In 2009, Oneida Lake was the site of one of Bill Lowen's lowest moments as a professional angler. He went there hoping to leapfrog a few guys in the points standings and gain a 2010 Bassmaster Classic berth with a second straight strong finish at the venue (he'd logged an 8th there in 2008). He likely would've accomplished that objective had his day-1 weight not been wiped off the books.
He incurred the DQ for having six fish in his livewell at one point during the day – a violation that he self-reported to tournament director Trip Weldon. With a limit already in possession, he put a fish he'd just caught on his culling beam along with one he'd boated earlier, and then dropped both into the box.
The resulting 98th-place showing left him far below the Classic cutoff.
Things have gone much more smoothly in the interim, as he's competed in the past two Classics and is a cinch to make a third straight. At No. 5 in the points, he still has a shot at the Angler of the Year title if he fares well and some of those ahead of him stumble.
"I'm absolutely looking forward to getting back," he said of Oneida. "I like the way it fishes and I typically do decent there. I've been there quite a few times and I've seen the whole lake, but I'm going to practice like it's my first time there and let the fish tell me what's going on. Hopefully I can get out of there in one piece."
He pays a great deal of attention while culling these days and uses tags much more frequently than he did back then.
"I've had marshals ask me why I check my livewell so many times. I tell them, 'Well, I have a history.'''
