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USA. Remitz wins BassFan Rookie of the Year by a landslide |
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Posted by Steve Leavitt
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| Wednesday, 19 September 2007 |
With the conclusion of the recent Toho Bassmaster Elite Series, Derek Remitz cemented his domination of the BassFan Rookie of the Year (ROY) race and clinched the title by a landslide. Remitz, who hails from Minnesota but now lives in Alabama, finished 61st at Toho.
BassFan's Rookie of the Year award was the first of its kind in the sport, and remains the only such award that measures strictly true rookies who fish either the Elite Series or FLW Tour.
The Rookie of the Year Award confirms what many fans of the sport already know – Remitz had a sensational season that delivered him from obscurity into the national spotlight. His peers began to call him "Wolverine" after he recorded three Top 5s in his first four events. They said he was relentless. Fans dubbed him "Lamb Chop" – in reference to his mutton-chop-style sideburns.
Remitz led every edition of this year's Rookie of the Year race, and won by a final 35-plus-point margin.
"I really couldn't imagine doing this well," Remitz said. "There were lots of ups and downs, but overall it was a good season."
He added: "Winning the BassFan Rookie award is cool. It helps quite a bit. It shows the most consistent rookie. It's not as big of a deal as Angler of the Year, but it's cool to know you're the Rookie of the Year."
Asked to name the most important factor in his success this year, he said: "Just trying to learn whatever I could in the little bit of time we're out there (for practice), then fishing as hard as I possibly could."
Remitz was the only rookie to fish this year's three Bassmaster Majors (which didn't factor into the Rookie Race).
FLW Tour rookie Bryan Thrift, of North Carolina, didn't fish Toho, but based on movement around him, climbs one spot to finish the Rookie Race in 2nd. Thrift finished 2nd at the Travis FLW Tour to start the year.
South Carolina BASS rookie Casey Ashley finished 83rd at Toho and slips one spot to finish the Rookie Race in 3rd. Highlights of his season include a win at Smith Mt., plus a Top 12 cut at Clarks Hill.
New York BASS rookie Matt Sphar improved significantly as the season wore on. He finished 29th at Toho, but in the end, drops one spot to finish 4th in the Rookie Race.
An 8th-place finish at Toho helps Texas rookie James Niggemeyer climb three spots to finish the Rookie Race in 5th. He relocated to Texas several years ago from California.
Remitz joins these previous BassFan ROY winners: California's Jared Lintner (2006), Pennsylvania's Dave Wolak (2005), Japan's Shinichi "Shin" Fukae (2004), California's Mike Reynolds (2003) and Ohio's Frank Scalish (2002).
BassFan.com Rookie of the Year Race final standings
[all fields separated by 5 spaces]
Place Angler City State Tour Points
1 Derek Remitz Madison AL MULTI 166.286
2 Bryan Thrift Shelby NC MULTI 130.725
3 Casey Ashley Donalds SC BASS 127.500
4 Matthew Sphar Pavilion NY BASS 124.714
5 James Niggemeyer Van TX BASS 121.286
6 Jason Williamson Aiken SC BASS 120.357
7 Scott Campbell Springfield MO BASS 119.500
8 Marty Robinson Landrum SC BASS 116.643
9 Andy Montgomery Blacksburg SC MULTI 114.417
10 Bryan Hudgins Orange Park FL BASS 110.071
11 Hank Cherry Maiden NC FLWT 109.458
12 Glenn Delong Bellville OH BASS 107.500
13 James Kennedy Lacombe LA BASS 106.214
14 Matt Amedeo Clinton OH BASS 102.786
15 Craig Dowling Many LA MULTI 93.467
16 Frank Meyer Marianna FL FLWT 80.325
17 James Davis, Jr. Ferriday LA FLWT 72.200
18 Matt Arey Shelby NC FLWT 71.092
19 Vu (Ted) Nguyen Lake Havasu City AZ MULTI 59.850
20 Jim Short Ocean Pines MD FLWT 59.058
21 Mike Todd Norman OK FLWT 58.108
22 Monte Knight Quitman MS MULTI 55.733
23 Mark Mauldin Cleveland TN FLWT 51.300
24 Chris Slopak Hot Springs AR MULTI 44.492
25 Fred Contaoi Lakeport CA MULTI 40.850
26 David Hayward Sylvania OH FLW 25.333
27 Randy Sanford Carriere MS FLWT 25.017
28 Alex Ormand Bessemer City NC FLWT 24.225
29 James Schneider Albany NY FLW 23.275
30 Jerry Goble Sherrills Ford NC FLWT 22.008
31 Mike Hastings Buda TX FLWT 20.108
32 Scott Dameron Beckley WV FLWT 17.733
33 Hub Bechtol Austin TX FLWT 16.308
34 Jacky Roberts Georgetown TX FLWT 13.458
35 Patrick Anderson Buda TX FLWT 11.717
36 Shannon Shuler Ypsilanti MI FLWT 9.975
37 Lynn Green Lenoir TN FLWT 9.658
38 Brian Penso Houston TX FLWT 7.442
39 Bob Kujan, Jr. Belton TX FLWT 6.967
40 Tony Dadante Derby NY MULTI 5.383
41 Jack Faulkner Jacksboro TN FLWT 4.117
42 Quint Bourgeois Knoxville TN FLWT 2.692
43 Eddie Ball Newport TN FLWT 1.267
44 James Dills Maynardsville TN FLWT 0.633
Mike Walker |
| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 September 2007 ) |
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