There is only enough room for one at the top!
Tomorrow morning , 18 anglers will idle out from Fish Springs Marina with the goal of winning the 2019 TNCBA Classic at the forefront of their minds, but some anglers will be fighting a battle that began back in February of this year. The classic will be a battle within a war, as mathematically ten anglers are battling for the coveted top six and angler year while fight to win the TNCBA Classic. Tomorrow’s conditions should shape up for a slugfest with rain and wind to stir up the Fall feed. Bass are fat and hungry.
Mark Rice - 393pts.
The title contenders are led by Mark Rice who currently leads the tie-breaker in points with 96.14 lbs on the season. Mark will look to smash through the century mark in weight for the year with a solid bag of Watauga bass on Saturday. Mark has been riding a wave of momentum over the course of the year, average over 9.5 lbs. at each of the ten regular season events this year. Mark will be looking to cap off a stellar win with a TNCBA Classic trophy and the title of 2019 TNCBA Angler of the Year.
Keith Dison - 393 pts.
Currently sitting in a tie with Mark Rice is last year’s angler of the year, Keith Dison. Keith knows what it takes to win an angler of the year title at the buzzer, as he did it last year on South Holston by winning the Classic and garnering two bonus points for big fish. Keith has not had one of his best years, but he has made the most of the two drops and added big fish bonus points to his total on multiple occasions this year.
Steve Legg - 391 pts.
Sitting in a sneaky third place is Mr. Consistency himself, Steve Legg. Steve and Mark have already claimed Team of the Year, but at this event, the two will go head to head from separate boats. Steve has been close before, but tomorrow he will be looking for that magical kicker fish that will have him hoisting the AOY trophy at the end of the day. Steve’s patience and calm demeanor will be a key weapon while dealing with the adverse conditions that tomorrow will bring.
The Last Three Spots
As the top three settle things among themselves on the water, seven anglers will be jockeying for the last three spots in the top six. It has been a season of ups and downs for theses seven anglers, but none of those tournaments matter tomorrow. Everything rests on one tournament and the five fish they need to seal the deal. For some of the anglers, the fear of falling is greater than challenge of winning while those on the outside looking are more concerned about getting enough anglers between themselves and their rivals. Lets take a look at their seasons and where they stand:
