McCOMB COUNTY, Mich. — The big story going into the last regular season Bassmaster Elite Series event is, of course, the Toyota Angler of the Year championship. But almost as dramatic is the live-or-die scenarios all the way down the roster of this 108-angler field.
Many of the professional bass fishing “deaths,” at least for 2017, will occur in the first two days of the four-day Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair. Failing to make the two-day cut to the top 51 that will fish on Day 3 will end the season for many of these guys.
Every angler out here will tell you his goal each season is to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. If you can’t win AOY, you at least want to earn a Classic berth, where you’ll have a one-tournament shot at bass fishing fame on par with an AOY title. A Classic berth is what keeps hope alive.
Based on the current AOY standings, Josh Bertrand is 37th, the last man in the Classic. Although that number could grow a bit, based on the final three Bassmaster Opens, Bertrand can’t count on it. He’s been here before. Once he lived, and once he died. The situation makes for some sleepless nights.
“It’s not going to take a top 10 finish for me to stay in contention for the Classic,” Bertrand said. “But at the same time, if you try to play it safe with this field, it’s usually a good recipe to get demolished.
“This is the third year in a row that I’ve been in a similar situation. It’s not an easy-on-the-stomach place to be. The more you think about it, the worse it gets.”
Two years ago, Bertrand was 37th after the final event, went to the AOY Top 50 tournament at Sturgeon Bay and qualified for the Classic. Last year, he was 29th in the AOY standings with two tournaments to go, bombed in both of them and finished 52nd in the AOY standings, failing to make the Top 50 event at Lake Mille Lacs.
“In this field, no one is scared to do something crazy,” Bertrand said. “Everyone is completely fearless. So if you let fear take control of your game, you’re going to get whipped.”
Scott Rook is in a more tenuous position. He’s 53rd in AOY points. Rook needs to move up into the top 50, the higher the better, to qualify for the Toyota Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs in September, then advance further again to earn a Classic berth
“I don’t have to overwhelm them to get into the top 50,” Rook said. “I need to overwhelm them to get into the top 30, which is possible. I know what you’ve got to do out here. You’ve got to catch 18 to 20 pounds a day. It’s not easy. The quality is here, but they’re spread out. Where I’m fishing, I can’t go to one spot and say I’m going to catch 18 pounds, which you could do here before. It’s one here and one there.”
There’s two other factors that make this event particularly hard on the nerves: 1) It’s a smallmouth tournament, so the standings will be separated by ounces; and 2) It’s not only how you perform, but how those surrounding you in the standings perform as well.
Rook has been on the short end of that. He mentioned a scenario in recent years where he needed anyone else to win a tournament other than the angler who did. If that guy had finished second, Rook would have qualified for the Classic.
Then there’s Mike Iaconelli, who enters 55th in AOY points. He also has the longest current streak of consecutive Classic berths with 16. Iaconelli has pulled his bacon from the fire several times in keeping that streak alive.
“I hate to say it, but this has been a familiar place for me a few times in the last five or six years,” Iaconelli said. “It’s not a great place to be, where you have to catch ‘em in the last event or you’re out.
“I’ve got to catch ‘em here, and not like a top 40 finish. I’ve got to catch ‘em like a top 20 finish just to get in the AOY Championship, then I’ve got to catch ‘em again there.”
Iaconelli is one of the more marketable stars on the Elite Series. His career won’t suffer if that string of consecutive Classics ends this season
“Tournament fishing doesn’t define who I am,” Iaconelli said. “If I don’t make the Classic, who cares? (Kevin) VanDam didn’t make it one year and everybody has forgotten about it already. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. I’m a husband. I’m a father. I’m a son. I’ve got all these other businesses. So that’s got me relieved a little bit.”
But there are many more anglers on this circuit who aren’t so fortunate. Some of them aren’t even hoping for a Classic berth. They’re trying to finish high enough in the final AOY standings to re-qualify for the Elite Series and keep hope alive for another year.
In many ways, the results from this week will be difficult to ponder. This is the one week of the entire season where the thrills of victory and agony of defeat extend deep into the final standings.