Proctor Hoping Smaller Aluminum Boat Key To Success In B.a.s.s. Nation Championship
Normally, you are not too happy if you are the last boat drawn in a tournament because everybody gets out ahead of you and heads for the prime fishing spots before you can get there. But John Proctor, who is Boat No. 59 in a field of 59 in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas this week, is not bothered at all.
“Being the last boat in the field is kind of a good thing,” Proctor said with a chuckle. “I won’t have to be looking over my shoulder.”
The reason is that while 55 of the competitors will be driving modern bass boats, Proctor and three others will be fishing out of smaller aluminum boats pushed by outboards with much less horsepower.
“The reason I brought an aluminum boat is that I found some shallow, stumpy water in practice,” Proctor said. While he normally fishes out of a Triton, Proctor bought a 16-foot War Eagle 648 with a 60-horsepower Mercury 4-stroke outboard.
“We built a deck on it and put on a new trolling motor. I like fishing out of it and I can get anywhere in it. Some of the places here are really hard to get in,” Proctor said.
He’s not the only one who decided to go small for a better shot at winning big. Former Elite Series angler Jami Fralick will also be fishing out of an aluminum boat – a 16-foot Bass Tracker with a 40-horsepower outboard.
An accountant at a bank, Proctor is a member of the Conway, S.C. Bassmasters. He earned a berth on the South Carolina Team that fished in the B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional in April on the Pee Dee River Basin. Proctor was the overall tournament winner and also won the State of South Carolina team title to advance to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
The field of 59 anglers represents 47 states and one Canadian province, plus Japan, South Africa, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Australia. In addition, Jack Barber will represent the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). The PVA sends its Angler of the Year to the BNC each year, and this is Barber’s first year to qualify.
The overall winner of the championship will earn a berth in the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake. Joining the champ at the Classic will be the top contender from each of the other five divisions. Six divisions make up the B.A.S.S. Nation: Western, Central, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Mid-Atlantic.
The payout extends to the top 30 anglers, with the winner getting a Skeeter ZX200 with a Yamaha VF200LA boat and motor package.
2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship
Nov 5-7, 2015
Ouachita River
Forsythe Park Boat Launch
