Scott Rook desperately needs a strong regular season finish here. He entered this tournament in 51st place in the Toyota Angler of the Year standings, six points behind Drew Benton and Randy Howell, who are tied for 49th and 50th with 419 points.
So Rook has to be feeling good about his first three hours on the St. Lawrence River this morning. BASSTrakk shows him as the first angler to reach the 20-pound mark. With three 4-pounders, a 4 1/2-pounder and a 3 1/2, he’s got 20 pounds exactly, unofficially.
Only the top 50 anglers in AOY points will advance to compete at the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Georgia’s Lake Chatuge on Sept. 20-23.