Randy Howell desperately wanted to win at Oneida Lake after losing a 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series tournament here by 6 ounces to Boyd Duckett. Settling the score seemed impossible.
Howell had four small bass in the livewell just minutes before his official check-in time of 2 p.m. Saturday on the final day of the Oneida Bassmaster Northern Open. Coming in late meant a costly weight penalty, plus he was 2 pounds from the lead.
With the check-in station in view, a school of bass erupted in a feeding frenzy over a rocky shoal. Howell hooked a 4-pound largemouth on his first cast and proceeded to upgrade his catch.
He arrived with only 45 seconds remaining on the clock. The last-minute heroics paid off with a winning weight of 49-02. FLW Tour standout Anthony Gagliardi, the reigning Forrest Wood Cup champion, finished second with 48-10 and Kraig Kettelkamp, who led after each of the first 2 days of the event, dropped to 3rd with 48-00.
“Being strong-willed and wanting to win this tournament, erasing that loss was my greatest motivation,” said Howell, the 2014 Bassmaster Classic champion. “The biggest key for my win was attitude.”
Credit the birds, too. Howell kept a lookout for diving seagulls that signaled other surface feeding action like he found in the final minutes.
“A lot of anglers, surprisingly, don’t look out for the birds,” he added. “The birds are an easy giveaway to the presence of the bait.”
Howell’s hero bait in the final minutes was a 3-inch Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad in a hologram shad color. He rigged it on a 1/4-ounce jighead.
Full details of his winning pattern will be published in the coming days.
Here are the final totals for the Top 12:
1. Randy Howell: 49-02
2. Anthony Gagliardi: 48-10
3. Kraig Kettelkamp: 48-00
4. Jamie Hartman: 47-11
5. Pete Garnier: 46-09
6. Dave Lefebre: 46-01
7. Chad Pipkens: 45-09
8. Boyd Duckett: 44-03
9. Austin Felix: 42-04
10. Stephen Mui: 38-09
11. Wesley Strader: 37-10
12. Shane Lineberger: 36-04
