But largemouth paid off for Mueller all week, and his 13-1 sack on Day 3 of the B.A.S.S. Nation Eastern Divisional was more than enough for him to earn the victory with a three-day total of 34-14.

“I really wanted to get to nationals,” Mueller said, referring to the 2013 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. “But winning is icing on the cake.”

Mueller and eight others earned berths in the championship by being the top competitors on their state teams. The nine anglers will journey to Russellville, Ark., to compete on Lake Dardanelle, Oct. 24-26, against their peers from other B.A.S.S. Nation chapters. One angler from each division will earn a qualification in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic.

“It would be life-changing to go to the Classic,” said Mueller, who is from Southbury, Conn. “I’ve been watching The Bassmasters on TV since I was a little kid. It’s what got me into fishing.”

Mueller was fishing his fifth divisional this week, and it’s his first time qualifying for the championship. He fished his first at the age of 19. He’s now 29. “This has been 10 years in the making,” he said.

Mueller kept finding largemouth — and ones of good size, too — and the smallmouth bite never worked out for him. He caught three smallies over the three days and culled one of them. He was one of only two anglers to get a limit all three competition days. (Randy Phillips of Massachusetts was the other.)

“I only got six or seven bites a day,” said Mueller. “I like tournaments like this. I always do well in grind tournaments.”

The largemouth he found were shallow, he said, because of the full moon. He caught a 5 1/4-pound fish at 8:30 a.m. today in Turtle Cove, when he was just about to leave the area. He stuck around for another hour but didn’t get any more bites. The bass was looking for crawfish right where the rock transitioned to grass.

He left the area and found the rest of his fish near a bridge on the southern end of the lake. These fish were holding in shallow water — 1/2 to 2 feet — in grass, enjoying a plethora of bluegill and perch.

His big fish came on a Punisher SmallJaw Shaky Jig (brown) with a Rein’s Ring Craw trailer (green pumpkin/blue). He caught a big largemouth on Day 1 with the same jig and a Rein’s Fat Rock Vibe Shad. He fished the jig using a Dobyns Champion Extreme DX703SF rod, 10-pound Gamma Torque braid and 8-pound fluorocarbon leader.

A watermelon colored Yamamoto Senko tricked his other fish. He would Texas rig it in grassy areas and wacky rig it in places with less vegetation. He fished the Senko with a Dobyns Champion 704SF, 15-pound Gamma Torque braid and 10-pound fluorocarbon leader.

“It means everything to win this,” said Mueller. “I have to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There’s no way I did this on my own.”

Mueller is looking forward to Dardanelle next month. “I’ve never fished it before, but I will before the cut-off period,” he said. “We should see some big weights there.”

Joining him at Dardanelle are anglers who cut it close in their states, as well as those who ran away with it. Randy Phillips of Massachusetts is one of the anglers who won with a wide margin. He finished with 25 pounds, 11 ounces, nearly 11 pounds of his closest competitor, Ed Robak. Leo Bevelaqua won Rhode Island with a whopping 13-pound margin. And Eric Corbella Salvia of Spain had a nearly 8-pound lead over second-place Alberto Rodriguez Oliver.

Tighter races belonged to Phil Curtis of Ontario, Randy Lamanche of New York, Chris Adams of Vermont, Lawrence Hogue of Maine and Alan Denise of New Hampshire.

In the state competition, Maine held onto the lead it gained on Day 2. The host state finished with 175 pounds, 8 ounces. Just behind was the Connecticut B.A.S.S. Nation with 168-12. In third place was New York with 129-2.

Carhartt Big Bass honors were awarded to Bevelaqua of Rhode Island, who brought in a 7-pound, 8-ounce monster on Day 3. He dedicated the bass to his son, Dominick, who said to him the night before, “Catch a big one for me, Daddy.”

The other award for the day went to Mueller for catching the biggest bag. Point Sebago Resort gave $300 to the biggest weight each day. Mueller’s bag was 13-1, almost a pound bigger than the next-closest sack, which was Al Gambardella’s 12-3 on Day 1.

Simultaneously, another competition was going on among the Junior Bassmaster anglers. Each state sent two competitors, one ages 11 to 14 and another ages 15 to 18, to compete on Sebago. Noah Winslow of Connecticut won the younger age group, and Brian Volkernick of Maine won the older age division. Winslow and Volkernick will make the trip alongside their adult counterparts to compete in the 2013 Bassmaster Junior World Championship (JWC), a one-day tournament that determines the best young anglers in the B.A.S.S. Nation.

Tune in to Bassmaster.com, Oct. 24-26, for coverage of the 2013 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship and JWC.

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts

1.  Paul Mueller           Southbury, CT (CT)      15  34-14  0
2.  Lawrence Hogue         Kennebunk, ME (ME)      13  26-01  0
3.  Randy Phillips         Oxford, MA (MA)         15  25-11  0
4.  Leo Bevelaqua          Wyoming, RI (RI)        12  24-07  0
5.  Robert Williamson      Gorham, ME (ME)         13  24-02  0
6.  Randy Lamanche         Marcellus, NY (NY)      12  23-10  0
7.  Al Gambardella         North Haven, CT (CT)    11  23-01  0
8.  Eric Corbella Salvia   Mollerusa SPAIN (ESP)   10  22-02  0
9.  Daryl Biron            South Windsor, CT (CT)  10  21-13  0
10. Alan Denise            Haverhill, MA (NH)      10  21-07  0
11. Chris O’Brien          Rochester, NY (NY)      11  19-07  0
12. Chris Adams            Rutland, VT (VT)        10  18-06  0
13. Edwin Bartlett         Casco, ME (ME)          9  18-05  0
14. George Cooper          Buxton, ME (ME)         10  18-03  0
15. Alexander Wetherell    Middletown, CT (CT)     8  17-10  0
16. Chris Simons           Cromwell, CT (CT)       10  17-04  0
17. John Wright            Concord, NH (NH)        8  17-03  0
18. Skip Sjobeck           Randolph, VT (VT)       13  16-04  0
19. Roger LaFlamme         East Waterboro, ME (ME) 6  15-09  0
20. Edward Robak           Weymouth, MA (MA)       8  14-14  0
21. Alberto Rodriguez Oliver Parets Del Valles SPAIN 6  14-14  0
22. Phil Curtis            Rosseau ONTARIO CANADA  7  14-13  0
23. James Knox             Rutland, VT (VT)        7  13-04  0
24. Greg Roth              Orono ONTARIO CANADA (O 6  13-04  0
25. Mark Desjardin         Vassalboro, ME (ME)     9  12-08  0
26. John Diaco             Rochester, NH (NH)      11  12-07  0
27. Michael Zachodny       Concord, NH (NH)        6  12-06  0
28. Fernando Lay           talaurea del reina  SPA 7  12-05  0
29. Javier Guillen Cordoba Tarragona SPAIN (ESP)   7  12-03  0
30. Larry MacPhail         Kingston Ontario CANADA 7  12-02  0
31. Dave Andrews           Hudson, MA (NH)         6  11-15  0
32. Gerard Ling            St Catherines Ontario C 7  11-11  0
33. Lewis Mendall          Wrentham, MA (RI)       5  11-08  0
34. Dave Rochette          Bracebridge CANADA (ONT 6  11-08  0
35. Garrett Kruger         Monroe, CT (CT)         6  11-07  0
36. Brian Croteau          Blackstone, MA (RI)     8  11-04  0
37. Frank Giner            Danbury, CT (NY)        8  11-03  0
38. Colleen McKay          Worcester, MA (MA)      6  10-14  0
39. Bill Rider             Standish, ME (ME)       5  10-09  0
40. David Morrissette      South Hadley, MA (NY)   9  10-09  0
41. Corey Palmer           Ogdensburg, NY (NY)     10  10-09  0
42. Joe Holland            Jefferson, ME (ME)      7  10-08  0
43. David Riquinha         New Bedford, MA (MA)    6  10-06  0
44. Mike Cusano            Clay, NY (NY)           7  09-15  0
45. Christopher Killoren   Marcellus, NY (NY)      7  09-12  0
46. Noah Winslow           Nawgatuck, CT (CT)      5  09-11  0
47. Steve Wilson           East Waterboro, ME (ME) 7  09-07  0
48. Joan Arnal             46021 Valencia SPAIN (E 5  09-03  0
49. Steve Pickard          Fulton, NY (NY)         7  09-03  0
50. Andrew MacColl         CHEPACHET, RI (RI)      5  08-12  0
51. Mark Cavanaugh         Port Perry CANADA (ONT) 5  08-12  0
52. George Yund            Glenmont, NY (NY)       8  08-06  0
53. Eric Low               Hollis Center, ME (ME)  7  08-04  0
54. William Wright         Whiting, VT (VT)        6  08-03  0
55. Bill Lindsay           Brechin Ontario CANADA  5  08-02  0
56. Chris Molineaux        Hope Valley, RI (RI)    6  07-15  0
57. Peter Demoya           Plymouth, MA (MA)       4  07-14  0
58. Dan Goulette           Milton , VT (VT)        6  07-14  0
59. Brian Volkernick       Dixfield, ME (ME)       5  07-12  0
60. Kevin Clark            Westport, MA (RI)       4  07-10  0
61. James Morris           Milford, CT (CT)        3  07-05  0
62. Emmett Mitchell        Southbury, CT (CT)      4  07-03  0
63. Tim Farrell            Hanson, MA (MA)         4  07-03  0
64. Ryan Richardson        Goffstown, NH (NH)      3  07-00  0
65. Nate Laskiewicz        Bomoseey, VT (VT)       4  07-00  0
66. Bidwood McKechnie      North Attleboro, MA (MA 6  06-15  0
67. Gabriel Shvartsman     Bethel, CT (CT)         6  06-14  0
68. Ray Meyer              Alton Bay, NH (NH)      4  06-13  0
69. Lenny Cyr              Sanford, ME (ME)        6  06-13  0
70. Martin Piacitelli      Gorham , ME (ME)        4  06-06  0
71. Brandon Wells          St Johnsbury, VT (VT)   3  06-06  0
72. John Fortier           Sanbornton, NH (NH)     3  06-02  0
73. Craig Denham           Fenlon Falls ONTARIO CA 3  06-00  0
74. Greg Tesch             Middlebury, CT (CT)     6  05-15  0
75. Enrique Bernal Morera  Rivasvacia Madrid SPAIN 5  05-13  0
76. Mark Batur             Boonville, NY (NY)      4  05-13  0
77. Timothy Dube           Nashua , NH (NH)        4  05-10  0
78. Scott McKay            Mendon, VT (VT)         5  05-10  0
79. Ray Pasquarelli        Warwick, RI (RI)        5  05-07  0
80. Brian Jarvis           Warwick , RI (RI)       4  05-06  0
81. Garry Mansholt         Brechin Ontario CANADA  4  05-06  0
82. Francisco Navarro Gonzalez LLISSA DE MUNT SPAIN (E 3  05-01  0
83. Paul Garland           New Dorham, NH (NH)     3  04-14  0
84. Jay Guidaboni          Plymouth, MA (MA)       3  04-14  0
85. Frank McCormick        Warwick, RI (RI)        3  04-13  0
86. John Stoughtenger      Waterloo, NY (NY)       4  04-08  0
87. James Jeffries         Rouses Point, NY (VT)   3  04-06  0
88. Fab Marchese           Ancaster Ontario CANADA 2  04-02  0
89. Kevin Miller           Merrimack, NH (NH)      2  03-15  0
90. Rose Jeffries          Rouses Point, NY (VT)   3  03-12  0
91. Eloy Fernandez Jofre   L’Ametlla Del Valles SP 3  03-11  0
92. Robert Jeffrey         Prospect, CT (CT)       4  03-10  0
93. Ruben Corbella Salvia  Mollerusa SPAIN (ESP)   3  03-01  0
94. John Shpack            Attleboro, MA (MA)      2  02-15  0
95. Randy Dulude           Stouffville ONTARIO CAN 1  02-12  0
96. Timothy N Thompson     New Milford, CT (NY)    2  02-10  0
97. Travis Heitzner        Orillia  Ontario CANADA 1  02-04  0
98. Max McQuiade           Tyngsborough, MA (NH)   2  02-02  0
99. Brandon Neal           Middletown, CT (CT)     2  02-01  0
100. Christopher Catucci    Warwick, RI (RI)        2  02-00  0
101. Travis Franclemont     Olean, NY (NY)          1  01-14  0
102. Wyatt Morris           Little Falls, NY (NY)   1  01-11  0
103. Patrick Hannon         Carver, MA (MA)         1  01-09  0
103. Christian Tapia        Watertown , MA (MA)     1  01-09  0
105. Curtis Cronkwright     Lakefield Ontario CANAD 1  01-07  0
106. Colin Gaudette         Saint Albans, VT (VT)   1  01-04  0
106. Cameron Rhodes         Warwick, RI (RI)        1  01-04  0
106. Bruce Veras            Foxboro, MA (MA)        1  01-04  0
109. James Picardi          Saugus, MA (MA)         1  01-02  0
110. Jack Albert            Hampton Falls, NH (NH)  1  01-01  0
110. Thomas Behen           Biddeford, ME (ME)      1  01-01  0
112. Tyler Binnie           Barrie Ontario CANADA ( 1  01-00  0
112. Philip Casto           Woonsocket, RI (RI)     1  01-00  0
112. Maxwell Danese         Franklin, MA (MA)       1  01-00  0
112. Gregory McGrath        Warwick, RI (RI)        1  01-00  0
116. Don Adams Jr.          Rutland, VT (VT)        1  00-11  0
117. Joseph Croteau         Blackstone, MA (RI)     0  00-00  0
117. Scott Downie           Danbury , CT (CT)       0  00-00  0
117. Stephen Goulette       St. Albans, VT (VT)     0  00-00  0
117. Greg Horne             Mansfield, RI (RI)      0  00-00  0
117. Eric Paul              Manchester, NH (NH)     0  00-00  0
117. Erik Rasmussen         Killington, VT (VT)     0  00-00  0
117. Eduardo Zulueta        Madrid SPAIN (ESP)      0  00-00  0
———————————————————————–

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       8        174       282-15
2       17       230       392-08
3       11       225       385-14
———————————-
36       629      1061-05

TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
———————————-
State                Lbs-Oz
1 MAINE                175-08
2 CONNECTICUT          168-12
3 NEW YORK             129-02
4 NEW HAMPSHIRE        112-15
5 ONTARIO              103-03
6 MASSACHUSETTS         98-02
7 VERMONT               93-00
8 RHODE ISLAND          92-06
9 SPAIN                 88-05

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3
CONNECTICUT
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Paul Mueller         Southbury, CT               15   34-14  0
2 Al Gambardella       North Haven, CT             11   23-01  0
3 Daryl Biron          South Windsor, CT           10   21-13  0
4 Alexander Wetherell  Middletown, CT              8   17-10  0
5 Chris Simons         Cromwell, CT                10   17-04  0
6 Garrett Kruger       Monroe, CT                  6   11-07  0
7 Noah Winslow         Nawgatuck, CT               5   09-11  0
8 James Morris         Milford, CT                 3   07-05  0
9 Emmett Mitchell      Southbury, CT               4   07-03  0
10 Gabriel Shvartsman   Bethel, CT                  6   06-14  0
11 Greg Tesch           Middlebury, CT              6   05-15  0
12 Robert Jeffrey       Prospect, CT                4   03-10  0
13 Brandon Neal         Middletown, CT              2   02-01  0
14 Scott Downie         Danbury , CT                0   00-00  0

MASSACHUSETTS
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Randy Phillips       Oxford, MA                  15   25-11  0
2 Edward Robak         Weymouth, MA                8   14-14  0
3 Colleen McKay        Worcester, MA               6   10-14  0
4 David Riquinha       New Bedford, MA             6   10-06  0
5 Peter Demoya         Plymouth, MA                4   07-14  0
6 Tim Farrell          Hanson, MA                  4   07-03  0
7 Bidwood McKechnie    North Attleboro, MA         6   06-15  0
8 Jay Guidaboni        Plymouth, MA                3   04-14  0
9 John Shpack          Attleboro, MA               2   02-15  0
10 Patrick Hannon       Carver, MA                  1   01-09  0
10 Christian Tapia      Watertown , MA              1   01-09  0
12 Bruce Veras          Foxboro, MA                 1   01-04  0
13 James Picardi        Saugus, MA                  1   01-02  0
14 Maxwell Danese       Franklin, MA                1   01-00  0

MAINE
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Lawrence Hogue       Kennebunk, ME               13   26-01  0
2 Robert Williamson    Gorham, ME                  13   24-02  0
3 Edwin Bartlett       Casco, ME                   9   18-05  0
4 George Cooper        Buxton, ME                  10   18-03  0
5 Roger LaFlamme       East Waterboro, ME          6   15-09  0
6 Mark Desjardin       Vassalboro, ME              9   12-08  0
7 Bill Rider           Standish, ME                5   10-09  0
8 Joe Holland          Jefferson, ME               7   10-08  0
9 Steve Wilson         East Waterboro, ME          7   09-07  0
10 Eric Low             Hollis Center, ME           7   08-04  0
11 Brian Volkernick     Dixfield, ME                5   07-12  0
12 Lenny Cyr            Sanford, ME                 6   06-13  0
13 Martin Piacitelli    Gorham , ME                 4   06-06  0
14 Thomas Behen         Biddeford, ME               1   01-01  0

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Alan Denise          Haverhill, MA               10   21-07  0
2 John Wright          Concord, NH                 8   17-03  0
3 John Diaco           Rochester, NH               11   12-07  0
4 Michael Zachodny     Concord, NH                 6   12-06  0
5 Dave Andrews         Hudson, MA                  6   11-15  0
6 Ryan Richardson      Goffstown, NH               3   07-00  0
7 Ray Meyer            Alton Bay, NH               4   06-13  0
8 John Fortier         Sanbornton, NH              3   06-02  0
9 Timothy Dube         Nashua , NH                 4   05-10  0
10 Paul Garland         New Dorham, NH              3   04-14  0
11 Kevin Miller         Merrimack, NH               2   03-15  0
12 Max McQuiade         Tyngsborough, MA            2   02-02  0
13 Jack Albert          Hampton Falls, NH           1   01-01  0
14 Eric Paul            Manchester, NH              0   00-00  0

NEW YORK
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Randy Lamanche       Marcellus, NY               12   23-10  0
2 Chris O’Brien        Rochester, NY               11   19-07  0
3 Frank Giner          Danbury, CT                 8   11-03  0
4 David Morrissette    South Hadley, MA            9   10-09  0
5 Corey Palmer         Ogdensburg, NY              10   10-09  0
6 Mike Cusano          Clay, NY                    7   09-15  0
7 Christopher Killoren Marcellus, NY               7   09-12  0
8 Steve Pickard        Fulton, NY                  7   09-03  0
9 George Yund          Glenmont, NY                8   08-06  0
10 Mark Batur           Boonville, NY               4   05-13  0
11 John Stoughtenger    Waterloo, NY                4   04-08  0
12 Timothy N Thompson   New Milford, CT             2   02-10  0
13 Travis Franclemont   Olean, NY                   1   01-14  0
14 Wyatt Morris         Little Falls, NY            1   01-11  0

RHODE ISLAND
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Leo Bevelaqua        Wyoming, RI                 12   24-07  0
2 Lewis Mendall        Wrentham, MA                5   11-08  0
3 Brian Croteau        Blackstone, MA              8   11-04  0
4 Andrew MacColl       CHEPACHET, RI               5   08-12  0
5 Chris Molineaux      Hope Valley, RI             6   07-15  0
6 Kevin Clark          Westport, MA                4   07-10  0
7 Ray Pasquarelli      Warwick, RI                 5   05-07  0
8 Brian Jarvis         Warwick , RI                4   05-06  0
9 Frank McCormick      Warwick, RI                 3   04-13  0
10 Christopher Catucci  Warwick, RI                 2   02-00  0
11 Cameron Rhodes       Warwick, RI                 1   01-04  0
12 Philip Casto         Woonsocket, RI              1   01-00  0
12 Gregory McGrath      Warwick, RI                 1   01-00  0
14 Joseph Croteau       Blackstone, MA              0   00-00  0
14 Greg Horne           Mansfield, RI               0   00-00  0

VERMONT
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Chris Adams          Rutland, VT                 10   18-06  0
2 Skip Sjobeck         Randolph, VT                13   16-04  0
3 James Knox           Rutland, VT                 7   13-04  0
4 William Wright       Whiting, VT                 6   08-03  0
5 Dan Goulette         Milton , VT                 6   07-14  0
6 Nate Laskiewicz      Bomoseey, VT                4   07-00  0
7 Brandon Wells        St Johnsbury, VT            3   06-06  0
8 Scott McKay          Mendon, VT                  5   05-10  0
9 James Jeffries       Rouses Point, NY            3   04-06  0
10 Rose Jeffries        Rouses Point, NY            3   03-12  0
11 Colin Gaudette       Saint Albans, VT            1   01-04  0
12 Don Adams Jr.        Rutland, VT                 1   00-11  0
13 Stephen Goulette     St. Albans, VT              0   00-00  0
13 Erik Rasmussen       Killington, VT              0   00-00  0

ONTARIO
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Phil Curtis          Rosseau ONTARIO CANADA      7   14-13  0
2 Greg Roth            Orono ONTARIO CANADA        6   13-04  0
3 Larry MacPhail       Kingston Ontario CANADA     7   12-02  0
4 Gerard Ling          St Catherines Ontario C     7   11-11  0
5 Dave Rochette        Bracebridge CANADA          6   11-08  0
6 Mark Cavanaugh       Port Perry CANADA           5   08-12  0
7 Bill Lindsay         Brechin Ontario CANADA      5   08-02  0
8 Craig Denham         Fenlon Falls ONTARIO CA     3   06-00  0
9 Garry Mansholt       Brechin Ontario CANADA      4   05-06  0
10 Fab Marchese         Ancaster Ontario CANADA     2   04-02  0
11 Randy Dulude         Stouffville ONTARIO CAN     1   02-12  0
12 Travis Heitzner      Orillia  Ontario CANADA     1   02-04  0
13 Curtis Cronkwright   Lakefield Ontario CANAD     1   01-07  0
14 Tyler Binnie         Barrie Ontario CANADA       1   01-00  0

SPAIN
Angler               Hometown                   No./lbs-oz
1 Eric Corbella Salvia Mollerusa SPAIN                  10   22-02  0
2 Alberto Rodriguez Oliver Parets Del Valles SPAIN       6   14-14  0
3 Fernando Lay         talaurea del reina  SPA           7   12-05  0
4 Javier Guillen Cordoba Tarragona SPAIN                 7   12-03  0
5 Joan Arnal           46021 Valencia SPAIN              5   09-03  0
6 Enrique Bernal Morera Rivasvacia Madrid SPAIN          5   05-13  0
7 Francisco Navarro Gonzalez LLISSA DE MUNT SPAIN        3   05-01  0
8 Eloy Fernandez Jofre L’Ametlla Del Valles SP           3   03-11  0
9 Ruben Corbella Salvia Mollerusa SPAIN                  3   03-01  0
10 Eduardo Zulueta      Madrid SPAIN                      0   00-00  0