Aaron Martens (508 points)
With a pair of Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles already to his credit, many were expecting Martens to seize control of the race down the stretch. He did that last week – but only by a slim margin – rising from second to first in the AOY standings with a 13th-place finish at the St. Lawrence River. In six Elite Series tournaments this year, he’s missed the Top 15 only once with a 66th-place finish at Guntersville. His other finishes included third at the Sabine River, second at the Sacramento River, first at Lake Havasu and 15th at Kentucky Lake. Despite such a dominant season, only 11 points separate him from second-place angler Dean Rojas.
Dean Rojas (497 points)
Those who were expecting the tanned Arizona boy to free-fall out of contention when the Elite Series shifted to the North got a surprise when Rojas turned in a solid 28th-place finish last week at the St. Lawrence River. Though Rojas lost the lead to Martens, he’s still in an excellent spot to claim his first career AOY title after finishes of 19th, 11th, third, sixth, 46th and 28th this season.
Justin Lucas (461 points)
The young California native turned Alabama resident has made some big-time moves this year when deciding whether to go for broke and shoot for the win or cut his losses and pile up more AOY points. But a 61st-place finish on the St. Lawrence marked his lowest of the season and dropped him into third place in the standings.
Edwin Evers (432 points)
After a 94th-place finish on the Sabine River to open the season, Evers quickly became a bit of an afterthought in the AOY race. But three straight Top 3 finishes, including the first-ever back-to-back wins on the Elite Series, have put him squarely back in the discussion.
Jacob Powroznik (432 points)
Powroznik’s season points total is the same as Evers, and many are expecting big things from him as the Elite Series makes a stop in his neck of the woods at Chesapeake Bay. Powroznik hasn’t finished outside the Top 40 since a 64th-place showing on the Sabine River, and after finishing seventh last week at the St. Lawrence River, he now has three Top 20s this season.