I don’t typically put much stock in the daily updates of the Angler of the Year point standings that are generated during a tournament. I like to call them “mythical” AOY standings, since what one angler does on Day 1 of an event doesn’t actually produce any AOY points. Any and all points come from the final standings.
However, today’s AOY standings, generated from the Day 1 results at the St. Lawrence River, are too significant to be brushed off so lightly. If nothing else, the new standings are a probable indicator for a big shakeup in the AOY standings when the real points are compiled after Sunday’s finale.
Here’s a sampling of the shakeup, based on yesterday’s results:
– Previous leader Ott DeFoe has dropped to 6th place, due to his 60th place bag of 16-12;
– Casey Ashley jumped from 4th place to 1st, thanks to his 6th place total of 21-14;
– Other risers in the top 10 include Jason Christie, from 6th to 3rd, Kevin VanDam from 7th to 2nd, and Edwin Evers from 9th to 4th;
– Others falling in the standings include Jacob Wheeler, from 2nd to 5th, Mark Davis, from 5th to 7th, Brandon Palaniuk, from 3rd to 9th, and Bobby Lane, from 8th to 17th.
Again, nothing counts until the final standings. But big changes are looming in the AOY standings in this seventh of nine regular season Elite Series events.