THE BASS FEDERATION
Fryer needed to have his best day and Levesque would have to falter for Fryer to walk away with the win . After a couple of good bites in the morning followed by solid keepers in the Glaze Arm to round out his day , Fryer had collected his best bag of the tournament with 19-2 .
Levesque needed a bag of 14-11 to keep his lead , but the New Hampshire boater was only able to catch three bass on the final day weighing 5-13 .
“ I remember when I was announced as the winner and I felt like I was going to lose it ,” Fryer joked . “ It was such a cool moment because I had my wife , my mom and my 4- year-old daughter there to support me the whole week . To get to share that moment with them is something I won ’ t ever forget .”
GARTON WINS CO-ANGLER SIDE
Chad Garton hoisted a prize package check of $ 35,000 , including $ 20,000 cash , advancement opportunities , $ 2,500 in paid entry fees , travel stipends , clothing package , a MinnKota trolling motor , Lowrance electronics , a Power-Pole and more for winning the co-angler National Championship . However , the Nebraska co-angler isn ’ t your traditional co-angler .
“ I ’ m not normally a co-angler , I just filled in for a buddy back home during qualification and we did well enough to earn a spot for the National Championship ,” Garton said . “ I ’ m not used to fishing behind people , so that was definitely an adjustment for me .”
Garton was paired with three different boaters during the competition , fishing a different way each day . On Day 1 , Garton and his boater fished shallow , dirty water , where Garton caught five for 13 pounds even . On Day 2 , Garton ’ s boater opted for cleaner water and watching fish on forward-facing sonar . On Day 3 , Garton had to long cast to docks or other structure with a jerkbait and Alabama rig .
“ I knew that I just needed to catch a limit every day ,” Garton said . “ If a coangler can catch a limit , that ’ s the biggest boost you can have . It ’ s hard being a co-angler , especially trying to figure out the tackle you need to bring with you . I was prepared for pretty much anything and everything .”
Andy Fryer ( left ) and Chad Garton
Fryer earned the $ 125,000 “ Living Your Dream ” prize package , which includes a $ 20,000 cash prize , $ 5,000 paid entry fees into the professional series of the angler ’ s choosing , a brand-new Ranger Z520L and more . The biggest prize in that package , according to Fryer , is the paid entry fees into the Toyota Series , something he ’ s been eyeing for a while .
“ The plan right now is to fish one of the Toyota Series divisions next year , I ’ m just not sure which one ,” Fryer said . “ I ’ ve always wanted to fish in the Toyota Series , but the entry fees have always been a limiting factor for me . Now all I have to do is figure out which division I ’ ll fish .”
Fryer also earned an automatic bid to fish the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American on Lake Hartwell . Along with Fryer , six other boaters and the top seven co-anglers also earned a bid to fish in the All-American .
Although he bounced around the lake , Garton ’ s lead was never in real jeopardy . The Nebraskan was the only co-angler to catch a limit all three days and ended with a total of 37-6 . He headed home with a boost to his bank account and a few decisions to make about his future in bass fishing .
“ I ’ m going to take the money and run with it as I try to advance my career as a boater ,” Garton said . “ I plan on jumping into the Toyota Series , as well as fishing some other open events . I ’ m good friends with Jordan Hirt , who won the National Championship last year as a boater and now fishes on the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals , so we ’ ll probably team up together for a few events as well .”
84 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2023