Reese Wins By Fourteen-Pounds
HUDDLESTON, Va. – While others zigged this week, Skeet Reese zagged and the decision paid off in spades. Bucking the sightfishing trend and primarily working a swimbait, the Auburn, Calif., pro left the competition in the dust – his closet competitor was Jason Williamson more than the 14 pounds behind – amassing 78 pounds, 1 ounce, of Smith Mountain Lake bass to take his fifth Bassmaster victory at the Evan Williams Bourbon Blue Ridge Brawl.
Reese continued the good vibes in what has been a white-hot start to the Elite Series. But it all hasn’t been roses for Reese as he had a bitter taste after the season-opening California swing. Reese fell to Virginian John Crews on the California Delta by 1 ounce and failed to score victory on what he considers his home fishery, Clear Lake.
But Reese left nothing to chance this week, posting more than 17 pounds all four days of competition. With the victory, Reese moves ahead in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings by a wide margin of more than 85 points. Full standings can be found below.
“I worked my tail off this week and I burned through a ton of water,” said Reese, the 2007 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “I knew it can be a grind here and you’re never guaranteed to catch them so I never felt comfortable, even until the end. But it was a great week and it’s special to win like this.”
Coverage of the Brawl will be featured on The Bassmasters on Sunday, May 2 at 9 a.m. ET. Additionally, Bassmaster.com will follow the event each day with BASSCast, BASSCam, real-time leaderboards during weigh-ins, photo galleries, daily results, and Hooked Up with ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders. Live, streaming video will be carried by ESPN3.com.
Reese built a 6-plus pound margin heading into Sunday but with changing conditions on Smith Mountain, the 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion knew nothing was guaranteed. Fortunately, the steady wind Reese needed blew Sunday allowing him to put the nail in the coffin with a final-day tally of 19 pounds, 14 ounces.
Reese said the swimbait – a 6-inch Rago SKT Swimmer in light hitch – was key for two reasons. One, it was large enough to entice the right bites. Additionally, the color and design mimicked bluegill, a main forage on Smith Mountain.
Reese’s conviction in the swimbait was important as well. On Friday, nearly 2/3 through his competition day, he only had two fish in the boat. And he began to question his technique.
“I knew that these fish aren’t necessarily used to seeing bigger lures,” said Reese. “But there are some bigger fish in this lake and they are capable of eating bigger baits. That’s why I stuck to my guns.”
Though the swimbait was instrumental, Reese did mix in other techniques – he sight fished for a minority of his time throughout the tournament and worked a Berkley worm Sunday.
Smith Mountain sets up well for Reese. The clear fishery littered with docks is similar to Clear Lake, where Reese is supremely comfortable. And Reese has performed here, notching a fourth and a ninth in past events.
And the first event, in 2007, laid the groundwork for this week’s victory. Reese said he caught a few on a swimbait that year and developed the pattern in the 2009 event before committing full-bore this week.
While Reese held steady throughout the week, other anglers were all over the map. Williamson of Wagener, S.C., started off the event with a bang, a 22-9 limit, the biggest of the tournament. But the sight bite subsequently died off, causing Williamson to settle for second.
Still, Williamson was pleased with the week and the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points he was able to rack up.
“I have no complaints this week,” said Williamson, 29. “This was Skeet’s tournament and there is not a thing that I did that I would change.”
Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., gave Williamson a scare for second but finished in third with 61-8. Ounces behind Rojas was shallow-water specialist Terry Scroggins of Palatka, Fla., with 61-5. Rounding out the top five was Matt Reed of Madisonville, Texas, with 61-2.
With a 10th place finish in the event, Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., stands as Reese’s closest competition in the Angler of the Year standings. With five events left in the Elite Series, anglers will be jockeying to qualify for the Elite Series Postseason and 2011 Bassmaster Classic (New Orleans, Louisiana Delta). Rojas was third in the AOY standings followed by Edwin Evers of Oklahoma and Dave Wolak of North Carolina.
Only the top 12 qualified for the final day of competition on Sunday. Full standings can be found below.
Smith Mountain Lake out of Huddleston, Va., was the 2010 Elite Series’ third stop. Pros were competing for a $100,000 first-place prize. They also gained points to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason in July, when the $200,000 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year contest will play out in Alabama. Points also counted towards elusive berths in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
Local sponsors are the counties of Franklin and Bedford. Click here for Smith Mountain Lake information.
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 ESPN3.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, 407-566-2216, doug.grassian@espn.com
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE ELITE FINAL STANDINGS
2010 Moneta, VA 4/15-4/18
Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta VA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 20 78-01 310 $101,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 21-13 Day 4: 5 19-14
2. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 20 63-08 305 $25,500.00
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 15-03 Day 4: 5 11-10
3. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 20 61-08 290 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 15-07 Day 4: 5 14-08
4. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 20 61-05 285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 11-05 Day 4: 5 14-14
5. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 20 61-02 280 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 13-13 Day 4: 5 13-07
6. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 20 60-07 276 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 11-07 Day 4: 5 15-02
7. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 20 58-05 272 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 15-03 Day 4: 5 11-06
8. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 20 57-09 268 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 21-07 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 13-02 Day 4: 5 09-07
9. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 20 57-08 264 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 12-08 Day 4: 5 12-06
10. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 20 57-08 260 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 16-07 Day 4: 5 11-07
11. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 20 55-08 257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 15-04 Day 4: 5 10-11
12. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 18 50-05 254 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 09-14 Day 4: 3 05-06
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 06-12 $500.00
Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 06-12 $500.00
BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT OF TOURN
Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 22-09 $500.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 86 449 1264-00
2 85 449 1162-03
3 44 228 564-14
4 11 58 150-02
———————————-
226 1184 3141-03
TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
2010 Blue Ridge Brawl – Moneta, VA Pro Points After Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta, Va. Ending 04-18-2010, Day 4
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Place Name St Pts
——————————————-
1 Skeet Reese Calif. 885
2 Greg Hackney La. 798
3 Dean Rojas Ariz. 730
4 Edwin Evers Okla. 726
4 Dave Wolak N.C. 726
6 James Niggemeyer Texas 708
7 Guy Eaker N.C. 704
8 Greg Vinson Ala. 693
9 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 681
10 Brian Snowden Mo. 675
11 John Crews Va. 673
12 Jeff Kriet Okla. 661
13 Bobby Lane Fla. 658
14 Scott Rook Ark. 649
15 Aaron Martens Ala. 642
16 Gary Klein Texas 639
16 Todd Faircloth Texas 639
16 Kelly Jordon Texas 639
19 Derek Remitz Ala. 630
20 Byron Velvick Texas 628
20 Jared Lintner Calif. 628
22 Terry Butcher Okla. 626
23 Bill Lowen Ohio 621
23 Clark Reehm Ark. 621
25 Mark Tucker Mo. 617
26 Alton Jones Texas 616
27 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 611
28 Cliff Pace Miss. 607
29 Matt Herren Ala. 606
30 Kevin VanDam Mich. 605
30 Mike McClelland Ark. 605
32 Gerald Swindle Ala. 602
33 Pat Golden N.C. 601
34 Denny Brauer Mo. 600
35 Morizo Shimizu Japan 595
36 Zell Rowland Texas 594
37 Tommy Biffle Okla. 590
38 Steve Kennedy Ala. 587
39 Stephen Browning Ark. 586
40 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 582
41 Terry Scroggins Fla. 581
42 Jason Quinn S.C. 577
43 Matt Reed Texas 564
44 Bradley Roy Ky. 562
45 Randy Howell Ala. 561
45 Bradley Hallman Okla. 561
47 Mark Davis Ark. 559
47 Ish Monroe Calif. 559
49 Kevin Wirth Ky. 557
50 Billy McCaghren Ark. 553
50 Jason Williamson S.C. 553
52 Peter Thliveros Fla. 545
53 Takahiro Omori Texas 533
54 Russ Lane Ala. 529
55 Marty Robinson S.C. 520
56 Marty Stone N.C. 515
57 Dustin Wilks N.C. 512
58 Casey Ashley S.C. 509
59 Davy Hite S.C. 505
60 Vince Fulks Okla. 501
60 J Todd Tucker Ga. 501
62 Matt Greenblatt Fla. 499
63 Mark Menendez Ky. 495
64 Grant Goldbeck Md. 493
65 Boyd Duckett Ala. 492
66 Rick Clunn Mo. 490
67 Jeff Connella La. 489
68 Brent Chapman Kan. 487
69 Paul Elias Miss. 481
70 Mark Tyler Okla. 479
71 Cliff Crochet La. 469
72 Bernie Schultz Fla. 467
73 Jami Fralick S.D. 461
74 Kevin Short Ark. 459
75 Dennis Tietje La. 441
76 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 435
77 Timmy Horton Ala. 421
77 Pete Ponds Miss. 421
79 John Murray Ariz. 415
80 Chad Griffin Texas 405
81 Wade Grooms S.C. 403
82 Keith Poche Ala. 402
83 Charlie Hartley Ohio 401
84 Byron Haseotes Mass. 399
85 Chris Lane Ala. 397
86 David Smith Okla. 387
87 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 381
88 Rick Morris Va. 377
89 Kenyon Hill Okla. 375
90 Mark Burgess Mass. 355
91 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 353
92 Britt Myers S.C. 343
93 Scott Ashmore Okla. 337
Media Contact
Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216, doug.grassian@espn.com
