AOY Update: Mississippi River
Thrift still leads the show
Going into the sixth stop of the FLW Tour on the Mississippi River, Angler of the Year favorite Bryan Thrift knew he had his work cut out for him despite boasting a fairly sizeable lead in the standings. The fishery was new to him, and if he’s uncomfortable fishing anywhere, it’s on a river.
When the dust settled in La Crosse, Wis., Thrift had notched his worst finish of the season in 59th place, along with missing a check for the first time all year. Poor guy.
Now, before you go feeling bad for Thrift, he still has 1,122 points overall and a 77-point lead over Andy Morgan with just one event to go.
Thrift’s biggest issue is that he and the Potomac River, site of the final Tour stop, aren’t the best of friends. In the four Tour events Thrift has fished on the Potomac he’s finished 74th, sixth, 69th and 54th. The sixth-place finish was during the month of May; the rest were in June, just like this year’s stop on the big tidal fishery. Plus, Thrift lost the AOY title to Scott Martin on the Potomac back in 2015. So it makes sense that Thrift would be feeling a little uneasy about his chances.
Then again, Thrift is a mega-hammer when it comes to fishing grass with a vibrating jig and a frog, both of which can be huge players on the Potomac. He’s had a few years to figure out the intricacies of a tidal fishery, and you know he will be coming into this event with a fire lit under him.
Meanwhile, there’s a pile of studs behind him in the points just waiting to capitalize on any mistake Thrift could make. Here’s a look at who’s waiting in the shadows.
2. Andy Morgan – 1,045
Before going to the Mississippi River, Morgan was fifth in the points, but thanks to yet another top-10 finish he’s within eyesight of his fourth AOY title.
Morgan, like Thrift, has had a rollercoaster relationship with the Potomac. He finished runner-up to Clark Wendlandt in 2015, but finished in the 100s back in 2012. Before that he took 11th in 2011 and 67th in 2007.
Either way, he’s still the G.O.A.T., and while earning three AOY titles in the last four seasons has seemingly always found a way to catch fish. Will he be able to catch them better than Thrift? Hard to say. What’s for sure is that Morgan is the last guy anyone wants behind him in the standings with one to go.
3. Mark Rose – 1,032
Mark Rose utilized his river prowess to grab one of the final $10,000 checks from the Mississippi River and edge up one spot in the standings. Though he’s 90 points back of Thrift, Rose is incredibly consistent on the Potomac. Three of his last four tournaments there have resulted in finishes in the 20s. That shows a serious connection between Rose and the Potomac. Not what you’d would want to see if you were ahead of him in the points race.
4. Larry Nixon – 1,009
The General charged his way into the top five in the standings thanks to a fifth-place finish on the Mississippi. This is Nixon’s 20th season on Tour, and he is still showing the young guns how it’s done and doesn’t seem to be content on quitting anytime soon. While a Larry Nixon AOY title seems unlikely this season, I’d bet there isn’t a single bass fishing fan who wouldn’t want to witness it, considering it is one of the few major titles in the sport that has eluded him.
The last time the Tour visited the Potomac, Nixon made the top 10. He’s had other decent finishes there in his career, but has also had some not-so-great Potomac tournaments, too. Regardless, it looks like Nixon will be fishing in his 14th Forrest Wood Cup this August in hopes of winning the other major award he lacks on his resume.
5. Anthony Gagliardi – 1,002
Gags is the last angler in the standings with more than 1,000 points and is probably dreaming more about becoming the first two-time Cup champ than being the 2017 Angler of the Year. The last two visits to the Potomac have resulted in checks for Gagliardi, and that’s about it. He is a very consistent angler, and a top-50 finish shouldn’t be too far of a stretch for him to finish out the season and send him back to his home waters of Lake Murray, where he won the Cup in 2014.
Bubble boys
With one event to go the guys on the edge of the qualification cut-off for the Forrest Wood Cup are in a battle of their own. The top 35 pros will get a ticket punched to this year’s Cup on Lake Murray. Andy Morgan, Bryan Thrift and John Cox are pre-qualified via their accomplishments in 2016, and all appear to be safely within the top-35 cut, so FLW will extend three more invites. Jeremy Lawyer (36th) and Zack Birge (37th) fall within that window and qualified through last year’s Costa FLW Series Championship, pushing the cut down two more spots. So if the season had ended in La Crosse, the cut would be 40th place.
Sitting in 40th place is Minnesota’s Jim Moynagh with 853 points. He missed the Cup last season but is poised to make it this time. His last two Tour events on the Potomac produced top-10 finishes. If he comes remotely close to that in a few weeks he’ll likely punch his ticket.
Jeff Gustafson qualified for his first Cup last year, and if he can finish the season strong he could be back again. He’s got 852 points right now and is sitting in 41st heading to a venue where he has little experience. Gussy placed 78th back in 2015 and will probably need to do better this time for a shot at the Cup.
Kurt Mitchell hails from Milford, Del., and is in 42nd with 851 points. In his second year on Tour, he controls his own fate close to home in the final event. He has fished the Potomac before and has some decent finishes in Costa FLW Series competition there. He’s made one top-20 cut thus far in his Tour career, and if he can muster a performance like that in the finale he’ll be making his first appearance at the Cup.
It has been 16 years since Johnny McCombs has fished the Cup. He’s had a solid year, all things considered, and who knows if or when he was on the Potomac last. Still, the dude knows how to catch fish and could make a run. McCombs is in 43rd with 849 points. Right behind him is Chris Brasher (846 points), who would be more than qualified for the Cup if not for a pair of triple-digit finishes this season.
Other notables include Alex Davis (46th; 835 points), who grew up near the Potomac and is looking for his first Cup appearance, and Todd Auten (56th; 799 points), a noted shallow expert who will be among the favorites if he can make it to Lake Murray.