Kevin VanDam To See Some Serious Competition in 2009

The Professional Bass Fishing world has been dominated in recent years by phenom Kevin VanDam. He polished off a dominated 2008 season with a convincing victory for the Forest Wood Cup. However, we expect to see some serious competition in the 2009 season that could see the bass fishing king unseated. Here is a list of anglers we feel could put it to the champ in '09.

1) According to BassFan.com Todd Faircloth enters the 2009 season as the 2nd ranked angler in the sport. He has steadily improved over the last 3 years going from being ranked 63 to 47 to 27 and then finally ending the '08 campaign with a shot for the title at Oneida. He turned in a stinker, a 93rd place finish to end his year and take him out of the running for Angler of the Year Award.

The dismal end hasn't detered Faircloth. "I feel like if I'm ever in that situation again, I'll handle it a littler better than I did. Something of that magnitude would've been a big boost for my career and it was definitely a letdown, but that doesn't change the fact that all in all, it was a really good year."

The determination and ability to learn from his mistakes of the past should give Faircloth the best chance out of any other performer in 2009to unseat KVD's reign over the Bass Fishing Elite series. I also like how he has progressed as an angler over thelast few seasons and seems ready to make himself elite.

2) David Dudley finished '08 with 6 top 10 finishes in only 14 events. Ever known for his quirky methods and his lackadaisical preparation for events, if Dudley could ever focus himself better on preparing for tournaments he could take his angling to the next level. He is a veteran of both the FLW Tour and Elite Series, and spent last season reinvesting his FLW Tour success into the Elite Series. If he continues his growth in 2009, we could see Dudley move into that top spot and over take KVD.

3)Skeet Reese the former ESPY nominee and former Angler of the Year award winner had another successful season in 2008. He ended it ranked 4th over all and should have another solid showing for the 2009 season. It seems as if come season's end Reese's name is always in the discussion when people mention the most successful people on the tour. If a few things break the right way for Reese in '09 he could have a legit shot at that top spot. He has been around for a while and really knows his way around the lake.