FRYER , GARTON EARN FIRST-PLACE AWARDS AT THE BASS FEDERATION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
THE BASS FEDERATION Edited by Mason Prince
FRYER , GARTON EARN FIRST-PLACE AWARDS AT THE BASS FEDERATION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
OHIO BOATER , NEBRASKA CO-ANGLER CLAIM LIVING THE DREAM PRIZE PACKAGES Andy Fryer ( left ) and Chad Garton
The Bass Federation National Championship gets bigger every year , and this year ’ s stage was the 54,000- acre Lake of the Ozarks , which played host to 51 boaters and 51 co-anglers from all over the United States and Canada . The tournament began ( surprisingly ) with subfreezing temperatures on Day 1 , but that didn ’ t stop some of the most talented grassroots anglers in the country from catching ‘ em on March 29-31 .
Ohio ’ s Andy Fryer walked away as the winning boater with a three-day total of 48 pounds , 15 ounces , while winning co-angler Chad Garton of Nebraska caught 37-6 .
FRYER FOUND SUCCESS IN THE GLAZE ARM
Fryer was consistently strong throughout the first two days of competition . He ended Day 1 with 16-2 ( thanks to a 6-pounder to start off ) – that put him 7-12 behind leader John Levesque . Fryer didn ’ t panic about that deficit , however , believing that he had plenty of time and productive areas to mount a comeback .
“ I had three places that I caught fish during the tournament , and two of those I found during practice ,” Fryer said . “ I would start my mornings in Kinchlow Hollow Cove , throwing an Alabama rig along big secondary points . That ’ s where I caught my 6-pounder for my first bite of the tournament .”
That 6-pounder was the biggest fish Fryer had ever weighed in during a tournament and gave him the confidence to continue focusing on his pattern .
“ I would finish out my day in the Glaze Arm , where I would catch about five or six keepers a day on a double Colorado-bladed ½-ounce spinnerbait ,” Fryer said . “ The water was a lot more stained up there and the shad seemed to be higher in the water column . I would slow roll that spinnerbait across the laydowns and the rock outcroppings there .”
Day 2 saw Levesque come back to the pack after jumping out to the big lead , and Fryer climbed from fourth to second with a 13-11 limit . Fryer was still 4-8 back heading into the final day , so he had plenty of work ahead of him . His plan for Day 3 was to keep doing what he was doing and , most importantly , continue catching limits . Only four anglers and one co-angler had caught limits in both days on a surprisingly stingy Lake of the Ozarks , but Fryer knew that if he stuck to his guns , he ’ d have a shot at overtaking Levesque .
“ I always aim for consistency in my fishing and my goal every time I go out is to catch five ,” Fryer said . “ I don ’ t care what size they are ; I just want to catch five . That ’ s why the Glaze Arm was so important to my success , because that ’ s the area that got me to my limit every day in the last hour . Knowing that I was going to be able to fill my limit at the end of the day was a big relief and helped me fish more relaxed .”
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