WADDINGTON, N.Y. – Edwin Evers has built a substantial lead in the Toyota AOY standings going into the St. Lawrence River tournament. He’s been Steady Eddy thus far, but he can’t afford to stumble here or the biggest sluggers in bass fishing will gain on him. In second, third and fourth place, respectively, are Skeet Reese, Kevin VanDam and Aaron Martens. It’s enough to give an AOY leader nightmares.
How will the AOY standings shake out after this second-to-last event? Here’s what some of the Elite Series pros think:
Dean Rojas
"I think the top 10 will be shuffled by the time this one is over."
John Crews
"I don’t think that this tournament will mix up the top of the standings much. The same guys catch them whether we’re fishing in Mexico, the United States or Canada."
Ott DeFoe
"I think Edwin is going to do just fine here. He’s the only pro that has won Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments with largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass."
Bernie Schultz
"I hope this tournament does mix things up a bit. I’d like to see a tight race to the bitter end. I don’t want anybody to lap the field."
Britt Myers
"I don’t think the AOY standings are going to change much. I look for Edwin to do well. He’s in his wheelhouse. He’s not going to make it easy on anyone below him."
Brian Snowden
"I think the middle section of the AOY standings will move around quite a bit, but the top 10 guys will stay close to where they are."
Ish Monroe
"There are some largemouth anglers in the top 10 that won’t do well here because you need to fish with a fairy wand to catch the smallies. It’s not my favorite way to fish, but I grew up fishing with light spinning tackle."
Fletcher Shryock
'I think this tournament is going to change the top 10 in the AOY standings because the St. Lawrence River is so much different than the other six events we’ve been to this year."
Scott Rook
"Edwin is good with a drop shot and I think he’ll do well here. All the top guys have been consistent all year. I don’t think things will change much. Some of the guys might cut into Edwin’s lead a little bit."
Hank Cherry
"Edwin Evers is in the driver’s seat and the other guys are drafting behind him. But, anybody can mess up on any given day. Knowing Edwin and how competitive he is, he will give it all he’s got."