PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
DeFoe would really like to earn his first career AOY .
finally defoe ’ s year ?
Just about the only box DeFoe — winner of the 2022 General Tire Heavy Hitters , 2019 Bassmaster Classic , three BPT stages and two Bassmaster Elite Series events — hasn ’ t already checked during his decorated career is an AOY win . He ’ s come close several times . DeFoe finished as the runnerup in both 2020 and 2021 , as well as 2012 on the Bassmaster Elite Series . Throw in a couple fourth-place finishes on the Elite Series , and DeFoe feels overdue to break through .
It looked for much of the season like this would be his year to do so . DeFoe made the Championship Round in each of the first four stages of the season , amassing a lead as large as 42 points over his nearest pursuer in the AOY race with three events left . However , two straight finishes outside the top 20 have caused him to slip to third , nine points back of Jones .
A high finish at Saginaw Bay could exorcise a lot of demons for DeFoe and finally deliver the one trophy that has eluded him . If he ’ s unable to come through , this year might go down as the most painful of all his close calls considering how large his lead had been .
becker eyes rare rookie feat
It ’ s no surprise to see Wheeler , DeFoe and Jones duking it out for the season-long crown . But the other angler in the mix might come as a surprise to some .
Becker , a BPT rookie , didn ’ t exactly explode onto the scene , finishing 47th at the Kissimmee Chain to start his debut season . But since then , he ’ s been rock solid , notching finishes of sixth , 23rd , fifth , sixth and 17th .
Becker ’ s rookie season has been AOY-worthy .
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
Should Becker pull off the AOY victory , it would be historic . The definition of “ rookie ” in tournament fishing can admittedly get hazy due to anglers switching tours or tours themselves evolving , but Becker would become the first angler to win AOY while fishing his first season on a top-level tour since Shin Fukae claimed the title on the FLW Tour in 2004 .
Becker ’ s aptitude at catching smallmouth should give him a legitimate shot . In addition to his solid finishes on Cayuga and St . Clair this year , he logged Top 10s at the St . Lawrence River and Lake Champlain on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit last season . He ’ ll need some help , though ; even if he wins Stage Seven , Jones would have to finish outside the Top 10 and Wheeler outside the top three for Becker to ascend to first place .
Jones ’ 2023 season has been one of his best ever .
jones looking to end dominant season in style
The fact that we made it this far down the list without bringing up the current leader is a testament to the number of storylines at play this season . That ’ s especially true considering that , with another strong showing in Stage Seven , Jones has a chance to lay claim to not only the AOY award but the best season in BPT history .
Jones ’ regular-season campaign , which has seen him finish 11th or better in four straight events , is nothing to sneeze at . But his season becomes exponentially more impressive when one considers that his two best tournaments , a win at General Tire Heavy Hitters and a runner-up finish at RED- CREST 2023 , aren ’ t reflected in his point total .
Should Jones win AOY and notch another top-11 finish at Saginaw Bay in the process ( which will likely be necessary for him to do so ), he would end the year with seven top-11 finishes in 10 events — including top-two finishes in arguably the two most prestigious — and more than $ 350,000 in prize money . And oh by the way , his win , which saw him lap the field on the final day of Heavy Hitters , represented the second-largest margin of victory ( 59-0 ) in BPT history .
There have already been some impressive individual seasons in the young lifespan of the BPT . Edwin Evers won both the inaugural REDCREST and AOY trophies in 2019 . Jordan Lee took home the Heavy Hitters belt in addition to AOY in 2020 . Wheeler won three events in 2021 , and Dustin Connell did the same last year . But adding an AOY victory to his Heavy Hitters and REDCREST performances would have to at least put Jones ’ 2023 campaign in the conversation as the best year we ’ ve seen yet .
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 15