Daniel Gray Hangs On To Win B.a.s.s. Nation Divisonal On Buggs Island

The vexation of going to the well once too often has bitten many a tournament angler, but Daniel Gray defied that angling axiom and closed the deal at the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Mid-Atlantic Divisional on Buggs Island Reservoir with a 3-day total of 28 pounds 11 ounces.

Hailing from Butler, Pa., Gray placed sixth on Day 1 and then took over the lead on a tough Day 2 after plucking two bass — both weighing 4-1 — off a spot where he had caught a 5-pounder in practice. The key area was a sandy bar extending off a clay bank right outside a small creek.

After trying other areas in the morning, Gray returned to his key area around mid-morning on Day 3 and caught a couple more keepers that sealed his victory by a 1-pound margin.

“Today, I had a great boater (William Goots of the Virginia team), and we went to his spots in the early morning, where I caught two keepers off deeper brushpiles,” Gray said. “Then he said ‘Whatever you want to do.’”

“We went to my spot, and I can’t believe it happened — it was great.”

On the brushpiles, Gray caught his fish by flipping Texas rigged plastics. His best colors were green pumpkin and watermelon red. On the sandy bar, he fished 3 1/2-inch tubes goofy rigged — essentially a weedless arrangement using a 1/4-ounce jig head.

A member of Pennsylvania’s Extreme Anglers bass club, Gray caught four bass for 10-5 on Day 3. He also broke 10 pounds on Day 1 (10-4) and had the Big Bass for Day 2 (4-1).

Overall, the Day 3 weights were better than Day 2. The average fish was a little less than 2 pounds. The Top 10 had 18 pounds or more, but the vast majority of competitors brought in 7 to 12 pounds for their total weight. Only six anglers boasted limits.

Gray not only won the overall tournament; he also topped the Pennsylvania team, which finished three spots behind first-place Virginia, the host state. The Virginia B.A.S.S. Nation state team had two anglers in the Top 10 and won the state competition by a margin of 15-1. Virginia had 181 pounds, 11 ounces, followed by Delaware with 166-10, and New Jersey with 149-15.

Gray earned an invitation to the 2014 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, November 6-8 on Louisiana’s Ouachita River. Other state winners were Greg Alexander, Delaware; Brian Trieschman, Maryland; Michael Sentore, New Jersey; Rodney Rice, Virginia; Randy Huffman, West Virginia.

Essential to Virginia’s team victory was the performance of high school anglers Brandon Strayer and James Graves, who finished 15th overall and third on the Virginia team. Their limit of 11-9 was the largest of Day 2 and the second-largest of the tournament.

High School anglers only fish on Days 2 and 3, so their performance was particularly impressive.

“This is our fourth Divisional this year, and we’ve seen it in every one where the high school team has played a key role in the winning team’s (collective performance),” said B.A.S.S. Nation Director Jon Stewart. “Strayer and Graves had two good days of fishing on a fishery that was tough, and they ended up third on their team in two days, not three. The high schoolers are playing a huge part in what the teams do.”

Ronald Littleton’s 5-pound, 1-ounce bass won the Carhartt Big Bass honors, a $500 prize awarded to the biggest bass of the tournament. Gray won the $250 Livingston Lures Leader award, which goes to the Day 2 leader.

The next divisional in which anglers will earn berths into the championship is the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Divisional to be held August 13-15 on Indiana’s Lake Monroe. More information is available on Bassmaster.com

2014 BASS Nation  MidAtlantic Divisional 6/25-6/27
Kerr Rervoir, Buggs Island  VA.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 3

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts
1.  Daniel Gray            Butler, PA (PA)         11  28-11  0
2.  Michael Sentore        Gloucester City, NJ (NJ 12  27-11  0
3.  Mike Moran             Ruffsdale, PA (PA)      12  25-08  0
4.  Randy Huffman          Charleston, WV (WV)     12  24-14  0
5.  Greg Alexander         Hebron, MD (DE)         14  24-07  0
6.  Rodney Rice            Narrows, VA (VA)        10  22-06  0
7.  Brian La Clair         Denton, MD (DE)         11  22-04  0
8.  Michael Burchett       Pulaski, VA (VA)        11  19-12  0
9.  Mark Hogan             Milford, DE (DE)        11  19-02  0
10. Jerrod Lloyd           Millville, NJ (NJ)      10  18-14  0
11. Bobby Smith            Laurel, DE (DE)         11  18-13  0
12. Brian Trieschman       Ellicott City, MD (MD)  9  18-04  0
13. Keith Cowan            Mt Ephraim, NJ (NJ)     9  17-13  0
14. Paul Gietka            Abingdon, MD (MD)       9  17-12  0
15. VA HS- Strayer/ Graves Madison, VA (VA)        8  17-11  0
16. Jerry Burkhart         Belpre, OH (WV)         10  17-09  0
17. Ronald Littleton       Seaford, DE (DE)        8  17-03  0
18. John Mcgraw            Bordertown, NJ (NJ)     8  16-08  0
19. Jason Vaughn           Bridgeville, DE (DE)    8  15-08  0
20. John Conway            Henrico, VA (VA)        7  15-04  0
21. James Goins            Baltimore, MD (MD)      8  15-03  0
22. James Dingess          Barboursville, WV (WV)  8  14-09  0
23. Joe Devoe              Aberdeen, MD (MD)       7  14-01  0
24. Cavin Young            Prince George, VA (VA)  7  14-00  0
25. William Hubbard        Ridgeway, VA (VA)       8  13-14  0
26. Roger Castillo         Goode, VA (VA)          7  13-13  0
27. Greg Hylton            Martinsville, VA (VA)   6  12-05  0
28. Mark Mounts            Washington, PA (PA)     7  12-01  0
29. Dave Menard            Henrico, VA (VA)        6  12-01  0
30. Robert Brennan         Forked River, NJ (NJ)   6  11-12  0
31. Damien McMahon         Pilot, VA (VA)          8  11-11  0
32. Richard Lane           Pittsburgh, PA (PA)     6  11-10  0
33. Kenneth Hackworth      Charleston, WV (WV)     5  11-06  0
34. Tim Stump              Dover, DE (DE)          5  11-01  0
35. Russell Awad           Brooklyn, NY (NJ)       5  10-15  0
36. Tyler Trent            Nathalie, VA (VA)       5  10-09  0
37. Dion Bright            Fairmont, WV (WV)       6  10-08  0
38. Jon Blaine             Frederick, MD (MD)      5  10-07  0
39. Craig Townsend         Westampton, NJ (NJ)     4  10-02  0
40. William Goots          Reidsville, NC (VA)     4  09-15  0
41. Douglas Zittle         Thurmont, MD (MD)       5  09-04  0
42. Eddie McNeil           Poca, WV (WV)           5  08-15  0
43. David Price            New Windsor, MD (MD)    5  08-12  0
44. Brian Keister          Atco, NJ (NJ)           5  08-12  0
45. Darren Brooks          Wenonah, NJ (NJ)        4  08-10  0
46. Bret Winegardner       Swanton, MD (MD)        4  08-10  0
47. PA HS-Gower/ Mertz     Lewisburg, PA (PA)      3  08-07  0
48. Bob Austin             Marydel, DE (DE)        5  08-06  0
49. Christopher Napier     Virginia Beach, VA (VA) 4  08-06  0
50. Mark Westrick          Hastings, PA (PA)       3  08-02  0
51. Shelton Walters        Felton, DE (DE)         5  07-15  0
52. Ken Baumgardner        Monongahela, PA (PA)    5  07-12  0
53. DE HS- McKee/ Draper   Milford, DE (DE)        4  07-09  0
54. Corey Gue              Kenova, WV (WV)         4  07-06  0
55. Jeff Hall              Butler, PA (PA)         4  07-05  0
56. Richard Martin Jr      Sparrows Point, MD (MD) 3  07-04  0
57. Mike Morris            Dover, DE (DE)          4  07-01  0
58. Eric Bennet            Forked River, NJ (NJ)   3  07-00  0
59. Matt Becker            Finleyville, PA (PA)    4  06-15  0
60. Al Fiorille            Mt Airy, MD (MD)        4  06-05  0
61. Cliff Humpreys         Philadelphia, PA (NJ)   3  06-03  0
62. Jim Fields             Camden, DE (DE)         3  06-01  0
63. Randy Baran            Old Bridge, NJ (NJ)     3  05-11  0
64. Todd Caddy             Carnegie, PA (PA)       7  05-08  0
65. Bart Keck              Finleyville, PA (PA)    2  05-08  0
66. Jeremy Mathias         Monrovia, MD (MD)       3  05-05  0
67. William Kennedy        Mineral Wells, WV (WV)  3  05-01  0
68. Andrew Sams            Easton, MD (MD)         3  04-13  0
69. Tony Keller            Charleston, WV (WV)     3  04-12  0
70. Ryan Buttermore        Leetsdale, PA (PA)      3  04-06  0
71. Tommy Ford             Leslie, WV (WV)         2  03-08  0
72. Joshua Cross           Elizabeth, WV (WV)      2  03-07  0
73. MD HS-Wannall/ Stewart La Plata, MD (MD)       2  03-07  0
74. Jerry Meadows          Uniontown, PA (PA)      2  02-09  0
75. WV HS-Goff/ Sigmon     Clendenin, WV (WV)      1  01-05  0
76. Don Denault Jr         Delmar, MD (DE)         1  01-04  0
77. NJ HS-Curran/ Stevenson Westampton, NJ (NJ)     0  00-00  0
77. Bradley West           Vincent, OH (WV)        0  00-00  0
———————————————————————–

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       8        167       339-01
2       4        142       257-08
3       6        141       278-12
———————————-
18       450       875-05

TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
———————————-
State                Lbs-Oz
1 VIRGINIA             181-11
2 DELAWARE             166-10
3 NEW JERSEY           149-15
4 PENNSYLVANIA         134-06
5 MARYLAND             129-07
6 WEST VIRGINIA        113-04

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3
———————————————————————–

DELAWARE
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Greg Alexander       Hebron, MD                  14   24-07  0
2 Brian La Clair       Denton, MD                  11   22-04  0
3 Mark Hogan           Milford, DE                 11   19-02  0
4 Bobby Smith          Laurel, DE                  11   18-13  0
5 Ronald Littleton     Seaford, DE                 8   17-03  0
6 Jason Vaughn         Bridgeville, DE             8   15-08  0
7 Tim Stump            Dover, DE                   5   11-01  0
8 Bob Austin           Marydel, DE                 5   08-06  0
9 Shelton Walters      Felton, DE                  5   07-15  0
10 DE HS- McKee/ Draper Milford, DE                 4   07-09  0
11 Mike Morris          Dover, DE                   4   07-01  0
12 Jim Fields           Camden, DE                  3   06-01  0
13 Don Denault Jr       Delmar, MD                  1   01-04  0

MARYLAND
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Brian Trieschman     Ellicott City, MD           9   18-04  0
2 Paul Gietka          Abingdon, MD                9   17-12  0
3 James Goins          Baltimore, MD               8   15-03  0
4 Joe Devoe            Aberdeen, MD                7   14-01  0
5 Jon Blaine           Frederick, MD               5   10-07  0
6 Douglas Zittle       Thurmont, MD                5   09-04  0
7 David Price          New Windsor, MD             5   08-12  0
8 Bret Winegardner     Swanton, MD                 4   08-10  0
9 Richard Martin Jr    Sparrows Point, MD          3   07-04  0
10 Al Fiorille          Mt Airy, MD                 4   06-05  0
11 Jeremy Mathias       Monrovia, MD                3   05-05  0
12 Andrew Sams          Easton, MD                  3   04-13  0
13 MD HS-Wannall/ Stewart La Plata, MD                2   03-07  0

NEW JERSEY
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Michael Sentore      Gloucester City, NJ         12   27-11  0
2 Jerrod Lloyd         Millville, NJ               10   18-14  0
3 Keith Cowan          Mt Ephraim, NJ              9   17-13  0
4 John Mcgraw          Bordertown, NJ              8   16-08  0
5 Robert Brennan       Forked River, NJ            6   11-12  0
6 Russell Awad         Brooklyn, NY                5   10-15  0
7 Craig Townsend       Westampton, NJ              4   10-02  0
8 Brian Keister        Atco, NJ                    5   08-12  0
9 Darren Brooks        Wenonah, NJ                 4   08-10  0
10 Eric Bennet          Forked River, NJ            3   07-00  0
11 Cliff Humpreys       Philadelphia, PA            3   06-03  0
12 Randy Baran          Old Bridge, NJ              3   05-11  0
13 NJ HS-Curran/ Stevenson Westampton, NJ              0   00-00  0

PENNSYLVANIA
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Daniel Gray          Butler, PA                  11   28-11  0
2 Mike Moran           Ruffsdale, PA               12   25-08  0
3 Mark Mounts          Washington, PA              7   12-01  0
4 Richard Lane         Pittsburgh, PA              6   11-10  0
5 PA HS-Gower/ Mertz   Lewisburg, PA               3   08-07  0
6 Mark Westrick        Hastings, PA                3   08-02  0
7 Ken Baumgardner      Monongahela, PA             5   07-12  0
8 Jeff Hall            Butler, PA                  4   07-05  0
9 Matt Becker          Finleyville, PA             4   06-15  0
10 Todd Caddy           Carnegie, PA                7   05-08  0
11 Bart Keck            Finleyville, PA             2   05-08  0
12 Ryan Buttermore      Leetsdale, PA               3   04-06  0
13 Jerry Meadows        Uniontown, PA               2   02-09  0

VIRGINIA
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Rodney Rice          Narrows, VA                 10   22-06  0
2 Michael Burchett     Pulaski, VA                 11   19-12  0
3 VA HS- Strayer/ Graves Madison, VA                 8   17-11  0
4 John Conway          Henrico, VA                 7   15-04  0
5 Cavin Young          Prince George, VA           7   14-00  0
6 William Hubbard      Ridgeway, VA                8   13-14  0
7 Roger Castillo       Goode, VA                   7   13-13  0
8 Greg Hylton          Martinsville, VA            6   12-05  0
9 Dave Menard          Henrico, VA                 6   12-01  0
10 Damien McMahon       Pilot, VA                   8   11-11  0
11 Tyler Trent          Nathalie, VA                5   10-09  0
12 William Goots        Reidsville, NC              4   09-15  0
13 Christopher Napier   Virginia Beach, VA          4   08-06  0

WEST VIRGINIA
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Randy Huffman        Charleston, WV              12   24-14  0
2 Jerry Burkhart       Belpre, OH                  10   17-09  0
3 James Dingess        Barboursville, WV           8   14-09  0
4 Kenneth Hackworth    Charleston, WV              5   11-06  0
5 Dion Bright          Fairmont, WV                6   10-08  0
6 Eddie McNeil         Poca, WV                    5   08-15  0
7 Corey Gue            Kenova, WV                  4   07-06  0
8 William Kennedy      Mineral Wells, WV           3   05-01  0
9 Tony Keller          Charleston, WV              3   04-12  0
10 Tommy Ford           Leslie, WV                  2   03-08  0
11 Joshua Cross         Elizabeth, WV               2   03-07  0
12 WV HS-Goff/ Sigmon   Clendenin, WV               1   01-05  0
13 Bradley West         Vincent, OH                 0   00-00  0