Lucas represents

National Guard co-angler wins FLW Series on Columbia River – again

TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Tournament anglers live and die by their consistency and for Justin Lucas, winning the Walmart FLW Series National Guard Western Division event on the Columbia River defined that trait in grand fashion.

Certainly, the Folsom, Calif. co-angler’s cumulative performance was consistent enough to secure the victory by a 1-pound margin, but a quick glance at FLW Series history shows the same name topping the co-angler field at last year’s Columbia River event.

Winning an FLW Series event always delivers a huge shot of pride and accomplishment, but climbing the same mountain twice is really something special. “Honestly, I never thought I’d win, but this has been an awesome, awesome week.”

After throwing a Carolina rig on days one and two, Lucas switched to a dropshot for his final day and bagged 10 pounds, 13 ounces for a winning total of 27-13. Green pumpkin colored worms were the ticket, but with mostly sunny, windless conditions creating a tough fishing scene, Lucas doused his baits with Berkley Gulp! scent for added appeal.

“It was slow and I was dragging the bait, but I sprayed it with the Gulp! and that made a difference,” he said.

Standard down baiting over rocks produced the winning fish for Lucas. “The bite was early, then slow and then late. I culled three in the last hour.”

As a National Guard team member, Lucas said he was especially proud of his Western Division win. “Last year when I won this event I dedicated it to the members of the National Guard and the same thing goes this year. Every year, if I can win, it’s going back to you guys.”

Flowers falls to second

Roy, Wash. co-angler Robert Flowers led day two but fell one bass shy of his tournament limit on day three. However, his previous days’ productivity gave him enough weight to finish second with 26 pounds, 13 ounces. Dropshotting with Gary Yamamoto Senkos and shad shaped worms in green pumpkin produced his fish.

“I caught a few fish this morning, but most of my good ones came between 1 and 2 o’clock,” Flowers said. “It was a pretty slow bite, so you had to work the bait slowly.”

Bryan drops into third

Jason Bryan of Spokane, Wash. turned in a 10-pound, 7-ounce stringer, raised his total to 26 pounds, 2 ounces and took home a third place trophy. Dropshotting over grassy edges in 15-25 feet of water produced most of his fish, with jigs and Yamamoto worms also accounting for a few.

Bryan said his catches were spread throughout the day. “First thing in the morning was best. Mid-morning we got on a little bite, then toward the end of the day we got on them, but we just couldn’t hook up.”

Considering the week’s challenging conditions, Bryan worked hard to stay on top of his opportunities. “Fishing is tough and every bite counts, so you have to make sure you’re keeping in contact with the bottom and paying close attention.”

Haraguchi picks his way to fourth

Rising one notch from day two, Brentwood, Calif. co-angler Gary Haraguchi secured a limit weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and finished fourth with 25 pound, 6 ounces.

Carolina-rigged lizards and dropshots accounted for most of his catches.

“I didn’t get a lot of bites – I only caught six fish and they were spread throughout the day,” Haraguchi said.

Wright wrangles into fifth

Truckee, Calif. co-angler J.R. Wright added 5 pounds, 4 ounces to his previous two days’ effort and tallied a 24-3 total. Throughout the event, Wright used Carolina rigs, tubes and dropshots, but he relied solely on the latter for day three.

Wright credited his boaters for a high level of consideration and assistance. “I had Kevin Hawk, (day two leader) Neil Russell and Gary Yexley. They all gave me room to fish and they all worked hard to get me my limits.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers at the FLW Series Columbia River event:

6th: Chad Leblanc of Sutter, Calif., 23-14

7th: Matthew Thompson of Newhall, Calif., 22-7

8th: Brody Bramlett of Kelseyville, Calif., 22-6

9th: Toshitada Suzuki of La Jolla, Calif., 22-2

10th: James Cadell of Escalon, Calif., 21-11

Big Bass honors went to Marvin Hawkes of Mesa, Ariz. for his 4-pound, 5-ounce smallie.