Syracuse.com - Marcellus angler qualifies for B.A.S.S Nation Championship in Arkansas

[HuntingNY-News]

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He was top angler on the 12-person squad from New York that finished third overall in the recent Eastern Divisional Championship at Sebago Lake in Maine. He now has a shot at qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic, the so-called World Series of bass fishing with its $500,000 first prize.

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<p><br />Local bass angler Randy LaManche was the top angler for the New York State B.A.S.S Chapter Federation squad, which finished third last week in the Eastern Divisional Championship at Sebago Lake in Maine.</p>

<p>With his finish, LaManche, of Marcellus, qualified for the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship scheduled for Oct. 24-26 at Lake Dardanelle in Arkansas. The Eastern Divisional championship featured teams from throughout the Northeast, Canada and Spain.</p>

<p>"He was very consistent during the tournament's three days, fishing on a very tough lake, where almost half the field weighed in either zero fish or fish each day," said Fred Blom, vice president of the New York B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation. "Randy caught four fish (all smallmouths) each day, averaging two pounds."</p>

<p>LaManche has been New York State "Angler of the Year" twice before and has now made it to the next level.</p>

<p>At the nationals, LaManche will be competing for a berth in the prestigious <a href="http://www.bassmaster.com/news/bassmaster-classic-field-filling">Bassmasters Classic</a>. The Classic, which pits the best bass anglers in the country including many at the Elite Series level, is slated for Feb. 21-23 on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. The winner will receive $500,000.</p>

<p>"To make the Classic is the ultimate dream and our Eastern Division is the only BASS Nation division to have had their angler actually win the Classic," Blom said. "So there is a lot of history here and Randy is an excellent ambassador for our sport."</p>

<div id="asset-13463608" class="entry_widget_large entry_widget_right"><span class="adv-photo-large"><img src="/static/common/img/blank.gif" class="lazy" data-original="http://media.syracuse.com/outdoors/photo/13463608-large.jpg" class="adv-photo" alt="BASSTEAM.jpg" /><span class="photo-data"><span class="caption"> Team Photo

Standing...Todd Covert, Fred Blom, John Stoughtenger, Steve Pickard, Frank Giner, George Yund, Corey Palmer, Mark Batur Chris O'brien, Randy Lamanche, Tim Thompson, Chris Killoren,

Kneeling...Jim Moore, Travis Franclemont, Wyatt Morris, Dave Morrissette, Mike Cusano

</span><span class="byline">Submitted photo</span></span></span> </div>

<p>The Eastern Divisional competition featured nine, 12-angler teams. Using total weight caught by members of each squad, teams competed for prizes, including a Triton boat for first, and cash prizes for second, third and fourth places. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.bassmaster.com/news/mueller-wins-eastern-divisional-pursuing-largemouth">The top angler for the tournament was Paul Mueller, of Connecticut.</a> The top-finishing team was from Maine. </p>

<p>By coming in third, the New York squad split $3,000.</p>

<p>The New York team members include LaManche, Frank Giner, Chris Killoren, Steve Pickard, Dave Morrissette, Chris Obrien, Mark Batur, John Stoughtenger, Tim Thompson, Corey Palmer, George Yund, and Mike Cusano. <br /></p>

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog