BISMARCK, Ark. - In
celebration of the Yuletide season, Brandon Gray received a couple of early
Christmas presents for being a good angler at DeGray Lake.
By
winning the bracket portion of the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team
Championship, Gray earned the final 2015 Bassmaster Classic berth and accepted
another gift of a Skeeter FX20/Yamaha 250 outboard rig for him to run in the
Classic Feb. 20-22 at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. The Bullock, N.C.,
angler caught five-fish limits both days during the individual fish-off and
finished with 20 pounds, 3 ounces.
"It's
been a long hard road for me," said the 42-year-old Gray. The occupational
hearing conservationist (he conducts OSHA standard hearing tests for companies)
disclosed he has come close to making the Classic three times through the
Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship.
"The
last three years I have fished it, I finished second at Dardanelle and lost by
2 pounds, then lost by 2 pounds at Guntersville the year before and lost by
about 3 pounds at Old Hickory last year," Gray said.
Gray
had doubts about even coming to this team championship. "It was a long
drive, and we had a successful year back home (fishing with Todd Massey in the
Anglers Choice team trail)," Gray said.
However,
he thought there might be something special about the site of the championship
so they made the long trip. "We both have the same last names - DeGray
Lake and Brandon Gray," he said.
After
finding scant information about DeGray on the Internet, Gray decided to try
some techniques on lakes close to home that he hoped to duplicate at the
championship. "So I was doing as much homework at home so when I got here,
I would be prepared," he said.
Gray
thought spooning would be the best way to catch DeGray bass, but he changed his
mind when the tactic produced only a couple of keepers in practice. "It's
all about making the right decisions, and I felt like I made the right
decisions here," said Gray, who decided to throw Norman DD22 crankbaits to
catch his fish the last two days.
The
deep-diving crankbaits produced three keepers for him today, but the calm
weather prompted him to make a switch. He completed his limit by catching two
keepers on a 1/8-ounce shaky head jig tipped with a black Zoom Trick Worm.
Arizona
guide Jon "Scooter" Griffith retained second place today by catching
three keepers to give him a two-day total of 12-12. The 41-year-old Griffith
said he knew today was going to be tough since he had trouble catching any fish
early. "I have had some pretty good days out here but this day I just
couldn't find the hybrids I was catching before and the baitfish just weren't
around," Griffith said. "I ended up catching all of my fish out of
one tree." He caught most of his fish both days on a 1/2-ounce jigging
spoon and drop shotted a Senko for a few of his
keepers.
Arkansas
angler Royce Davis landed in third place with 9-4. "It has been tough all
week long for me," he said. "I just went fishing the last two days
just dragging (a 1/4-ounce wobble-head jig with a Speed Craw) and throwing a
jerkbait," he said. "I had four bites today, and I caught three of
them."
Rounding
out the six final spots in the event were Arizona angler John Stewart Jr., who
finished fourth with 5-13; Flannagan Fife of
Arkansas, fifth, 3-0; and Todd Massey of North Carolina, sixth, 2-6.
The
DeGray Lake Resort State Park hosted the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team
Championship. Launches and weigh-ins for the three competition days were held
at Caddo Bend in DeGray Lake Resort State Park, Bismarck, Ark.
2014
Bassmaster Team Championship Title Sponsor: Toyota Bonus Bucks
2014
Bassmaster Team Championship Official Sponsors: Mercury, Nitro Boats, Skeeter
Boats, Yamaha
2014
Bassmaster Team Championship Supporting Sponsors: Booyah,
Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures
About
B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S.
is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the
sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization's
fully integrated media platforms include the industry's leading magazines
(Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The
Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45
years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The
Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level
of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster
Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events,
Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series presented by
Carhartt, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate
celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by
Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.
Toyota
Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Classic Fish Off
12/12/2014
- 12/13/2014
Degray Lake - Degray Lake Resort - Bismarck, AR
STANDINGS
BOATER DAY 2
Today's
Activity
Name
Fish Live Lbs-Oz Fish Live Lbs-Oz
1.
Brandon Gray -Anglers Choice 5 5 9-11 10 10 20-3
2. Jon
Griffith -Total Bass Addict 3 3 4-7 7 7 12-12
3.
Royce Davis -Fishers of Men 2 2 5-0 4 4 9-4
4.
John Stewart Jr -Total Bass Addict 4 4 5-13 4 4 5-13
5. Flannagan Fife -Fishers of Men 0 0
0-0 1 1 3-0
6.
Todd Massey -Anglers Choice 0 0 0-0 2 2 2-6
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