With three 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments in the books, it’s time to begin these post-tournament looks at the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. Brandon Cobb sits in the No. 1 spot after his sixth-place finish at Lake Murray last week. Tyler Rivet, who led after the first two events, is five points back in second place.
Here’s a look at the current top 10 in AOY points:
1. Cobb 286 points
2. Rivet 281
3. Carl Jocumsen 275
4. Kyle Welcher 269
5. Drew Cook 267
6. Brandon Card 262
7. Shane LeHew 261
8. (tie) Greg Hackney and Lee Livesay 257
10. Mike Iaconelli 253
A look back at last year’s AOY race provides some perspective on the ups-and-downs of this competition over a nine-tournament season. After three tournaments in 2022, the top five in AOY points were as follows:
1. John Cox
2. David Mullins
3. Stetson Blaylock
4. Brandon Palaniuk,
5. Drew Cook
This is how the top five would finish, six tournaments later:
1. Brandon Palaniuk
2. Brandon Lester
3. Chris Johnston
4. Drew Benton
5. Patrick Walters
As you can see, Palaniuk, the eventual AOY winner, was the only angler in the top five after three events who was still there at the end of the season. Cox finished eighth, Mullins 17th, Blaylock 21st and Cook 12th.
There are always some dramatic changes in the AOY standings as the season progresses. The best example from last season was Chris Johnston. He was 51st in the AOY standings after three events and finished third, only 23 points behind Palaniuk.
What it takes from year-to-year to win the AOY title varies. Palaniuk’s average finish was 21st place in 2022, 20.67th place to be exact. He missed only one Day 2 cut, finishing 66th at Lake Oahe. His second-worst finish was 26th at the Harris Chain. His three Top 10 finishes included second at Lake Fork, third at Santee Cooper and seventh at Pickwick Lake. But that one missed cut at Oahe opened the door for others going into the final event on the Mississippi River. And Palaniuk had to catch a fifth keeper in the final hour on Day 2 at La Crosse, Wis., to make the two-day cut. He would finish 25th on Day 3. Otherwise, Brandon Lester, who finished 16 points behind him in the final standings, might have been the ’22 AOY champ.
The AOY race is almost always close at the end. Palaniuk’s margin was 14 points in 2017 when he won his first title. Justin Lucas’ was 21 points in 2018. Scott Canterbury won by eight points in 2019. Clark Wendlandt won by three points in 2020.
Seth Feider’s 2021 title is the recent exception. Feider’s margin over second-place Chris Johnston was 61 points. His average finish that year was an amazing 14th (13.5, to be exact). Feider’s season included four top six finishes – third at the St. Johns River, fourth at Lake Champlain and sixth at both the Sabine River and Lake Fork. His lowest tournament finish was 29th place on the Tennessee River at Knoxville.
All that’s to say, here’s where we are now, with six tournaments left in a season that’s certain to have many ups-and-downs on the way to crowning a 2023 AOY champion.
Editor’s note: Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year points