 |
| FishTails |
Welch Brings B.A.S.S. Crown Home to W.Va.
[September 24, 2002] - Chris Lawrence
 |
Danny Welch with one of his final day keepers in his first B.A.S.S.
victory in 20 tournaments .
[ Photo B.A.S.S. ] |
Years of persistence and hard work paid off for West Virginia Bass Federation angler Danny Welch of New Martinsville.
Welch managed to carry a three-day total of 33lbs-2oz to the scales of the South Carolina Southern Open on Lake
Murray to claim his first ever national tournament victory.
"I'm exhausted, but it's an overwhelming feeling." Said the Wetzel County pizza shop owner.
"I spent eight days down there practicing before the cutoff in temperatures of 102 and 103 degrees. I had
very limited success and when I went back for the official practice the fishing was still tough." Said Welch.
However, Welch used grit and determination to unravel the winning pattern just one day ahead of the first competition
day.
"I'm used to it because I fish the Ohio River and the fishing here can get very demanding. I did locate fish
Monday and Tuesday and I felt like I could catch a limit each day."
But as anyone who's competed on the B.A.S.S. circuit can tell you, a limit is the first thing you have to have
if you want to win. What seemed like a death knell for many of the competitors turned out to be Welch's break.
"Wednesday morning, the last morning of practice we had a storm with wind, lightening, and thunder. I'd say
80% of the field never left the dock. But I did." Noted Welch.
That was a fateful decision. Welch decided to test the topwater bite at several points within sight of the tournament
ramp. There he started locating big fish on a buzzbait and new they were there.
"I knew the big fish were there, whether I could catch them on a buzzbait or not I couldn't tell."
Day one, Welch started at those points with the buzzbait and couldn't raise a fish. He proceeded to a pair of docks
in the area. And there they were.
"I went to those docks and threw a Zoom Swamp Crawler worm. My first fish was a five-pound bass. I didn't'
get another bite so I moved on down the bank and came back in about 20 minutes and caught another five-pound bass."
By a quarter of nine on the first morning Welch had ten-pounds in the livewell. He decided to head up a creek where
he'd found the fish in practice. He caught three to finish the limit then returned to his starting point when the
wind came up. Using a spinnerbait on the windblown points, Welch landed a three and a half pounder to cull one
of the smaller fish and take second place for the first day with 15lbs-15oz.
"I was tickled to death to get those big ones and I was confident I was on the fish I needed to win."
The second day Welch and his amateur partner returned to the series of points and within 20-minutes he landed a
6lb-3oz largemouth on a buzzbait. Confidence was soaring. A few minutes later, Welch flipped his Zoom worm to the
dock and hauled in a four-and-a-half pounder. Running up the creek to try and finish the limit, Welch could land
only two small fish and finished the day one shy of a limit, but the 13lb-11oz stringer was good enough to put
him in first place.
"It worried me that I didn't have a fifth fish, but given the conditions, I knew that the big fish were limited
and normally if you get one big fish a day you're very happy. On the first two days of the tournament I had two
each day. It's real hard to overcome those big fish."
The field was narrowed to 50 on Saturday and Welch was the first boat out along with the leading amateur of the
tournament. He went straight to his points and experienced his first mishap of the week.
"I started with my buzzbait and as I came around the first point a giant bass came up to get it and just missed
it."
Rattled, but not shaken, Welch continued on the pattern that had been working--but the dock produced no keepers
and in the back of the creek channel he eked out four keepers that totaled about four-pounds.
"I had my fifth fish on three times and I lost it. It was quite a nerve racking day." Said Welch.
Welch had to lay his cards on the table and hope for the best. As if he weren't quezy enough with four small fish
to hopefully carry him, Fish Fishburne didn't help matters by messing with him. As he anxiously waited for the
weight totals, Fishburne soon informed Welch he needed only four ounces to take home the $50,000 first prize. The
four keepers easily covered the difference and Welch became the first West Virginian to ever win a nationally sanctioned
B.A.S.S. open event.
"It's just like anything, you don't have to be 6'5" to do this, but you do have to have the experience.
It's time on the water and dedication. My body hurts all over."
Welch's showing wasn't West Virginia's only shining star for the event. Hurricane's Shelley Perry finished 20th
with 8lbs-11ounces on the amateur side.
"Given the fact that John Burdette just won the man of the year in the Federation and I bring home a win to
the state of West Virginia makes me very proud."
 |
Danny Welch kisses his lucky buzzbait that helped him win the B.A.S.S.
Southern Open on Lake Murray.
[ Photo B.A.S.S. ] |
|
|
|
|
