Strader Leads the AOY Pack
Breaking down the Angler of the Year race after two Walmart FLW Tour events
With one-third of the 2015 Walmart FLW Tour season in the books, a pair of seasoned veterans have already claimed titles in the first two stops – JT Kenney on Toho and Dave Lefebre on Lewis Smith. Things are starting to take shape in the Angler of the Year race too, and while another pair of veterans is atop the standings, there are some new faces emerging as well.
1st Place – Wesley Strader
Wesley Strader is king of the hill at the moment with 385 points thanks to a third-place showing at Toho and 14th place at Smith. It is the best start to a season that Strader has had in his 19 years as a pro with FLW. Beaver Lake, which is the next Tour stop in a few weeks, could set up a lot like Lewis Smith in that fish will be up on the bank either spawning or looking to spawn, which will favor the Tennessee pro. Strader acknowledges the fact that he is much more comfortable up shallow despite his upbringing on Lake Chickamauga, a ledge fishery, and other Tennessee River experience. His average finish in the last five trips to Beaver is 35th, with four of those being top 30 or better.
2nd Place – Luke Clausen
Right behind Strader with 384 points is former Forrest Wood Cup and Bassmaster Classic champion Luke Clausen. The Bridgford pro is no stranger to the top of the AOY standings. He’s finished in the top 10 four times in his 12-year career. Clausen is a noted finesse fisherman who is extremely comfortable with a shaky head – traditionally a major player on Beaver – and that bodes well for him no matter what scenario he encounters later this month. The race between Strader and Clausen could get interesting at Beaver, considering that Clausen’s average finish is 37th on the White River impoundment in the last five stops there. He’s also won before on the Potomac, where the Tour wraps up in June.
3rd Place – Zack Birge
Sitting in third is FLW Tour rookie and reigning Rayovac FLW Series champion Zack Birge. This Oklahoma pro is on an absolute tear right now. Fishing his strengths has been the ticket, and because of that Birge is about as relaxed and focused as one can be in his first season on Tour. While the young pro might not have a lot of experience on Beaver, it shouldn’t hurt his chances of doing well. Patterns at Beaver should be similar to how Birge would fish this time of year at some lakes back in Oklahoma (the Oklahoma border is less than an hour from Rogers), and he should be able to add plenty of points to his 383-point total for the season.
4th and 5th Place
Rounding out the top five are two pros who are relatively new to the top of the standings: Jason Reyes and Lionel Botha. Reyes and Botha sit a little farther back (373 and 364 points, respectively) than the top three yet are still well in contention for the title and are in prime shape to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup. Unfortunately, past experiences on Beaver have been less than favorable for Reyes and Botha. The former has cashed checkst here, with finishes ranging from the 30s down to the 90s in his nine years on Tour. Botha is in his second year and placed in the triple digits last time at Beaver. However, both are shallow-water anglers who are fishing well, and they should have a better showing this time.
6th to 10th Place
The top 10 in the AOY standings is packed with anglers who are poised for solid performances on Beaver. Scott Canterbury, John Cox, Adrian Avena, Tracy Adams and Bryan Thrift (who has won on Beaver before) can maintain their positions, if not make up ground in this next tournament.
11th to 20th Place
The next 10 anglers in the standings are just as dangerous, if not more so than their peers in front of them. The list includes: Shin Fukae, Matt Stefan, Scott Martin, Tony Davis, Ish Monroe, Andy Morgan, Matt Arey, Stetson Blaylock, Shane LeHew and Drew Benton. Probably the two anglers in the top 20 who stand to make the biggest jumps at Beaver Lake are Arey and Morgan.
First of all, Morgan has proved that he is a threat at any Tour stop, but Beaver is a special place for Morgan. It’s the site of his only Tour victory in 2007 and a venue that seemingly always plays to his strength of “just going fishing.” If you look at his last five tournaments on Beaver, Morgan boasts an average finish of 23rd, with two runner-up performances. You have to go all the way back to 2000 to find a poor finish at Beaver by Morgan – he finished in 149th that year. It’s a safe bet that Morgan will make up some serious ground in this tournament.
Likewise, last year’s Beaver Lake champion Matt Arey is licking his chops for this tournament. Arey’s average finish over the last five tournaments at Beaver is 25th, which includes two top 10s (a win in 2014 and fifth place in 2011). Arey is not only a top-notch sight-fisherman but is also well-versed with a jig. No matter what stage the bass are in at Beaver, Arey is versatile enough to catch them.
Beaver Lake
The Beaver Lake tournament takes place April 23-26 and marks the halfway point for the Tour season. It is the perfect venue to better shed light on which anglers will dig in and begin the run for an AOY title. Some major moves will be made in either direction in the standings, and with the stacked leaderboard that we have now, there is no doubt we’ll see some drama as the AOY race unfolds.