MONETA, Va. - The wind blew hard across Smith Mountain Lake on the final day of the last Bassmaster Northern Open of the season, but it wasn't hard enough to blow local favorite David Dudley off his pattern. The 29-year-old Lynchburg, Va., resident took the lead on Day 1 and never looked back. His final weight for all three days was 33 pounds, 14 ounces, over 2 pounds more than second-place angler Terry Baksay.
Dudley used a 3/8-ounce brown Dave's Tournament Tackle jig tipped with a green pumpkin/blue Zoom Super Chunk that he flipped to docks throughout the 20,000-acre lake.
"I caught them all over the lake. I was fishing slow but fast," he said. "I'd run from one dock to the next, but once I got to each dock, I'd fish slow. I really didn't pay any attention to the weather. I just stuck with my pattern."
The key, he added, was to find docks with a large platform that afforded the bass shade and respite from the heavy fishing pressure. When he found one, he skipped his jig far up under the cover and used 17-pound Trilene XT to get the fish out. Most of the docks that surrendered bass were on the main body of Smith Mountain Lake.
"The depth of water didn't really matter. I just wanted a big dock with shade," said Dudley. "I have no idea how many different docks I fished. I hit a bunch."
The weather deteriorated from calm, overcast conditions of the first day to cool, blustery winds on the final day. Although Dudley remained atop the leader board for the entire event, the remainder of the top 10 slots shifted from day to day. Baksay started out in sixth place on day 1 and inched his way up to the second-place slot on the final day with a catch of 9 pounds, 13 ounces and a three-day total of 31-12. His primary bait was a tiny 1/16-ounce brown custom-made jig tied on a Daiichi Bleeding Bait hook tipped with either a Lunker City Piggy Back trailer or a Yamamoto Twin-Tail grub.
"I saw almost every bass I caught. They were sitting in a foot of water and they were all facing rocks," he recalled. "The key was to throw the bait up on the bank and pull it into the water. If the lure hit the water first, the fish took off. They were real skittish."
Baksay credits his finish to the red hook, his Lure Eyes polarized sunglasses and 8-pound Maxima fluorocarbon line. He saw several other large bass, including one he estimated at 8 pounds, but he just couldn't seal the deal. One large bass would have not only given him a limit, it would have given Baksay $50,000 in cash and prizes, including a new Triton boat. Still, the Connecticut angler left Virginia with a Triton boat.
Virginia pro Woo Daves roared back from 29th place on the first day to third overall with a final day five-bass limit that weighed 11 pounds, 9 ounces. He relied on a Zoom finesse worm and a Bagley's DB2 crawfish crankbait to catch most of his fish.
"I used a green pumpkin worm when it was cloudy. When the sun came out I switched to a watermelon finesse worm," he said.
New Jersey angler Pete Gluszek claimed fourth with a final weight of 28 pounds, 14 ounces, and Lynchburg angler Steve "Cheeseburger" Roberts, who was in second going into the final day, ended up fifth with a final weight of 28-10. Gluszek, who finished in the top 10 all three Northern Opens, claimed the top spot in the points race.
Mark Clingenpeel, a concrete contractor from Boone's Mill, Va., brought only one bass to the scales on the final day, but it was enough to edge out New York angler Otto David for first place in the non-boater division. Clingenpeel won a new Triton boat for his three-day total of 18 pounds, 1 ounce. His third-day bass came on a half-ounce white Hawg Caller spinnerbait.
The daily Big Bass Award in the boater division went to Mark Fields of Moneta, Va. His 5-pound, 1-ounce largemouth earned him $1,000. The Purolator big bass of the tournament also claimed the daily Big Bass Award in the non-boater division. Reading, Pa., angler Scott Thomas brought a 7-7 to the scales to claim two checks, one for $400 (the daily Purolator big Bass Award) and $1,000 for the Big Bass Award of the tournament.
2004 Virginia Bassmaster Open BO 10/14-10/16 Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta Va. (BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. David Dudley Lynchburg, Va. 14 33-14 315 $48,350.00 Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 4 10-04 Day 3: 5 9-00 2. Terrence Baksay Monroe, Conn. 14 31-12 295 $39,450.00 Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 4 9-13 3. Woo Daves Spring Grove, Va. 12 29-02 290 $15,300.00 Day 1: 3 6-14 Day 2: 4 10-11 Day 3: 5 11-09 4. Pete Gluszek Franklinville, N.J. 14 28-14 285 $12,600.00 Day 1: 5 8-14 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 4 9-01 5. Steve Roberts Lynchburg, Va. 12 28-10 280 $7,120.00 Day 1: 4 8-01 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 3 5-10 6. Danny Correia Marlborough, Mass. 12 27-04 276 $5,785.00 Day 1: 4 10-05 Day 2: 3 4-06 Day 3: 5 12-09 6. Emery Grosvenor Goode, Va. 11 27-04 276 $5,785.00 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 3 6-12 Day 3: 3 6-13 8. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 12 25-07 268 $4,895.00 Day 1: 3 5-15 Day 2: 4 7-03 Day 3: 5 12-05 9. Rick Morris Lanexa, Va. 10 25-00 264 $4,005.00 Day 1: 4 10-05 Day 2: 2 2-12 Day 3: 4 11-15 10. David Wolak Warrior Run, Pa. 9 24-10 260 $3,560.00 Day 1: 3 6-00 Day 2: 4 12-13 Day 3: 2 5-13 11. Chris Daves Hopewell, Va. 10 24-00 257 $2,892.50 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 1 1-04 Day 3: 4 9-01 11. Matthew Terry Moneta, Va. 10 24-00 257 $2,892.50 Day 1: 2 5-06 Day 2: 4 8-02 Day 3: 4 10-08 13. Mark Fields Moneta, Va. 9 23-15 251 $3,225.00 Day 1: 1 1-10 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 3 9-00 14. Benjamin Gusciora Williamsport, Md. 9 22-02 248 $2,136.00 Day 1: 2 5-08 Day 2: 2 4-08 Day 3: 5 12-02 15. Chris Dillow Waynesboro, Va. 8 21-14 245 $2,047.00 Day 1: 3 8-06 Day 2: 2 7-07 Day 3: 3 6-01 16. J W Smelser Rural Retreat, Va. 10 21-12 243 $1,958.00 Day 1: 4 6-03 Day 2: 1 2-05 Day 3: 5 13-04 17. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 10 21-06 241 $1,958.00 Day 1: 5 8-10 Day 2: 1 2-08 Day 3: 4 10-04 18. Geoffrey Hill Salem, Va. 10 21-00 239 $1,958.00 Day 1: 2 4-02 Day 2: 4 9-00 Day 3: 4 7-14 19. George Saliba Lakefield, Canada 8 20-11 237 $2,958.00 Day 1: 2 7-08 Day 2: 3 7-05 Day 3: 3 5-14 20. Jimmy Coleman Monroe, Va. 10 20-05 235 $1,958.00 Day 1: 4 10-14 Day 2: 2 2-12 Day 3: 4 6-11 21. Norio Tanabe Tokyo 153, Japan 9 20-00 233 $1,869.00 Day 1: 5 8-10 Day 2: 3 9-02 Day 3: 1 2-04 22. Brian Bylotas Olyphant, Pa. 9 19-05 231 $1,869.00 Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 1 2-11 Day 3: 3 5-14 23. Mark Burgess Norton, Mass. 7 18-11 229 $1,869.00 Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 2 4-12 Day 3: 0 0-00 24. Bret King Lenoir City, Tenn. 9 18-03 227 $1,869.00 Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 1 1-10 Day 3: 3 5-13 25. Jon Bondy Windsor, Canada 7 17-15 225 $3,869.00 Day 1: 4 7-04 Day 2: 3 10-11 Day 3: 0 0-00 26. Randall Romig Barto, Pa. 7 17-09 223 $1,513.00 Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 1 1-13 Day 3: 1 2-14 27. James Elston Roanoke, Va. 8 17-08 221 $1,513.00 Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 3 5-02 Day 3: 1 2-03 28. Joe Thomas Milford, Ohio 9 17-05 219 $1,513.00 Day 1: 4 8-03 Day 2: 2 3-10 Day 3: 3 5-08 29. Dale Wilson Huddleston, Va. 8 17-04 217 $1,513.00 Day 1: 1 1-05 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 2 4-08 30. Tim Goff Forest, Va. 8 17-01 215 $1,513.00 Day 1: 1 2-06 Day 2: 4 9-00 Day 3: 3 5-11 31. Louis Iribarren Port Jervis, N.Y. 8 16-13 213 $1,335.00 Day 1: 1 2-02 Day 2: 5 9-12 Day 3: 2 4-15 32. Wayne Burchett Draper, Va. 9 16-12 211 $1,335.00 Day 1: 5 9-02 Day 2: 1 1-12 Day 3: 3 5-14 33. Art Ferguson III Saint Clair Shores, Mi 8 16-01 209 $1,335.00 Day 1: 1 1-04 Day 2: 4 8-07 Day 3: 3 6-06 33. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 6 16-01 209 $1,335.00 Day 1: 3 6-14 Day 2: 2 7-10 Day 3: 1 1-09 35. David Mansue Robbinsville, N.J. 6 14-13 205 $1,335.00 Day 1: 4 8-14 Day 2: 2 5-15 Day 3: 0 0-00 36. Steve Rogers Coal City, Ill. 5 14-02 203 $1,157.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 10-03 Day 3: 2 3-15 37. James Bradshaw Lynchburg, Va. 6 13-04 201 $1,157.00 Day 1: 2 3-14 Day 2: 3 7-02 Day 3: 1 2-04 38. Kurt Johnson Cedar Rapids, Iowa 6 13-01 199 $1,157.00 Day 1: 5 9-15 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 3-02 39. Chris Jennings Altavista, Va. 6 12-07 197 $1,157.00 Day 1: 3 7-14 Day 2: 1 1-06 Day 3: 2 3-03 40. Chris Bielert Danbury, Conn. 6 12-00 195 $1,157.00 Day 1: 3 6-07 Day 2: 2 3-00 Day 3: 1 2-09 41. Jimmy Cannoy Martinsville, Va. 6 11-13 193 $1,068.00 Day 1: 1 1-12 Day 2: 3 6-08 Day 3: 2 3-09 42. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, Ala. 5 11-04 191 $1,068.00 Day 1: 2 4-02 Day 2: 3 7-02 Day 3: 0 0-00 43. Sean Stepp Stafford, Va. 6 11-02 189 $1,068.00 Day 1: 2 3-15 Day 2: 4 7-03 Day 3: 0 0-00 43. Ed Robtison Roanoke, Va. 5 11-02 189 $1,068.00 Day 1: 1 3-08 Day 2: 3 5-14 Day 3: 1 1-12 45. Jerry Skinner Lynchburg, Va. 6 11-00 185 $1,068.00 Day 1: 3 5-09 Day 2: 2 3-07 Day 3: 1 2-00 46. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, Md. 5 10-11 183 $979.00 Day 1: 2 5-04 Day 2: 2 3-14 Day 3: 1 1-09 47. Paul Mazzitelli Pittston, Pa. 4 10-03 181 $979.00 Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 2 6-09 Day 3: 0 0-00 48. Brian Kirkpatrick Colonial Heights, Va. 4 9-12 179 $979.00 Day 1: 2 4-15 Day 2: 1 3-06 Day 3: 1 1-07 49. Gregory Roth Cambridge, Canada 4 9-06 177 $979.00 Day 1: 2 5-03 Day 2: 2 4-03 Day 3: 0 0-00 50. Richard Smith Dumfries, Va. 5 8-15 175 $979.00 Day 1: 2 4-02 Day 2: 3 4-13 Day 3: 0 0-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Purolator Big Bass Day 1 George Saliba Lakefield, Canada 5-10 $1,000.00 2 Jon Bondy Windsor, Canada 6-08 $1,000.00 3 Mark Fields Moneta, Va. 5-01 $1,000.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 13 275 586-03 2 6 210 467-11 3 6 118 264-00 ---------------------------------- 25 603 1317-142004 Virginia CITGO Bassmaster Open NB 10/14-10/16 Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta Va. (NON-BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Mark Clingenpeel Boones Mill, Va. 8 18-01 310 $24,000.00 Day 1: 4 8-10 Day 2: 3 6-09 Day 3: 1 2-14 2. Otto David Jefferson Valley, N.Y. 6 17-02 295 $7,120.00 Day 1: 3 8-09 Day 2: 1 1-12 Day 3: 2 6-13 3. Brandon Reynolds Callands, Va. 6 13-06 290 $4,450.00 Day 1: 2 3-09 Day 2: 3 5-10 Day 3: 1 4-03 4. Andrew Karcich Mahwah, N.J. 6 12-07 285 $4,005.00 Day 1: 3 5-06 Day 2: 2 4-12 Day 3: 1 2-05 5. Scott Thomas Reading, Pa. 3 12-04 280 $4,960.00 Day 1: 1 2-02 Day 2: 1 2-11 Day 3: 1 7-07 6. Peter Bates Wallingford, Conn. 5 11-12 281 $2,670.00 Day 1: 4 10-06 Day 2: 1 1-06 Day 3: 0 0-00 7. Bruce Freeman Street, Md. 5 11-03 272 $2,225.00 Day 1: 1 1-04 Day 2: 2 5-06 Day 3: 2 4-09 8. Jeff Camp Wht Sphr Spgs, W.Va. 5 10-13 268 $1,780.00 Day 1: 1 2-01 Day 2: 3 7-14 Day 3: 1 0-14 9. Mary Croft Bedford, Va. 6 10-10 264 $1,602.00 Day 1: 3 5-09 Day 2: 2 3-10 Day 3: 1 1-07 10. Mark Finley Palmyra, Va. 6 10-08 260 $1,424.00 Day 1: 3 5-12 Day 2: 1 1-13 Day 3: 2 2-15 11. Donald Sheffey Concord, Va. 4 9-15 257 $1,201.50 Day 1: 2 4-09 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 2 5-06 11. Charles Robison Allison Park, Pa. 3 9-15 257 $1,601.50 Day 1: 1 6-05 Day 2: 2 3-10 Day 3: 0 0-00 13. Eddie Akers Dublin, Va. 3 9-10 251 $1,023.50 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 3-02 Day 3: 2 6-08 13. Robert Hoyt Wirtz, Va. 2 9-10 251 $1,423.50 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 5-12 Day 3: 1 3-14 15. Harold Dunlap Orefield, Pa. 4 8-12 245 $890.00 Day 1: 3 6-03 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 2-09 16. Jerry Rice Altavista, Va. 3 8-02 243 $712.00 Day 1: 1 2-05 Day 2: 1 1-08 Day 3: 1 4-05 17. Bob Powell Troy, Va. 4 7-08 241 $712.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 4 7-08 Day 3: 0 0-00 18. Greg Hylton Martinsville, Va. 2 7-06 239 $712.00 Day 1: 2 7-06 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 19. Brandon Neal Rockfall, Conn. 4 7-04 237 $712.00 Day 1: 2 3-04 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 2 4-00 20. Jora Airapetyan North Babylon, N.Y. 3 7-02 235 $712.00 Day 1: 3 7-02 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 21. Don Pritchard Oswego, N.Y. 2 7-00 233 $623.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 7-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 22. James Wylie Cannington, Canada 3 6-13 231 $623.00 Day 1: 1 3-09 Day 2: 1 1-14 Day 3: 1 1-06 23. Todd Wagner Ottawa, Ohio 3 6-09 229 $623.00 Day 1: 2 4-12 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 1-13 23. William Beekman East Quogue, N.Y. 2 6-09 229 $623.00 Day 1: 1 3-09 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 3-00 25. Richard Keyser Pine City, N.Y. 4 6-05 225 $578.50 Day 1: 0 -1-00 Day 2: 3 5-10 Day 3: 1 1-11 25. Takeshi Iizuka Saitama 360-0813, Japa 2 6-05 225 $578.50 Day 1: 1 3-05 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 3-00 27. William Sanders Baltimore, Md. 3 6-02 221 $534.00 Day 1: 2 4-08 Day 2: 1 1-10 Day 3: 0 0-00 28. Alonzo Evans East Hartford, Conn. 3 6-00 219 $534.00 Day 1: 1 2-05 Day 2: 1 1-08 Day 3: 1 2-03 29. Jeffrey Fouch Martinsburg, W.Va. 3 5-15 217 $534.00 Day 1: 1 2-10 Day 2: 1 1-08 Day 3: 1 1-13 29. Donald Muir Nottingham, Md. 2 5-15 217 $534.00 Day 1: 1 4-01 Day 2: 1 1-14 Day 3: 0 0-00 31. Michael Noel Evington, Va. 3 5-08 213 $490.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 3-08 Day 3: 1 2-00 32. Bob Jorgensen Mahopac, N.Y. 3 5-04 211 $490.00 Day 1: 2 3-00 Day 2: 1 2-04 Day 3: 0 0-00 32. Bob Gilbert Old Bridge, N.J. 2 5-04 211 $490.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 5-04 Day 3: 0 0-00 32. William Langille Tafton, Pa. 2 5-04 211 $490.00 Day 1: 1 3-04 Day 2: 1 2-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 35. Randy Knopp Jarrettsville, Md. 3 5-02 205 $490.00 Day 1: 1 2-01 Day 2: 2 3-01 Day 3: 0 0-00 36. Michael Naughton Iselin, N.J. 3 5-00 203 $445.00 Day 1: 1 1-05 Day 2: 1 2-01 Day 3: 1 1-10 37. Jonathan Hankins North Tazewell, Va. 2 4-09 201 $445.00 Day 1: 1 1-12 Day 2: 1 2-13 Day 3: 0 0-00 38. David Bowyer Bedford, Va. 2 4-05 199 $445.00 Day 1: 1 1-15 Day 2: 1 2-06 Day 3: 0 0-00 39. David Hovanec Unionville, N.Y. 2 4-04 197 $445.00 Day 1: 2 4-04 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 40. William Parry Palmerton, Pa. 2 4-02 195 $445.00 Day 1: 1 1-12 Day 2: 1 2-06 Day 3: 0 0-00 41. Ben Reynolds Callands, Va. 2 4-01 193 $401.00 Day 1: 1 1-13 Day 2: 1 2-04 Day 3: 0 0-00 42. Sid McCune Buchanan, Va. 1 4-00 191 $401.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 4-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 43. Ken Moore Goode, Va. 2 3-14 189 $401.00 Day 1: 1 1-00 Day 2: 1 2-14 Day 3: 0 0-00 44. Dean Gracey Westbrook, Conn. 2 3-09 187 $401.00 Day 1: 1 2-01 Day 2: 1 1-08 Day 3: 0 0-00 45. Ted Ramsey Kinsman, Ohio 2 3-07 185 $401.00 Day 1: 1 1-10 Day 2: 1 1-13 Day 3: 0 0-00 46. Timothy Martin Lancaster, Pa. 2 3-06 183 $356.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 3-06 Day 3: 0 0-00 47. Bob Redar Stevensville, Md. 2 3-05 181 $356.00 Day 1: 2 3-05 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 48. Dale Rathbun Leicester, N.Y. 2 3-04 179 $356.00 Day 1: 1 1-09 Day 2: 1 1-11 Day 3: 0 0-00 49. Calvin Bates Evington, Va. 2 3-02 177 $356.00 Day 1: 1 1-08 Day 2: 1 1-10 Day 3: 0 0-00 50. Kurt Wolfe Huddleston, Va. 2 3-01 175 $356.00 Day 1: 2 3-01 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Purolator Big Bass Day 1 Charles Robison Allison Park, Pa. 6-05 $400.00 2 Robert Hoyt Wirtz, Va. 5-12 $400.00 3 Scott Thomas Reading, Pa. 7-07 $400.00 Scott Thomas Reading, Pa. 7-07 $1,000.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 0 101 207-15 2 0 77 160-08 3 0 30 78-09 ---------------------------------- 0 208 447-00