Abt takes 2009 AOY award Southern Tier Bassmaster, Joe Abt, was honored at the club’s annual banquet Saturday February 6, 2010 as the 2009 Angler of the Year. In doing so, he becomes only the second angler to win the coveted award more than once since the club’s inception in 1998. He joins Noel Good, who won it in back to back years in 2005 and 2006. Abt accomplished the feat in a 3 year span with the other coming in 2007.

The 2009 season didn’t really look like the start of a championship year with an opening tournament 6th place finish on Honeoye Lake in June. But things made a quick turnaround as Joe put together a 15.13 pound limit on Silver Lake and a 20.25 pound limit on Chautauqua Lake to post two consecutive first place finishes in a 15 day span in August, leaving only Sodus Bay in September to ward off a charging Bob Elliott for the top honor. Elliott managed a solid 15.23 pounds for first place at Sodus but Joe finished third and took the AOY by four close points. He brought a full 5 fish limit to the scales in each of the 4 points tournaments with a total weight of 55.84 pounds and winnings of $522.03. His accumulated a point total of 393 was tied with the second highest amount of points (Ted Barth, 1999) and ellipsed by only Noel Good’s 394 in 2005.

Congratulations on an honor well earned and well deserved.