Morgan Moves to Top of BassFan World Rankings
OutdoorHub 02.25.14
Jason Christie rode three tour-level wins in 2013 to a fairly lengthy stint at the top of the BassFan World Rankings. Now he’s been supplanted by an angler whose consistency is nothing short of phenomenal.
Andy Morgan, the reigning FLW Tour Angler of the Year, has taken over the top slot for the first time in his career. His reaction to the news was typically low-key.
“I’m pretty dang surprised,” he said. “That’s great. I really didn’t expect it.
“I don’t feel like I’ve set the world on fire or anything. I guess I’ve caught just enough to get to the top.”
While it’s true that Morgan hasn’t won during the 2-year period covered by the Rankings, his sustained excellence has been unparalleled by anyone in the game. Over the laat 11 Tour events, he’s finished outside the Top 20 exactly once.
“I’ve been close to winning a few times and haven’t gotten it done, and that’s been a little disappointing. But I’ve caught a few here and a few there and a few just about everywhere we’ve been, and that does pay pretty well.”
He becomes the fifth angler to hold the No. 1 position in the last calendar year, following Brent Chapman, Todd Faircloth, Edwin Evers and Christie.
In other notable movement from the first reshuffling of the Rankings for 2014:
- Bassmaster Classic champion Randy Howell is up 4 places to 31st.
- Lake Okeechobee FLW Tour winner Brett Hite climbed a whopping 63 places to 36th.
- Stetson Blaylock, the runner-up to Morgan in last year’s FLW points chase, makes his debut in the Top 10 at No. 7.
The next events that will impact the Rankings are the Lake Hartwell FLW Tour (March 6-9) and the Lake Seminole Bassmaster Elite Series (March 13-16).
