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Texas’ Chad Griffin, Elite Series Rookie, Dominates to Land First BASS Victory
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Thirty-two-year-old Chad Griffin caught his first bass at 22 years old and instantly became addicted. Ten years later, the Cresson, Texas, resident who grew up in Alaska – a state reportedly with no largemouth bass population – cashed in on a dream, to the tune of $100,000, at the regular-season finale, the Ramada Champion’s Choice on Oneida Lake. Griffin, an Elite Series rookie, worked Oneida for both relevant species – largemouth and smallmouth – and tallied 65 pounds, 10 ounces, enough to hold off hard-charging Jeff Kriet of Ardmore, Okla., by more than 2 pounds. He credited his versatility, a must on Oneida, to his years of toiling in grassroots and lower-level tournaments in various states. His main bait for the final two days was a white XCalibur Zell Pop with chartreuse. Heading into the final day, Griffin carried a stout lead of 4-plus pounds and got off to a blazing start Sunday. But as the day progressed so did his troubles – including battery issues and a few missed fish. “I thought I blew the tournament. I was really worried,” said Griffin, who moved up to 42nd in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. “Honestly, I’m not sure what the heck I just accomplished. This means the world to me.” Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water action from the Champion’s Choice on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, August 22, at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. Also, the daily weigh-ins for two Elite Series postseason events will air live on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, while a wealth of unique content will also be available at Bassmaster.com leading up to the Postseason. While growing up in Alaska, Griffin followed The Bassmasters and idolized anglers like Kevin VanDam through hellacious winters. He said his passion was so strong that he used to tell family members that he was going to be a pro. Seizing the lead Friday, Griffin didn’t waiver, catching the biggest bass of the tournament, a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth, and landing the biggest limit of the tournament of 18 pounds, 8 ounces, Friday. He wiped out two less-than-perfect days with two stellar days in the four-day event. On Thursday he failed to cash in on what he thought could have been more than 20 pounds, and Sunday he failed to land several fish that struck his lure. In the end, Griffin’s Friday and Saturday performances were enough. Throughout the tournament, he executed a pattern developed in practice – targeting smallmouth in the grass. It was something he has never done, on a lake he had never before seen. But the one-time BASS winner has spent considerable time in Texas scouring Lone Star fisheries, where an abundance of grass also exists, and that helped his cause in New York. The victory netted Griffin $100,000 and peace of mind. Perhaps most important, after struggling through his rookie year, Griffin gained confidence in addition to the financial security. “It certainly takes some pressure off,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to tell my family that it finally happened. I always wanted this so bad. It’s just really special.” Kriet nearly toppled Griffin on Sunday with an 18-pound, 2-ounce limit. Despite some obvious disappointment in the finish, Kriet sewed up a qualifying berth into the 2010 Bassmaster Classic – his sixth – set for Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala. Kriet strictly targeted smallmouth – despite the tournament being won on largemouth in previous visits. He said his bite didn’t really turn on until Sunday, when he boated the event’s second-largest catch. He was throwing jigs and a drop-shot rig to suspended fish in the grass. Second is a familiar position for Kriet who has failed to land an Elite Series win despite being in contention numerous times. “Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder why I haven’t won one of these yet,” said Kriet, 40. “I sure would like to. But I have been working it out, and when I win one of these I think the door is going to open and I’m going to get a few.” Last year’s Oneida champion Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., was third with 59 pounds, 3 ounces. Home-state favorite Matthew Sphar of Pavilion was fourth with 58 pounds, 14 ounces, while Jason Quinn of York, S.C., rounded out the top five with 57 pounds, 8 ounces. Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., finished ninth, which was good enough to sew up the final berth in the inaugural Bassmaster Elite Series postseason. Toyota Trucks Championship Week is set for Sept. 10-18 on two productive Alabama fisheries. The first of the two postseason tournaments, the Trophy Chase, will take place Sept. 12-13 on Lake Jordan out of Wetumpka; the finale, the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph, is slated for Sept. 17-18 on the Alabama River from Montgomery. A full story about the race to qualify among the top 12 can be found on Bassmaster.com. Terry Butcher of Talala, Okla., sewed up his first Bassmaster Classic berth by way of his 10th-place finish at Oneida. A full story on the Classic qualifiers is also available at Bassmaster.com. The final regular-season Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings can be found below. 2009 RAMADA CHAMPION’S CHOICE - FINAL STANDINGS 2009 Ramada Worldwide Champion's Choice PRO 08/13-08/16 Oneida Lake, Syracuse N.Y. (PRO Division) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chad Griffin Cresson, Texas 20 65-10 315 $101,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 18-08 Day 3: 5 16-05 Day 4: 5 15-10 2. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 20 63-06 295 $25,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 15-15 Day 4: 5 18-02 3. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Ariz 20 59-03 290 $20,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 14-02 Day 4: 5 14-10 4. Matthew Sphar Pavilion, N.Y. 20 58-14 285 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 14-08 Day 4: 5 14-12 5. Jason Quinn York, S.C. 20 57-08 280 $14,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 13-03 Day 4: 5 12-09 6. Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 20 57-04 276 $13,500.00 Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 14-12 Day 4: 5 14-07 7. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 20 57-02 272 $13,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 15-01 Day 4: 5 11-06 8. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 20 56-05 268 $12,500.00 Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 14-10 Day 4: 5 13-01 9. Gerald Swindle Warrior, Ala. 20 56-04 264 $12,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 16-03 Day 4: 5 11-04 10. Terry Butcher Talala, Okla. 20 56-04 260 $11,500.00 Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 5 13-11 Day 4: 5 13-02 11. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 20 55-06 257 $11,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 12-11 Day 4: 5 10-08 12. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 20 55-04 254 $10,500.00 Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 12-12 Day 4: 5 12-09 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Bass Day 1 Chad Griffin Cresson, Texas 5-08 $.00 2 Bernie Schultz Gainesville, Fla. 4-13 $.00 3 Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 4-03 $.00 3 Alton Jones Waco, Texas 4-03 $.00 4 Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 3-14 $.00
Big Bass of Tournament Chad Griffin Cresson, Texas 5-08 $1,000.00
Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year Leader Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. $1,000.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 96 480 1251-09 2 98 490 1274-03 3 48 244 650-10 4 12 60 162-00 ---------------------------------- 254 1274 3338-06
2009 TOYOTA TUNDRA BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS - REGULAR SEASON
2009 Ramada Worldwide Champion's Choice - Ramada Worldwide Champion's Choice Pro Points After Oneida Lake, Syracuse, N.Y. Ending 08-16-2009, Day 4 ------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Skeet Reese Calif. 2043 2 Kevin VanDam Mich. 2033 3 Alton Jones Texas 1979 4 Kelly Jordon Texas 1819 5 Todd Faircloth Texas 1799 6 Randy Howell Ala. 1796 7 Gary Klein Texas 1789 8 Tommy Biffle Okla. 1778 9 Mark Menendez Ky. 1775 10 Cliff Pace Miss. 1765 11 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 1754 12 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1740 13 Steve Kennedy Ala. 1717 14 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1692 15 Greg Hackney La. 1689 16 Aaron Martens Ala. 1679 17 Takahiro Omori Texas 1673 18 Kevin Short Ark. 1667 19 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 1661 20 Brent Chapman Kan. 1637 21 Byron Velvick Texas 1634 22 Mike McClelland Ark. 1629 23 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1625 24 Casey Ashley S.C. 1598 25 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1571 26 James Niggemeyer Texas 1567 27 Billy McCaghren Ark. 1561 28 Matt Herren Ala. 1553 29 Russ Lane Ala. 1547 30 Stephen Browning Ark. 1540 31 Boyd Duckett Ala. 1525 32 Denny Brauer Mo. 1517 33 John Murray Ariz. 1514 34 Bobby Lane Fla. 1513 35 Terry Butcher Okla. 1491 35 Jason Quinn S.C. 1491 37 Jami Fralick S.D. 1481 37 Mark Tucker Mo. 1481 37 Matt Reed Texas 1481 40 Timmy Horton Ala. 1478 41 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 1466 42 Chad Griffin Texas 1464 43 Jason Williamson S.C. 1462 44 Edwin Evers Okla. 1460 44 Bradley Hallman Okla. 1460 46 Bernie Schultz Fla. 1454 47 Davy Hite S.C. 1451 48 Todd Auten S.C. 1448 49 Dave Wolak N.C. 1446 50 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1442 51 Brian Snowden Mo. 1438 52 Rick Morris Va. 1422 52 Pat Golden N.C. 1422 54 Marty Stone N.C. 1385 55 Dustin Wilks N.C. 1380 56 Greg Vinson Ala. 1378 56 J Todd Tucker Ga. 1378 58 Brian Clark Texas 1377 59 Jeff Connella La. 1371 60 Bill Lowen Ohio 1370 61 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 1366 62 Jared Lintner Calif. 1363 63 Rick Clunn Mo. 1354 64 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 1350 65 Mark Tyler Okla. 1334 66 Britt Myers S.C. 1323 67 Mark Davis Ark. 1322 68 Morizo Shimizu Japan 1314 69 Scott Campbell Mo. 1273 70 Derek Remitz Ala. 1264 71 Chris Lane Fla. 1255 72 Pete Ponds Miss. 1242 72 Vince Fulks Okla. 1242 74 John Crews Va. 1236 75 Wade Grooms S.C. 1232 76 Jim Murray Ga. 1228 77 Kenyon Hill Okla. 1224 78 Peter Thliveros Fla. 1208 79 Ish Monroe Calif. 1204 80 Marty Robinson S.C. 1178 81 Guy Eaker N.C. 1158 82 Charlie Hartley Ohio 1134 83 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 1108 84 Ken Cook Okla. 1102 85 Paul Elias Miss. 1097 86 Scott Rook Ark. 1084 87 Clark Reehm Ark. 1078 88 Jimmy Mize Ark. 1064 89 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 1056 90 Grant Goldbeck Md. 1029 91 Luke Gritter Mich. 1028 92 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 1022 93 Mike Wurm Ark. 1016 94 Mark Burgess Mass. 994 95 Zell Rowland Texas 974 96 Elton Luce Texas 970 97 Brent Broderick Ohio 844 98 David Smith Okla. 785 99 Jon Bondy Canada 495 100 Kevin Langill N.C. 484
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