Fishing News - 9/25/03

From BassFan.com 

Part 2 - MOVEMENT AFTER THE FLW CHAMPIONSHIP

See Part 1 - VanDam Again No. 1 In World After 2003 Season

See Part 2 - MOVEMENT AFTER THE FLW CHAMPIONSHIP

See Part 3 - State Farm-BassFan.com World Rankings -- Final 2003

Following are the State Farm-BassFan World Rankings as updated after the 2003 FLW Championship on the James River. Bear in mind that FLW Tour anglers again have two championships in their scores (since the 2001 FLW Championship was cancelled) and some movement will occur because of that.

Notable items:

Kevin VanDam is No. 1 in the world for the second straight year. That means he has been fishing better than his peers for 4 consecutive years.

Along with VanDam, Kelly Jordon was the only angler in the Top 5 to fish the FLW Championship, which likely helped him climb into the No. 2 slot.

Tommy Biffle is back in the Top 10 at 7th.

FLW Championship winner David Dudley has been gradually moving up in the rankings, and his win helps him crack the Top 10. He's now ranked 8th in the world.

Clark Wendlandt is back in the Top 15 at 15th.

Also: As with every rankings update, counterintuitive movement can occur. This can be due to several factors, including: the tournament results dropped from 2 years ago (if applicable); and how anglers above and below an angler are fishing/adding/dropping.

START OF SEASON VS. END OF SEASON

Top 10 in the World

Start of Season (blue means still in the Top 10)

1. Kevin VanDam - Kalamazoo, MI - 156.440

2. Mark Davis - Mt. Ida, AR - 136.980

3. Aaron Martens - Castaic, CA - 131.035

4. Larry Nixon - Bee Branch, AR - 129.902

5. Rick Clunn - Ava, MO - 126.560

6. Mike Wurm - Hot Springs, AR - 122.379

7. Clark Wendlandt - Cedar Park, TX - 121.370

8. Alton Jones - Waco, TX - 120.238

9. Dean Rojas - Lk. Havasu City, AZ - 119.386

10. Tim Horton - Muscle Shoals, AL - 118.564

End of Season (current)

1. Kevin VanDam - Kalamazoo, MI - 148.204

2. Kelly Jordon - Mineola, TX - 136.017

3. Alton Jones - Waco, TX - 133.12

4. Gary Klein - Weatherford, TX - 128.786

5. Jay Yelas - Tyler, TX - 124.354

6. Tim Horton - Muscle Shoals, AL - 119.679

7. Tommy Biffle - Wagoner, OK - 117.077

8. David Dudley - Manteo, NC - 116.099

9. Mark Davis - Mt. Ida, AR - 115.581

10. Dustin Wilks - Enfield, NC - 115.059

Notable:

The most consistent (consistently high-finishing) pros in the world for at least the last 2 years are Kevin VanDam, Alton Jones, Tim Horton and Mark Davis.

Anglers who started the season ranked in the Top 20 and who are still there include Gary Klein (was 18th), Jay Yelas (was 12th), Clark Wendlandt (was 7th, now 15th), Mike Wurm (was 6th, now 17th) and Brent  Chapman (was 14th, now 19th). 

Texas still dominates the Top 10 with three anglers, but for the first time ever North Carolina has two anglers in the Top 10. 

Biggest Moves Up

2. Kelly Jordon (from 23rd)

7. Tommy Biffle (from 28th)

8. David Dudley (from 59th)

10. Dustin Wilks (from 42nd)

11. Zell Rowland (from below 100)

13. Greg Hackney (from 49th)

14. Edwin Evers (from 65th)

16. Kenyon Hill (from 56th)

18. Dan Morehead (from 57th)

21. Ron Shuffield (was 90th)

22. Wesley Strader (was 80th)

24. Mark Menendez (was 68th)

38. Shaw E. Grigsby, Jr. (was 89th)

40. Andy Morgan (was 88th)

Notable:

The higher an angler gets in the rankings, the tougher it is to move up because everyone around you is fishing well. 

Rowland, who had the biggest jump, came "from below 100" as the rankings only went to 100 at the start of the season. Now the Top 200 anglers in the world are ranked.

Biggest Falls

25. Dean Rojas (was 9th)

28. Aaron Martens (was 3rd)

29. Larry Nixon (was 4th)

35. Bud Pruitt (was 13th)

45. Davy Hite (was 19th)

47. David Walker (was 15th)

57. Rick Clunn (was 5th)

Notable:

Rojas, Martens, Nixon, Hite and Clunn - all two-tour pros - did poorly on the Bassmaster Tour this year.

Pruitt started off the season well and was ranked in the Top 10 at one point, but bottomed out at the end.

Walker wasn't as consistent as Pruitt, but followed a similar path.

Three finishes below 100th and one 99th didn't help.

Best Debuts

The best debuts on the rankings, meaning the pros who accumulated 2 years' worth of tour finishes this year, are: 

12. John Murray - Phoenix, AZ - Skeeter/Mercury

33. Roger Boler - Slidell, LA - Skeeter/Yamaha

41. Andre Moore - Scottsdale, AZ - Ranger/Evinrude

43. Mike Hawkes - Sabinal, TX - Nitro (no motor sponsor)

51. Harmon Davis - Marlow, OK - Ranger/Yamaha

See Part 1 - VanDam Again No. 1 In World After 2003 Season

See Part 2 - MOVEMENT AFTER THE FLW CHAMPIONSHIP

See Part 3 - State Farm-BassFan.com World Rankings -- Final 2003

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