Kevin VanDam had a terrible spring in 2010. He’s not having a banner on in 2012, either.
With his 41st at the BASS Elite Series event at Douglas Lake over the weekend, VanDam had his worst back-to-back tournaments since 2008 (it seems he struggles every other year).
That being said, with his second-worst finish of 2010 dropping off last week, and his incredible 2011 on the books, VanDam is again back at the top of the rankings despite his poor (by his standards) spring. If he can work himself out of his funk in the month between now and Toledo Bend and go on another patented KVD run, he will put a stranglehold on the No. 1 spot. If not, there are plenty of other pros waiting to overtake him if he continues to slip up.
Speaking of the guys behind VanDam in the top 10, Edwin Evers slipped to fourth after his 63rd at Douglas, while Ott Defoe again pops into the top 10 in ninth after he finished seventh.
As for the rest of the field, Aaron Martens is the lone angler in the top 30 to move up the rankings (29th to 22nd), while Keith Combs (12th to 15th), Brent Chapman (23rd to 32nd) and Michael Iaconelli (26th to 33rd) all slipped.
Then there is Randy Howell. He’s leading the points race for Angler of the Year, and he continues to sky rocket up the rankings, cracking the top 50 for the first time as he went from 64th to 49th in the latest update — a far cry from the 111th place he started the season. Andy Montgomery is also back in the top 50, in 46th.
Minors: Uribe takes over No. 1
He’s been hovering around the No. 1 sport for months. Finally, Joe Uribe isn’t hovering anymore.
With Joseph Kremer finishing 57th at the Lake Guntersville EverStart over the weekend, his average slipped him to third, allowing Uribe to finally take over the top spot.
Other notable moves in the top 50 include Yancy Windham (26th to 43rd) and Troy Gibson (43rd to 27th) essentially switching spots, Rodger Beaver going from 48th to 33rd, and George Kapiton falling from 34th to 57th.
