Lake Eufaula AOY Update
Strader still on top with two events to go
Following his win at the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Quaker State on Lake Eufaula, Shelby, N.C., pro Bryan Thrift moved to second place in the 2015 Angler of the Year standings with 753 points. The 2010 AOY trails Wesley Strader, who finished fourth at Eufaula, by 18 points.
Strader maintains the lead, which he took over at the Tour’s second stop at Lewis Smith Lake, going into stop No. 5 on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tenn., June 11-14. Chickamauga is Strader’s home lake. He finished second at Chickamauga in late June 2013 when Casey Martin blew away the field with more than 100 pounds for four days. Strader will be a hands-down favorite at “the Chick,” and if he can avoid the hometown curse that so often plagues professional anglers, he stands a good chance to extend – or at least maintain – his lead.
Other notable anglers in the AOY race include John Cox, who’s in third place with 747 points thanks to three top-10 finishes in a row. He should be strong at Chickamauga and the finale on the Potomac River late next month. Also, rookie Zack Birge, fourth place, 741 points, is 30 points off Strader’s lead and is looking to become the first Tour rookie to win the AOY since Shin Fukae in 2004.
Two-time reigning AOY and another Chickamauga local, Andy Morgan is in ninth place in the standings. He’s a sizable ways behind Strader with 703 points, but he’s Andy Morgan, and he’s an easy favorite to finish in the top 10 at Chickamauga and should fare well at the Potomac. If Morgan finishes 10th or better in the AOY standings, it’ll be his ninth top-10 finish in a row and the 10th of his career. That’s why they call him the “G.O.A.T.” – Greatest of All Time.
AOY Top 10 Through Four Events
1. Wesley Strader – Spring City, Tenn. – 771 points
2. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 753
3. John Cox – Debary, Fla. – 747
4. Zack Birge – Blanchard, Okla. – 741
5. Tracy Adams – Wilkesboro, N.C. – 738
6. Adrian Avena – Vineland, N.J. – 732
7. Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 728
8. Luke Clausen – Spokane, Wash. – 722
9. Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn. – 703
10. Darrell Davis – Dover, Fla. – 695