The Year that was 2012

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All good things must come to an end, and that includes the 2012 tournament season.

However, before we file 2012 into the memory banks and start looking forward to 2013, we wanted to look back at what happened rankings-wise in the past year.

 

Majors

At the end of 2011, the top three anglers were as follows: Brent Ehrler (797.701), Mark Rose (788.206) and Kevin VanDam (788.259).

Now?

VanDam used the year to move up a slot to No. 1 with an 803.965. As for Rose and Ehrler, they could only go backwards, and they did. Rose slipped to No. 10. Meanwhile, Ehrler started off 2012 with one of his worst finishes in years, and after dipping into the 20s, he rebounded to finish at No. 16.

As for the rest of the top 10, it remained relatively unchanged in terms of the anglers. The three new names that weren’t there a year ago are Luke Clausen (27th, now ninth), Jacob Wheeler (unranked, now eighth) and Ott Defoe (17th, now second).

 

Minors

How hard is it to make the top 10 in the Minors-Only rankings? About as hard as staying in the top 10 for an entire year.

Only one angler — Tom Silber — was able to stay in the top 10 after the last year. Not only that, he moved up four spots to No. 5.

As for the No. 1 spot, Trevor Fitzgerald called it home a year ago. Then he went to the FLW Tour, opening the door for the rest of the field. And when the dust settled, Kris Wilson ended 2012 as the No. 1 angler. Not bad considering he didn’t qualify for the ranking 365 days ago.

 

Women

Probably the most noteworthy thing about the Women’s ranking is the growth.

A year ago, only nine women qualified for the ranking. Now, there are 17.

Of course, Pam Martin-Wells continues to dominate on the ladies’ side. She never once vacated the No. 1 spot in the last year.

 

Regional

There’s not much to tell here. I mean, we only launched this ranking a couple weeks ago. But rest assured, we couldn’t be more excited to track this ranking in 2013. And judging by the feedback we’ve gotten since the launch, we think you are, too.

 

College

Same deal as the Regional Rankings. These up-and-comers are the future of the sport, and now you get to know who they are just like the Regional anglers and follow them as they progress forward in the sport.

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About Author

Sean cut his teeth in the journalist world as an award-winning sports reporter, editor and freelancer for various Chicagoland newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times and Daily Herald, eventually crossing over into editing and freelance writing in the Outdoor industry. In addition to his position as Editor for BassRankings.com, he is also a freelance outdoor writer and lure designer. He resides in the Chicago suburb of Lockport. An avid Bass and Muskie fisherman, his fishing influence began on ponds and lakes in northeast Illinois and has since expanded to a multitude of species across North and Central America. His passion for the sport is rivaled only by his love for building fishing lures, with a number of his designs being used by top professional anglers and produced by various lure companies today. Google+

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