Knoxville Angler Seeks Bassmaster Angler of the Year Title

Ott DeFoe hopes to win Bassmaster Angler of the Year Title

Rookie professional angler Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn. is hoping to win the coveted Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year (TTBAOY) title in the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series season.

DeFoe has already participated in 13 B.A.S.S. tournaments, finishing in the top 10 four times and earned a total of $107,463.86.

Ninety-nine of the most talented anglers in bass fishing began 2011 in the TTBAOY hunt. Eight tournaments offered chances to accumulate points and move up in the standings. With six events complete, now only the top 10 are thought to have a chance for the win.

"Welcome to the tightest Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race since 2008," reports Ken Duke, editor of Bassmaster.com (www.bassmaster.com). "Currently, there are four anglers within 100 points of the lead, and as many as 10 anglers with a chance to take home the big prize."

DeFoe, currently in 7th place in TTBAOY standings, has 2011 tournament finishes in 20th, 28th, 20th, 32nd, 11th and 28th place.

Following DeFoe's 28th-place finish at a mid-May Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray near Columbia, S.C., Bassmaster.com reported, "The rookie phenom had one of his poorer outings but he still managed to stay in the top 50 at Murray. He's just two points behind Davy Hite with 1,376 (TTBAOY points)."

The title of Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year comes with a $100,000 prize.

Final point standings in the TTBAOY race qualify the top 28 anglers for the prestigious Bassmaster Classic in February, along with other post-season events.

The top 8 anglers in TTBAOY points will be invited to Toyota Trucks All-Star Week, beginning Saturday, July 23, with preliminary competition on Lake Jordan near Wetumpka, Ala. In addition, Bassmaster fans will be able to select four "wild card" competitors from the Bassmaster Elite Series lineup, based on votes cast on Bassmaster.com.

Following the two-day preliminary round on Lake Jordan, the top 8 All Stars will be "seeded" and move to the Alabama River in Montgomery, Ala., for a bracket-style, head-to-head format over three days of competition, July 29-31. After two elimination days, the two anglers left standing will compete for the winner-take-all prize of $100,000.

Each Bassmaster Elite Series event is taped for broadcast on The Bassmasters, one of the highest-rated outdoors programs on television. One-hour programs air on ESPN2 Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. (ET) and Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. (ET) on ESPN Classic, and re-airs on Outdoor Channel Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m. (ET) and Friday evenings at 10:30 p.m. (ET), and Saturday afternoons at 4 p.m (ET).

Published June 6, 2011