Kevin Wirth Dominates Old Hickory

                       
                    *photo credited: BASS Communications/Seigo Saito 

     “It’s been long and it’s been hard”, said Kevin Wirth after being asked about his 14 year dry spell by BASS emcee Keith Allen. Wirth, the former Kentucky Derby jockey, won the Tennessee Triumph on Old Hickory Lake with a 4 day total of 55-10 lbs after leading all 4 days of the event. The victory was good for a $100,000 payday.

     The emotional Wirth was soon all smiles after confirming that this win has made his struggles all worht it. His fish were caught this week with a buzz bait and shallow flipping baby brush hogs. After many pundits and pros considered Wirth the man to beat down on Kentucky Lake, he showed his versatility by making up for what he thought was a finish he could have improved on in Kentucky. I’m sure if you ask anyone of the Elite Series anglers if they mind that this event was rescheduled from the flooded Mississippi River to Old Hickory, Wirth would surely be the first one to give a thumbs up approval.

A couple of other notes from the event:

-Bill Lowen secured his best BASS finish with a 2nd place finish.
-Rick Clunn has now had back to back weeks where he has slipped after going into the final day sitting in 2nd. Still Clunn has gone from 69th in the AOY points standings to back in Bassmaster Classic qualifying contention.
-Mart Stone made his 1st top 12 cut since the forming of the new Elite Series in 2006.
-Michael Iaconelli made just his 2nd top 12 cut of the year.
-Kevin VanDam still holds his AOY points lead, but his 32nd place finish allowed Todd Faircloth to close the gap with a 10th place finish. 

To view the final results, click here