LA CROSSE, Wis. — Because this is the last full-field event of the season, there is some extra drama each day of this tournament. The following chart notes the biggest winners and losers based on the Day 1 results at the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing.
Keep in mind, the Angler of the Year points and rankings after Day 1 are “theoretical,” as in if the tournament ended then. Only the standings on the final day of the tournament actually count for AOY points. Today will be the final competition day for anyone outside the top 50 after the weigh-in.
Also keep in mind that 50th place is the AOY standings is crucial. Only the anglers finishing in the top 50 advance to next week’s event at Minnesota’s Mille Lacs Lake.
That’s why Brandon Card’s and David Mullin’s performances yesterday were so important. Card’s fifth-place bag of 16-9 moved him up 16 places from 65th to 49th in AOY points – again, theoretically. Mullins’ 13th-place limit of 14-13 did the same, moving him from 58th to 42nd.
On the negative side, Mike McClelland’s zero, due to the “no culling in Minnesota” rule violation, was devastating. It dropped him 19 places in the AOY standings, from 52nd to 71st.
Here are the double-digit movers in the AOY standings based on the Day 1 standings:
+ 16 David Mullins 58th to 42nd
+ 16 Brandon Card 65th to 49th
+ 16 Jeff Kriet 73rd to 57th
+ 14 Clent Davis 75th to 61st
+ 14 Mark Davis 79th to 65th
+ 11 Casey Ashley 41st to 30th
+ 11 Clifford Pirch 42nd to 31st
+ 11 James Niggemeyer 64th to 53rd
+ 10 Seth Feider 69th to 59th
– 19 Mike McClelland 52nd to 71st
– 15 Brent Ehrler 31st to 46th
– 13 Paul Mueller 57th to 70th
– 13 Cliff Crochet 52nd to 75th
– 12 Davy Hite 54th to 66th
– 10 Mike Iaconelli 14th to 24th
– 10 Bill Lowen 16th to 26th
– 10 Josh Bertrand 44th to 54th
– 10 Micah Frazier 66th to 76th
– 10 Brian Snowden 67th to 77th