Sorting Out All Star Week

B.A.S.S. Photo Seigo Saito

Twenty-two anglers are fishing two separate events on three largely unknown Michigan waterways this weekend, with the competition beginning this morning. Fourteen B.A.S.S. All Stars are competing for total purse of $100,000 ($50,000 for first place). Eight top collegiate anglers are competing for a spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville. The tournaments themselves, which are concurrent, both follow unique formats.

The All Star event begins with all 14 anglers fishing two days on Muskegon Lake. The top four from Friday's and Saturday's fishing will move onto the final round, with weights zeroed, and fish a single day on Sunday at nearby White Lake for the championship. All fourteen anglers got practice time on both lakes this week.

The All Star field includes the top eight anglers in this season's Angler of the Year Standings (Aaron Martens, Edwin Evers, Kevin VanDam, Bobby Lane, Keith Combs, Alton Jones, John Crews, Chris Zaldain); rookie of the year (Hank Cherry); 2013 Bassmaster Classic Champion (Cliff Pace) and four anglers chosen through fan voting (Brandon Palaniuk, Mike Iaconelli, Gerald Swindle, Skeet Reece).

The College Series Classic Bracket, which will take place on the Grand River, just south of Muskegon, includes the four two-man teams that finished highest in the College Championship on Lake Chatuge earlier this summer. The anglers won't competing as teams, though. Instead they'll fish as eight individuals in an elimination-style event that will finish with two anglers fishing head-to-head on Sunday for the chance to be the college representative in the Bassmaster Classic.

Learn more about how to follow both events at the unfold at www.bassmaster.com.

Pro Congratulations

Bass fishing legend Larry Nixon added to the story this weekend by topping the field in the FLW Tour Open on Lake St. Clair with a four-day catch of 84 pounds, 11 ounces. FLW Photo by Brett Carlson.

Wow. A lot happened in the pro angling world this weekend while I was stomping around in Smokies streams.

On the FLW side of things, Larry Nixon added yet another win to his storied career by topping the field in an FLW Tour Open at Lake St. Clair. Nixon, who had won once before on the same waters, took the title in convincing fashion, topping second place finisher Bill McDonald by more than 6 pounds.

On the B.A.S.S. side, Boyd Duckett took the trophy at Lake Oneida, edging out Randy Howell by only 6 ounces. Most importantly to Duckett, the win earned him qualification for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.

Because Oneida was the final stop of the season for the Elites, it also settled the Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year races and the post-season field and secured Classic spots for several pros. Congratulations to B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Brent Chapman and Rookie of the year Brandon Card and to all the post-season and Classic qualifiers.

Yelas Yielded Water to Wheeler

"Jacob, go win this thing for me," Jay Yelas told Jacob Wheeler before blast off on the final morning of the Forrest Wood Cup. Yelas had resolved to explore new water up the Chestatee arm of Lake Lanier and to leave the familiar and productive Chattahoochee to Wheeler, who was leading the event by 6 pounds going into the final day of competition. Yelas didn't want to take fish from Wheeler and to take any opportunity away from the 21-year-old pro with whom he'd been sharing water throughout the tournament.

Yelas, a former Bassmaster Classic champion, B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and two-time FLW Anger of the year, was 8 pounds behind Wheeler and probably didn't feel like he had a realistic chance to win the event. That said, second through tenth were only separated by a couple of pounds, and Yelas was knowingly lessening his chances for the best possible finish. And while its true that the Forrest Wood Cup is a championship event that most anglers approach with and "all or nothing" mentality, the difference between the second and tenth place prize is $75,000, so Yelas opting to abandon his best waters was no small sacrifice. He still caught a quality bag on the final day and ended up finishing sixth.

Wheeler expressed humble appreciative of Yelas' consideration on the final day as he spoke from the stage just after the weigh-in. He likewise talked about David Dudley's encouragement throughout the event and expressed respect he had for the entire field. He also was eager to acknowledge God's blessings and to steer the focus away from himself. Wheeler's obvious gratitude for the opportunity to stand on the stage as champion and desire to glorify God was refreshing, and I look forward to seeing much more from in the future.