FALL 2017
T
en years ago, Derek Remitz started his tour
level career with a flourish, winning on Lake
Amistad to begin his Elite Series career, and
following that up with a runner-up result on the California Delta. Two tournaments later he earned
another superior finish at Clarks Hill, where he fin-
ished fifth.
No one who followed the sport closely should’ve
been surprised by that fast start, as Remitz had
finished in the money in all 10 Open-level events
he’d fished the year before, but many of those same
people might be surprised that 10 years later he is out
of the top level of the game.
To my knowledge he’s never spoken publicly
about what led him to leave the Elites after the 2015
season, but that season is indicative of how hard it is
to stay on top. In eight Elite events, he experienced
the highs of finishing 3 rd on Guntersville and 7 th on
Kentucky Lake, and squeaked into the money at 42 nd
on the Sabine River, but didn’t finish better than 82 nd
in the other five tournaments. That included a 106 th
place bomb on the California Delta – 7 th from the
bottom on a venue where he’d finished 2 nd overall as a
rookie who knew far less.
Not to pick on Remitz, who’s accomplished far
more on the water than most of us could ever dream
of, but it’s also worth remembering that he slumped
a bit after his rookie exploits, failing to make a Sunday
cut in either 2008 or 2009, before finally requalifying
for the 2011 Classic. That just shows how hard it is
to remain near the top, even for the most talented
technicians, and in the years since then it has gotten
tougher.
Of his rookie
class of 12
anglers,
only four
remain
active
at the
tour level – Casey Ashley, Jason Williamson, James Niggemeyer and Marty Robinson. Of those four, Ashley has had the most notable career, with four B.A.S.S. wins including a victory in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. Williamson has two Elite wins and Niggemeyer and Robinson have had solid if unremarkable careers.
Ten years later, this presents us with an unscientific but informative look into why some pros’ careers succeed, others’ flame out, and still others’ gradually extinguish themselves. It seems clear that Remitz had at least as much fishing talent as the others in his rookie class, but in some other respect he didn’t have the staying power. For that matter, why didn’t Matthew Sphar (remember the Alphabet Killer?), who finished second in the Rookie of the year standings – ahead of Ashley, Williamson, Niggemeyer and Robinson – have the same long-term success as those other pros?
These are questions that should be foremost on the minds of this year’s exceptional Elite Series rookie class. Leaving Jacob Wheeler, who is a true rookie by no one’s estimation, out of this for a moment, this has been a season when first year Elites including Mark Daniels Jr., Dustin Connell, Jamie Hartman and Jesse Wiggins have all had a sustained appearance in the spotlight. In 10 years, will we think of
Derek Remitz of
Grant, Ala. as he
leads Day 2 of
the Bassmaster
Northern Open#
3 in September 2015 Bassmaster/
Shaye Baker
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