But Sunday was a different story for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic champ. Reese landed 15 pounds, 3 ounces, pushing him into second place after the first leg of Championship Week. And most important, the Auburn, Calif., pro took a 16-point advantage in the Angler of the Year standings, a lead he will carry into the final Postseason event, the Triumph, set for Sept. 17-18 on the Alabama River out of Montgomery.
Reese built his AOY points total to 249. In second in the AOY race is four-time AOY champion Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., with 233 points. The winner of the Lake Jordan event, Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., moved from 11th to third in the AOY standings with 225 points and positioned himself for a slim but realistic shot at overtaking Reese.
"This is way better than I anticipated after Saturday," said Reese, who has four BASS wins. "I caught them early which took some of the pressure off. I'm stoked to be in this position. All you can ask for is a chance."
Reese's performance Sunday was a microcosm of his 2009 Elite Series season. He started hot Sunday and ended with a bang - boating a near 4-pounder in the final hour. Reese's 2009 Elite season started in style with a Classic victory; if Reese can hold on next week, he would culminate his season with bookend championships.
With that, he would become only the second angler in BASS history - the other was Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. -- to claim a Classic and Angler of the Year title in the same season.
Reese, who is the 2007 AOY, worked both shallow and deep patterns Sunday. He entered the Postseason one point behind VanDam, but made up ground quickly. He now has his attention trained on the Alabama River.
"It's been a while since most of us have been there," Reese said. "It should present new conditions. I'm not going to focus on what the other guys will be doing. I can only take care of myself and, thankfully, this will be my title to lose."
VanDam slipped to second in the AOY race with a disappointing sixth-place showing at the Jordan event. Despite the blip, he still has a chance to take his fifth AOY trophy.
Perhaps Iaconelli is carrying the strongest momentum heading into the final event and poses the biggest obstacle for Reese. The win earned Iaconelli 50 points. Although he entered the event with little hope of owning the AOY title, he's known for performing well when a lot is on the line.
"Coming in here I knew, theoretically, I could win the AOY," said Iaconelli, who finished second to Reese at the '09 Classic. "Still, with this caliber of anglers, I thought the door wouldn't open. But I have made a career of not giving up and I'm certainly not going to do that now. I guess you never know."
In fourth in the AOY standings is Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., with 220 points. In fifth is Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., with 216 points. The full standings can be found below.
The field qualified for the Postseason through their regular-season performances on the Elite Series. The top 12 anglers in the Angler of the Year standings after the regular season had their points recalculated and took those scores into the Postseason. Each leg of the Postseason will be scored on a 50-point sliding scale.
ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
1. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 249
2. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 233
3. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ 225
4. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 220
5. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 216
6. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 214
7. Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 206
8. Cliff Pace Petal, Miss. 202
8. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 202
10. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 199
11. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 192
12. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 192
DAY 2 STANDINGS-
2009 Elite Series Trophy Chase 09/12-09/13 Lake Jordan, Wetumpka Ala.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 10 28-15 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 14-03
2. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 10 27-09
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 15-03
3. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 10 27-08
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 12-08
4. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 10 26-15
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 15-10
5. Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 10 25-07
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 12-13
6. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 10 25-06
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 14-08
7. Cliff Pace Petal, Miss. 10 24-12
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 11-14
8. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 10 24-02
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 13-07
9. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 10 23-14
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 13-03
10. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 10 23-00
Day 1: 5 9-07 Day 2: 5 13-09
11. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 10 21-12
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 11-11
12. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 8 13-14
Day 1: 3 4-01 Day 2: 5 9-13
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Big Bass
Day
1 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 4-11 $.00
2 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 4-03 $.00
Big Bass of Tournament
Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 4-11 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 11 58 134-12
2 12 60 158-06
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23 118 293-02