"The Classic Race"
We are just a little over a week out from the 2020 TNCBA Classic and Shaun Renfro and Wes Meade have started to stretch out a lead in the AOY standings, but double points and individual catches keep several anglers in the mathematical hunt.
If all anglers that have fished six events (making them eligible for the classic) register for the event, then mathematically anyone within 25 points of the lead has a shot. (From Shaun Renfro all the way down to Noah Winchester) Now of course there would need to be several scenarios that would have to play out, but it is possible. Let's take a look at a couple of races that are developing:
The Race for AOY:
The race for AOY really boils down to three guys, yes there are several more that can challenge mathematically, but these three have the highest percent chance of being crowned the next TNCBA Angler of the Year. Shaun Renfro leads the way with 345 points. Shaun has been putting his time in on the water and it shows. Shaun has had a firm grip on the AOY race all year and it is going to be the job of one of the other two anglers to come and take it from him. Wes Meade sits in second with 341 points and will need to finish six places ahead of Shaun next week in order to claim the AOY title. The battle between the top two will be an interesting one as the fish from the same boat during the Classic. Sitting in third with a glimmer of hope that the TNCBA AOY title could be his, is Keith Lester with 341 points. Keith will have somewhat of an advantage with the fact that he will be in a different boat, but he will have a hard mountain to climb as he will need both first and second place to falter, and he will have to finish ten places ahead of Shaun when the dust settles. Anything is possible and wild things can happen with the classic being an individual event, instead of a team event.
Battling for the Top 6:
No one is truly safe with the Classic being a double points paying event, but we are going to assume that the top three are a lock for the top six and we are going focus on the last three spots. Fourth place is currently being held down by Cody Snyder who has finally had the chance to fish the majority of the TNCBA season. Snyder currently sits with 337 points and a seven point margin over seventh place. A solid top ten next week on Holston, a favorite of Snyder’s, and he will lock down his top six bid. Moving one spot back to fifth, things start to get a little bit crazier. Steve Legg, “Mr. Consistency”, sits in fifth with 334 points and there are six anglers within nine points of that fifth place position. Both Steve Legg and David Crockett (Currently 6th with 333 points) are in the driver’s seat for the last two spots in the top six, but they will nee a top five next to lock down their spots in the TNCBA Top Six. The other anglers in the mix include, Josh Olinger (7th-330pts), Wayne Winchester (8th-327pts), Fred Rutherford (9th-327pts), Wiley Gobble (10th-326pts), and Noah Winchester (11th-325pts)
The 2020 TNCBA Classic will be anyone’s game and with weather patterns holding on the warm side the bass will still be in a major transition. Watauga just this past weekend saw the majority of bass still out deep, will the same hold true for Holston? And who will lift the trophy next Saturday as the 2020 TNCBA Season comes to a close?
Only time will tell!
"The Classic Contenders"
There is only enough room for one at the top!
Tomorrow morning , 18 anglers will idle out from Fish Springs Marina with the goal of winning the 2019 TNCBA Classic at the forefront of their minds, but some anglers will be fighting a battle that began back in February of this year. The classic will be a battle within a war, as mathematically ten anglers are battling for the coveted top six and angler year while fight to win the TNCBA Classic. Tomorrow’s conditions should shape up for a slugfest with rain and wind to stir up the Fall feed. Bass are fat and hungry.
Mark Rice - 393pts.
The title contenders are led by Mark Rice who currently leads the tie-breaker in points with 96.14 lbs on the season. Mark will look to smash through the century mark in weight for the year with a solid bag of Watauga bass on Saturday. Mark has been riding a wave of momentum over the course of the year, average over 9.5 lbs. at each of the ten regular season events this year. Mark will be looking to cap off a stellar win with a TNCBA Classic trophy and the title of 2019 TNCBA Angler of the Year.
Keith Dison - 393 pts.
Currently sitting in a tie with Mark Rice is last year’s angler of the year, Keith Dison. Keith knows what it takes to win an angler of the year title at the buzzer, as he did it last year on South Holston by winning the Classic and garnering two bonus points for big fish. Keith has not had one of his best years, but he has made the most of the two drops and added big fish bonus points to his total on multiple occasions this year.
Steve Legg - 391 pts.
Sitting in a sneaky third place is Mr. Consistency himself, Steve Legg. Steve and Mark have already claimed Team of the Year, but at this event, the two will go head to head from separate boats. Steve has been close before, but tomorrow he will be looking for that magical kicker fish that will have him hoisting the AOY trophy at the end of the day. Steve’s patience and calm demeanor will be a key weapon while dealing with the adverse conditions that tomorrow will bring.
The Last Three Spots
As the top three settle things among themselves on the water, seven anglers will be jockeying for the last three spots in the top six. It has been a season of ups and downs for theses seven anglers, but none of those tournaments matter tomorrow. Everything rests on one tournament and the five fish they need to seal the deal. For some of the anglers, the fear of falling is greater than challenge of winning while those on the outside looking are more concerned about getting enough anglers between themselves and their rivals. Lets take a look at their seasons and where they stand:
Fred Rutherford - 377 pts.
Mike Vandyke - 376 pts.
Wiley Gobble - 375 pts.
Lynn Feagins - 375 pts.
Wes Meade - 371 pts.
Keith Lester - 369 pts.
Josh Olinger - 364 pts.
"The Stage is Set for a Classic Showdown!"
Well ladies and gentlemen, the TNCBA Classic is just over one week away and we have one of the tightest points races in club history. As the anglers back their boats into the water next Saturday, the top three anglers will only be separated by two points and fourth thru eighth will only be separated by five points. With everyone fishing for individual weight and double points on the line, anything could happen.
Current Top 10:
Mark Rice - 393 pts.
Keith Dison - 393 pts.
Steve Legg - 391 pts.
Fred Rutherford - 377 pts.
Mike Vandyke - 376 pts.
Wiley Gobble - 375 pts.
Lynn Feagins - 375 pts.
Wes Meade - 371 pts.
Keith Lester - 369 pts.
Josh Olinger - 364 pts.
The Classic is different from all of the other TNCBA tournaments. Anglers will no longer be fishing for team weight. Anglers will try to accumulate the heaviest five fish they alone can catch, and not only will they be fishing for individual weight, but they will also be battling for double points. This means “zeroing” at this event could be disastrous. There will also be bonus points on the line for big fish, largemouth over 5 lbs., smallmouth over 4 lbs., and spotted bass over 3 lbs. The points battle is so tight that there are a long list of scenarios that could play out. As long as the top three anglers bring a bass to the scales, they will all but secure a spot in the 2019 TNCBA Top 6. The top three anglers will need to pay close attention to every detail during the tournament, as any oversight, a nick in the line, a dull hook, or one second of lost concentration could be the difference.
Fourth thru tenth have to focus on the tournament within the tournament. Fred, Mike, Wiley, and Lynn are trying to maintain the status quo more than anything, while anglers like Wes, Keith, and Josh need to finish in the top five. With the way that TNCBA anglers have been fishing this year, you can’t afford sit around hoping the angler in front of you will “zero”. It is now or never for these guys to solidify their place in the top six and qualify for the TNCBA All-Star event to be held in January 2020!
Good luck to everyone competing next week. As we get closer to the TNCBA Classic we will take a closer look at the 2019 season of each angler in the top 10 and break down the 2020 TNCBA Schedule that will be released next week. GOD Bless!
Current TNCBA Classic Qualifiers
As the year comes to a close, it is almost time to determine a TNCBA Angler of the Year at this year’s classic on Watauga Lake. We have had a great turnout for each one of our events this year…thank you to all who have fished with us! Below is a list of the TNCBA Anglers who have qualified to compete in this year’s TNCBA Classic:
(*) - Denotes anglers that will be eligible after competing in one more tournament.
Mark Rice
Steve Legg
Keith Dison
Mike Vandyke
Fred Rutherford
Wiley Gobble
Wes Meade
Lynn Feagins
Keith Lester
Evan Vandyke
David Crockett
Josh Olinger
Wayne Winchester
Noah Winchester
Debbie Feagins
Reg Edwards
Shaun Renfro
Cody Dison
Cody Snyder
Andy Hodges
Joel Gonce
Jeff Clark
Glenda Perdue
David Oiler *
Chris Blevins *
Mike Bishop *
Allen Clark *
"A Close TNCBA Point Race"
We are only 10 days away from our regular season finale on South Holston Lake!
Boone proved to be a tough day for some of our top contenders in the Angler of the Year and the Team of the Year standings, but we also saw anglers like Mike and Evan Vandyke make sure in the points.
The TNCBA will be wrapping up their battle for 2019 TOY at Holston on November 9th. The top three teams are as follows:
1. Mark Rice / Steve Legg - 350 pts.
2. Cody Dison / Keith Dison - 344 pts.
3. Mike Vandye / Evan Vandyke - 335 pts.
While the father son duo of Mike and Evan Vandyke moved up to third after Boone, mathematically it is a two team race for TOY. It is a must win scenario for the team of Dison and Dison, but even with a win they would need the team of Mark Rice and Steve Legg to finish 8th or worse take the title for team of the year.
2019 Angler of the Year is a different story. After the regular season concludes, anglers will have to fish the double points paying TNCBA Classic to crown the 2019 TNCBA Angler of the Year. It is currently a three man race atop the standings with:
1. Mark Rice - 349 pts.
2. Steve Legg - 347 pts.
3. Keith Dison - 343 pts.
But, there is also a great battle to see who will round out the TNCBA Top 6:
4. Mike Vandyke - 335 pts.
5. Fred Rutherford - 332 pts.
6. Wiley Gobble - 330 pts.
7. Wes Meade - 329 pts.
8. Lynn Feagins - 328 pts.
9. Keith Lester - 326 pts.
10. Evan Vandyke - 319 pts.
With the TNCBA Class scoring individual weights, there are a lot of scenarios that could play out for the top six. We will take a closer look at those scenarios in the coming weeks leading up to the TNCBA Classic.
For a detailed look at the results from Boone and the current standings, please visit www.tncba.com
"Need Time on the Water"
Anyone that tournament fishes will tell you…”There’s no replacement for time on the water.” Time on the water helps you dial in the behavior of the fish and prepares you to better make adjustments.