Obviously, the most significant part of the standings for the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake was the name at the top.
After 159 events, dating back to his very first Bassmaster Open on Ohio’s Sandusky Bay in 2005, 13-year Elite Series Bill Lowen finally found the winner’s circle — and it must have been all the more sweet, considering how many times he’d been close in the past.
Lowen, who has qualified for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk 10 times, had already had three second-place finishes. Those near misses included once at California’s Clear Lake when he brought a whopping 92 pounds, 9 ounces to the scales, only to finish second to retired pro Byron Velvick.
During his career, Lowen has earned more than $1.4 million, placing in the money 116 times and notching 20 Top 10 finishes.
Bill’s hard-earned, long-awaited blue trophy was the story of the week. But as always, there were other storylines from the top of the standings to the bottom.
Second place: Brock Mosley
It seems only a matter of time before Mosley earns a blue trophy of his own. Pickwick marked this third second-place finish and his ninth Top 10 in only 83 career events. He’s near the $500,000 mark in career earnings now, with $438,628.
Third place: Cory Johnston
Since joining the Elite Series three years ago, the Canadian pro has been an absolute beast, finishing inside the Top 10 an amazing 11 times. This marked his fourth third-place finish on the Elite Series — and though Canadians are known for their prowess in cold water, all four of his third-place finishes have come in the South (assuming you count Tenkiller Lake in Oklahoma as South).
Fourth place: Steve Kennedy
After a disappointing 78th-place finish in the season opener on the St. Johns River, Kennedy has now placed second and fourth in the last two events and ranks ninth in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.
Fifth place: Hank Cherry
The reigning Bassmaster Classic champion has two Top 10 finishes in three events this season, and his $39,000 in winnings pushed him past the $1 million mark for his career.
Sixth place: Tyler Rivet
This was Rivet’s first time to fish the championship round of 10.
Seventh place: Brandon Palaniuk
Since returning to the Elite Series in 2020 after a brief hiatus, Palaniuk has finished inside the Top 20 six times, including two victories.
Eighth place: Bryan Scmitt
This was Schmitt’s second Top 10 in three events this season.
12th place: Patrick Walters
Walters is quite possibly the hottest angler on the planet with 10 Top 25 finishes in his last 11 tournaments.
15th place: Caleb Sumrall
This makes three Top 20s in five events for Sumrall.
17th place: Ray Hanselman Jr.
Back-to-back Top 20s have Hanselman in 36th place in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, firmly inside the cut for the Bassmaster Classic.
18th place: David Mullins
Dating back to 2019, Mullins has 10 Top 10 finishes to his credit.
19th place: Bryan New
Three events into his rookie season, New has yet to miss a check, finishing first, 44th and 19th. He’s earned $120,000 this year and currently ranks fifth in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. He is the leader of the pack for Rookie of the Year.
20th place: Greg DiPalma
DiPalma’s 12th career Top 20 — and the $10,000 check he earned for it — pushed his career earnings over the $200,000 mark.
22nd place: Matt Herren
Since the start of the 2019 season, Herren has finished in the Top 25 an amazing 11 times in 23 events. The $22,500 he’s earned this season made him one of the newest members of B.A.S.S.’s $1 million club.
25th place: Seth Feider
Feider has now made the Top 30 in 45 of the 82 events he’s fished. That’s an awesome 55 percent clip.
26th place: Brad Whatley
Whatley’s $10,000 check pushed his career earnings past the $200K mark to $202,943.
29th place: Drew Cook
Cook has finished inside the Top 30 at all three Elite Series events this year. He ranks eighth in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and needs just over $1,000 to surpass $300K in career earnings.
30th place: Brandon Card
After stumbling to a 76th-place finish in the season opener on the St. Johns River, Card has rebounded with a fourth-place finish in Knoxville and a 30th-place showing at Pickwick. He ranks 28th in the Bassmaster AOY race, well within range of a Classic berth if he remains consistent.
35th place: Hunter Shryock
Shryock has now made the cut to fish in the semifinal round of 10 straight Elite Series events.
37th place: Frank Talley
Talley has now made the semifinal cut in 11 of the last 13 Elite Series events he’s fished. In 27 events with B.A.S.S., dating back to 2018, the big Texan has earned a check 26 times.
48th place: Robbie Latuso
His $10,000 paycheck pushed his career earnings past $200k to $204,657.
79th place: John Cox
This was only the second time in 21 events that Cox failed to earn a check. That’s not a knock on the colorful Florida pro, but rather a tip of the cap to his amazing consistency.