Related: Article - Results

Greg Downey takes West Virginia BASS Federation State Championship

[ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 10/23/06 - Summersville, WV ]

Greg Downey

Greg Downey of Pinch, West Virginia clinched the West Virginia BASS Federation State Championship Sunday October 22, 2006 at Summersville Lake with a total weight of 11 pounds 3 ounces.

Downey, an inspector with engineering company HNTB, recently got back into competitive bass fishing following a ten year hiatus to care for his ailing father. He produced a quality bag of 3 fish the first day with 5 pounds - 3 ounces including a 3-pound largemouth bass. The second and final day of the tournament, Downey weighed a limit of 5 bass including four smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass.

Downey, who is normally a boater a good part of the season on the water, qualified as a non-boater through Indian Lakes Bassmasters in the Southern Division. "It feels good to win the state championship. There are a lot of obstacles against you as a non-boater," said Downey of his victory.

The impressive win from the back of the boat, came as Downey did what most anglers this weekend were doing - Carolina rigging. Downey's setup was nothing extraordinary: A six inch Cabin Creek green pumpkin lizard tied to McCoy Mean Green 12# test main line with a Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon leader in 8# test and a ½ ounce Gremlin sinker. "I threw the Carolina rig 95 percent of the time. The rest of the time spinnerbait and jerkbait, but they didn't bite that" said Downey.

But the difference between Downey and the rest of the field may have been in the presentation. Patience was the essential element between catching and not catching. Downey described his approach: "The fish would peck at the bait, but they wouldn't take it. Peck, peck, peck…you really had to let them take it. Sometimes it would be two minutes of the fish pecking it…then… 'bang' they'd take it." Most of Downey's fish were caught between 15 and 35 feet of water.

Downey also won the Castrol Oil "Maximum Performer" award worth a $500 Wal-Mart gift Card.

The highest-finishing Ranger Cup award of $1,500 went to Charlie Hanshaw.

Water temperatures were in the low 60's with most anglers reporting 62 degrees.

The 2007 West Virginia BASS Federation State Team consists of Jim Merical (Alternate), David Martin, David Waldron, Glen Hickson, Matt Cochran, Robert Harkness, Charlie Hanshaw, Jay Phillips, Rick Hamer, Jerry Holbert, Carlos Taylor, Mick Goodwin, and Greg Downey (2006 State Champion). This team will represent West Virginia in the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Divisional hosted by the State of Delaware on the Nanticoke River.

The 2007 West Virginia BASS Federation State Team
(In order of finish)

1. GREG DOWNEY (State Champion)
2. JERRY HOLBERT
3. MATT COCHRAN
4. DAVID MARTIN
5. CHARLIE HANSHAW
6. CARLOS TAYLOR
7. JAY PHILLIPS
8. BOB HARKNESS
9. RICK. HAMER
10. DAVE WALDRON
11. GLEN HICKSON
12. MICHAEL GOODWIN
13. JIM MERICAL (Alternate)

Total Anglers: 120
Total Bass: 335
Total Dead Bass: 4
Total Weight: 394-00
Average Weight/Bass: 1-02

WVBF Championship boat on Summersville Lake

The West Virginia Bass Federation (WVBF) is a state wide organization which formed and affiliated with the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society of Montgomery, Alabama in 1973. Presently, the WVBF has approximately 800 members in 64 clubs throughout the State of West Virginia. We are currently affiliated with The BASS Federation (TBF) as a shareholder. Initially, The WVBF was formed to stimulate public awareness of bass fishing as a major sport, to offer the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources our organized moral and political support and encouragement, to promote full adherence to all conservation codes and to demand adequate water standards and detect and report any polluter and call public and political attention to crime, to improve our skill as bass anglers through fellowship and friendly exchange of expert bass catching techniques and ideas, to promote and encourage youth fishing and love for this great recreation and to function as a dynamic and effective link with individual chapters and other federations embracing the principles and purposes of TBF.

West Virginia BASS Federation
www.wvbass.com
John Burdette , President
25 West Main Street, Buckhannon, WV 26201
(304) 472-3600 (W) - (304) 472-6221 (H)
jburdette@wvbass.com