Kansas Elite Series pro Brent Chapman caught a 6-05 largemouth Sunday to defeat Arizona's Josh Bertrand in a 5-hour fish-off for the victory at the Lewisville Bassmaster Central Open in Texas. Chapman's bruiser was the only fish weighed on the extra day after both anglers had completed 3 days on the incredibly tough impoundment with identical totals of 20-09.
Chapman's win came with a berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic at Oklahoma's Grand Lake. He must only compete in the remaining two Central Opens to claim the slot.
“This is a big weight off my shoulders,” Chapman said. “First, this tournament is over. The bigger reason is that I made the Classic and finally got another win.”
The clinching bass very nearly failed to make it into the boat. Chapman was fishing a small creek that had warm water from a discharge running into the back of it. When he arrived Sunday morning, the current had disappeared and the water was in the high 40s – a severe temperature drop.
“I didn’t know what to think,” Chapman said. “I honestly thought if there wasn’t water generation back there, it would be shot. I decided I had to at least make a pass and give it a try. After fishing for a short while without a bite, I remembered my partner a few days ago caught one on a wacky rig. On my third cast, I caught that one.”
“If it had been the Elite Series without a net, I probably wouldn’t have caught that fish,” he said. “I got that fish in the boat and the hook fell out of its mouth. If I wasn’t able to use a net, that fish would have gotten off.”
The 23-year-old Bertrand was gracious in defeat.
“Surprisingly, I’m happy that he won with a good fish like that,” he said. “It was an exciting day. Obviously, I am disappointed I didn’t make it to the Classic, but a 2nd-place finish on unfamiliar water is still an accomplishment.”
It marked the third time since 2009 that a Central Open had gone to a fish-off. At Toledo Bend in '09, James Niggemeyer defeated Jerrel Pringle. Later that same year, Edwin Evers edged out Mark Smith at the Atchafalaya Basin.
Details of Chapman's winning pattern will be posted soon.
