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Elite Series Field Set For 2012

Category: press release

 Jan 4th, 2012 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Jan 4th, 2012 at 12:00 AM

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The field of competitors for the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series, announced by B.A.S.S. today, promises to be the strongest ever. Among the 100 professional anglers are winners of more than 200 Bassmaster tournaments, 17 Bassmaster Classic championships and 21 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler-of-the-Year titles.

Among the most talented anglers in bass fishing, the 100 Elite Series qualifiers will be competing for bass fishing’s most coveted title – Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year  – millions in prize money and berths in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake, Okla., Feb. 22-24.

The Elite field includes four-time Classic champ Rick Clunn of Missouri as well as perennial qualifier Kevin VanDam of Michigan, who also has four Classic wins (including the last two) and seven Angler-of-the-Year crowns. The season kicks off March 15-18 with the St. Johns River Showdown in Palatka, Fla. The regular season will conclude with the crowning of the Angler of the Year at the Oneida Championship in Syracuse, N.Y., Aug. 23-26.

Invitations to compete in the Bassmaster Elite Series are earned by performance in the previous year’s Elite circuit, the three Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens divisions and the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation championship.

Qualifying anglers and their hometowns are listed below.

The field represents 26 states plus Japan. Texas has the most competitors with 15, followed by Alabama with 14 and Oklahoma with 10. New to the Elite Series for 2011 are Kevin Ledoux, Jared Miller, Casey Scanlon and Chris Zaldain (qualifying through the Bassmaster Central Opens), Kyle Fox, Fletcher Shryock and Michael Simonton (qualifying through the Bassmaster Northern Opens) and Brandon Card and Cliff Prince (qualifying through the Bassmaster Southern Opens). Rounding out the 10 Elite Series rookies for 2012 is B.A.S.S. Federation Nation champion Jamie Horton.

 
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers:
 

Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
Scott Ashmore, Broken Arrow, Okla.
Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla.
Denny Brauer, Camdenton, Mo.
Brent Broderick, Oregonia, Ohio
Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark.
Terry Butcher, Talala, Okla.
Brandon Card, Caryville, Tenn.

Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
Rick Clunn, Ava, Mo.
Keith Combs, Del Rio, Texas
John Crews, Salem, Va.
Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La.
Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark.
Ott DeFoe, Knoxville, Tenn.
Boyd Duckett, Demopolis, Ala.
Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss.
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas

Kyle Fox, Lakeland, Fla.
Jami Fralick, Martin, S.D.
Grant Goldbeck, Boerne, Texas
Pat Golden, High Point, N.C.
Matt Greenblatt, Tequesta, Fla.
Chad Griffin, Cresson, Texas
Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla.
Greg Hackney, Gonzales, La.
Charlie Hartley, Grove City, Ohio
Byron “B.J.” Haseotes, Centerville, Mass.
Matt Herren, Trussville, Ala.
Kenyon Hill, Norman, Okla.
Davy Hite, Ninety Six, S.C.

Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala.
Tim Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Randy Howell, Springville, Ala.
Michael Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, N.J.
Alton Jones, Waco, Texas
Kelly Jordon, Mineola, Texas
Steve Kennedy, Auburn, Ala.
Kotaro Kiriyama, Moody, Ala.
Gary Klein, Weatherford, Texas
Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla.
Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla.
Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.
Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala.

Kevin Ledoux, Choctaw, Okla.
Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif.
Bill Lowen, Brookville, Ind.
Travis Manson, Green Bay, Wis.
Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala.
Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark.
Mike McClelland, Bella Vista, Ark.
Mark Menendez, Paducah, Ky.

Jared Miller, Norman, Okla.
Yusuke Miyazaki, Forney, Texas
Ish Monroe, Hughson, Calif.
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C.
Rick Morris, Lake Gaston, Va.
John Murray, Phoenix, Ariz.
Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, N.C.
James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas
Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas
Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss.
Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho
Russell Parrish, Riesel, Texas
Keith Poche, Troy, Ala.
Pete Ponds, Madison, Miss.

Cliff Prince, Palatka, Fla.
Jason Quinn, York, S.C.
Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas
Clark Reehm, Russellville, Ark.
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
Derek Remitz, Grant, Ala.
Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C.
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Scott Rook, Little Rock, Ark.
Fred Roumbanis, Bixby, Okla.
Zell Rowland, Austin, Texas
Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky.

Casey Scanlon, Lenexa, Kan.
Bernie Schultz, Gainesville, Fla.
Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.
Morizo Shimizu, Suita, Japan
Kevin Short, Mayflower, Ark.

Fletcher Shryock, Newcomerstown, Ohio

Michael Simonton, Fremont, Ohio
David Smith, Edmond, Okla.
Brian Snowden, Reeds Spring, Mo.
Jeremy Starks, Charleston, W.Va.
Gerald Swindle, Warrior, Ala.
J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga.
Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Byron Velvick, Del Rio, Texas
Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala.
David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn.
Nate Wellman, Newaygo, Mich.
Dustin Wilks, Rocky Mount, N.C.
Jason Williamson, Wagener, S.C.

Chris Zaldain, San Jose, Calif.

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha.

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: BOOYAH Bait Company, Lowrance, Luck “E” Strike, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ramada.

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 Birmingham, Ala.