California’s Chris Zaldain best pro of 2011 in Central Open; 5 qualify for 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series
Category: press release
Oct 22nd, 2011 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Oct 22nd, 2011 at 12:00 AM
BRANSON, Mo. – Chris Zaldain of San Jose, Calif., led the list of five anglers who qualified Saturday to move up in 2012 into the top tier of competition, the Bassmaster Elite Series, through the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open circuit.
With 804 points over the circuit’s three events of 2011, Zaldain wrapped up the season as the top angler.
The other Elite qualifiers were James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, second with 743 points; Jared Miller of Norman, Okla., third with 742 points; Tommy Martin of Hemphill, Texas, fourth with 738; and Kevin Ledoux of Choctaw, Okla., fifth with 734.
Casey Scanlon of Lenexa, Kan., finished short of the top five, with 722 points. As the sixth-place angler, he would be the first one tapped for the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series if any of the top five decline the invitation.
Zaldain, 27, said he won’t be able to help out Scanlon on that score.
“I’ll definitely fish the Elites,” he said. “That’s why I joined the Opens this year.”
The 27-year-old competed this season after a six-year hiatus since the 2005 Western Opens. He wasn’t on hand at Saturday’s final Central Open weigh-in in Branson, Mo., to hear the news in person. Because he didn’t make the Saturday cut, he used the time to scout nearby Bull Shoals Lake, site of a 2012 Elite event, anticipating the need.
Miller, 27, who also said he’d accept the Elite invitation, headed home to get ready for the Nov. 3-5 B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats in Monroe, La., on the Ouachita River. Miller is hoping to qualify for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic through the Federation.
Niggemeyer’s top-five points finish double-qualified him for the 2012 Elite season; he had finished 58th in Elite points when the 2011 season was over in June. His 2012 Elite seat will be taken through the Opens, not awarded to another pro.
2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Supporting Sponsors: Humminbird, Luck “E” Strike, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications – Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times – comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
2011 Points Report
Pro Division, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open
10/22/2011
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 804 57- 0
2 James Niggemeyer Van, TX 743 49- 6
3 Jared Miller Norman, OK 742 48- 0
4 Tommy Martin Hemphill, TX 738 49-15
5 Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 734 46-10
6 Casey Scanlon Lenexa, KS 722 54- 8
7 Sammy Burks Joplin, MO 689 42-13
8 Trevor Romans Plano, TX 683 42- 2
9 Mark Tyler Vian, OK 674 41- 4
10 Rick Clunn Ava, MO 673 42- 7
11 Lendell Martin Nacogdoches, TX 672 42-12
12 Clark Reehm Lufkin, TX 669 41- 6
13 Jimmy Johnson Ganado, TX 663 41-15
14 Mark Tucker Saint Louis, MO 661 53- 3
15 Chris Ford Kennedale, TX 648 40- 9
16 Ricky D Scott Van Buren, AR 641 37- 7
17 Jerry Dolezal Bullard, TX 633 39- 9
18 Ryan Lovelace Denison, TX 628 38- 0
19 Jami Fralick Martin, SD 613 34- 3
20 Janet Parker Little Elm, TX 612 41-11
21 Dale Hightower Sand Springs, OK 608 36-11
22 Roger Hughes Bartlesville, OK 600 38-11
23 Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 577 33- 3
24 Christopher Lee Keithville, LA 566 31-14
25 Tim Webb Olpe, KS 563 31- 4
26 Brian Clark Haltom City, TX 555 32-11
27 Dewayne French Mammoth Spring, AR 549 34- 2
28 OT Fears Sallisaw, OK 537 29-14
29 Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 533 37- 4
30 Jeff Cloud Lubbock, TX 527 27- 3
31 Peter Daniels Shreveport, LA 523 28- 9
32 Cecil Kingsley Lawrence, KS 509 28- 4
33 Paul Ferguson Whitehouse, TX 505 29- 2
34 Mark Smith West Monroe, LA 503 31- 1
35 Ken Iyobe Tokoname, JPN 497 27- 1
36 Rob Burns Plano, TX 497 26-12
37 Roy Sanford Brookeland, TX 487 27- 6
38 Jim Culp Tulsa, OK 481 26- 0
39 Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 479 25-15
40 Jacky Hawthorne Greenville, TX 477 26- 5
41 Tommy Durham Whitney, TX 476 29-13
42 Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 475 26- 9
43 Homer Humphreys Jr. Minden, LA 474 21-12
44 Brandon Mosley Choctaw, OK 467 26- 6
45 Shane Williams Keithville, LA 464 28- 1
46 Joey Nania Liberty Lake, WA 460 29- 4
47 Tony Chachere Opelousas, LA 455 24- 2
48 Gary Riffle Paris, TX 451 25- 1
49 Jeffery Lemoine Des Allemands, LA 439 24- 1
50 Lisa Sternard Clarksville, TN 434 27- 5
51 Ricky Campbell Waxahachie, TX 432 28- 0
52 Keith Surber Longview, TX 422 20- 8
53 Dale Jackson Van, TX 422 18- 5
54 Billy Cline South Lake, TX 420 40- 0
55 Brady Winans Greenville, TX 417 20-11
56 Scott Dean Terrell, TX 415 21- 7
57 Logan Sherrer Karnack, TX 406 21-12
58 Michael Yoder Texarkana, AR 398 23-11
59 Mark Goines Shady Point, OK 391 22- 5
60 Brannon Long Longview, TX 380 19- 5
61 John Johnson Jacksonville, MO 377 20- 4
62 Alan Kelly Excelsior Springs, MO 373 18- 3
63 Chad Griffin Cresson, TX 371 20- 8
64 Keith Williams Conway, AR 364 24- 2
65 Nathan Kawlewski Elkhorn, WI 362 21- 8
66 Frank Jordan JR Bainbridge, GA 359 21-14
67 Luke Roberts Longview, TX 356 16- 8
68 Preston Henson Vacaville, CA 353 20- 9
69 Adam Kaltenbach Strafford, MO 346 16-14
70 Christopher Jones Pocola, OK 343 19- 0
71 Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, AR 342 17- 8
72 Matt Michel Gonzales, LA 340 17- 0
73 Randy Qualls Midway, AR 340 15-11
74 Aaron Johnson Shreveport, LA 339 15-15
75 Porter Trimble Pineville, LA 337 16- 1
76 Doug Vahrenberg Higginsville, MO 335 14-10
77 Dave Parsons Yantis, TX 330 15-10
78 Michael Randolph Austin, TX 326 19-14
79 Mike Pharr Shreveport, LA 326 16- 6
80 Dustin Lester Huntington Beach, CA 322 16- 6
81 Gene Spears West Monroe, LA 318 22- 4
82 Dave Mansue Hemphill, TX 316 19- 4
83 Terry Bollom Frisco, TX 316 17- 9
84 Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 315 34- 5
85 Kent Cella Shreveport, LA 308 16-15
86 LA Sevilla Las Cruces, NM 307 15- 9
87 Scott Mcgehee Madison, MS 306 18-11
88 Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 305 18- 1
89 Mike Shadowens Kiefer, OK 300 17- 6
90 Darrell Newman Bruceville, TX 298 16-14
91 Robbie Dodson Jr Harrison, AR 295 19-13
92 Cody Malone Sulphur Spgs, TX 295 14- 5
93 Johnny Grice Frisco, TX 292 15-15
94 Brad Smith Hartford, AR 292 14-14
95 Marvin Ettredge Shreveport, LA 286 13-13
96 Mitch Kistner Mesa, AZ 285 11- 9
97 Mike Haggerty Hendersonville, TN 281 14-11
98 Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 280 21- 7
99 Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 278 18- 1
100 Joseph Sestak Tabor, SD 269 13- 9
101 Shonn Goodwin Moore, OK 268 23- 0
102 Roland Martin Naples, FL 268 14-10
103 Travis Gray Princeton, LA 266 11-13
104 Chris M Jones Bokoshe, OK 264 20-15
105 Jason Lieblong Conway, AR 263 12- 9
106 Shawn Kowal Linne Creek, MO 254 15- 6
107 Rick Hanna Hereford, TX 252 11- 1
108 Jason Reyes Huffman, TX 251 20-14
109 Matthew Jones Spokane, MO 251 14- 8
110 Gary Vining Morgan City, LA 246 15- 7
111 James Biggs Bedford, TX 243 13-14
112 Ronald Rogers Rockwall, TX 240 10- 0
113 Greg Ryan Nixa, MO 231 12- 3
114 David Sherrer Elm Grove, LA 220 9-13
115 Terry Butcher Talala, OK 217 16- 1
116 Phil Rein Troy, MO 213 10- 3
117 Robert Robbins Branson, MO 211 10- 0
118 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 209 10-11
119 Clint Alford Atoka, OK 203 9-14
120 Ed Whaley Montgomery, TX 203 9- 3
121 Denny Malone Springfield, MO 197 9-14
122 Colt Farris Crowley, TX 195 9- 9
123 Kelly Lee Twin Falls, ID 194 11- 2
124 Chris Wilkerson Conroe, TX 193 9- 6
125 Gene Eisenmann Frisco, TX 190 9- 0
126 Yoshikazu Sato Tokyo, JPN 181 7- 4
127 Randy Cisler Waxahachie, TX 179 8-12
128 Joe Erwin Claremore, OK 169 12- 7
129 Ken Phillips Antioch, CA 168 9-11
130 Bart Gardner Dallas, TX 164 9- 5
131 Cade Alsbury Cave Springs, AR 157 7- 7
132 Keith Poche Troy, AL 153 11- 5
133 Gene Rasco Livingston, TX 153 8- 3
134 Jay Fuller Newcastle, OK 151 11- 1
135 Dave Watson Sullivan, IN 143 5-10
136 Thomas McMillan Choudrant, LA 141 6- 5
137 Kenny Rooke Junction, TX 139 7- 7
138 Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 135 5-15
139 Charles Bebber Willis, TX 133 5-15
140 Leon Reel Tulsa, OK 131 9- 4
141 Quincy Houchin Mabelvale, AR 128 6- 2
142 Nick Aber Piedmont, OK 123 6-15
143 James Taylor Humboldt, TN 123 4- 8
144 James W Watson Waynesville, MO 119 4- 4
144 Aaron Ault Delphi, IN 119 4- 4
146 Jan Heavener Sherwood, AR 115 3-12
147 Keith Caka Huntsville, TX 113 5- 2
148 J.C. Worley Idabel, OK 111 5- 1
149 Tim Gaskill Edwardsville, IL 109 3-15
150 Zach Bandy Oklahoma City, OK 109 3-12
151 Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 107 12-10
152 Chris Dombkowski Cibolo, TX 106 3- 8
153 Vince Fulks Purcell, OK 105 4-11
154 Douglas Jones Muskogee, OK 103 4-10
155 Al Monks Panama, OK 101 7- 5
156 Stephen Mitchell Rhinehart, LA 99 4- 5
157 Andy Gaia Tomball, TX 97 4- 3
158 John D Jamison Muskogee, OK 93 6-11
159 Sean Hoernke Conroe, TX 93 4- 1
160 Eric Olliverson Lampe, MO 93 3- 9
161 James Smiley Hacienda Heights, CA 91 6- 7
162 Kevin Walker Buna, TX 89 3-14
163 Billy Hines Vacaville, CA 87 6- 4
164 Allen Rude Wynnewood, OK 85 6- 1
165 Spencer Grace Russellville, AR 83 3- 6
166 Chris Franks Petaluma, CA 81 3- 5
167 Jeff Jordan Tulsa, OK 75 3- 2
168 Michael Free Milton, WA 73 2- 3
169 Steve Schiele Lewisville, TX 72 2-12
170 Alex Heitman Valley Park, MO 72 2- 2
171 Clint Farris Crowley, TX 70 2-10
172 Perry Powell Mckinney, TX 66 1-15
173 Monty Kirby Sherman, TX 65 2- 1
174 Michael Moore Grove, OK 61 1-13
175 Tate Womack Branson, MO 59 1- 9
176 Debra Hengst San Antonio, TX 58 3-13
177 Craig Hatchel Whitesboro, TX 57 3-11
178 Walter Andries Coweta, OK 54 2- 4
179 Jason Baggett Mansfield, AR 50 2- 0
180 Chip Porche Bixby, OK 48 1-10
181 Shane Long Sarcoxie, MO 0 0- 0
181 Sabrina Thompson Humble, TX 0 0- 0
181 Kyle Walling Fisherville, KY 0 0- 0
181 Bill Dowding Noble, OK 0 0- 0
181 Robert Byrd Dallas, TX 0 0- 0
181 Jack Morris Robinson, IL 0 0- 0
181 Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 0 0- 0
181 Steve Hayden Fort Worth, TX 0 0- 0
181 Wayne Fowler Terry, MS 0 0- 0
181 JR Howard Jr. San Angelo, TX 0 0- 0
181 Bobby Collums Houston, TX 0 0- 0
181 James Baldwin Tijeras, NM 0 0- 0
181 Robert Hill Fort Worth, TX 0 0- 0
181 Shaun Williamson Dallas, TX 0 0- 0
181 Robert Landrum Wichita, KS 0 0- 0