Cayuga Elite by the numbers

Posted on
Numbers tell a story … especially on the Bassmaster Elite Series, which is all about pounds and ounces and Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points that can get an angler to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe. <br> Here are the important numbers from the Elite event on Cayuga Lake. <br> <em>All captions: Ken Duke</em>
Numbers tell a story … especially on the Bassmaster Elite Series, which is all about pounds and ounces and Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points that can get an angler to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe.

Here are the important numbers from the Elite event on Cayuga Lake.
All captions: Ken Duke

4-9 — As in 4 pounds, 9 ounces. That’s all that separated first place (Jordan Lee with 58-2) from 12th place (Matt Herren with 53-9) going into the finals. Based on percentages, it was the second closest finals in Elite history (behind Oneida Lake in 2006) and just the seventh time that the top 12 were separated by five pounds or less. When that happens, it truly can be anyone’s tournament going into the last round.
4-9 — As in 4 pounds, 9 ounces. That’s all that separated first place (Jordan Lee with 58-2) from 12th place (Matt Herren with 53-9) going into the finals. Based on percentages, it was the second closest finals in Elite history (behind Oneida Lake in 2006) and just the seventh time that the top 12 were separated by five pounds or less. When that happens, it truly can be anyone’s tournament going into the last round.
9 — We’re now more than two-thirds of the way through the Elite season, and there are nine anglers who have limited each day they’ve been on the water — Adrian Avena, Todd Faircloth, Bobby Lane, Russ Lane, Jared Lintner, Jacob Powroznik, Bradley Roy, Gerald Swindle and Chris Zaldain. Greg Hackney weighed in a limit on Day 1, but his disqualification takes him out of the running.
9 — We’re now more than two-thirds of the way through the Elite season, and there are nine anglers who have limited each day they’ve been on the water — Adrian Avena, Todd Faircloth, Bobby Lane, Russ Lane, Jared Lintner, Jacob Powroznik, Bradley Roy, Gerald Swindle and Chris Zaldain. Greg Hackney weighed in a limit on Day 1, but his disqualification takes him out of the running.
14 — A lot has been made of Greg Hackney’s Day 1 disqualification and how it “opened the door” for Gerald Swindle to take the lead in the AOY race. It’s easy to play to the hype, but if you do the math Swindle didn’t need anyone to open the door. He kicked it down himself with his 10th-place finish. A look at the numbers shows that Swindle would likely be leading AOY even if Hackney hadn’t been disqualified. If Hackney had gotten credit for his catches on the first two days, he would have finished 57th instead of 107th, earning an additional 53 points in the process. Swindle would still lead AOY by 14 points.
14 — A lot has been made of Greg Hackney’s Day 1 disqualification and how it “opened the door” for Gerald Swindle to take the lead in the AOY race. It’s easy to play to the hype, but if you do the math Swindle didn’t need anyone to open the door. He kicked it down himself with his 10th-place finish. A look at the numbers shows that Swindle would likely be leading AOY even if Hackney hadn’t been disqualified. If Hackney had gotten credit for his catches on the first two days, he would have finished 57th instead of 107th, earning an additional 53 points in the process. Swindle would still lead AOY by 14 points.
22 — Of course that’s how many B.A.S.S. wins the great Kevin VanDam now has in his incomparable career — three more than Roland Martin. It might be decades before anyone can challenge that number for a couple of reasons. First, you have to start very, very early. VanDam had 10 wins at the age of 37 and picked up the pace after that. No one is even close to a pace that could challenge him. Second, B.A.S.S. doesn’t have many small field events any more, and KVD benefited significantly from those. Seven of his wins came from fields of 51 anglers or fewer. In comparison, the smallest field Roland Martin faced in his 19 wins was 107 and most had 200 or more anglers.
22 — Of course that’s how many B.A.S.S. wins the great Kevin VanDam now has in his incomparable career — three more than Roland Martin. It might be decades before anyone can challenge that number for a couple of reasons. First, you have to start very, very early. VanDam had 10 wins at the age of 37 and picked up the pace after that. No one is even close to a pace that could challenge him. Second, B.A.S.S. doesn’t have many small field events any more, and KVD benefited significantly from those. Seven of his wins came from fields of 51 anglers or fewer. In comparison, the smallest field Roland Martin faced in his 19 wins was 107 and most had 200 or more anglers.
36 — Bradley Roy did not have a very good tournament at Cayuga. He finished 55th and slipped nine places in the AOY rankings. He’s now 23rd and appears a near lock to qualify for his first Bassmaster Classic. On the bright side, like almost everyone else at Cayuga, he caught limits when was on the water, increasing his consecutive limit streak to 36. It’s the longest active streak of any Elite angler, and if he can keep it up for four more rounds he’ll join some impressive company. Only eight anglers have posted consecutive limit streaks of 40 days or more. Kevin VanDam leads the way with 57.
36 — Bradley Roy did not have a very good tournament at Cayuga. He finished 55th and slipped nine places in the AOY rankings. He’s now 23rd and appears a near lock to qualify for his first Bassmaster Classic. On the bright side, like almost everyone else at Cayuga, he caught limits when was on the water, increasing his consecutive limit streak to 36. It’s the longest active streak of any Elite angler, and if he can keep it up for four more rounds he’ll join some impressive company. Only eight anglers have posted consecutive limit streaks of 40 days or more. Kevin VanDam leads the way with 57.
53 — I think a big number has been overlooked in all the hoopla surrounding Greg Hackney’s disqualification on the first day at Cayuga. That number is 53. For the sake of conversation, let’s give Hackney full credit for his Day 1 catch — 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Now let’s assume he would have put up the same Day 2 catch that he actually posted (15-4). (I understand that his attitude and approach on Day 2 must have been less than ideal and that he might have done better, but that’s speculation. We must go with the catches he actually made.) Totaling his catches, we get 32-12, which would have put him in 54th place and earned him 57 points. Instead he finished last and earned 4 points — a 53 point differential. If Hackney loses AOY by 53 points or less, then the disqualification clearly cost him the title. If not, it’s just speculation.
53 — I think a big number has been overlooked in all the hoopla surrounding Greg Hackney’s disqualification on the first day at Cayuga. That number is 53. For the sake of conversation, let’s give Hackney full credit for his Day 1 catch — 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Now let’s assume he would have put up the same Day 2 catch that he actually posted (15-4). (I understand that his attitude and approach on Day 2 must have been less than ideal and that he might have done better, but that’s speculation. We must go with the catches he actually made.) Totaling his catches, we get 32-12, which would have put him in 54th place and earned him 57 points. Instead he finished last and earned 4 points — a 53 point differential. If Hackney loses AOY by 53 points or less, then the disqualification clearly cost him the title. If not, it’s just speculation.
46 — That’s how old Gerald Swindle is, and if he wins his second AOY this year he’ll be the oldest AOY in B.A.S.S. history, surpassing Roland Martin who was 45 when he won his ninth title in 1985.
46 — That’s how old Gerald Swindle is, and if he wins his second AOY this year he’ll be the oldest AOY in B.A.S.S. history, surpassing Roland Martin who was 45 when he won his ninth title in 1985.
49.16 — That’s the average age of an Elite winner in 2016, and it's easily the oldest average ever. The youngest Elite winner this year was Britt Myers at 41. The oldest was Rick Clunn at 69. Is this “The Year of the Old Guy”? Nah. The sport has usually been dominated by anglers between 35 and 45, this season it’s just a little more evident. When was the last time two Elite tournaments were won in the same season by anglers in their 20s? It’s only happened once — in 2012 with Brandon Palaniuk and Jonathon VanDam. A young man’s sport? Not even close.
49.16 — That’s the average age of an Elite winner in 2016, and it’s easily the oldest average ever. The youngest Elite winner this year was Britt Myers at 41. The oldest was Rick Clunn at 69. Is this “The Year of the Old Guy”? Nah. The sport has usually been dominated by anglers between 35 and 45, this season it’s just a little more evident. When was the last time two Elite tournaments were won in the same season by anglers in their 20s? It’s only happened once — in 2012 with Brandon Palaniuk and Jonathon VanDam. A young man’s sport? Not even close.
67 — That’s how far Greg Hackney trails the AOY leader with two regular season events and the AOY Championship left to go. Can he make up the ground? Of course he can, but it won’t be easy. That’s quite a few points, and the anglers between Hackney and Swindle are very, very good. Hackney not only needs to make up the gap, but needs to outpace Keith Combs, Jacob Powroznik and Randall Tharp, too.
67 — That’s how far Greg Hackney trails the AOY leader with two regular season events and the AOY Championship left to go. Can he make up the ground? Of course he can, but it won’t be easy. That’s quite a few points, and the anglers between Hackney and Swindle are very, very good. Hackney not only needs to make up the gap, but needs to outpace Keith Combs, Jacob Powroznik and Randall Tharp, too.
2004 — That’s when Gerald Swindle won his AOY crown, narrowly edging out another angler for the honor. Do you remember who it was? That’s right, Greg Hackney. At the time, Hackney was a rookie on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, and he turned in one of the most impressive seasons in professional angling history, finishing second in the Bassmaster AOY race, second in the FLW Tour AOY race and posting 15 top ten finishes in his first 26 B.A.S.S. events (58 percent!).
2004 — That’s when Gerald Swindle won his AOY crown, narrowly edging out another angler for the honor. Do you remember who it was? That’s right, Greg Hackney. At the time, Hackney was a rookie on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, and he turned in one of the most impressive seasons in professional angling history, finishing second in the Bassmaster AOY race, second in the FLW Tour AOY race and posting 15 top ten finishes in his first 26 B.A.S.S. events (58 percent!).