Rick Clunn just moved into the Top 5 (fourth place) and that certainly helps his campaign to qualifiy for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Clunn is 27th in the standings for Toyota Angler of the Year. A Championship Sunday appearance will be good after Clunn’s mediocre performance on Toledo Bend. A solid finish here will give Clunn some breathing room going into the northern swing of the Bassmaster Elite Series season.
Clunn turns on his best performance here later in the day, like most of the other leaders. Now is the time and it looks like he’s taking advantage of the window of opportunity.
On a note of trivia Clunn finished third in the 1979 Classic held on Lake Texoma. He finished behind winner Hank Parker and then Basil Bacon. Gary Klein was fourth. All three anglers were exclusively fishing a new technique at the time, flipping.
Clunn was the only angler chosing not to use the technique, an early indicator of how his analytical mind refuses to bend to the ordinary. He tends to do his own thing and hopefully that will come into play again on Lake Texoma.
Should Clunn qualify the 2017 event will be his 33rd Classic. The tournament on Lake Conroe would take him back to his roots, where he guided part-time between B.A.S.S. events.