Skeet Reese Continues Hot Streak at Lake Guntersville

 
Skeet Reese exuded calm Sunday morning heading into the final day of the Synergy Southern Challenge. Perhaps it’s easy to be carefree when you are sitting on a pile of momentum – Reese had already notched one Elite victory this year and four consecutive top-5 finishes – but the Auburn, Calif., figured he had no shot of winning this tournament. Reese’s best areas had diminished on Lake Guntersville and Davy Hite moved into the catbird seat Saturday with his second 27-plus pound limit and appeared poised to capture his seventh elusive BASS victory.

But Reese, who took home $100,000 with the victory, performed when it counted most – as he has all year -scoring his second Elite victory in five events and his fifth consecutive top 5, an unprecedented achievement in Elite competition. If not for losing by a whisker on the California Delta – Reese lost by 1 ounce to Virginia’s John Crews – the 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year would have posted three Elite victories in five events.

As is, Reese has opened up a 258-point margin in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. To illustrate the gap, Reese could finish in dead-last in two weeks on Clarks Hill Lake and his closest competitor, Edwin Evers, could win and Reese would still hold a 50-plus point lead. In Elite Series competition, Reese’s domination is entering uncharted territory but the carefree attitude still prevails.

Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Southern Challenge on The Bassmasters, which airs Sunday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2 (re-airs Sunday, May 30, 11 a.m. ET). The daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the two postseason events will air live on ESPN3.com.

“I can’t believe I won this thing,” said Reese of his sixth BASS victory. “I really didn’t think I had a chance. I was totally relaxed this morning without a worry in the world. I had no pressure and wasn’t even thinking about a victory. I would have been happy with 18 pounds.”

Instead, Reese caught 25 pounds, 15 ounces, blowing the tournament wide open with his four-day total of 100 pounds, 13 ounces, which accounted for the fourth time the 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion has crossed the 100-pound threshold in Elite competition.

After faltering Saturday, Reese said he would “punt” and scramble together a plan prior to his launch on Sunday morning. He stuck to his guns early and ran some of the same areas he had been fishing. He was spurred by an early good fish – more than 5 pounds – before he decided to move on.

Inadvertently, Hite contributed to Reese’s success. A skilled jig angler, Hite had built most of his total this week on the lure, and Reese was astutely aware. Knowing Hite’s success, Reese tied on one lone homemade mop jig, colored brown, and decided to work it around a bridge. He boated two 5-plus pounders, which upgraded his weight and effectively closed the competition.

Still, as most in the field, Reese primarily worked a crankbait – a Lucky Craft 3.5 DD – on main lake ledges for the majority of the four days. Key to the victory was Reese’s rods – the Wright & McGill brand that hold his namesake – which were designed strictly for long-distance casting with a crank.

“I almost feel like I’m going to get shot by one of these guys (Reese’s other competitors) if I keep this up,” said Reese, 40. “I always try to do something that hasn’t been done before so I’m going to keep putting the pressure on.”

While Reese stole the headlines from Hite, the two-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year was pleased with the fact that he put himself in contention. It has been a long dry spell for Hite – he had missed out on a top-10 finish dating back to last year – and though he faltered Sunday, the 1999 Bassmaster Classic champion did so to the hottest angler on the planet.

“A 5-pound margin (heading into the final day) just isn’t enough on Lake Guntersville,” said Hite of Ninety Six, S.C. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards for me to catch them today but at least I finished in second.”

Right behind Hite was Crews of Salem, Va., with 92-11. Though Reese bested Crews by more than 1 ounce, he was able to exact some measure of redemption this week for the close call on the California Delta.

Morizo Shimizu of Osaka, Japan, who finished second here in 2005, brought in Sunday’s biggest limit at 27-1 and moved up from eighth to fourth. Rounding out the top 5 was homestate pro Russ Lane of Prattville with 91-15.

Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., moved up to sixth with a 26-2 limit, which included the tournament’s biggest bass – an 8-2 brute.

Five-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam posted his best finish in Elite competition thus far this year with a ninth. VanDam moved up to 22nd in the Angler of the Year standings and will look to make a charge to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, which only includes the top 12 anglers from the regular-season AOY standings. The full standings can be found below.

Next up on the Elite Series schedule is the Pride of Georgia on Clarks Hill Lake May 20-23. Reese has a phenomenal track there, notching finishes of ninth and sixth.

Defending champion Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., limped in below the cutline in 57th. Guntersville has been the site of 20 top-level BASS events, including the 1976 Bassmaster Classic, won by Elite Series pro Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo. Clunn finished 67th this week.

In 2009, the top four overall weights for the four-day tournament crashed the scales at more than 100 pounds. Reese was the only angler to accomplish the feat this week.

Local sponsor of the Southern Challenge: Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter and Yamaha.

Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance and Triton Boats.

About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration,Fla.

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Media Contact: Doug Grassian at 407-566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com

FINAL STANDINGS- SYNERGY SOUTHERN CHALLENGE STANDINGS

2010 Guntersville, AL 5/6-5/9
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 20 100-13 315 $101,500.00
Day 1: 5 29-03 Day 2: 5 24-01 Day 3: 5 21-10 Day 4: 5 25-15
2. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 20 93-03 300 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 27-00 Day 3: 5 28-06 Day 4: 5 13-06
3. John Crews Salem, VA 20 92-11 290 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 24-15 Day 3: 5 28-04 Day 4: 5 21-08
4. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 20 92-05 285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 5 20-10 Day 3: 5 20-07 Day 4: 5 27-01
5. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 20 91-15 280 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-15 Day 2: 5 23-11 Day 3: 5 17-14 Day 4: 5 26-07
6. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 20 89-14 276 $14,500.00
Day 1: 5 26-12 Day 2: 5 18-10 Day 3: 5 18-06 Day 4: 5 26-02
7. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 20 88-13 272 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-06 Day 2: 5 22-13 Day 3: 5 19-12 Day 4: 5 22-14
8. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 20 88-10 268 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 27-12 Day 2: 5 23-10 Day 3: 5 15-09 Day 4: 5 21-11
9. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 83-09 264 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 22-12 Day 4: 5 17-07
10. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 20 82-08 260 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 27-11 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 18-11 Day 4: 5 19-03
11. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 20 82-06 257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 26-01 Day 2: 5 19-05 Day 3: 5 18-07 Day 4: 5 18-09
12. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 18 72-01 254 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 24-05 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 5 17-08 Day 4: 3 07-15
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Paul Elias Laurel, MS 08-02 $1,000.00
BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT OF TOURN
Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 29-03 $500.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 90 462 1805-09
2 88 455 1623-09
3 45 231 804-07
4 11 58 248-02
———————————-
234 1206 4481-11

TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

2010 Guntersville, AL – Guntersville, AL Pro Points After Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Ala. Ending 05-09-2010, Day 4
——————————————-
Place Name St Pts
——————————————-
1 Skeet Reese Calif. 1485
2 Edwin Evers Okla. 1227
3 Dave Wolak N.C. 1202
4 Brian Snowden Mo. 1198
5 Cliff Pace Miss. 1174
6 Greg Hackney La. 1162
7 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1131
8 John Crews Va. 1118
9 Derek Remitz Ala. 1117
10 Greg Vinson Ala. 1105
11 Gary Klein Texas 1102
12 Bill Lowen Ohio 1092
13 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1083
14 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1081
15 Aaron Martens Ala. 1079
16 Stephen Browning Ark. 1078
17 Mark Davis Ark. 1070
18 Terry Butcher Okla. 1056
19 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1042
20 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1032
21 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1030
21 Jared Lintner Calif. 1030
23 Todd Faircloth Texas 1029
23 Morizo Shimizu Japan 1029
25 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 1025
26 James Niggemeyer Texas 1024
27 Russ Lane Ala. 1022
28 Mike McClelland Ark. 1011
29 Bobby Lane Fla. 1010
30 Scott Rook Ark. 1009
31 Clark Reehm Ark. 1001
32 Kevin Wirth Ky. 987
33 Guy Eaker N.C. 984
33 Paul Elias Miss. 984
35 Gerald Swindle Ala. 982
36 Denny Brauer Mo. 974
37 Mark Tucker Mo. 967
38 Ish Monroe Calif. 961
39 Takahiro Omori Texas 959
40 Brent Chapman Kan. 956
41 Zell Rowland Texas 950
42 Billy McCaghren Ark. 943
43 Boyd Duckett Ala. 938
44 Kelly Jordon Texas 933
45 Bradley Roy Ky. 932
46 Jason Williamson S.C. 931
47 Davy Hite S.C. 922
48 Randy Howell Ala. 911
49 Kevin Short Ark. 905
50 Mark Menendez Ky. 897
51 Dustin Wilks N.C. 896
52 Matt Herren Ala. 894
53 Terry Scroggins Fla. 887
54 Alton Jones Texas 886
55 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 880
56 Cliff Crochet La. 863
57 Pete Ponds Miss. 857
58 Byron Velvick Texas 848
59 Jason Quinn S.C. 847
59 Rick Morris Va. 847
61 Marty Stone N.C. 837
62 Timmy Horton Ala. 833
63 Casey Ashley S.C. 827
64 Pat Golden N.C. 817
64 Bradley Hallman Okla. 817
66 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 815
67 Marty Robinson S.C. 814
68 Jeff Connella La. 811
69 Dennis Tietje La. 805
69 J Todd Tucker Ga. 805
71 Matt Reed Texas 794
72 Peter Thliveros Fla. 793
73 Charlie Hartley Ohio 791
73 Grant Goldbeck Md. 791
75 Kenyon Hill Okla. 785
76 John Murray Ariz. 783
77 Bernie Schultz Fla. 775
78 Matt Greenblatt Fla. 755
78 Wade Grooms S.C. 755
80 Jami Fralick S.D. 741
81 Mark Tyler Okla. 731
82 Rick Clunn Mo. 730
83 Vince Fulks Okla. 709
84 Britt Myers S.C. 707
85 Chris Lane Ala. 693
86 Keith Poche Ala. 690
87 Chad Griffin Texas 685
88 Mark Burgess Mass. 647
89 Byron Haseotes Mass. 597
90 David Smith Okla. 595
91 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 587
92 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 563
93 Scott Ashmore Okla. 523

Media Contact
Doug Grassian at 407-566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com