Some of bass fishing’s top guns will be aiming for the same two Bassmaster Classic seats in the Oct. 7-9 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open tournament on Lake Seminole out of Bainbridge, Ga.

 

As the season finale, the Seminole event will end the season-long points race to the Classic. Only two anglers will be left standing. They will win coveted qualifications for the 2011 Classic on the Louisiana Delta, Feb. 18-20 out of New Orleans. Those same top two, plus the next five best pros, will be invited into the Bassmaster Elite Series.

 

In the lead to claim the top prizes are South Carolina’s Andy Montgomery with 550 points and Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., who has 546 points.

 

Montgomery is well-known and successful in other major bass circuits. This is his first season for a full, three-event Southern Open season. Before that, his Bassmaster career history is a light read: three events, back in 2005 and 2006.

 

He got into the Opens to try for a Classic entry.

 

“That’s my main goal — and after that, as far as the Elite Series goes, it’s up in the air.” Montgomery said.

 

Lane, on the other hand, is all set through the 2010 Elite Series for his fourth consecutive Classic and fourth year as an Elite pro. A Southern lakes expert, Lane is going for a second qualification because it would help fellow Elite pro Jared Lintner and because the schedule suits him well. Lintner, as next-up on the Elite points list, would get Lane’s Elite-earned seat if Lane were to double-qualify. Lane would take his Classic qualification through the Opens.

 

“I’m in it because I love fishing, I love Seminole, and hopefully I can help get Jared into the Classic,” Lane said.

 

To succeed in their Classic bids, Lane and Montgomery will have to shoot down all comers. First on that list is Randall Tharp of Alabama, behind Montgomery by 12 points and behind Lane by 8.

 

With 527 points, Ott Defoe of Tennessee is the next nearest challenger. Like Montgomery, Defoe is a hot stick on non-Bassmaster trails.

 

Just behind Defoe is Elite pro Davy Hite of South Carolina, a 13-time Classic qualifier since 1993, and Classic champ in 1999. That was the first time the Classic was held on the Louisiana Delta, and Hite no doubt would enjoy competing again on his field of victory.

 

As if the aforementioned pros would not be enough to keep the leaders watching their backs, also lurking close are David Kilgore (501 points), Jason Knapp (489) and Elite pro Terry Scroggins (481), who already cornered a 2011 Classic seat through the Elite Series.

 

Not to mention Pam Martin-Wells, who lives in Bainbridge, Ga., which makes Seminole her home lake. Martin-Wells was the second woman to qualify for a Classic, and the first woman to make the cut to compete the final day. She’s way down in the points (78^th), but a top tournament finish could drain points from a points leader.

 

Because the points-earnings potential at Seminole can hit 315, any other pro close to the top has a chance at grabbing the lead. (Click here or see below for complete points standings.)

 

Montgomery has his work cut out for him. He said he doesn’t know Seminole well. He said he competed there once, about five years ago, in the late winter.

 

“I fished it one day last week. Now I’m in Texas so I won’t get but one or two days of practice in on Seminole,” he said. “From what I know it will be pretty tough. There was a 40-boat tournament (recently) and 11 pounds won it. It always gets really tough in the fall.”

 

He summed up the Open contest in one sentence: “It will be a grass tournament.”

 

Say “grass” to Bobby Lane, and he gets happy. He’s a Florida-bred angler, so grass sets up the game to his liking.

 

“I always feel comfortable fishing grass,” he said. “It’s enjoyable to me and gives me a lot of confidence. I always have a gut feeling something good is going to happen. And I hear they’ve been maintaining the grass on Seminole, so grass will come to play in a big way.”

 

The full pro and co-angler fields will compete Thursday and Friday. Only the top 30 in both divisions will advance to Saturday for the finale. The Seminole tournament prize will be up to $45,000 to the winner (based on a full field of 175). The co-angler division winner will take home a fully rigged bass boat.

 

The Classic seats and Elite invitations will be awarded Saturday after the weigh-in.

 

Morning takeoff will be from Earle May Boat Basin,100 Boat Basin Circle, Bainbridge, GA 39817, at 7:30 a.m. ET. Anglers will return with their catches to the same marina for the weigh-in, scheduled to begin each day at 3:30 p.m. ET.

 

The event is free and open to the public. Bassmaster.com will provide daily results and photo galleries.

 

The local sponsor for the event is the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.VisitBainbridgeGa.com.

 

About BASS

 

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing.  The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

 

The Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, and ESPN3.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

 

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

 

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

 

 

BASS PRO SHOPS BASSMASTER SOUTHERN OPEN POINTS

 

Heading into Lake Seminole Event

 

2010  Bassmaster Southern Open Tour 2 - Jasper, AL - Southern Open 2 - Jasper, 

AL Boater Points

After Smith Lake, Jasper, Ala.  Ending 05-15-2010, Day 3

-------------------------------------------

Place  Name               St            Pts

-------------------------------------------

  1 Andy Montgomery       S.C.          550

  2 Bobby Lane            Fla.          546

  3 Randall Tharp         Ala.          538

  4 Ott Defoe             Tenn.         527

  5 Davy Hite             S.C.          511

  6 David Kilgore         Ala.          501

  7 Jason Knapp           Pa.           489

  8 Terry Scroggins       Fla.          481

  9 Michael Bennett       Fla.          475

 10 Andy Chappell         Ala.          458

 11 Luke Gritter          Mich.         440

 12 Jonathon Vandam       Mich.         433

 13 Eric Nethery          Ga.           432

 14 J T Kenney            Fla.          430

 15 Mark Shepard          Fla.          428

 16 Derek Remitz          Ala.          425

 17 Trevor Fitzgerald     Fla.          414

 18 Justin Hamner         Ala.          410

 19 Jimmy Mason           Ala.          402

 20 John Brazzell         Fla.          395

 21 Brandon Coulter       Tenn.         384

 22 Todd Auten            S.C.          374

 22 Darrell Davis         Fla.          374

 24 Aaron Martens         Ala.          372

 25 Koby Kreiger          Fla.          370

 26 Chris Lane            Ala.          365

 27 Harry Moore           Ala.          364

 28 David Walker          Tenn.         362

 29 Larry Cahan           Fla.          361

 30 Scott Canterbury      Ala.          356

 30 Patrick Pierce        Fla.          356

 32 Adam Brown            Ala.          349

 33 Kyle Fox              Fla.          341

 34 Allan Glasgow         Ala.          334

 34 Terry Segraves        Fla.          334

 36 Tom Hamlin            Ga.           316

 37 Tom Frink             Calif.        314

 37 J Todd Tucker         Ga.           314

 39 Ron Wolfarth          N.C.          312

 40 Gerald Swindle        Ala.          305

 41 Brad Staley           N.C.          304

 41 Clark Smith           Ala.          304

 43 Arnie Lane            Fla.          298

 44 Brian Morris          Ala.          290

 44 Greg Pugh             Ala.          290

 46 Shinichi Fukae        Texas         288

 46 Matt Peters           Ga.           288

 46 Jason Williamson      S.C.          288

 46 Rich Patterson        Fla.          288

 50 Greg Vinson           Ala.          286

 51 Gary Clouse           Tenn.         282

 52 Mark McCaig           Ala.          280

 52 George Crain          Ala.          280

 54 Cliff Prince          Fla.          278

 55 Sandy Melvin          Fla.          276

 55 Keith Poche           Ala.          276

 57 Ben Todd              Fla.          272

 58 Heath Smith           Ala.          271

 59 Chad Morgenthaler     Ill.          270

 60 Brett Mitchell        S.C.          268

 60 Russ Lane             Ala.          268

 60 JT Palmore            Va.           268

 63 Scott Martin          Fla.          266

 64 Lee Boutwell          Ga.           264

 65 Bryan Watts           Fla.          260

 66 Chris Barnett         Tenn.         257

 67 Sean Skey             S.C.          256

 68 Scott Kerslake        N.C.          252

 69 Jimmy Mize            Ark.          250

 69 Kyle Kempkers         Mich.         250

 71 Jimmie Murphy         Fla.          248

 71 Tony Chachere         La.           248

 73 Paul Pagnato          Va.           245

 74 Mark Meyer            Ala.          243

 74 Ben Quisno            Ohio          243

 76 Mark Stewart          Ala.          239

 77 Danny White           Ga.           235

 78 Pam Martin-Wells      Ga.           234

 79 Randy Elliott         Md.           233

 80 Chris Payne           Ala.          228

 81 Stephen Johnston      Texas         227

 82 Jeremy Prouty         Fla.          226

 83 Scott Mcgehee         Miss.         222

 84 Alan Rae              S.C.          219

 85 Steve Fairtrace       Fla.          215

 86 Ron Klys              Fla.          213

 87 Jeff Campbell         Ohio          207

 87 Justin Schwier        Fla.          207

 89 Mark Peiser           Ind.          206

 90 John Johnson          S.C.          203

 90 Blaine Shelton        Ala.          203

 92 Robert Comalander     Ala.          202

 93 Keith Pace            Ark.          201

 94 Hojin Chang           Fla.          199

 95 Michael Reid          Ga.           197

 95 Bink Desaro           Nev.          197

 97 Jim Turner            Ind.          195

 98 Josh Guess            Fla.          193

 98 Chad Durden           Ala.          193

100 Joe Clements          Fla.          191

101 Lynn Oswalt           Ala.          189

102 Carroll Blevins       Ga.           185

103 Frank Jordan JR       Ga.           184

104 Michael Willis        Ga.           182

105 Craig Daniel          Ala.          181

106 Derek Allen           La.           177

107 Steve Daniel          Fla.          175

108 Lon Fleming           S.C.          170

109 James Anderson        Fla.          169

109 Andre Moore           Ala.          169

111 Derek Jones           Ill.          167

111 Tom Spangler          Tenn.         167

111 Kyle Walling          Ky.           167

114 Bernie Schultz        Fla.          157

114 Spencer Lynn          Ala.          157

116 Tim Ezell             Fla.          156

117 Ken Callahan          Ala.          153

117 Shawn Strader         Tenn.         153

119 Foster Bradley        Ala.          152

120 Jelani Hennessey      Va.           151

121 James Tunder          Ohio          150

122 Robert Miley          Fla.          148

123 David Cooke           N.C.          147

123 David Kelly           S.C.          147

125 Wayne Clifton         S.C.          143

126 Stanley Gunter        S.C.          141

127 Kevin Pulsifer        Ala.          139

128 Charlie Hill          Ky.           137

128 Jimmy Kennedy         Vt.           137

130 Jeff Cloud            Texas         136

131 Jim Hardy             Ala.          132

132 David Burch           Fla.          130

133 Robin Erb             Ala.          127

134 Tony Sapp             Ga.           124

135 Rex Chambers          Ala.          123

136 Byron Haseotes        Mass.         117

137 Luke Clausen          Ga.           115

138 Wade Leblanc          La.           113

139 Allen Duke            Fla.          112

140 Ben Carroll           Fla.          109

141 Charlie Ingram        Tenn.         107

142 Bradley Enfinger      Ga.           105

142 Greg Watts            Fla.          105

144 Billy Mcdonald        Ind.          102

145 Wayne Prater          Tenn.         101

145 Johnny Patterson      Ala.          101

145 Fred Chivington       Fla.          101

148 Horace Hubbard        Ga.            99

148 Brian Rufty           Ky.            99

150 Bobby Purvis          S.C.           97

151 Paul Kimball          Conn.          96

152 Ray Brazier           Tenn.          89

153 Wil Hardy             Ga.            87

154 Curtis Lewis          Fla.           83

155 Luke Estel            Ill.           79

156 Chad Prough           Fla.           77

157 Jason Lieblong        Ark.           76

157 Jeffrey Prisza        Mich.          76

159 Loran Cogburn         Fla.           72

160 Tyrone Cypress        Fla.           71

160 Brian Kanke           Texas          71

160 Chris Neely           Fla.           71

163 Dane Odom             S.C.           70

164 Cecil Douberly        Fla.           69

165 Brent Crow            Ala.           68

166 Jeff Shelton          Ala.           66

166 Robbie Latuso         La.            66

168 Bruce Griffin         Ala.           65

169 Jack Mumbower         Ind.           63

169 Raymond Trudeau       Fla.           63

171 Harry Potts           Ala.           62

172 Scott Wiley           Ala.           61

173 Landon Lomax          Ala.           60

174 Brad Pegram           N.C.           58

174 Marcos Malucelli      S.C.           58

176 Larry Rollings        S.C.           57

177 Jimmy Hayes           N.C.           56

178 Bob Eagleston         Fla.           55

179 Blake Foret           La.            52

180 Frank Ippoliti        Pa.            50

181 Jerry Gore            Fla.           48

182 John Emery            Tenn.          47

182 Michael Prindle       Ga.            47

184 Dwayne Reine          S.C.           46

185 Steven Wisdom         Ala.           44

186 Charles Graybeal      Tenn.          43

187 Craig Taylor          Fla.           42

188 Charlie Hartley       Ohio           35

188 Trevor Knight         Del.           35

190 Bruce Bingenheimer    N.Y.           31

190 Anthony Dumitras      Ga.            31

192 Lindsey Page          Fla.           30

193 Chris Anderson        S.C.           29

194 Chuck Thurlow         Ala.           26

195 Ronnie Getz           Ind.           25

196 Bill Hutchison        Ala.           21

197 Felton Jackson        N.C.           18

198 Jeremy York           Ga.            15

199 Brian Hatfield        Ky.            12

200 Jeff Stoner           Pa.             0

200 Curtis Reeves         Ga.             0

200 Richard Stevens       Ill.            0

200 Teb Jones             Miss.           0

200 Kelly Jaye            Ala.            0

200 Lee Sisson            Fla.            0

200 Jack MacKenney        Fla.            0

200 Tony Haymon           Fla.            0

200 Shane Cole            Ala.            0

200 Garry Rogers          N.C.            0

200 Nick Mumbower         Ind.            0

200 John Cromwell         Tenn.           0

200 Kim Bain-Moore        Ala.            0

200 Ronald Ryals          Fla.            0

200 Michael Randolph      Texas           0

200 Matt Hupp             Texas           0

200 Nate Wellman          Mich.           0

200 Sammy Burks           Mo.             0

200 Bob Bennett           S.C.            0

200 James Butler          Tenn.           0




Courtesy of BASS Communications.