Jun 11
13
Denny Brauer, 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive Champion
Following Article Excerpt from Bassmaster.com
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Relief, joy, exhaustion, stress, validation: Denny Brauer ran the gamut of a winner’s emotions Sunday as he claimed the Diamond Drive title on the Arkansas River, his 17th Bassmaster tournament victory, and the first Bassmaster Elite Series win since 2006.
Relief, he said, was his strongest emotion as he stepped off the stage after closing on what was one of the toughest tournaments of his long career, despite the fact he led each day and finished with 52 pounds, 2 ounces. Aaron Martens was second with 45-1.
“It’s truly been an emotional rollercoaster week and we had to make it really exciting at the end — that just totally topped it off,” he said minutes after winning.
Brauer’s wire-to-wire victory earned him $100,000 and a berth in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
Finishing third was Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., with 40-8. Fourth was Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., with 36-9, and fifth was Brauer’s hardest charger on Saturday, John Murray of Phoenix, Ariz., who ended in fifth place with 35-9.
The “topper” Brauer referred to was the set of odd circumstances surrounding the final hours of the last competition day.
Sunday began well for him. Leading three days straight and with a 10-plus-pound lead on the neartest competitor, Brauer zipped through two river locks into Pool 4 and headed to his productive area in Pine Bluff Harbor. For him and the nine other finalists who elected to fish that far from the launch site, the trip took much less time than it had on previous competition days.
All to the good.
But the return trip was a different story. The pros had to wait for a barge to clear the second lock. It was soon obvious they’d all miss their 3 p.m. check-in time and incur penalties. Facing pound-a-minute late charges, pros without big sacks agreed among themselves to let those with more fish in their livewells be the first to idle out of the lock and run to the check-in point.
Brauer was one of those with enough weight in his livewell to survive a penalty. He checked in 6 minutes late. At the scales, he got credit for 7 pounds, 5 ounces. It was enough to stay in front of Martens by more than 7 pounds.
Martens almost caught Brauer. The Alabama pro was one of only two finalists who elected not to lock out of the starting pool. Martens got credit for his total Sunday weight of 10-11.
But in the end, Martens had to settle for the runner-up spot. Weighing 45-1 over four days, Martens said he was happy with second place, especially considering that he had been third going into the final day.
Continue Reading this Article at Bassmaster.com
Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive Final Results
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We were attendance for the initial weigh in on Thursday, and made the trip downtown for the final weigh in on Sunday afternoon. There was a fantastic crowd on hand for Sunday’s event, as well as a nice mix of vendors and activities. As the Elite Series anglers made their entrance into the Amphitheater, we were able to speak to Kevin VanDam for a few minutes before his final weigh in. You could definitely observe the toll this week had taken on him, but despite it all he was very cordial in visiting with us for a few minutes, snapping a picture with us and signing a few magazines for my collection.
Me (left), KVD (center) and Chris Withem (right) just before the Day 4 weigh-in at the Elite Series event on the Arkansas River.
I would be willing to bet that we probably won’t see an Elite Series event on the Arkansas River in Little Rock for a while. There were a multitude of complaints regarding the event from both anglers and spectators. The anglers were obviously disgusted with the lockmasters at the dams, which gave them headaches the entire week. There were also complaints about the event setup, with the ramp on the North Little Rock side but the weigh-in on the Little Rock side. This was a hassle due to the heavy traffic congestion on the bridge and into the River Market area. Could Verizon Arena not cut them a deal? I mean it would make them more money than it did sitting empty right? This would have silenced the majority of the spectator/vendor complaints as well. Most vendors/spectators I spoke to wondered why this event would be held outdoors in the 100 degree heat while the Arena sits empty. I was also a little surprised to see that the Farmer’s Market area was closed Sunday, leaving the thousands in attendance with nowhere to go to escape the heat, grab a quick bite or a cold drink. There was just one overpriced carnival style vendor serving luke warm canned sodas for $2.00 each. If you wanted a cup of ice, that would’ve cost you another $5.00.
I definitely enjoyed the event down on the River, and sincerely appreciate that the Bassmaster Elite Series chose Little Rock for their event.
I am disappointed and somewhat embarrassed by the way the city handled the event, and the lack of respect given to the sport as a whole.
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