Wheeler Lake Elite by the numbers

Posted on
Numbers tell a story … especially on the Bassmaster Elite Series, which is absolutely all about pounds and ounces, places and Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points. <p> Here are the important numbers from the Elite event on Wheeler Lake in Alabama. <p> <em>All captions: Ken Duke</em>
Numbers tell a story … especially on the Bassmaster Elite Series, which is absolutely all about pounds and ounces, places and Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points.

Here are the important numbers from the Elite event on Wheeler Lake in Alabama.

All captions: Ken Duke

1 – Four tournaments in, every champ this year is a first-time Elite winner. That hasn’t happened since 2006 — the first year of the Elite Series when every winner was a first-time Elite winner.
1 – Four tournaments in, every champ this year is a first-time Elite winner. That hasn’t happened since 2006 — the first year of the Elite Series when every winner was a first-time Elite winner.
3 – That’s how many days (out of a possible four) Takahiro Omori had the heaviest bag of the round. It’s only the third time in Elite history that it’s happened. The other two were in 2012. Ish Monroe had three top daily bags at Lake Okeechobee on the way to a win, and at the very next event Brandon Palaniuk did it in his win on Bull Shoals Lake.
3 – That’s how many days (out of a possible four) Takahiro Omori had the heaviest bag of the round. It’s only the third time in Elite history that it’s happened. The other two were in 2012. Ish Monroe had three top daily bags at Lake Okeechobee on the way to a win, and at the very next event Brandon Palaniuk did it in his win on Bull Shoals Lake.
6 – After the last Elite event in Arkansas, there were 14 anglers who had finished in the money in each of the first three tournaments. Now that number is down to just six — Greg Hackney, Randy Howell, Justin Lucas, Takahiro Omori, Gerald Swindle and Chris Zaldain. The lone rookie who had been on the list after three events, Drew Benton, stumbled on Wheeler and finished 84th. Unfortunately, there are still 16 anglers who have yet to cash a check in 2016, and five of them are rookies.
6 – After the last Elite event in Arkansas, there were 14 anglers who had finished in the money in each of the first three tournaments. Now that number is down to just six — Greg Hackney, Randy Howell, Justin Lucas, Takahiro Omori, Gerald Swindle and Chris Zaldain. The lone rookie who had been on the list after three events, Drew Benton, stumbled on Wheeler and finished 84th. Unfortunately, there are still 16 anglers who have yet to cash a check in 2016, and five of them are rookies.
7 – With the exception of years when there was a postseason to determine AOY, only once in Elite history has the eventual Angler of the Year ranked worse than seventh after four events. The exception was 2013 when Aaron Martens got off to a terrible start but roared back to claim his second AOY title; he was 15th after four tournaments that year. If history is to repeat itself (and that’s always a good bet), Greg Hackney, Takahiro Omori, Randall Tharp, Chris Zaldain, Gerald Swindle, Randy Howell and Justin Lucas are highly favored to take the sport’s most prestigious title.
7 – With the exception of years when there was a postseason to determine AOY, only once in Elite history has the eventual Angler of the Year ranked worse than seventh after four events. The exception was 2013 when Aaron Martens got off to a terrible start but roared back to claim his second AOY title; he was 15th after four tournaments that year. If history is to repeat itself (and that’s always a good bet), Greg Hackney, Takahiro Omori, Randall Tharp, Chris Zaldain, Gerald Swindle, Randy Howell and Justin Lucas are highly favored to take the sport’s most prestigious title.
10 – Take a look at the top 10 anglers in the AOY race and pencil them in for a GEICO Bassmaster Classic berth. Only four times in Elite history has an angler ranked in the Top 10 after four tournaments failed to qualify for the big dance.
10 – Take a look at the top 10 anglers in the AOY race and pencil them in for a GEICO Bassmaster Classic berth. Only four times in Elite history has an angler ranked in the Top 10 after four tournaments failed to qualify for the big dance.
10 years, 6 months, 16 days — That’s how long it’s been since Omori’s last B.A.S.S. win (the Central Open on Lake Norfork in 2005). That’s quite a drought, but not even long enough to crack B.A.S.S.’s top 10. The longest? Sixteen years, 6 months and 8 days. That’s how long Jack Hains went between his 1975 Classic win and his Virginia Invitational win in 1992.
10 years, 6 months, 16 days — That’s how long it’s been since Omori’s last B.A.S.S. win (the Central Open on Lake Norfork in 2005). That’s quite a drought, but not even long enough to crack B.A.S.S.’s top 10. The longest? Sixteen years, 6 months and 8 days. That’s how long Jack Hains went between his 1975 Classic win and his Virginia Invitational win in 1992.
20 — We’re not halfway through the Elite season, but there are still 20 anglers who have limited each day they’ve been on the water. With some potentially tough stops ahead, that number will dwindle and likely fall to less than five before the season ends. It’s not unprecedented for an angler to limit each day on the water for an entire season, but it doesn’t happen every year.
20 — We’re not halfway through the Elite season, but there are still 20 anglers who have limited each day they’ve been on the water. With some potentially tough stops ahead, that number will dwindle and likely fall to less than five before the season ends. It’s not unprecedented for an angler to limit each day on the water for an entire season, but it doesn’t happen every year.
20 years, 4 days — That’s the time gap between Omori’s first B.A.S.S. win (the Missouri Central Invitational on Lake of the Ozarks in 1996) and his Elite win at Wheeler. If it seems like a long time period, it is — but it’s only the 10th longest in B.A.S.S. history. Rick Clunn established the longest stretch between first and latest B.A.S.S. wins earlier this year at the Elite event on the St. Johns River — 39 years, 4 months, 15 days. It’s going to be a long, long time before anyone challenges Clunn’s mark.
20 years, 4 days — That’s the time gap between Omori’s first B.A.S.S. win (the Missouri Central Invitational on Lake of the Ozarks in 1996) and his Elite win at Wheeler. If it seems like a long time period, it is — but it’s only the 10th longest in B.A.S.S. history. Rick Clunn established the longest stretch between first and latest B.A.S.S. wins earlier this year at the Elite event on the St. Johns River — 39 years, 4 months, 15 days. It’s going to be a long, long time before anyone challenges Clunn’s mark.
45 — Going back to the AOY race, the oldest angler ever to win AOY was Roland Martin; he was 45 when he won his ninth title in 1985. Of the top 10 anglers in this year’s AOY race, six (Takahiro Omori, Randall Tharp, Gerald Swindle, Steve Kennedy, Matt Herren and Hank Cherry) are older than that. Greg Hackney and Randy Howell will be 43 when the season ends. Justin Lucas and Chris Zaldain will be 30 and 32, respectively. Do the guys in the middle (Hackney and Howell) have an edge? Probably. There’s a reason the last eight AOYs have been between 38 and 43 (and seven of them were between 40 and 43). They combined youth and experience.
45 — Going back to the AOY race, the oldest angler ever to win AOY was Roland Martin; he was 45 when he won his ninth title in 1985. Of the top 10 anglers in this year’s AOY race, six (Takahiro Omori, Randall Tharp, Gerald Swindle, Steve Kennedy, Matt Herren and Hank Cherry) are older than that. Greg Hackney and Randy Howell will be 43 when the season ends. Justin Lucas and Chris Zaldain will be 30 and 32, respectively. Do the guys in the middle (Hackney and Howell) have an edge? Probably. There’s a reason the last eight AOYs have been between 38 and 43 (and seven of them were between 40 and 43). They combined youth and experience.
699 … and counting — The Elite event at Wheeler was the 699th professional-level tournament in B.A.S.S. history, going all the way back to the All-American on Beaver Lake in 1967 (which technically, was not a B.A.S.S. event since Ray Scott did not incorporate B.A.S.S. until a few months later). This counts some tournaments that have been mostly forgotten, like the three fly-fishing tournaments B.A.S.S. held in 1975. The Elite tournament coming up on Toledo Bend in two weeks will be No. 700!
699 … and counting — The Elite event at Wheeler was the 699th professional-level tournament in B.A.S.S. history, going all the way back to the All-American on Beaver Lake in 1967 (which technically, was not a B.A.S.S. event since Ray Scott did not incorporate B.A.S.S. until a few months later). This counts some tournaments that have been mostly forgotten, like the three fly-fishing tournaments B.A.S.S. held in 1975. The Elite tournament coming up on Toledo Bend in two weeks will be No. 700!