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Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers is a Classic favorite.
Five Sponsored Pros Bound For Bassmaster Classic
02/13/2012
Five PRADCO-sponsored professional anglers will vie for the biggest title in bass fishing next week at the Bassmaster’s Classic in Shreveport, La. Those anglers are: Alton Jones of Waco, Texas; Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas; Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., Tim Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., and Terry Scoggins, Palatka, Fla.
Edwin Evers is fishing his 11th Classic this year after finishing second in the 2011 Angler of the Year race. He also placed second in the AOY in 2010. During the 2011 campaign Evers won the Citrus Slam event on the St. Johns River, beating out two other PRADCO anglers, Alton Jones and hometown favorite Terry Scroggins, and placed second in the Pride of Georgia event on West Point Lake.
Evers took fifth place the last time the Classic was on the Red River out of Shreveport in 2009. A tough competitor and driven angler, Evers is mentioned as a favorite in this year’s event.
Lurenet.com opinion: Evers is due. Two years in a row of seconds in the AOY race fuels this guy’s already motivated fire. Even when fun fishing, his boat’s not even come down off plane and he’s already got the trolling motor down and a cast made. He’s the most efficient angler we’ve ever seen.
Terry Scroggins, AKA Big Show, will be fishing his ninth Classic when the hammer goes down in Shreveport. Scroggins finished second to Evers in the Citrus Slam during the 2011 season and finished eighth at the Pickwick tournament.
While Scroggins is always a threat on Florida waters, he’s also always in the picture for big tournaments, and there is none bigger than the Classic. Of his eight Classic appearances, Scroggins finished fourth at the 2006 event, seventh in 2007 and 16th last year. He finished 26th the last time the guys fished in Shreveport.
Lurenet.com opinion: Scroggins grew up fishing moving water, a tremendous advantage to understanding exactly where and why bass hold and position in certain areas. Often mistakenly considered just another flipper from Florida, Bigshow is a tremendous open-water fisherman.
Alton Jones is quite simply one of the greatest anglers in the world. Don’t believe it? He’s fished 185 total tournaments and finished in the money in 116 of them, and 39 times in the top 10! He’s got five wins, four seconds and three thirds. This will make his 14th Classic appearance.
Jones is the only of these five to have won the coveted Classic title. He won the 2008 event on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. He’s also got a pair of seventh place finishes, in 2000 and 2003. Jones placed 14th the last time the event was held on the Red River.
Lurenet.com opinion: Jones has been there before. He’s won a Classic and finished strong the last time the event was held on the Red River. He has a tremendous fishing mind with a touch of gambler thrown in, which makes him a bit of a wild card. Expect him to have a plan going in, and if it plays out like he sees it, look out.
Tim Horton began his pro fishing career on fire by winning the Rookie of the Year and Angler of the Year in 2000. Since then he’s continued his winning ways, notching four first place finishes along the way, but missed the last two Classics. In fact, the last time the event was held on the Red River in 2009, Horton fell extremely ill and was hospitalized a short time, knocking him out of that tournament. This time, the burning in his stomach is for revenge.
It appeared that he might not make the Classic again this year, but a pair of 8th place finishes in the last two tournaments bounced him into the play list. He took eighth at both the Little Rock (Arkansas River) and Wheeler (Alabama) events to qualify.
Lurenet.com opinion: Timmy, it’s nice to have you back in the big game. Horton started off his career by winning the Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year titles, and fished nine Classics in a row before failing to make the last two. With a history like that he's a threat anytime.
The final PRADCO-sponsored pro to make the Classic is Matt Reed, a quiet and unassuming gentleman who may be the dark horse of the tournament. Reed pulled two top-10 finishes in 2011, the first at the Alabama Charge (Pickwick) and the second in the Diamond Drive in Arkansas.
Reed has fished the Classic twice, in 2003 and 2007. Having cut his teeth on Rayburn, Toledo Bend and other Texas staples, the pro always seems to be around the fish to win whenever the tournament is near the Lone Star State, and don’t be surprised if he catches them this year.
Lurent.com opinion: Fish with Reed a few hours and you might get the mistaken impression that he’s just a laid back guy who loves fishing. When it’s time to compete, however, he’s a bull. Reed is our dark-horse pick this year. We know that behind that fun-loving grin there’s a tough competitor refining a plan right now.
Edwin Evers is fishing his 11th Classic this year after finishing second in the 2011 Angler of the Year race. He also placed second in the AOY in 2010. During the 2011 campaign Evers won the Citrus Slam event on the St. Johns River, beating out two other PRADCO anglers, Alton Jones and hometown favorite Terry Scroggins, and placed second in the Pride of Georgia event on West Point Lake.
Evers took fifth place the last time the Classic was on the Red River out of Shreveport in 2009. A tough competitor and driven angler, Evers is mentioned as a favorite in this year’s event.
Lurenet.com opinion: Evers is due. Two years in a row of seconds in the AOY race fuels this guy’s already motivated fire. Even when fun fishing, his boat’s not even come down off plane and he’s already got the trolling motor down and a cast made. He’s the most efficient angler we’ve ever seen.
Terry Scroggins, AKA Big Show, will be fishing his ninth Classic when the hammer goes down in Shreveport. Scroggins finished second to Evers in the Citrus Slam during the 2011 season and finished eighth at the Pickwick tournament.
While Scroggins is always a threat on Florida waters, he’s also always in the picture for big tournaments, and there is none bigger than the Classic. Of his eight Classic appearances, Scroggins finished fourth at the 2006 event, seventh in 2007 and 16th last year. He finished 26th the last time the guys fished in Shreveport.
Lurenet.com opinion: Scroggins grew up fishing moving water, a tremendous advantage to understanding exactly where and why bass hold and position in certain areas. Often mistakenly considered just another flipper from Florida, Bigshow is a tremendous open-water fisherman.
Alton Jones is quite simply one of the greatest anglers in the world. Don’t believe it? He’s fished 185 total tournaments and finished in the money in 116 of them, and 39 times in the top 10! He’s got five wins, four seconds and three thirds. This will make his 14th Classic appearance.
Jones is the only of these five to have won the coveted Classic title. He won the 2008 event on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. He’s also got a pair of seventh place finishes, in 2000 and 2003. Jones placed 14th the last time the event was held on the Red River.
Lurenet.com opinion: Jones has been there before. He’s won a Classic and finished strong the last time the event was held on the Red River. He has a tremendous fishing mind with a touch of gambler thrown in, which makes him a bit of a wild card. Expect him to have a plan going in, and if it plays out like he sees it, look out.
Tim Horton began his pro fishing career on fire by winning the Rookie of the Year and Angler of the Year in 2000. Since then he’s continued his winning ways, notching four first place finishes along the way, but missed the last two Classics. In fact, the last time the event was held on the Red River in 2009, Horton fell extremely ill and was hospitalized a short time, knocking him out of that tournament. This time, the burning in his stomach is for revenge.
It appeared that he might not make the Classic again this year, but a pair of 8th place finishes in the last two tournaments bounced him into the play list. He took eighth at both the Little Rock (Arkansas River) and Wheeler (Alabama) events to qualify.
Lurenet.com opinion: Timmy, it’s nice to have you back in the big game. Horton started off his career by winning the Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year titles, and fished nine Classics in a row before failing to make the last two. With a history like that he's a threat anytime.
The final PRADCO-sponsored pro to make the Classic is Matt Reed, a quiet and unassuming gentleman who may be the dark horse of the tournament. Reed pulled two top-10 finishes in 2011, the first at the Alabama Charge (Pickwick) and the second in the Diamond Drive in Arkansas.
Reed has fished the Classic twice, in 2003 and 2007. Having cut his teeth on Rayburn, Toledo Bend and other Texas staples, the pro always seems to be around the fish to win whenever the tournament is near the Lone Star State, and don’t be surprised if he catches them this year.
Lurent.com opinion: Fish with Reed a few hours and you might get the mistaken impression that he’s just a laid back guy who loves fishing. When it’s time to compete, however, he’s a bull. Reed is our dark-horse pick this year. We know that behind that fun-loving grin there’s a tough competitor refining a plan right now.
