Fishing News - 9/23/02
2002 BassFan.com World Rankings Round-Up
The 2001-02 BASSMASTER Tour and 2002 FLW Tour seasons are over. Likewise, all chances of tour pros moving up or down in the BassFan.com World Rankings are over until 2003 -- which is a short 3 1/2 months away.
Before the pros head down to Florida and again start working their way up
(and down) the rankings, here's a look at the current Top 10 in the world plus a few more notable "ups and downs" of 2002.The 10 Best in the World
Following are the Top 10 anglers in the world after the 2002 season.
1) Kevin VanDam (Mich.) -- VanDam continues to outfish everyone in pro fishing. He has been the No. 1 fisherman in the world for more than an entire year, and because the BassFan.com World Rankings is based on a rolling 2 years of data, it means he has outfished every other pro for three straight years. Unless he has a remarkably off year, and someone else steps up to his level, he will remain the best bass fisherman in the world.
2) Mark Davis (Ark.) -- Davis is the No. 2 angler in the world on the strength of his finishes on the BASSMASTER Tour alone. If he also fished the FLW Tour and did as well, he could give VanDam a run for the No. 1 spot. It will be interesting to see what VanDam's schedule will be next year (whether he will fish both tours or not) and how this affects his ranking vis-a-vis Davis. Davis started the season in 3rd, behind Rick Clunn.
3) Aaron Martens (Calif.) -- Martens started last August in the No. 2
slot, then dropped as low as 12th this year and has now climbed back to No. 3. How he accomplished that is interesting. Martens fished poorly (for him) on the BASSMASTER Tour this year, but made the BASSMASTERS Classic via the Western Opens, and his 2nd-place finish at the Classic helped his ranking. As long as ESPN/B.A.S.S. continues to let Tour pros fish the Opens and allows Classic qualifying via the Opens, this scenario can still occur. And despite missing one FLW Tour event to fish a Western Open, he still made the FLW Championship and had a good finish there. Next season: Even with two California events on the BASSMASTER Tour, displacing Davis at No. 2 will be tough because Davis also fishes well in clear, deep lakes.4) Larry Nixon (Ark.) -- Nixon, No. 4, continues to be one of the best anglers in the world. This season he fished well on both tours, was in the hunt for B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and at one time was ranked No. 2 in the world. He started the season ranked 11th. The way he's been fishing,
don't look for him to fall in the rankings next season.5) Rick Clunn (Mo.) -- Clunn did not fish well this year (for him), but got better near the end of the year when the behind-the-scenes political issues involving the Professional Anglers Association and ESPN/B.A.S.S. calmed down. He also didn't make the Classic for the first time in his career, yet his overall consistently high finishes vs. his competitors over the past 2 seasons keep him in the Top 10. Next season Clunn will be working on a new fishing style/mental approach, the fruits of which could help him rise again in the rankings.
6) Mike Wurm (Ark.) -- Wurm has consistently finished high for years, including this year, hence his No. 6 ranking. Wurm started out ranked 12th this season. Look for him to remain in the Top 10.
7) Clark Wendlandt (Texas) -- Wendlandt got hurt a bit in World Ranking points this year by failing to make the Classic. He started the season 6th in the world and at one point was 3rd, but ended up in 7th. To date Wendlandt has never been out of the Top 10 in the world, and should remain
there next season.8) Alton Jones (Texas) -- Jones steadily worked his way up the rankings with some good finishes this season, especially under tough conditions. He winds up 8th in the world, and started the season in 15th.
9) Dean Rojas (Texas/Ariz.) -- Rojas overcame a short psychological slump this season, and did well enough on the FLW Tour (3rd in the points) to overcome his less-good finishes on the BASSMASTER Tour. Rojas started the season in 20th.
10) Tim Horton (Ala.) -- Horton (10th) and Davis are the only pros in the Top 10 of the BassFan.com World Rankings who fish only the BASSMASTER Tour. It's probable that if Horton fished the FLW Tour and also had good finishes there, he would be ranked higher than some of his peers. But that speculation might be unnecessary with next year's expanded BASSMASTER Tour
schedule (see below). Horton also finished last season ranked 10th in the world.