Bass Fishing

Despite being overshadowed by this weekend's marquee sporting events, including the Daytona 500 and UFC 157, the 2013 Bassmaster Classic is sure to produce some of the best angling fans will see all year long.

This year's event will take place at Grand Lake O' the Cherokees in Tulsa, Okla.

Although there will be dozens of elite anglers gunning for the $500,000 and bragging rights, only one can come away with the title of Bassmaster champion. Here we'll highlight some of the top anglers to watch for this weekend.

Note: All photos courtesy of Bassmaster.com

Chris Lane

As the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion, Florida native Chris Lane has to be considered a contender to win in 2013.

Although Lane's victory wasn't by an incredible margin in 2012, the confidence gained will only make him a better angler at this year's prestigious event. With a win he could join Rick Clunn and Kevin VanDam as the only men to have won to back-to-back Bassmaster Classics.

It's hard to believe that Lane is making just his third career appearance at the Bassmaster Classic, but imagine how impressive it would be for him to win his second Classic in just his third attempt. 

Skeet Reese

A veteran angler, Skeet Reese last won the Bassmaster Classic in 2009.

And although he hasn't won since, he's certainly got the skills to add another title to his resume this weekend in Oklahoma.

Reese has taken part in plenty of Classics over the years, and has six first-place finishes over the course of his prolific angling career. There's a great chance that he adds to that number this weekend. 

The 2007 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, Reese is more than just another face in the crowd. He's one of the more consistent anglers out there. His 61 career top-10 B.A.S.S. finishes speak to that.

Kevin VanDam

Not to be confused with NBA superstar Kevin Durant, KVD, otherwise known as Kevin VanDam is a magician when it comes to reeling in championship-caliber bass at the annual Bassmaster Classic. 

VanDam has won this event four times in the past, including back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. He is tied with Rick Clunn for most Classic wins all time.

His 20 career B.A.S.S. tournament wins are most all time.

Viewers can expect him to once again have a strong weekend in Tulsa. With one more win he'll stand alone as the greatest champion the Bassmaster Classic has ever seen, as if he needed any more motivation than the half-a-million bucks awaiting the winner.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

The Bassmaster Classic is the biggest event on the fishing calendar — and there are plenty of competitors trying to win it.

In 2013, the best bass fishermen in the country will head to Grand Lake O' the Cherokees in Tulsa, Okla. in quest of $500,000. 

Every challenger has different tools and techniques he uses in attempt to catch the biggest fish in the sea. Of course, being near water is a good place to start.

Still, only one person can win the grand prize. Here are the top contenders heading into the weekend.

Note: All photos courtesy of Bassmaster.com

Kevin VanDam

If Kevin VanDam is in a fishing tournament, he is automatically the favorite.

The Michigan native is tied with Rick Clunn for the most-ever wins at the Bassmaster Classic with four. He would love to get one more to be the all-time record holder.

Unfortunately, KVD is coming off a disappointing performance a year ago when he finished in 11th place. He actually has not won a single tournament since the beginning of 2011.

Still, the veteran should be expected to use his experience at this event to bounce back this time around.

Edwin Evers

Although Edwin Evers has never won the Bassmaster Classic, he has a few Top-10 finishes, including eighth in last year's event. 

More importantly, there are fewer hotter competitors in the field entering this year's contest.

In the 2012 Elite Series, Evers won the All-Star Semi-finals and then took second at the All-Star Championships behind Aaron Martens. This earned him a solid $10,000.

However, he is looking for a lot more this year. With a strong showing, the local boy has what it takes to win this year's classic.

Chris Lane

It was a close battle last year, but Chris Lane ended up taking the top prize with a total weight of 51.6 pounds, topping the rest of the field by over four pounds.

Only VanDam and Clunn have ever won this tournament twice in a row, but Lane is determined to put himself on the list.

Amazingly, this will only be the 38-year-old's third time entering the Classic. Before winning last year, he finished in 49th place in 2008.

Still, his experience last year should give him the confidence necessary to contend for a title once again this year.

Follow @TheRobGoldberg

The 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship (BFNC) was an extremely fun and challenging three days in which 54 anglers from around the world slugged it out for a chance to head to the Bassmaster Classic.

The Bassmaster Champion for the event was also celebrating his birthday. Mark Dove hauled in 39 pounds of total catch throughout the event.

At the end of Day 3, just six anglers remained as they each punched their own ticket to the 43rd edition of the Bassmaster Classic. This year’s Classic will be held at Grand Lake in Tulsa, Okla., from February 22 to 24.

Fifty-four more anglers will compete in Tulsa for a $500,000 first-place prize as well as $1.2 million in winnings over the three-day span of the tournament.

The expected cold temperature of Tulsa in February will likely result in greater weights, as seen in hauls made since the tournament transitioned from summertime to the winter in 2006.

Jason Hemminger of California used a massive 19-pound, 10-ounce bag on Day 2 to propel himself atop the leaderboard after Day 2’s action. However, he failed to finish in the Top 12 to qualify for the tournament.

The winner and birthday boy, Dove, had a steady tournament with eight pounds on the first day and 10 pounds on Day 2. He won, though, with an insane 20-pound, 1-ounce haul that distanced him from the pack.

Darell Brent Boyette of Kenly, North Carolina, hauled in the “Big Bass” with an impressive 5-14 catch.

The six qualifiers for the Bassmaster Classic are depicted in the following final results from the three-day event.

Final Results

Check Bassmaster.com for the full, final 54-angler weigh-ins and results.

Place	Name	Division	Total Fish	Total Weight
1	Mark Dove*	NORTHERN	15	39- 0
2	Mark Pierce*	SOUTHERN	15	37-14
3	Jared Knuth*	CENTRAL	15	37-11
4	Gerry Jooste*	MID-ATLANTIC	14	36- 8
5	George Crain	SOUTHERN	15	35- 3
6	Dale Hightower	CENTRAL	15	33-15
7	Brady Farrell	NORTHERN	15	33- 9
8	Richard Svoboda	MID-ATLANTIC	15	32- 6
9	Jonathan Carter*	EASTERN	15	32- 2
10	William Bravence*	WESTERN	15	32- 1

*Denotes division winner and Bassmaster Classic Qualifier.

All ardent anglers are always anxious to catch enormous fish, but this can be an arduous task.

There are so many variables to consider when catching a monster fish, so it makes it very difficult. Here a few suggestions to help you catch the monster you’ve dreamed about.

Before you begin fishing, you must do a little research and develop a game plan. No matter what species you’re after, there are certain things you should consider.

One of the most important items is the environment. Every species of fish has certain environments where they are most comfortable. Things that should be considered are water temperature, vegetation—or lack of vegetation—and places to hide.

If you’re fishing for predators like bass, musky or pike, you’ll need to look for areas where they can hide and ambush their prey. If your crappie fishing, trout fishing or bass fishing, you’ll want to find places where they can hide from their predators.

Once you’ve found a good environment, you’ll need to make sure there is plenty of food in the area. Using a fish finder will help you locate schools of bait fish. Generally, where there is food there is predators.

The fish finder will also let you know if there are big fish in the area. Today’s fish finders are very sensitive and can tell the difference between a school of bait fish and a couple of monster fish.

There is no better way to locate fish than with a fish finder.

However, finding a monster is only part of the battle; you must also be able to catch them. This is where having the right bait and the right presentation becomes important.

The live bait fish that have been caught in the area is one of the better techniques for catching monsters.

After finishing a tough day one in eighth place at the Bassmaster Classic, Edwin Evers came back strong on day two with a total weigh-in of 14.4 lbs, which included a tournament-high catch of 6.4 lbs.

Evers is looking to capture his first-ever Bassmaster classic title, and is certainly making the moves to make his way to the top as he is currently sitting in fifth place, as his tournament weight totals at 30.7 lbs.

He stands behind guys like Chris Lane, Greg Vinson, Alton Jones and Bobby Lane, but as we have seen, the leaderboard has been quite fluid.

It will remain to be seen what day three will hold for Evers, but he is looking like he has the ability to continue to climb the board.

He is going to have to hope to find a good spot tomorrow, and potentially score more big fish in his efforts to get that first prestigious Bassmaster title.

He has some strong contenders sitting behind him, including back-to-back champion Kevin VanDam.

The four-time champion is sitting in 18th place, which is nine spots above where he was after day one. While he is far off, it is fishers like this that are breathing down Evers' back that could trump him when the tournament is all said and done.

Evers will have to make a strong push tomorrow, and if he can, he will be in a good position to win this tournament.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase

Keith Poche jumped out to an early lead at the 2012 Bassmaster Classic on Friday, hauling in 17 pounds, 13 ounces on his total catch, but the tournament will ultimately come down to a thrilling finish between Poche and contender Greg Vinson, who hauled in a total just one ounce less than Poche.

Vinson trails Poche by just one ounce heading into Day 2 in Louisiana and will be looking to spoil Poche's early lead at the Bassmaster Classic.

The two anglers hold a sizable lead over their nearest opponents, as third place angler Dustin Wilks has over a pound less than Poche and Vinson. The tournament looks to be a two-horse race as we head into the weigh-in later today and the final day on Sunday.

However, we can already pencil in a great finish between these two anglers.

These two overcame the odds and appear as relative unknowns atop the Bassmaster Classic leaderboard.

Vinson will not be letting up anytime soon, as he has a lot of experience and has finished in the money 17 more times than Poche and has completed a Bassmaster Classic before. Poche has had success in his shorter career, but he's a rookie to the big event.

It is safe to say that Vinson is the more experienced angler here, but Poche seems to be hanging tough—at least through Day 1 in Louisiana.

Because of the dispersion of totals weights between Vinson and Poche and the rest of the field, we should see a mighty good finish on Sunday night at the weigh-in.  

The weigh-ins are already a dramatic affair, as the Bassmaster Classic has done a great job building up to its final weigh-ins over the last few years. Many would contest that the tournament has become more of a product commercial than an actual big-time tournament these days, yet they make these tournaments that much better.

Vinson and Poche do not care. Poche is trying to win the Super Bowl of bass fishing in the most improbable of ways, and Vinson is trying to ruin his party by winning in his second try at the Bassmaster Classic.

While some will call him the greatest bass fisherman of our time, four-time champion Kevin VanDam is struggling to reach the top of the rankings at this year's Bassmaster Classic.

Following Day 1, VanDam had caught five fish that weighed in at just 11 lbs, nearly seven less than what first leader Keith Poche had.

That ranks him currently at 27th on the current standings.

While anything can change given the size of the fish that can be caught, VanDam is looking like he has a long shot to come in from behind to win his third consecutive Bassmaster Classic title.

If he were to do so, he would become the first ever fisherman to do just that and would also join a class of his own with five titles at the tournament.

Given the difficulty it is to win this tournament year in and year out, VanDam does carry the rapport to make a potential push to come through and win.

This is Poche's first year in the tournament, so it will remain to be seen if he can keep up this style of fishing prowess. 

There are still two days left and it will remain to be seen if VanDam can make a serious push after Day 2 to climb up the standings.

If he gets a taste of the top, it will certainly be hard for anyone to try and take down the defending champion.

For now, though, it seems like a long shot.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase

For a little more than 40 years, the Bassmaster Classic has been the granddaddy of them all for professional anglers.

The Red River is usually synonymous with the rivalry between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns. However, this year 49 anglers have descended upon the river to determine who is the best in the nation.

While the event is currently underway, there's still plenty of time to catch up on the Classic's festivities.

Where: Red River, Shreveport, LA.

When: February 24-26; live weigh-in at 5:30 p.m. EST

Watch: Bassmaster website, ESPN2 and the Outdoor Channel

Fishing probably isn't something the typical sports fan would go out of his or her way to watch. The Bassmaster Classic, however, is the one time that people should tune in to professional fishing.

Fishing itself can be incredibly difficult. Those who have sat on a boat in the middle of a lake for hours on end without catching a single thing can certainly attest to that.

These anglers might not engage in the most athletic of competitions, but the task ahead of them is difficult nonetheless.

It's not as if there is a lot of sporting competition. The sports in general this weekend are just kind of lacking.

Plus, with most of the Classic's events happening early in the day, you can wake up, watch a few hours and then go on with your day.

The prize money is a whopping $500,000, so every angler is going to be trying their best to finish at the top.

It's quite different from another event this weekend, the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities, where you have multi-million dollar athletes giving hardly any effort in an exhibition game.

The anglers themselves can be very compelling as well.

For those who are simply wanting to watch something crazy happen, Mike Iaconelli is your guy. Most are familiar with his crazy antics from when he won the title back in 2003.

According to BassRankings.com, Iaconelli is the 20th-ranked pro angler. It's doubtful that he will factor in the final result, but he can still be fun to watch.

On almost the opposite side of the spectrum, there's Kevin VanDam. He is the one of the best—if not the best—anglers in the nation. Most importantly, he is the two-time reigning champion at the Classic.

VanDam has already won the event four times and for any sports fan, it is always enjoyable to watch one of the best professionals in their respective sport.

On the other hand, there's the angle of trying to watch someone knock VanDam off the top of the mountain. Everyone likes a good Cinderella story, and this weekend can provide that, as one good day can catapult an unknown into a $500,000 prize.

That would be one heck of a fish story.

Day 2 at the 2012 Bassmaster Classic in Shreveport, La., will be tight all the way up until the end if it resembles anything we saw on Day 1.

The action on Louisiana's Red River on Friday was intense and competitive, as 38 anglers caught at least five fish, and just eight anglers head into Saturday separated by less than two pounds on the leaderboard.

Alabama's Keith Poche leads the field with five fish totaling nearly 18 pounds after one day, but he will be facing the pressure that comes from holding down the top spot as past champions look to chase him down.

So which veterans are set for big performances on Day 2? Take a look.

Kevin VanDam

The Michigan native is a four-time Bassmaster Classic champion, and the two-time defending champion at this event. Need I say more?

VanDam sits at 27th heading into Day 2 with just 11 pounds of fish to his total. But still, the veteran will be a threat until the end, considering he has competed in more than 240 BASS tournaments, earning 20 first-place finishes and over $5 million in earnings.

Greg Vinson

Vinson is an experienced angler, who has 53 BASS tournaments under his belt. He placed just 24th in last year's Classic, but sits only one ounce behind leader Keith Poche after a day on the Red River.

Vinson and Poche are the only anglers with over 17 pounds total and are more than a pound up on third place heading into Day 2.

Vinson's Day 1 success will prove to be skill and not fluke as the weekend wears on, though.

Davy Hite

Davy Hite has not won the Classic since 1999, but that will not discourage him from pulling all the stops out on Day 2 in order to catch the leaders.

The BASS veteran has eight first place finishes to his name and sits within striking distance heading into the second day of the event, in 18th place.

Hite is a little more than four pounds behind Poche and Vinson, which means he will be under less pressure than VanDam on Day 2.

The 2012 Bassmaster Classic is underway as the best anglers in the world are all at the Red River in the Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana area for one of the sport's greatest events. 

The man that everyone is trying to beat is Kevin VanDam, or KVD, who is the two-time defending champion and has won four times overall (2001, 2005, 2010, 2011). 

A win from VanDam would break his tie with Rick Clunn for the event's greatest champion. 

Television: The Bassmaster Classic will air on Sunday, March 4 on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. EST. 

Online: Follow the World Bassmaster Classic live online at Bassmaster.com.

How it works: If you're new to the event, don't worry, it's pretty simple. It starts with 50 competitors. After two days, the bottom 25 anglers are eliminated and the rest continue on to the final day. Fishermen can reel in a haul of five fish per day.

Fish must be alive when they're measured. If not, a penalty is assessed. If a fisherman does not return from fishing at the allotted time, he will be penalized one pound for every minute that he is late. 

What to expect: If an angler can't bring in at least 50 pounds, they're not going to be a serious threat to win this thing. 

Leaderboard (Day 1)

Angler	Weight
Keith Poche	17 lbs, 13 oz
Greg Vinson	17 lbs, 12 oz
Dustin Wilks	16 lbs, 9 oz
David Walker	16 lbs, 8 oz
Ott DeFoe	16 lbs, 6 oz
Chris Lane	16 lbs, 4 oz.
Bobby Lane	16 lbs, 4 oz
Edwin Evers	16 lbs, 3 oz
Jamie Horton	14 lbs, 15 oz
Bill Lowen	14 lbs, 13 oz
Terry Scroggins	14 lbs, 8 oz
Matt Reed	14 lbs, 8 oz.
Greg Hackney	13 lbs, 15 oz
Aaron Martens	13 lbs, 14 oz
Takahiro Omori	13 lbs, 14 oz
Alton Jones	13 lbs, 13 oz
Keith Combs	13 lbs, 9 oz
Davy Hite	13 lbs, 8 oz
Marty Robinson	12 lbs, 8 oz
Andrew Upshaw	12 lbs, 8 oz
John Crews	11 lbs, 15 oz
Stephen Kennedy	11 lbs, 15 oz
Brent Chapman	11 lbs, 14 oz
Randy Howell	11 lbs, 11 oz
Stephen Browning	11 lbs, 3 oz
Josh Polfer	11 lbs, 3 oz
Kevin VanDam	11 lbs, 0 oz
Alan Glasgow	10 lbs, 15 oz
Timmy Horton	10 lbs, 11 oz
Fred Roumbanis	10 lbs, 10 oz
Tom Jessop	10 lbs, 7 oz
Chris Price	10 lbs, 7 oz
Michael Iaconelli	10 lbs, 7 oz
Jeff Kriet	10 lbs, 6 oz
Fletcher Shryock	10 lbs, 3 oz.
Ishama Monroe	9 lbs, 10 oz
Todd Faircloth	9 lbs, 9 oz
Kevin Wirth	8 lbs, 15 oz
Denny Brauer	8 lbs, 13 oz
Gerald Swindle	8 lbs, 12 oz
John Diaco	6 lbs, 12 oz
Jared Lintner	6 lbs, 8 oz
Dean Rojas	6 lbs, 0 oz.
Mark Tucker	5 lbs, 7 oz
Shaw Grigsby	4 lbs, 5 oz
Matt McCoy	1 lb, 14 oz
Kelly Pratt	1 lb, 13 oz
Casey Ashley	1 lb, 11 oz
Brandon Palaniuk	0 lbs, 0 oz.

What to Watch for From Now On

Anyone at 14 pounds or more will likely continue what they're doing. They are all in great position to win this thing still, so there is no need to do anything that would put making the cut at risk.

Anyone after that will have no choice but to try something different. Those over 12 are okay to make the cut if they maintain their current pace, but they will be hard pressed to win without changing things up. 

The fish were plentiful in Day 1, as the overwhelming majority of anglers reeled in a full haul of five.

For anyone in the Top 10, it literally may come down to reeling in one big fish. This thing is still wide open. 

Follow @mdixon1985