Classic Quest
Bain Enters Clarks With WBT Points Lead

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Australian-born Kim Bain said it would be an emotional moment not only for herself, but her family too, if she became the first woman ever to make the Bassmaster Classic.

She leads the WBT Angler of the Year (AOY) points with two events left. One takes place this week at Clarks Hill. But the race won't be settled until the WBT Championship at Lake Hamilton in Arkansas starting Oct. 23.

Her odyssey began a long time ago in her native Australia. There, she fished with her father - himself an accomplished tournament pro and tackle-industry personality. She penned correspondence to In-Fisherman magazine, which was published regularly.

About a decade ago, she began to travel to the States to fish, and along with bass competition, competed in walleye and redfish tournaments.

Currently, she fishes the pro side of the WBT and FLW Tour. While her FLW performance has been fair (she fished four of six events this year with 88th her best finish), she's thus far cleaned up in her first year on the WBT.

She won the WBT season opener at Lewisville then finished 4th at Neely Henry and 6th at Old Hickory.

Points prognostication is almost impossible right now due to the WBT AOY format. The women fish four regular-season events and earn points in each. After the fourth event (this week), the worst finish is dropped and the Top 20 in the points fish the Championship, where they again earn points in the same manner as during the regular season.

Bain has a 23-point edge in the points over Juanita Robinson, and since the worst finish will be dropped, Bain could bottom-out at Clarks this week and likely still lead the points by virtue of her 1st-, 4th- and 6th-place finishes.

Always Confident

Bain told BassFan she isn't surprised by her success this year on the WBT.

"I was always confident that I'd experience some good fishing, whether in statistics or standings, but I really didn't give it that much thought," the 28-year-old pro said. "And I never give it that much thought. I just go there, put my head down, and hope to make some good decisions on whatever pops up.

"The Classic pops into my head every now and again," she added. "But I really try not to think about it too much. I don't want to put any extra pressure on myself. I just want to approach it one tournament at a time and if, at the end, I'm lucky enough to make the Classic, it'll be very emotional not only for myself, but for my family and for Andre."

She's followed the pro bass fishing scene, and especially the Classic, since she was a child in Australia, and if she were to make the Classic, "I'll be screaming my head off," she said.

And about the chance to return to the scene where Moore, now her husband, popped the big question, she noted: "It would certainly be a funny turnaround - sort of the full cycle of life, if you will. I'm a big, huge fan (of the events), and from watching the Classic, commentating on it, getting the proposal, to maybe even making it - it would be pretty amazing."

Clarks Focus

As noted, Bain said she's taking things one event at a time, and isn't looking past Clarks Hill. She left for the event late last week in order to log 5 or 6 days of practice.

En route, she told BassFan: "I'm excited to go there, and I'm not approaching it any different than any other tournament. I just want to go and get some consistent bites, try to look for a few bigger fish, and see what happens.

"I'm pretty focused at most tournaments, so I don't think this one will be any different. But I guess you'd call it focused with a smile. I do like to have a good laugh. Typically I catch more fish when I'm laughing, so I'll try to keep feeling lighthearted, but I won't think about the points standings during the tournament."

Notable

> As noted, Bain made the switch from full-time on the FLW Tour to full-time on the women's-only WBT this year. "That's certainly no disrespect to FLW," she said. "I had a great time fishing with them, but I was recently married and I've actually enjoyed fishing a few less events and really just concentrating on the few I have. And I've really enjoyed the places the WBT is going. I haven't been to a lot of the lakes, and I always feel it's important to fish new places. It keeps you on your toes and learning new things."

> Her hometown is Brisbane, Australia. Her and Moore spend most of their time on the road these days, with occasional extended stays at homes in Arizona and Alabama.

> She's currently sponsored by Ranger, Power-Pole, Evinrude, G. Loomis, Reaction Innovations, Minn Kota, Humminbird and Hi-Seas.

> Back when she was commentator for the Classic, Byron Velvick was likewise a commentator. Velvick made his first Classic this year through the Bassmaster Elite Series.