Jeff Lugar of McGaheysville, Va., only wanted for his sons to be able to say that their dad made it to the Bassmaster Classic. And now, after Lugar’s win at the 2013 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Arkansas’ Lake Dardanelle, they can. “I wanted to leave them a legacy and make them proud,” said Lugar, father to Travis, 18, and Tyler, 13. “They both love to hunt and fish, and when we go fishing together, they only want to out fish their dad.
“At this point, it doesn’t even matter to me if I catch a fish in the Bassmaster Classic,” he continued. “Just the fact that I made it means everything.”
At the Classic, Lugar will be joining five other B.A.S.S. Nation anglers who qualified on Saturday after winning their divisions. They are Doug Thompson of Arkansas, Central; Paul Mueller of Connecticut, Eastern; Mark Dove of Indiana, Northern; Coby Carden of Alabama, Southern; and Tim Johnston of Montana, Western.
The six anglers will compete against the best anglers in the sport of bass fishing in February on Lake Guntersville in Alabama.
“I’m so thankful to the Virginia B.A.S.S. Nation for getting me here,” said Lugar, a member of the Rockingham Bass Anglers. “The Virginia chapter helped offset the cost of this trip, and the state president and secretary, Mike and Pam Bryant, came with me to Arkansas and have given me anything I could possibly need. They’ve been great.”
For his win, Lugar takes home the coveted Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial trophy and a Skeeter/Yamaha boat package worth $45,000. He also has earned an invitation to fish the 2014 Bassmaster Elite Series.
“I’m extremely excited,” said Lugar. “I’m still in shock and disbelief.”
Lugar won the tournament by fishing coontail grass in the lower end of the lake. “I had two main areas, Dardanelle Bay and Delaware Bay,” said Lugar.
He picked apart the grass with a chartreuse/white spinnerbait, a blue shad ChatterBait and a chrome blue Rat-L-Trap. Lugar relied on G.Loomis IMX rods, a Lew’s Tournament Pro reel and Berkley Trilene 100 Percent Fluorocarbon. He switched to Berkley Trilene Big Game line for the spinnerbait.
“I found baitfish holding around the coontail in these areas 2 to 4 feet deep,” Lugar explained. “My areas were close to the launch – one was right across from it – so I could maximize my fishing time.”
Lugar came to Lake Dardanelle in September for two days to pre-fish and found the coontail.
“Since then, it’s changed a little,” he said. “Some is gone, and some is new. But coming on that trip taught me to navigate this lake, so it was worth it.”
Behind him in second place overall was Carden of Shelby, Ala., who charged from 13th place where he began Day 3. Carden surprised the crowd with an enormous 7-pound, 10-ounce bass, far bigger than the others in the competition. His big fish won him Carhartt Big Bass honors worth $500. Thanks largely to that bass, Carden brought in the biggest sack of the tournament, 20 pounds, 14 ounces.
Carden caught the bass with a Davis swim jig with a Missile Baits Swim Trailer in the summer craw color. He caught it shallow in an area with willow grass and lily pads.
Carden is among the anglers headed to the Bassmaster Classic. “I’ve wanted to go since I knew what the Classic was, back when I was a kid,” said Carden.
Dove will be making back-to-back appearances at the Classic. He went last year as the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship overall winner, and he’s going back in 2014 as the Northern Division champ. He also qualified once before in 1997.
Fans can follow the six anglers’ Classic journey at Bassmaster.com/Nation up to the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 21-23.
2013 B.A.S.S. Nation Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2013 B.A.S.S. Nation Supporting Sponsors: Boat US, Carhartt, Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Luck-E-Strike, Power-Pole, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications – Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times – comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster Wild Card, B.A.S.S. Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.
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Media Contact: Cara Clark, 205-313-0955, cclark@bassmaster.com, or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, dprecht@bassmaster.com.
2013 2013 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship 10/24-10/26
Lake Dardanelle, Russellville, Ark.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Jeff Lugar Mcgaheysville, VA (MidA 14 41-13 0
2. Coby Carden Shelby, AL (South) 13 40-09 0
3. Doug Thompson Mabelvale, AR (Cntrl) 15 40-03 0
4. Brandon Pedigo Durant, OK (Cntrl) 14 37-08 0
5. Mark Dove North Vernon, IN (North 15 37-04 0
6. Albert Collins Nacogdoches, TX (Cntrl) 14 35-09 0
7. Ryan Lavigne Gonzales, LA (Cntrl) 12 35-08 0
8. Paul Mueller Southbury, CT (East) 13 33-15 0
9. Monty Fralick Martin, SD (North) 14 33-15 0
10. Tim Johnston Kalispell , MT (West) 14 33-01 0
11. Jeremy Percifield Kennewick, WA (West) 13 30-12 0
12. Drew Sadler Richmond , KY (South) 11 30-10 0
13. Nathan Gray Columbus, IN (North) 15 30-07 0
14. Alan Denise Haverhill, MA (East) 13 29-06 0
15. Jim Barczak Osceola, WI (North) 12 28-01 0
16. Phil Curtis Rosseau ONTARIO CANADA 11 27-06 0
17. Randy Ladner Bay St Louis, MS (Cntrl 12 27-03 0
18. Chris Adams Rutland, VT (East) 13 27-02 0
19. Leo Bevelaqua Wyoming, RI (East) 13 26-14 0
20. Stan Dodson Mineral Wells, WV (Nort 11 26-04 0
21. Mike Powell Heber City, UT (West) 13 24-14 0
22. Mark Pierce Radcliff, KY (South) 11 24-07 0
23. Kris Bosley Amarillo, TX (West) 8 23-08 0
24. William Pioch Beckley, WV (MidAt) 12 23-03 0
25. Cory Leonard Castalia, NC (South) 12 23-03 0
26. Randy Phillips Oxford, MA (East) 11 22-15 0
27. Laurence Hogue Kennebunk, ME (East) 10 22-14 0
28. David Boyd Quincy, FL (South) 9 21-14 0
29. Chris Blair Newnan, GA (South) 10 21-09 0
30. Dan Parker Guttenburg, IA (North) 10 21-04 0
31. Alessandro Debbi Casalgrande ITALY (Nort 11 21-02 0
32. Jason Vaughn Bridgeville, DE (MidAt) 7 20-09 0
33. Keegan Graves Meridian, ID (West) 10 20-05 0
34. Jim Groome Pittsgrove, NJ (MidAt) 8 20-03 0
35. Michael Gibney Gresham, OR (West) 10 19-01 0
36. Juan Ro Chagollan Zapopon MEXICO (Cntrl) 11 18-11 0
37. Beau Branine Haysville, KS (Cntrl) 11 18-09 0
38. Ted Prisbe Harsens Island, MI (No 8 18-02 0
39. Jim Severson Rice, MN (North) 8 18-01 0
40. John Proctor Conway, SC (South) 11 18-00 0
41. John Duarte Baltimore, MD (MidAt) 8 17-03 0
42. Ed McCaw Ingacio, CO (West) 8 17-02 0
43. Brian L Wilson Bloomfield, IA (Cntrl) 8 16-08 0
44. Joe Cole Coalville, UT (West) 8 16-02 0
45. Mike Moran Ruffsdale, PA (MidAt) 9 15-03 0
46. James Maisenbacher Hudson, IL (North) 8 15-02 0
47. Alastair Graham Lakeside SOUTH AFRICA ( 6 14-11 0
48. Nick Ash Omaha, NE (Cntrl) 7 13-14 0
49. Dean Lewis Harare ZIMBABWE (MidAt) 9 13-13 0
50. Ronald Welch Corona, CA (West) 7 12-11 0
51. Jesse Milicevic Henderson, NV (West) 7 12-03 0
52. Ronald Ryals Live Oak, FL (MidAt) 6 11-03 0
53. Randy Lamanche Marcellus, NY (East) 6 10-07 0
54. Brian Severson Queen Creek, AZ (West) 5 09-06 0
55. Shinichiro Tsuchiya Hiki-Country JAPAN (Wes 5 07-08 0
56. Alberto Rodriguez Oliver Parets Del Valles SPAIN 2 03-09 0
———————————————————————–
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 22 201 456-06
2 15 170 355-11
3 25 201 470-04
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62 572 1282-05
TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
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State Lbs-Oz
1 NORTHERN 249-10
2 CENTRAL 243-09
3 WESTERN 226-09
4 EASTERN 204-08
5 SOUTHERN 194-15
6 MID-ATLANTIC 163-02
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3
———————————————————————–
NORTHERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Mark Dove North Vernon, IN 15 37-04 0
2 Monty Fralick Martin, SD 14 33-15 0
3 Nathan Gray Columbus, IN 15 30-07 0
4 Jim Barczak Osceola, WI 12 28-01 0
5 Stan Dodson Mineral Wells, WV 11 26-04 0
6 Dan Parker Guttenburg, IA 10 21-04 0
7 Alessandro Debbi Casalgrande ITALY 11 21-02 0
8 Ted Prisbe Harsens Island, MI 8 18-02 0
9 Jim Severson Rice, MN 8 18-01 0
10 James Maisenbacher Hudson, IL 8 15-02 0
CENTRAL
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Doug Thompson Mabelvale, AR 15 40-03 0
2 Brandon Pedigo Durant, OK 14 37-08 0
3 Albert Collins Nacogdoches, TX 14 35-09 0
4 Ryan Lavigne Gonzales, LA 12 35-08 0
5 Randy Ladner Bay St Louis, MS 12 27-03 0
6 Juan Ro Chagollan Zapopon MEXICO 11 18-11 0
7 Beau Branine Haysville, KS 11 18-09 0
8 Brian L Wilson Bloomfield, IA 8 16-08 0
9 Nick Ash Omaha, NE 7 13-14 0
WESTERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Tim Johnston Kalispell , MT 14 33-01 0
2 Jeremy Percifield Kennewick, WA 13 30-12 0
3 Mike Powell Heber City, UT 13 24-14 0
4 Kris Bosley Amarillo, TX 8 23-08 0
5 Keegan Graves Meridian, ID 10 20-05 0
6 Michael Gibney Gresham, OR 10 19-01 0
7 Ed McCaw Ingacio, CO 8 17-02 0
8 Joe Cole Coalville, UT 8 16-02 0
9 Ronald Welch Corona, CA 7 12-11 0
10 Jesse Milicevic Henderson, NV 7 12-03 0
11 Brian Severson Queen Creek, AZ 5 09-06 0
12 Shinichiro Tsuchiya Hiki-Country JAPAN 5 07-08 0
EASTERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Paul Mueller Southbury, CT 13 33-15 0
2 Alan Denise Haverhill, MA 13 29-06 0
3 Phil Curtis Rosseau ONTARIO CANADA 11 27-06 0
4 Chris Adams Rutland, VT 13 27-02 0
5 Leo Bevelaqua Wyoming, RI 13 26-14 0
6 Randy Phillips Oxford, MA 11 22-15 0
7 Laurence Hogue Kennebunk, ME 10 22-14 0
8 Randy Lamanche Marcellus, NY 6 10-07 0
9 Alberto Rodriguez Oliver Parets Del Valles SPAIN 2 03-09 0
SOUTHERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Coby Carden Shelby, AL 13 40-09 0
2 Drew Sadler Richmond , KY 11 30-10 0
3 Mark Pierce Radcliff, KY 11 24-07 0
4 Cory Leonard Castalia, NC 12 23-03 0
5 David Boyd Quincy, FL 9 21-14 0
6 Chris Blair Newnan, GA 10 21-09 0
7 John Proctor Conway, SC 11 18-00 0
8 Alastair Graham Lakeside SOUTH AFRICA 6 14-11 0
MID-ATLANTIC
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Jeff Lugar Mcgaheysville, VA 14 41-13 0
2 William Pioch Beckley, WV 12 23-03 0
3 Jason Vaughn Bridgeville, DE 7 20-09 0
4 Jim Groome Pittsgrove, NJ 8 20-03 0
5 John Duarte Baltimore, MD 8 17-03 0
6 Mike Moran Ruffsdale, PA 9 15-03 0
7 Dean Lewis Harare ZIMBABWE 9 13-13 0
8 Ronald Ryals Live Oak, FL 6 11-03 0