Most David Walker fans automatically assume he’s won a major tournament in his career, and now they are correct.
Amassing a Wheeler Lake catch of 63 pounds, 10 ounces the Sevierville, Tenn., pro took possession Sunday of the Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel trophy, his first win in a premier circuit.
“I’ve fished a lot of them, and I hadn’t won one,” said Walker, 46, an experienced pro who made a name for himself on the FLW circuit before joining the Elite Series for the 2011 season. “I always felt like I was good enough to do it, and I feel like I’ve paid my dues. And why not a win?
“That was my slogan for the whole week: ‘Why not me?’ And here I am, talking about a win — I might be a little rusty on that topic,” he quipped.
Walker won $100,000 and a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth, his primary goal in becoming an Elite pro. Because he also earned enough Toyota Tundra Bassmaster of the Year points for a ticket to the 2012 world championship, Walker reached his goal of returning to the Classic not once, but twice in one season.
Kevin VanDam came within 1 pound, 13 ounces, of a 2011 regular-season Elite win. Sunday was the day after he closed on his fourth consecutive Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award, which he’s won seven times in his career.
Day Three leader Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., had 60-6 over four days to end in third place, shy of his last-hour bid to win and gain a Classic berth. Fourth was Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., with 58-15, more than good enough to punch his ticket to the Classic.
Rounding out the Top 5 was Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., with 58-9. DeFoe’s strong finish to the season was the guarantee that he got into the postseason as well as the 2012 Classic. Fourth in overall points, DeFoe also won the 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year award.
Walker stayed on or near the top of the Dixie Duel’s leaderboard over all four days. He started in second place with an impressive haul of 18 pounds and 2 ounces. He took over on Day Two with 35-3, but slid back to the runner-up spot before taking the title Sunday.
The winner caught most of his weight on a ledge pattern in two spots. He rotated casts with an 11-inch plum-colored worm, a Lake Fork chrome spoon and deep-diving crankbaits in two different shad patterns.
“Those were my main, key weapons,” he said, not specifying brands.
“With the crankbait, I made a long throw, and once I felt the crankbait hit the bottom, I felt the fish get it. And once the first fish got it, it was every cast — hit bottom, a fish would get it, hit bottom, a fish would get it.”
Saturday’s brisk wind dictated that he stick with a spoon Saturday, but the wind direction changed enough Sunday so he could work with other lures.
“The casts I needed to make were directly downwind so I could throw even farther and feel (the bait working) even more,” he said. “The difficult thing was holding (the boat) in position.”
VanDam’s Dixie Duel total was 61-13.
“I just didn’t get the quality bites today,” he said. “I caught a ton of fish today, I fished everything I wanted to, but it was all I could manage. I fished clean this week. I didn’t lose, I got beat.”
As the Angler of the Year, VanDam was first into the Toyota Trucks All-Star Week postseason. As the 2011 Bassmaster Classic champ, he already had his 2012 Classic berth secured.
The day’s largest bass was Greg Hackney’s 4-8, but it didn’t beat Keith Poche’s 6-6 of Day Three.
Poche collected the Berkley Big Bass of the Tournament bonus of $500.
Next up for the Bassmaster Elite Series is the postseason, the July 23-31 Toyota Trucks All-Star Week in Alabama. Twelve anglers — four of them selected by fan voting at Bassmaster.com beginning Tuesday — will compete on Lake Jordan and the Alabama River. One lucky voter will end up with a Triton/Mercury bass boat rig.
For more information about the Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel, go to www.bassmaster.com.
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: 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 Celebration, Fla.
FINAL STANDINGS- DIXIE DUEL
2011 Dixie Duel – Decatur, AL 6/16-6/19
Wheeler Lake, Decatur AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. David Walker Sevierville, TN 20 63-10 310 $108,900.00
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 13-07 Day 4: 5 15-00
2. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 61-13 295 $125,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 16-00 Day 4: 5 14-11
3. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 20 60-06 295 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 17-10 Day 4: 5 10-01
4. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 20 58-15 285 $25,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 20-14 Day 4: 5 13-14
5. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 20 58-09 285 $44,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 14-05 Day 4: 5 11-07
6. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 20 58-00 276 $23,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 12-05 Day 4: 5 11-06
7. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 20 57-08 272 $19,300.00
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 10-03 Day 3: 5 16-05 Day 4: 5 14-10
8. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 20 53-12 268 $20,300.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 13-08 Day 4: 5 12-05
9. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 20 53-07 264 $19,050.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 12-02 Day 3: 5 16-13 Day 4: 5 09-13
10. Keith Poche Troy, AL 20 50-00 260 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 11-12 Day 3: 5 18-00 Day 4: 5 07-10
11. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 20 49-02 257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 12-14 Day 4: 5 07-11
12. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 20 48-05 254 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 12-15 Day 3: 5 13-13 Day 4: 5 08-05
BERKLEY BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Keith Poche Troy, AL 06-06 $500.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 96 488 1093-05
2 97 490 1114-05
3 45 233 517-04
4 12 60 136-13
———————————-
250 1271 2861-11
TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR POINTS STANDINGS
2011 Points Report
PROFESSIONAL
ELITE SERIES
as of 19-Jun-2011
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 2,026 244- 7
2 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 1,873 214-12
3 Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 1,825 208- 2
4 Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 1,820 213-14
5 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 1,806 191- 6
6 Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 1,804 220- 4
7 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 1,796 206- 5
8 Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 1,780 200-14
9 Alton Jones Waco, TX 1,751 212- 6
10 Keith Poche Troy, AL 1,743 201- 0
11 Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 1,722 218- 7
12 Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 1,689 194- 8
13 Randy Howell Springville, AL 1,682 192-15
14 Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 1,681 203- 0
15 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 1,653 191- 9
16 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 1,649 203- 9
17 Denny Brauer Camdenton, MO 1,646 192- 4
18 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 1,645 185- 4
19 Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC 1,625 197- 2
20 Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 1,623 180- 9
21 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 1,616 198- 6
22 Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 1,601 205- 1
23 Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 1,601 188-14
24 Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 1,598 187- 3
25 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 1,594 195- 7
26 Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 1,590 177- 3
27 Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 1,589 194- 1
28 David Walker Sevierville, TN 1,586 196- 8
29 Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 1,586 188- 9
30 John Crews Salem, VA 1,576 195- 0
31 Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 1,569 181-15
32 Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 1,561 190- 5
33 Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 1,560 170-11
34 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 1,559 184- 2
35 Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 1,555 182-10
