Lucas Puts Finishing Touches On Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Championship

Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., takes the 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title on Lake Chatuge, Georgia, with 820 points.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

September 23, 2018

HIAWASSEE, Ga. — By the time Justin Lucas made it to the stage during Sunday’s final weigh-in for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Lake Chatuge, Georgia, the drama was all but gone.

Lucas came into the event with an eight-point lead in the AOY season standings — and after solid catches on Thursday and Friday, he had stretched that lead to an almost-insurmountable 47 points. Plus, his closest competition in the race, Arizona angler Josh Bertrand, decided not to fish Sunday because his wife is expected to deliver their second child any time now back home.

It eliminated all the suspense, but that suited Lucas just fine.

The California native turned Alabama resident caught five bass that weighed only 11 pounds, 14 ounces Sunday. But his three-day weight of 39-0 was more than enough to give him the AOY title and the biggest accomplishment of his young, flourishing career.

“I wanted this so badly,” Lucas said. “The build-up to this tournament affected every part of my life. I haven’t been sleeping because I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about my game plan for this week. I’ve told my family and friends just to bear with me for a few more days, and everything would be okay — and now it’s all good.”

The gravity of the award hit Lucas and moved him to tears on stage.

“You think about the guys who’ve won this title — Gerald Swindle, Kevin VanDam — it’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m the 23rd guy who’s ever won this in the 50-year history of B.A.S.S., and that’s humbling.”

Lucas came into the week knowing if he finished inside the Top 8 he couldn’t lose the AOY title — even if Bertrand won the tournament. His Sunday weight helped lift him into seventh place and capped a dominant finish to his 2018 season.

The seventh-place showing marked his fifth straight Top 12 appearance in a Bassmaster Elite Series event, dating back to the regular-season tournament held on the Sabine River in Orange, Texas, in June.

“I’ve always considered myself a better prespawn, spawn and maybe a little bit of a postspawn fisherman, and then I kind of struggled after that,” Lucas said. “So I can’t explain it. This summer, I’ve just caught fire and it hasn’t slowed down.”

Lucas earned one of the most coveted trophies in professional bass fishing and a $100,000 bonus — and as icing on the cake, he caught most of his bass during the week on a new topwater lure that he helped Berkley design.

The Cane Walker, which was just released last week, is a noisy popper/walking-style topwater bait with an aerodynamic shape that is designed for long casts.

“Making long casts with that bait is key because you need to cover as much water as possible,” he said. “You can cover more water and work it over multiple brushpiles on the bottom. It brings fish up — and I think it’s already sold out at Tackle Warehouse.”

Besides the AOY title, Lucas qualified for the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods — his fourth time to qualify for bass fishing’s biggest event in five years on the Elite Series.

The Top 35 anglers in the final AOY standings all qualified for the event, and the next 16 in the standings will have a chance to compete for three additional Classic berths at the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Classic Bracket on Carters Lake in Ellijay, Ga., Oct. 23-26.

Though the main purpose of the event was to decide the season points winner and Classic qualifiers, the angler with the heaviest three-day weight for the week also earned $25,000 and an Elite Series trophy. That honor went to Oklahoma angler James Elam, who led every day of the tournament and finished with a three-day weight of 48-8.

Elam caught 16-10 Thursday and 16-14 Friday, and the majority of his weight came early both days. Things started slower Sunday, but his resolve led him to a five-bass limit that weighed 15-0.

“We had a full moon last night, so I think these fish woke up just a little bit late today,” said Elam, who earned his first Elite Series victory. “They finally got hungry again about 1 o’clock, and I caught four of the fish in my bag from 1 o’clock to 3.”

Elam came into the event simply wanting to improve his place in the AOY standings and secure a Classic berth. But he left with one of the bigger accomplishments of his career.

“You don’t get this opportunity very often,” he said. “I’ve been close — I’ve had it going on until the third or fourth day at several tournaments. So I’m glad to finally get it done.”

The Toyota Bassmaster Rookie of the Year award went to North Carolina pro Jake Whitaker, who finished 15th in the tournament and barely edged Arizona angler Roy Hawk for the title.

Alabama pro Jordan Lee earned the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with a fish that weighed 5-13.

Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.

2018 Points Report    
PROFESSIONAL ELITE SERIES    
as of 23-Sep-2018
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 820 273- 0
2 Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 769 260-10
3 Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 758 268- 3
4 Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 727 251-9
5 Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 715 245-10
6 Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 714 253-12
7 Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 695 259-14
8 Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 694 254- 6
9 Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 690 277- 6
10 Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 690 244- 5
11 Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 672 247- 5
12 Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 665 247- 6
13 Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 662 252- 0
14 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 658 251- 5
15 Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 650 232- 2
16 Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 644 234- 9
17 Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 642 246- 4
18 Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 638 244- 9
19 James Elam Tulsa, OK 637 262-13
20 Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 637 241-11
21 Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 636 233- 9
22 Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 635 239- 9
23 Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 634 242-13
24 Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 633 259- 6
25 Cliff Pace Petal, MS 620 241- 2
26 Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 618 252-12
27 Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 617 238- 5
28 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 617 221- 3
29 Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 613 237- 1
30 Edwin Evers Talala, OK 612 257- 4
31 Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 610 249- 9
32 Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 608 246- 6
33 Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 608 231-13
34 Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 605 236-12
35 Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 604 229- 6
36 Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 599 235- 5
37 Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 595 223- 3
38 Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 594 246- 6
39 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 589 240-13
40 Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 589 236- 5
41 Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 586 233- 6
42 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 581 233- 2
43 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 581 231- 9
44 Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 577 237-10
45 Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 575 226-15
46 Jordan Lee Grant, AL 566 256-10
47 Shin Fukae Palestine, TX 563 234- 0
48 Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 558 228- 1
49 Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 558 222- 9
50 Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 543 214- 1
2018 Rookie of the Year    
as of 23-September-2018
Angler Points Lbs-Oz
1 Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 617 238- 5
2 Roy Hawk Lk Havasu Cty, AZ 613 237- 1
3 Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 460 195-11
4 Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 430 203- 5
5 Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 366 186-13
6 Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 355 176-13
7 Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 353 183-15
8 Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 313 171- 4
9 Bill Weidler Helena, AL 217 147- 8