Skeet Reese Leads Toyota Tundra AOY

Skeet Reese now leads the 2010 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race by 37 points over Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La.

A top-36 points finish in the regular season will put a pro into the 2011 Bassmaster Classic. A top 12 is a qualification for the July 24-31 Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, in which the prize is the $200,000 AOY award.

Reese, the 2007 AOY, battled Kevin VanDam to the wire for the 2009 title. VanDam won, claiming back-to-backs and his fifth crown.

At the season opener on the California Delta, Reese ended 1 ounce behind winner John Crews of Virginia.

“I’ll take seconds all year long if I can win Angler of the Year again,” said Reese, who also owns the 2009 Bassmaster Classic trophy. “We still have a lot of fishing left around the country to do, so I don’t count on anything, I don’t take anything for granted. This is the best group of anglers there is in the world.”

He made his comments while on stage at the Golden State Shootout, where he finished not second, but fifth.

To win AOY, Reese would have to keep up through six more regular-season events. He’d need to be among the top 12 who move up to the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, July 24-31 in Alabama. Then he would have to prevail through the two postseason events to claim the $200,000 prize.