic not once, but twice in one season.

 

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 3: Bradley Roy Rolls to the Top

By Deb Johnson
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Jun 18, 2011



Roy shooting for a win.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

 DECATUR, Ala. — Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., injected new life into his sagging season Saturday at the Bassmaster Elite Series season finale by bringing in 17 pounds, 10 ounces, and jumping four places into the lead with 50-5 over three days.
Roy’s big charge this week on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake started with a quiet 13th place on the first day. He made more noise on the second day by hitting fifth place. Saturday, Roy got everyone’s attention by whisking the lead from David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., who fell to second place with 48-10, but still just 1-11 behind Roy.
“I feel like I’ve turned a bad season into a good one in one day. I’m determined, I need to win this,” said the 20-year-old Roy, the pro who made a quick name for himself in 2009 as the youngest pro to ever qualify for the Elite Series. He was just 18 at the time. He went on to become the 2010 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year.

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 3 Mid Day Report

By Luigi De Rose

According to the stats on www.bassmaster.com it looks like fishing has been a bit slow. Saturday is a strange day on lakes that have water generation. Electricity demands from industry decrease so water movement through the turbines decreases. For anglers wishing for the current to jump start the bass activity, they might be out of luck. How many hours can you wait on a good spot waiting for it to turn on? Many leave with the hope of better fishing only to miss the peak activity on the place they just left. 

Tournament fishing is a game of decisions and this one is a dicey game.
Here are the unofficial stats from bass at 10am.

 

Place	Angler	Fish	Day Three	Total
1	Kevin VanDam	5	17-00	48-02
2	Ott Defoe	5	12-13	45-10
3	David Walker	3	7-03	42-06
4	Greg Hackney	4	7-04	41-09
5	Kelly Jordon	5	12-13	39-10
6	Timmy Horton	3	6-12	37-11
7	Skeet Reese	2	4-00	37-02
8	Randy Howell	5	9-14	35-13
9	Russ Lane	5	9-02	35-11
10	Keith Combs	4	8-08	34-06
11	Bradley Roy	2	1-06	34-01
12	Brent Chapman	5	9-06	34-00
13	Casey Ashley	5	9-11	33-13
14	Travis Manson	4	5-11	33-00
15

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake day 1 and 2 recap

What's going on!?
By Luigi De Rose

Sorry for the delay but here is a photo essay on the Wheeler Lake Tournament. Wheeler Lake is the last official stop on the 2011 Bassmaster Tour Season. Many anglers are killing themselves to finish high enough in the points to qualify for the Classic. Others have no chance and are just trying to cut a good cheque. Also, there is the very important Angler of the Year (AOY) race in full swing.

So, lets try and figure out what is going on. Wheeler is a TVA lake in Alabama and has current flow created by electrical power generation. Bass mood is effected and affected by the current. The weather is hot and bass should be in a summer time pattern but don't count on it; it has been a weak spring.

Many expect the cranking anglers to win and they might. Summer means off-shore cranking, big worms, a few jigs and even a spoon tossed in. This means KVD should be at the top of the standings but he isn't in the Top 5 but who cares when it seems that he'll win another AOY.

Thursday, which was Day 1 saw Ott DeFoe take the lead and on Friday, David Walker is sitting atop the leader board. Both are considered new to BASS but both are very seasoned anglers with a lot of talent. Each one wants to fish the Classic and it looks like they will finish well.  

This photo essay is courtesy of BASS photographers: Rob Russow, Seigo Saito, James Overstreet and Darrel Jacobson

Tim Horton and Kevn Wirth are sharing an off-shore spot. Sharing is the key work.

Horton battles a good one as Russ Lane watches.

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Denny Wins!

Missouri’s Denny Brauer closes on 17th Bassmaster win


Jun 12, 2011
BASS Press Release

Denny's 17th Bassmaster Win!
(Photos: Jamer Overstreet BASS)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Leading for three days, Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., closed on the Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive on Sunday with 52 pounds, 2 ounces, posting a winning margin of over 7 pounds.
Brauer had a 10-plus-pound lead going into the final round, an insurance policy he didn’t need. Adding 7-5 on the fourth and final day, the legend of the sport clinched a wire-to-wire victory.
His prize was $100,000 and a berth in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., was the pro who went after Brauer hardest in the final hours of the Diamond Drive. But Martens, third after Saturday’s competition, weighed 10-11 Sunday for 45-1 overall and second place.

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Denny Domination

Denny Brauer Remains the Leader after Day 3

By Deb Johnson
BASS Press Release

Brauer Still on Top.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — If they’re honest about it, most bass pros would have to admit they’ve learned from Denny Brauer. Saturday, the famed pro from Camdenton, Mo., schooled some of the best in the business by keeping his lead for the third day in the Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive.
Brauer’s catch of 10 pounds, 12 ounces, fended off the changing lineup of fellow Elite pros who have been doing their best all week to wreck Brauer’s chance at a 17th Bassmaster victory. But with 44-13 over three days, Brauer stayed 10-2 ahead of Saturday’s frontline challenger, John Murray of Phoenix, Ariz., who ended his day in second place with 34-11.
Only the top 12 anglers after three days made it to Sunday’s final round. They will compete for $100,000, a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth, and points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.
Murray, among others in the Top 12, said he was resigned to fishing for second place on Sunday. But Brauer, a pro who has captured the sport’s most coveted titles — Bassmaster Classic champ and Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year — still was not convinced that a 10-pound lead was enough to win no matter what Day Four brought.

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Mid Day Up-Date

By Luigi De Rose

On any river that has commercial barge traffic or electric generation, Saturday is always a different day. River traffic and water flow changes dramatically due to so many people not working on the weekends and a decrease in electrical energy demands. What all this means to the fisherman is that the current created by barge traffic or water flowing through turbines, is less and the bass reposition. If the current tapers off to a dribble expect the bite to die. 

According to bassmaster.com, the mid-day report's unofficial weights looks like this:
standing/name/fish/day 3 weigth/total
1 Denny Brauer 3 6-00 40-01
2 John Murray 4 10-09 33-12
3 Aaron Martens 5 12-00 33-06
4 Jonathan VanDam 5 16-00 31-10
5 Ish Monroe 5 10-08 31-07
6 Gerald Swindle 5 10-00 30-11
7 Billy McCaghren 2 3-12 28-03
8 Kevin VanDam 1 2-00 27-11
9 Timmy Horton 5 13-05 27-01
10 Keith Combs 3 5-00 24-10
11 Greg Vinsom 2 3-04 24-09
12 Takahiro Omori 1 2-01 24-07
13 Clark Rheem 2 3-03 23-15
14 Ben Parker 4 8-11 23-10
15 Randy Howell 3 5-13 23-09

Another factor is the locks. Yesterday, 5 anglers arrived late to the ramp due to delays with the locks and all suffered a late penalty. If one of the leaders comes in late today and their day's weight has deductions, the leader board can change in a hurry. Jonathan Van Dam is a great example of how one good day on the Arkansas River will change everything. On day 1 he scored a big ZERO and on day 2 his five fish limit weighted 15-10 lifting him into the Top 50. It appears he is doing well again and has leaped into the Top 10.
Stay tuned!

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 2: Denny Brauer In Total Command!

By Luigi De Rose


Denny Brauer's monster 19 pound plus bag puts him in the lead. KVD in second nearly 10 pounds behind. The final cut, to make the top 50, weight was just about 12 pounds. Kevin Van Dam has taken over the lead for the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. He is in position to claim his 4th consecutive AOY title.

The Top 5
place/name/fish/weight
1 Dennis Brauer 10 34- 1
2 Kevin VanDam 10 25-11
3 Billy McCaghren 9 24- 7
4 John Murray 10 23- 3
5 Takahiro Omori 10 22- 6
Stay tuned!

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 2: Mid Day Up-Date

Reports from Bassmaster.com
This is an unofficial leader board based on what bassmaster's writers have witnessed. Remember, this a river with many anglers using locks to reach distant areas. One delay and a top weight can be zeroed if the angler arrives late to the ramp. Locks are always a gamble especially if a barge wants to finish work quickly on a Friday afternoon before everyone leaves for the weekend. Barge traffic always get preference before tournament boats. Hopefully, no one will falter due to busy locks. 

1:15 p.m.

Place	Angler	Fish	Day Two	Total
1	Denny Brauer	5	12-01	26-11
2	Kevin VanDam	5	9-08	22-04
3	Takahiro Omori	4	11-00	21-05
4	Aaron Martens	5	10-04	20-12
5	Gerald Swindle	5	12-00	20-04
6	Randy Howell	5	9-06	18-12
7	Brent Chapman	4	8-12	18-05
8	Todd Faircloth	4	11-00	18-00
9	Greg Vinson	3	7-00	17-06
10	Ish Monroe	2	2-12	17-04
11	Mark Davis	3	8-08	17-02
12	Jason Williamson	2	6-00	17-00

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 1: Brauer Battles to Top

Denny Brauer Leads Day 1
By Deb Johnson
(BASS Press Release)

Jun 9, 2011

Vetran Brauer with a solid limit to take 1st.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For the second time of the Bassmaster Elite Series season, bass fishing legend Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., took the lead on the first day.
And on what was arguably the toughest first day of any event in the 2011 Elite season, Brauer’s 14 pounds, 10 ounces of Arkansas River bass was just enough to command the top spot in the Diamond Drive on Thursday. He was 2 ounces ahead of Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., in second place with 14-8, and more than a pound in front of Keith Poche of Troy, Ala., third with 13-8.
In fourth place was the only pro from Arkansas to slip into the top five. Billy McCaghren of Mayflower brought in 13-3, managing 3 ounces more than Shaw Grigsby, who won the season opener on the Harris Chain of Lakes in his home state of Florida. In sixth was Michigan’s Kevin VanDam, who had 12-12.