CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 21, 2007) - David Andrews of Bolton, Mass., a 39-year-old research scientist working in the pharmaceutical industry, discovered a winning pattern early in his practice on Lake Wylie and went on to capture The Bass Federation National Bass Fishing Championship title Saturday with a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 41 pounds, 4 ounces.
His secret to winning the tournament was skipping a 5-inch Gambler Ace under docks to entice bass hiding from the bright North Carolina sun.
"When the sun came out, those fish moved way back under the docks," he said. "I used light line and skipped my lures back under them where most other people probably didn't reach."
The Gambler Ace is a dense bait that skips well according to Andrews. He rigged the green-pumpkin lure wacky style, fished it weightless on 8-pound-test Gamma copolymer line and dipped both ends in chartreuse dye.
"Skipping docks is my strength. It's what I do back home, and what I did on my first day of practice," Andrews said. "I had no preconceived notions of coming down here and winning this thing, and that is probably why I did so well. I was very relaxed, and I never considered using any other technique."
Andrews has been a Federation member since he was 14 and has qualified for regional teams 15 times in the Federation's Eastern Division. This was his fourth National Championship appearance.
"This thing is unlike most big tournaments where you win it and then it is the end," he said. "This isn't the end. It is just the beginning."
For his victory he received a $100,000 prize package that includes automatic entry into the $1 million All-American on the Ohio River in Louisville, Ky., May 30-June 2 and automatic entry into the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 2-5, where the top pro can pocket as much as $1 million - the biggest award in bass fishing. The lucrative prize package also includes automatic free entry into the 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Tour or Wal-Mart FLW Series, $10,000 cash and use of a wrapped Chevy truck and Ranger boat.
Andrews started the tournament off Thursday in fourth place with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces. He then moved up to third Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 13-14 that bumped his two-day total to 28-12, just 2 pounds, 13 ounces behind the day-two leader, Jamie Horton of Centerville, Ala., from the Southern Division and just 7 ounces behind second-place boater Greg Cooper of Monroe City, Mo., from the Central Division. On Saturday Andrews leapfrogged both leaders with a 12-pound, 8-ounce limit.
Saturday was a rough day for Horton, as he managed to catch just three bass weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces and slipped to third with a total catch of 13 bass weighing 36-11, worth $2,500. Cooper fared better with five bass weighing 10-3 Saturday to maintain his second-place standing and pocket $5,000 with a total catch of 15 bass weighing 39-6.
Rounding out the final-round field of boaters were Aaron Echternkamp of Moses Lake, Wash. (Western Division, 15 bass, 35-5, $2,500); Derek Cummings of Eaton Rapids, Mich. (Northern Division, 13 bass, 32-7, $2,500) and David Keisel of Virginia Beach, Va. (Mid-Atlantic Division, 14 bass, 30-5, $2,500).
Keisel also won a 519VX Ranger Comanche powered by Yamaha as the highest finishing Ranger Cup participant.
While David Andrews rose from third to first in the Boater Division on the final day of competition, another David Andrews slipped from first to third in the Co-angler Division.
David Andrews of Fairfax, Va., entered the final round of co-angler competition with a 2-pound, 6-ounce lead but fell to third after catching just one bass weighing 2 pounds. The Mid-Atlantic Division angler earned $1,000 for the finish with at total of 11 bass weighing 26-6. His stumble opened the door for Wayne Black of San Mateo, Fla., representing the Southern Division. Black overcame a 3-pound, 8-ounce deficit on the final day thanks to a four-bass catch weighing 10-15 that boosted his three-day total to 13 bass weighing 31-13, good for a $10,000 prize package that includes co-angler entry into the All-American and the Forrest Wood Cup. Ronald Herbert Jr. of East Livermore, Maine, also jumped up the standings from sixth to second with a final-day catch of five bass weighing 8-14 and a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 27-13, good for $2,500. Rounding out the final-round field of co-anglers were Gerald Wright of Pasco, Wash. (Western Division, 12 bass, 25-10, $1,000); Kevin Wells of South Shore, Ky. (Northern Division, 11 bass, 24-9, $1,000); and James Mitchell of Independence, Mo. (Central Division, nine bass, 22-12, $1,000).
More than 99 percent of the fish weighed in Saturday were released alive.
Anglers qualified for the no-entry-fee TBF National Championship through a series of TBF club, state and divisional tournaments.
The entire field of 36 TBF boaters and 36 co-anglers fished Thursday and Friday for an accumulated two-day weight. The top boater and co-angler from each of the TBF's six divisions advanced to the final day of competition Saturday, carrying their weight from the opening round into the final round. The winners were determined by the heaviest three-day accumulated weight. All six finalists in both the boater and co-angler divisions will compete in the All-American.