After the last fish was weighed at Lake Oneida, wrapping up the 11-event 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series, five YUM pros had their tickets punched for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. Alton Jones, Edwin Evers, Terry Scroggins, Tim Horton and Dave Wolak are all on their way to the Classic, which will be held in February on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
As 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion, Alton Jones actually had his bid secured before he made his first cast this season. Finishing fifth in the points race, though, Jones would have easily made the Classic cut had he needed to qualify.
Despite the extensive time demands and distractions that come with the title of Classic Champ, Jones was a model of consistency this year. His made the cut in nine of 11 events and had four Top 12 finishes.
Jones, who has notched more then $1.7 million in career BASS earnings and has five BASS wins to his name, will be competing in his 13th Classic.
Just behind Jones in the final standings is Edwin Evers, who finished the season in 6th place. Evers, who crossed the million-dollar threshold last season with his win at Lake Erie, threatened to win on the big lake again this season and ended up finishing third. That tournament was actually one of three third-place finishes for Evers in 2008. Evers will be competing in his ninth Bassmaster Classic and his eighth in a row.
Terry "Big Show" Scroggins, who joined the BASS millionaire club in 2008, finished ninth in the standings with a season that included a couple near brushes with victory. The most dramatic was the Lone Start Shootout at Falcon Lake, where Scroggins surged from 12th place to within ounces of winning on the final day by bringing five bass to the scales that weighed an amazing 44 pounds, 4 ounces. Big Show, who has five career BASS wins, will be fishing his sixth Classic and fifth in a row.
Tim Horton’s Bassmaster Classic qualification is his tenth in a row, which is the second longest active streak of any pro on tour. He made the Classic easily in his rookie season, when he ran away with the coveted BASS Angler of the Year title, and he has carved out his place in the Classic field every season since. Horton finished 20th in this year’s points, with a season that included a second-place finish in the Bluegrass Brawl on Kentucky Lake.
Dave Wolak, a former Rookie of the Year and Major champion, locked up his place in this year’s field with fifth-place finish at the Champion’s Choice on Lake Oneida to finish the season. Wolak finished 24th in the points race and will be competing in his fourth Bassmaster Classic.