Pundits’ Picks: FLW Championship - Major League Fishing

Pundits’ Picks: FLW Championship

September 5, 2003 • MLF • Archives

FLW Tour pundits counter the pros with their picks for the James River FLW Outdoors Fishing Challenge

With the 2003 FLW Championship just around the corner, the top 48 FLW Tour anglers won’t be the only folks fighting for a prestigious year-end title, fame and bragging rights in Richmond, Va., this September. Although it won’t quite garner the headlines that the pro anglers receive (why, I don’t know), there is another bloody-knuckle contest about to unfold that is just as grueling, competitive and perhaps even more difficult to win. That’s right, we’re talking the 2003 Fantasy Fishing Prognosticator of the Year title.

As fate would have it, after a six-round regular-season FLW pundit vs. pro slugfest, this year’s title is going to go down to the wire. Currently, Clark “Clean Shoes” Wendlandt leads all pros and bass-fishing writers for the overall title with 4,486 points. However, FLW Outdoors Communications Director Dave Washburn (4,439) and yours truly (4,418), 2002 defending pundit champion, are in hot pursuit.

Unfortunately for the rest of the field, it is clear that the fight for the title is now a three-horse race. With pros Koby Kreiger (4,323 points), Gerald Swindle (4,096) and Randy Blaukat (3,975) hopelessly behind Wendlandt for pro title, and writers Rob Newell (4,352) and Jeff Schroeder (4,303) completely out of the picture for any prize, the “Battle of the Big Three” is about to commence.

So who has the advantage? Although Wendlandt has sewed up the pro title (like that was really hard to do), my win at Wheeler Lake combined with Washburn’s dreadful performance in that same tournament put me right back on track for a second consecutive title. And while I’ll concede that Wendlandt is used to fishing under pressure after competing for years against the likes of Kevin VanDam, Rick Clunn and Larry Nixon, it’s a proven fact that he’s never faced the pressure of looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing the defending FLW Tour Pundit Champion breathing down his neck.

Prediction: Wendlandt is going to crack like a half-rate mobster stool pigeon trying to buy his way into a witness protection program.

– Gary

Hot picks

Riding mainly on the history of his amazing win at the James River in 1990, Zenmaster Rick Clunn is the hottest pick for the championship. He garnered picks from seven of the eight pros and pundits. David Dudley and Kevin VanDam came in second, each with five picks. Dion Hibdon took four, and Tommy Biffle and Clark Wendlandt each had three. The other multiple vote-getters were AOY Dan Morehead and Andy Morgan, who both had two picks.
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Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship
James River, Richmond, Va.
Sept. 10-13

Gary MortensonGary Mortenson
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Previous tournament score (Wheeler Lake): 718
Yearly total: 4,418

1) Rick Clunn. The 1990 Bassmaster Classic was held on the James River in Richmond, Va. Guess who won it? Rick Clunn. In fact, Clunn participated in all three Classics on the James River from 1988-1990, so he clearly has plenty of experience fishing what could turn out to be a difficult body of water. And that’s going to be crucial since many FLW Tour pros will be making their first-ever visit there. In short, why bet against a legend?
2) David Dudley The Manteo Machine rides an overall No. 2 seed into the FLW Championship. What that means is that he’s fished phenomenally all year. However, the fact that Dudley hails from North Carolina also means that he’s going to be competing near his own backyard, which should be a big advantage as well. Plus, after winning the Ranger M1 tournament last year, it’s clear that he can handle the pressure of a big-time money event.
3) Kevin VanDam. While it’s risky predicting a favorite to come out of the “Bracket of Doom,” I’m putting my money on VanDam for a couple of reasons. For starters, the Kalamazoo Kid is arguably the best angler in all the land right now. He has experience fishing almost every conceivable type of water. I also know that Wendlandt is going to pick himself, and if I’m hoping to pick up ground in the Prognosticator of the Year title race, I need to pick against Wendlandt. Although it’s always dangerous to bet against Clean Shoes, you don’t win a pundit title by being timid.
4) Dion Hibdon. Dion knows the James River probably as well as any angler on the FLW Tour. Not only that, but his father, Guido Hibdon, won the Bassmaster Classic there in 1988. When you have a fishing legend as a father and some invaluable advice in one of the biggest bass-fishing tournaments of all time, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you have a distinct advantage.
5) Dan “The Man” Morehead. After turning in one of the best all-time performances in one season on the FLW Tour, Morehead is poised to put the icing on the cake. He spent the whole year dedicating himself to the FLW Tour exclusively and he’s going to get plenty of practice on the James River. In short, there’s no way I’m voting against the hottest angler on the tour right now.

Jeff SchroederJeff Schroeder
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Previous tournament score: 699
Yearly total: 4,303

1) Rick Clunn. This tournament, with its half-million dollars at stake and novel bracket format, will take more mental stamina than most bass-fishing tournaments to date, especially if the fishing’s tough – which by most accounts it will be. Clunn’s history on the James is too storied to ignore. Jedi master, Zen fisherman, kindred spirit of the osprey – call it whatever you like, Clunn’s cerebral approach will deliver him the 2003 championship trophy and further his James River mystique.
2) Dion Hibdon. The younger Hibdon has some serious competition in his brackets the first two rounds. He squares off against defending FLW championship winner John Sappington, then either Larry Nixon or Chris Elliott – past FLW winners all. But so is Dion. Plus, the elder Hibdon, Guido, won the Classic on the James in 1988 – two years before Clunn. So don’t think Dion’s going in unarmed; he’ll have some solid information.
3) Kevin VanDam. He top-10s over a third of the time when he’s fishing against 174 other pros. Now he has only two to worry about to make the final cut? This is a no-brainer, “Bracket of Doom” be VanDamned. Sorry, Clark.
4) David Dudley. Only two people in the world have ever won more than a half-million dollars in a single bass tournament. One of them is Dudley. This is going to be stingy, river fishing; it’s relatively close to his home; and he has done well here before. Plus, I like his matchups. Dudley’s competitive drive lands him in fourth.
5) Tommy Biffle. Flipping, flipping, flipping. He gets the nod on the merits of his outstanding overall season (fourth in points). While he’s going to have a battle getting by another outstanding flipper, Greg Hackney, Biffle tends to rise to the occasion at the FLW Championship (three runner-up finishes – 1997, 1998, 2000).

Dave WashburnDave Washburn
Executive editor, FLW Outdoors
Previous tournament score: 658
Yearly total: 4,439

1) David Dudley. He currently lives in Manteo, N.C., but this Castrol pro grew up in Virginia. Aside from John Crews, the No. 34 seed from Jetersville, Va., Dudley is the closest thing there is to a hometown favorite. Besides, Crews is up against Rick Clunn in the opening round, which is not an enviable position to be in. When the chips are down, Dudley knows how to win big. He finished second in the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points race, but he will come through on the James and boost his FLW Outdoors career earnings to a staggering $1.6 million. This is his seventh championship appearance, which ties him with four other anglers for most shots at the title.
2) Dan Morehead. Morehead managed to fend off Dudley on Wheeler Lake to win the coveted Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title, but the Manteo Machine is going to slip by him on the James River. Morehead dedicated himself to the FLW Tour and EverStart Series this season and his focus has paid off handsomely. This is the Evinrude pro’s sixth championship appearance, and it will be his best performance yet.
3) Larry Nixon. His unofficial nickname is the General for good reason. Like any good veteran, this Chevy pro is an all-around tactician. Experience is on his side, and if you haven’t noticed the trend yet, all of my picks are one of the top two seeds in his respective bracket. With its head-to-head format and record $500,000 top award, the FLW Tour Championship is going to be a pressure cooker. And no one is cooler under pressure than Nixon, who is making his sixth championship appearance.
4) Clark Wendlandt. This one is simple. I’m sticking by my rule: Always pick Wendlandt. This Kellogg’s pro is one of the most dominant anglers in FLW Tour history, and no one is more fiercely competitive. He’s a two-time Angler of the Year recipient and has won just about every title there is. In six previous championship appearances, Wendlandt finished in the top 10 three times. He’ll crack the top five this year.
5) Rick Clunn. Clunn is arguably the best bass angler in history. He tops the FLW Tour stats in career earnings ($831,850), top-10 finishes (18) and top-five finishes (11). His worst finish in an FLW Tour Championship is eighth, and this will be his sixth championship appearance. To top it all off, Clunn has claimed victory on the James River before. I’m stopping short of predicting victory, but anything less than fifth place would be an insult to one of the sport’s all-time greats.

Rob NewellRob Newell
Contributing editor, FLW Outdoors
Previous tournament score: 633
Yearly total: 4,348

1) Rick Clunn. Rick Clunn and the James River go together like Cypress knees and shallow-running crankbaits. Anyone who has seen the footage of Clunn bringing down the house in Richmond with his come-out-of-nowhere victory at the 1990 Bassmaster Classic could only hope to see it duplicated – except this time $500,000 is on the line. If Clunn makes the final 12, like Yogi Berra said, it could be deja vu all over again.
2) Dion Hibdon. Dion’s father, Guido, won the Classic on the James River in 1988. The Hibdons do their homework for championship events and they have a penchant for winning them. Dion has one FLW Championship title and a Bassmaster Classic under his belt. In these high-caliber events, he has nerves of steal, even when $500,000 is on the line.
3) Kevin VanDam. If the tides are right, the James River is a runner-and-gunner’s paradise. Running the tides could be a successful strategy in Richmond. There is none better at that game than the run-and-gun king, VanDam.
4) Tommy Biffle. One word: redemption. The James River owes Biffle one. He had a commanding lead in the 1990 Classic before Clunn blew his rubrails off on the last day. The pitching master is right at home on the James’ numerous wood-laden tidal creeks and he’ll be looking for payback. The only thing that would make this better is if Biffle was paired with Clunn in the matchups.
5) George Cochran. Cochran can bring it on the James River, too. His BASS record there is pretty good and he is known as a shallow-water river rat. His gift is catching bass in fin-deep water in the summer and fall.

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