Kyoya Fujita may not say a lot on camera or on stage, but he’s quickly building a fan base through his air of mystery and his consistent achievement. Today he dropped a tournament-best 23 pounds, 14 ounces on the scales to jump from 10th to 1st, leading a field where only 27 ounces separates first from 6th, and just about everyone in the top 50 has at least an outside chance of making the Top 10 cut.
He stands to make his fourth Top 10 of the year and we’ll see whether he can notch his first win after coming exceptionally close at Seminole and Murray. That alone should keep the fans watching. I know that the closely-fought tournaments intrigue me more than an event where a single angler seems destined to win from the start. We’re two – or really three – days into the Champlain event and there are still lots of stories left to be told.
It’s easy to forget that this sport cannot survive without fans and spectators. They’re the ones who buy the gear and the boats and the ephemera that gets advertised on the sides of bass boats. Accordingly, thanks to an unusual Saturday full-field opportunity, here are the examples of how the Elites and their support team put butts in seats today.
Butts in Seats Number One – By all accounts, the presence of “The Women of BASS” (anglers’ wives plus Lisa Talmadge) was a huge success. As I sat at the computer watching, my wife texted me a comment about something Becky Iaconelli said. A former Elite Series pro messaged out of the blue that both he and his wife were watching, and they never otherwise watch. It’s easy to forget that within recent memory, Live was just a dream, let alone Live Mix or any of the other ways of taking in the action – and it’ll no doubt change again in the course of the next few years. By putting the wives front and center, B.A.S.S. accomplished two things: first, it added a new reason to watch; and second, it allowed the wives to demonstrate not only how they fit into the “team” or the “business” or the “community,” but also their distinctive personalities, which may often play second fiddle to those of their husbands.
Butts in Seats Number Two – There’s an ongoing debate about whether tournaments where forward-facing sonar reigns (and that seems to be most of them these days) make for good entertainment. That’s separate and apart from whether it matters – it appears to be here to stay, and it’s a matter of adapt or die. Nevertheless, the cricked neck pattern forces the commentators to expand their game, and fill the space. “He makes fewer casts than anybody on tour,” Steve Bowman said of FFS specialist and tournament leader Kyoya Fujita. Later, Dave Mercer commented about Fujita, “There’s something we’re not used to seeing in bass fishing, an angler with his hand on his hip.” He seemed almost relieved to be switching coverage to Jason Christie power chasing shallow largemouths: “And now for something totally different – bass fishing,” Mercer deadpanned.
Butts in Seats Number Three – Since bass fishing depends on commerce in the form of moving product, the best tournaments highlight the effectiveness of specific items and thereby produce a bump in sales. Today’s winners? The manufacturers of butt seats. I don’t recall the last time I saw so many in Elite competitors’ boats. They don’t all use them the same way – LeAnn Swindle commented that her husband Gerald sits on his like it’s a saddle – but many of them do keep them handy. It reminded me that I have to dig mine out from wherever it sits it the garage and give it a place in my tow vehicle.
Youth Movement – The top seven anglers in the standings were all born in the 1990s, and Matt Robertson (1986) and Greg DiPalma (1982) are the only outliers in the Top 10. Those of us who are 70s babies (or older) are starting to feel left out.
First to 20 – Fujita was unofficially the first angler to 20 pounds today, hitting that mark at 9:18am. Shortly thereafter Jay Przekurat hit that mark and passed him. Much of the rest of the day was a punch/counterpunch back and forth between two AOY contenders who likely can’t remember Y2K. At day’s end Przekurat sat in 5th, but only 1 pound, 7 ounces out of the lead.
Double Twenties – Eight of ten anglers in the top ten caught over 20 pounds each day, with five of them (Fujita, Przekurat, Justin Atkins, Patrick Walters and Alex Redwine) eclipsing 21 each day. Bryant Smith (3rd) is the only angler who has had 22 or more both days. The lowest single-day weight in the top ten was Greg DiPalma’s 19-4. Matty Wong (12th) is the top-ranking competitor with a sub-19 pound bag. He had 18-12 today. Caleb Sumrall (17th) is next – he had 18-12 on Thursday.
Cut Weight Math – The 50th place cut weight after Thursday’s Day One was 18 pounds, which under the semi-reliable historical 2X+1 formula would produce a Day Two cut at 37 pounds. Instead, we were just a hair under 2X at 35-14.
When is 11th Better Than 10th? – Is this the rare tournament where it might be better to just barely miss the cut to the final day, in this case Monday? All anglers will have two full days of practice, but those who make the top ten will fish all day Monday, then make the three-plus hour drive to Clayton, and start the abbreviated practice period a bit exhausted. So while the angler who enters Monday in 10th has a chance to move up (and potentially win), make more money, and get some additional exposure, if he fails to do so, he’ll do little better than the guy who finishes in 11th, and won’t have as much time to get in the right frame of mind for the next one. Doing slightly better could potentially hurt a competitor’s chances of doing much better at the St. Lawrence. They’re all competitors, and no one will deliberately let off the gas – it’s just a weird hypothetical resulting from quirks of scheduling and weather.
Big Water Dreams – There are plenty of famous place names in bass fishing, from the Monkey Box to Frank’s Tract, but few are as succinctly descriptive as Champlain’s “Inland Sea.” It’s the Refrigerator Perry or Big Country Reeves of angling.
Carolina Clutch – Brandon Cobb, who claims that smallmouth fishing is not his strength, has really put the gas on the pedal in the AOY race. After weighing in 18-15 on Thursday, enough to land in 33rd, he beat that by a pound and a half to rise into 18th. Kyle Welcher, who’d “struggled” with 16-09 on Thursday and thereby fallen out of 2nd in the AOY race, bounced back today with 21-0 and rose from 60th into the cut in 34th, reclaiming some valuable points, with room to gain more.
International Division – The four Japanese anglers average a 52nd place position, with Fujita in the overall lead, but Taku Ito (42nd) the only one of the other three to make the cut. Meanwhile, the four Canadians average 44th, led by the Johnstons in 21st and 22nd. Lone Australian Carl Jocumsen is in 28th.
The Norris Division – In the Minnesota vs. Wisconsin side pot of smallmouth experts, the results were generally disappointing. The Minnesotans were all over the map and average 57th, while the Cheeseheads likewise have two anglers in the cut, but Przekurat in 5th and Pat Schlapper in 20th buoy them to an average of 45th.
Battle of the 49th vs. 50th States – With no Alaskan contestants, Matty Wong (12th) claims this division for Hawaii by default.
How Good is BP? – Elite excellence is often about avoiding bombs, making up points, and gaining momentum. After finishing an uncharacteristic 46th at St. Clair, Brandon Palaniuk caught 13-02 on Thursday to sit in 87th place in the second straight smallmouth tournament. Today he bounced back with 21-10, and climbed 31 spots. It wasn’t enough to make the cut, but he didn’t miss by much – just 1 pound 3 ounces.
LeAnn Swindle of her “team’s” longevity and role on tour – “We’re the Denny and Shirley Brauer of all of our friends out here.”
Becky Iaconelli on BassTrakk, which I’ve heard some BASS wives refer to as “Bass Crack” or “Bass Trap” – “I don’t think I’ve ever had euphoria with BassTrakk. It is my arch nemesis.”
Things we learned today – Mike Iaconelli had an “imaginary Marshal.”
Becky Iaconelli on unknown aspects of her husband — “He’s emotionally needy,” and “He’s a hugger.” No word on whether he hugged his imaginary Marshal, or whether he just imagined it.
