DECATUR, Ill. — As the 2012 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Brent Chapman is red-hot in pro bass fishing. But he is going into Toyota Trucks All-Star Week stone-cold.
“As far as not really knowing anything about a couple bodies of water, this is definitely as new as it gets,” he said.
He’s not alone. Few, if any, of the dozen All-Star pros have competed on the two fisheries for this week’s event out of Decatur, Ill. The challenge of the unknown gets even harder: Anglers will be allowed only one day of practice on each lake.
The full field will compete Thursday and Friday on Lake Shelbyville, an 11,100-acre, clear water impoundment that stretches about 20 miles, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the lake, recently rated the largemouth bass fishing on Shelbyville as “excellent.”
There’s at least one thing about Lake Shelbyville that Chapman knows: toothy muskellunge live there.
“Musky tend to steal lures,” he said. “Say you want to use some baits you don’t have a lot of. You might not want to throw those lures. It makes you a bit nervous knowing that musky could be continually cutting your line.”
After two days on Shelbyville, the four pros with the most weight will advance on Saturday to Lake Decatur for the Evan Williams Bourbon All-Star Championship. Lake Decatur, a reservoir within the city of Decatur, will present a completely different set of fishing challenges to the four pros.
Only two will survive Saturday’s round. With weights zeroed, the last two will fish against each other Sunday on Lake Decatur. The angler with the most weight will claim $60,000 of the $100,000 All-Star purse.
Tough fisheries, tough format. Those factors alone will force the All-Star pros to reach deep down into their reservoirs of fishing knowledge. But there’s another layer of competition that each must deal with: the very high caliber of his competition.
The All-Star roster begins with the Top 8 in points from the regular Bassmaster Elite Series season. As the newly crowned Angler of the Year, Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., leads that list. The other seven points qualifiers were Ott DeFoe, Knoxville, Tenn., who won the All-Star event in 2011; Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., a five-time Bassmaster winner; Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, a 2012 regular-season event winner; Randy Howell, Springville, Ala., who led the AOY race at one point in 2012; Matt Herren, Trussville, Ala., who stayed strong and high in the points standings throughout the season; Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., with his seven AOY trophies and four Bassmaster Classic titles; and Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., six-time Bassmaster tournament champion.
Fans voted at Bassmaster.com to select the final four All-Star competitors. The winners were Michael Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, N.J.; Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala.; Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.; and Gerald Swindle, Warrior, Ala. All four “Fan Favorites” own an Angler of the Year title and are coming off strong seasons.
“My All-Star competitors are obviously the best of the best,” said Chapman, who is in his first Bassmaster postseason. “As a small field goes, they’re heavy-hitters, and it’s not going to be an easy event.”
Highlights of Toyota Trucks All-Star Week
Morning Take-offs: Thursday and Friday, 7:30 a.m. CT at Lake Shelbyville’s Eagle Creek State Park, RR 1, Findley, Ill. On Saturday and Sunday, the pros will be on Lake Decatur. They’ll launch at 8 a.m. CT from Nelson Park, 2203 E. Lakeshore Drive, Decatur, Ill. Fans are invited to watch the takeoffs; there is no admission charge.
Weigh-ins: 5-6 p.m. CT, Thursday-Sunday at Nelson Park, 2203 E. Lakeshore Drive, Decatur, Ill. There is no admission charge to the weigh-ins.
Fan Favorites: Twelve lucky fans became finalists in a Bassmaster.com sweepstakes to be virtually paired with the All-Star pros. The person paired with the pro who wins will receive the grand prize of a Skeeter/Yamaha bass boat rig. The pairings are:
- Chapman — Olivia Sullivan of Valparaiso, Ind.
- DeFoe — Bryan Achey, Middletown, Pa.
- Scroggins — Jason Cowart, Kirby, Ark.
- Faircloth — Craig Jossart, Leesburg, Ga.
- Howell — Brian Drake, Lakeview, Ark.
- Herren — Joe M. McCune, La Porte, Texas
- VanDam — Kathy Crooks, Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Evers — Sarah Banks, Goodyear, Ariz.
- Iaconelli — Greg Crumpton, Ocala, Fla.
- Swindle — Gene Zalkovsky, Corsicana, Texas
- Reese — Annette Pierotti, Waxhaw, N.C.
- Martens — Wenonah Haire, Rock Hill, S.C.
Bassmaster High School Elite Experience — On Saturday, students in grades 9 through 12 will be offered a behind-the-scenes look at an Elite Series bass tournament. Students can register for the free event that begins at 8:45 a.m. CT by contacting Jon Stewart at jstewart@bassmaster.com or by calling 205-313-0900.
Hope For The Warriors — All-Star pros eliminated on Friday will act as fishing guides and tournament partners Saturday for six wounded military veterans from the organization, Hope For The Warriors. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for post-9/11 service members, their families and the families of the fallen who have sustained physical and psychological wounds in the line of duty.
Decatur Lakefest — This four-day live music festival, happening at the same time as All-Star Week, features three stages. Headliners include Bush Hawg, a popular performer at many Elite events, and Dustin Lynch, a Top 12 Country star expected to perform his hit single “Cowboys and Angels.” Bush Hawg will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Bassmaster venue in Nelson Park.
College B.A.S.S. Bash — In the spirit of the successful Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, eight teams from Illinois colleges will compete Sunday on Lake Shelbyville in a bragging-rights event. The students will weigh-in at 5 p.m. Sunday on the Bassmaster stage just before the two All-Star finalists appear with their catches. Among the schools fielding teams will be the University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University, North Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Illinois State University and Western Illinois University.
Bassmaster Elite Series Expo — Saturday and Sunday in Decatur’s Nelson Park beginning at noon, fishing fans can check out some of the latest in fishing and boating equipment, purchase B.A.S.S. branded merchandise, have fun at official Bassmaster Elite Series sponsor booths, and more. There’s no admission charge.
The local sponsor of Toyota Trucks All-Star Week is the Decatur Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.