Our Featured Angler for December is Fall Classic Winner Chris Atwell

by Pete Robbins
(Who is Pete Robbins & what else has he written?)

It only took Chris Atwell a year to reach the pinnacle of achievement within the Virginia BASS Federation. As a first year member of the Federation, not only did he qualify for one of Region 3’s boater slots in the Fall Classic, but he managed to win the tournament beating the "best of the best" from all over the state.

Beginner’s luck?

Hardly. Atwell, age 29, has been fishing tournaments for nearly twenty years. Most of those years, however, he fished team tournaments with his father. A few years ago, however, he got a bug to see how he could compete individually. His father had fished the Federation events in previous years, and this spurred Atwell on to join the Richmond Bassmasters.

Even though his father had participated in past Chapter Teams ("Six Man") and Fall Classic ("Twenty Man") tournaments, Atwell did not fully understand how the state qualifying tournaments worked, except that they were one step along the way to the Bassmasters Classic. Now, by winning, he has taken that next step toward the big show.

Practice
After several years of drought, this has been an exceptionally rainy year. Accordingly, many of us were not surprised when September forecasts predicted another storm. Hurricane Isabel, however, was not just another run of the mill downpour. The heavy winds and storm surges that accompanied the storm wreaked havoc on our area’s waterways.

Among the affected waterways was the Potomac. In addition to the effects on the river itself, many facilities along the shoreline were devastated. Leesylvania State Park’s docks, built to withstand the "storm of the century," couldn’t survive Isabel. The docks ended up smashed to pieces in the parking lot, the store was flooded, and the status of the facility going forward is uncertain.

As a result of this damage, the Fall Classic, scheduled to go out of Leesylvania, was put into question. In consultation with the host region, Region 1, the State Federation decided to move the tournament to Buggs Island. Atwell says that he was "disappointed" by this decision, since he was "very much looking forward to the tournament. I like the Potomac in the Fall." In fact, he even contemplated not fishing the tournament.

Shifting his attention to Kerr, Atwell focused on the upper end of the lake, where he had won other tournaments in previous autumns. With two days of practice, he managed to locate some quality fish relating to shallow wood cover. While his first day or practice was not particularly productive, on the second day he stuck to the areas that he had confidence in, and force fed the fish. Still, he wasn’t sure that he had what it would take to win.

The Tournament
At the partner drawing, Atwell drew out with a fisherman from Northern Virginia. The angler, in only his third year of tournament fishing, had only practiced for a total of three or four hours, and didn’t know much about the lake. While Atwell had hoped to draw a partner on the motherlode of fish, upon finding this not to be the case, he was happy that his partner agreed to go wherever he wanted.

Heading up the lake the first tournament day, Atwell had made the decision to focus on a small section of the upper part of the lake. He started off with a Hank Parker spinnerbait, and shortly thereafter brought a four pound bass over the side of the boat. By ten thirty in the morning, he had a limit in his livewell, and managed to cull once during the afternoon.

When the scales closed on the first day, Atwell was firmly in second place, less than a pound out of the lead, with over eleven pounds. Still, there were several other anglers only trailing him by a small amount. Additionally, he was "concerned that I had fished out the small area." Nevertheless, the weather forecast was for overcast conditions, with showers. "That usually turns the bite on," he says. "I was expecting a dynamite bite."

Starting off day two in his confined area, Atwell threw his confidence bait, the spinnerbait, for over an hour without a bite. Meanwhile, his partner slowly seined the water with a worm, and caught a quality keeper. "That triggered me," Atwell says, and he ended up with a limit by 10 o’clock, fishing a small crankbait and a finesse worm. In fact, he caught more keepers the second day, culling three or four times up to a ten pound plus limit. His partner also limited on the second day, and his catch moved him up into the money. "He was ecstatic," Atwell says.

Looking Forward
Many talented fishermen have competed in the Federation for years without qualifying for the state team, let alone winning a state qualifier tournament, a feat Atwell managed to accomplish on his first try. Asked what advice he would give them, Atwell responded, "I guess the key is to stick with your proven seasonal patterns. I was relying on what I’ve learned in the past."

Atwell has already started looking forward to next year’s Eastern Divisional. "I haven’t been able to get confirmation," he says, "but I’m pretty sure it’s on Winnipesaukee." He has already begun researching the lake and planning scouting trips. This process has been aided by the help of a fellow club member who lived on the lake for many years.

"It’s a great opportunity," he says, "and I’m looking forward to it." Even though it will be the first tournament he’ll fish on Winnipesaukee, if he wins, it won’t be beginner’s luck. You can bet that any success will be attributable to his understanding of seasonal patterns, and his confidence in his knowledge and past experience.

If you’d like to contact Chris Atwell, he can be reached at bassfishr1@yahoo.com

Angler Profile Archives