(Provided by BASS news)
There may be no greater birthday present for a bass fisherman than to hoist a tournament trophy over his head, one that hes been wanting for at least 15 years.
Mark DoveThat was Hoosier Mark Doves gift last week when he won the 2012 Cabelas Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship on Alabamas Wheeler Lake and earned a Bassmaster Classic berth.
Mark Dove, 2012 Cabelas Bassmaster Federation Nation Champion
I crossed the Bassmaster Classic off my bucket list back in 1997, said Dove after his big win, referencing the last time he qualified for the Classic through the Federation Nation. I am looking forward to going back again. But the best thing for me is to be able to say that I was at the top of my peers here at the Federation Nation, at least for a period of time. For me, it was more about winning the tournament.
As part of his prize, Dove will take home the Bryan D. Kerchal Memorial Trophy, a Skeeter ZX200 with a Yamaha 200SHO, Humminbird Electronics and a Minn Kota Trolling Motor, all valued at $53,465. He also wins entry in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Okla., and eligibility to compete in the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series.
Joining Dove at the Classic in February will be Jonathan Carter of Maine, representing the Eastern division; Andy Bravence of Arizona, representing the Western; Mark Pierce of Tennessee, Southern; Jared Knuth of Nebraska, Central; and Gerry Jooste of Zimbabwe, Mid-Atlantic.
Dove came in with 8 pounds, 12 ounces on Day 1 and followed it up with 10 pounds, 3 ounces on Day 2. His middle-of-the-pack weights on the first two days provided the foundation; the huge 20-pound, 1-ounce sack he brought in during the finals nailed it. It also won him the Lowrance Heavyweight of the tournament, with a Lowrance HDS-7 Touch worth $1,599 as the prize.
It was just one of those days where you catch one and then another one, said Dove. I was throwing back fish today that I would have died to have on the first two days.
Dove fished what he calls a classic pattern for the Tennessee River in the fall. I fished a main river flat adjacent to the creek along the break. The bass were holding on the break. I wasnt surprised to catch them doing that; I was just surprised at the size of the ones I was catching.
Dove paralleled the drop with three lures a 1/2-ounce Accent Fishing Products River Special spinnerbait (silver skirt with green flake), a Boogerman buzzbait (black with a nickel blade) and a Paycheck Baits Repo Man (Blow-Up color, which is silver with a chartreuse belly). He used G. Loomis GLX rods, Shimano Chronarch reels and 15-pound Berkley Big Game line with all three lures.
Youll see Dove, Pierce, Jooste, Bravence, Carter and Knuth on the Classic stage, beginning Feb. 22, 2013, in Tulsa, Okla. The anglers will fish Oklahomas Grand Lake o the Cherokees, competing against top Bassmaster Elite Series pros and reigning champion Chris Lane, as well as anglers from the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series and the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series operated by American Bass Anglers.