EUFAULA, Okla. — He had to slow down to figure out the deal, but once Paul Browning dialed in his pattern, he turned in a dominant performance to win the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance with a three-day total of 42 pounds, 5 ounces.
After a slow Day 1 yielded only two keepers for 7-13, the boater from Monahans, Texas, found himself in 29th place. The second round saw him make considerable headway, and although he fell one fish short of his five-bass limit, Browning’s 15-10 propelled him into seventh place.
On Championship Friday, Browning stepped on the gas and sacked up 18-14 — the tournament’s second-heaviest catch — and raced across the finish line by a margin of 2-9 over Day 2 leader Ian Leybas. Browning won the top prize of $12,899 and earned a spot in the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance, Oct. 22-25.
“It started off slow today and I lost two fish pretty quick,” Browning said. “I lost a 3-pounder and a 2, but then I caught a 7-4 that clued me in on a new stretch.”
Fishing the mid-lake region near the Belle Star Marina, Browning targeted spawning fish in buckbrush in 6 inches to 4 feet of water. He was flipping a 4-inch Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog in the tilapia color, rigged on a 4/0 Owner Jungle flipping hook with a 1/2-ounce Kovert Tungsten weight.
“The water was really clean; it had a brownish tint, but it was mostly clear, so the light breeze helped,” Browning said. “My mapping showed a deeper area in the middle, so I knew that would give the fish a place to go during the cooler nights.”
Looking back, Browning realized he started his morning by fishing too fast. The manner in which he caught his big fish caused him to alter his pace, and that helped him complete his winning limit.
“That 7-4 slowed me down, and I think that’s what did it for me,” Browning said. “I was flipping into the brush and slowly dragging the bait out. Some of them would bite it in the brush, but most of them bit when I drug it out.”
Reflecting on his win, Browning said: “It feels good. The last two years have been a struggle fishing the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens. Maybe this will help me get the wheels back on the wagon.”
Leybas, the local pro from McAlester, Okla., placed 13th on Day 1 with two bass that weighed 10-10. In the second round, he added the event’s biggest limit — 19-13 — and moved into the lead. His Day 3 catch of four fish for 9-5 gave him a second-place tournament total of 39-12.
Leybass, who attributed his big Day 2 comeback to more favorable wind conditions, returned to his main area in the mid- to south-lake region, where he targeted prespawn fish. He caught his fish on a 3/8-ounce white/chartreuse spinnerbait with double Colorado blades.
“You gotta keep perspective when you’re fishing,” Leybass said. “It was a tough practice; the fish were not set up right. They were in and out; the water level (was fluctuating).
“I was blessed for the day I had yesterday. Today was a lot tougher, but it’s been a good event and it exceeded my expectations.”
Day 1 leader Kelley Hudson finished third with 39-2. His daily weights were 14-11, 13-10 and 10-13.
Hudson did most of his work in the backs of small creeks where he targeted shallow staging areas. He caught most of his fish on a Texas-rigged green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog with the tail dipped in chartreuse. He caught his biggest final-round fish on a spinnerbait.
“I had a great week and I’m proud of the way I fished,” Hudson said. “I’ve never been here before, so to come to a 200,000-acre lake and have a chance to win is absolutely fantastic.”
Browning tied Lane Edwards of Paden, Okla., for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award. Both anglers caught bass weighing 7-4 and split the $500 prize.
Zach Oliver of Coal Hill, Ark., won the non-boater division with a three-day total of 29-13. Oliver turned in daily three-fish limits of 5-10, 11-7 and 12-12.
For his achievement, Oliver won $4,593.
Joe Conway of Colorado Springs, Colo., won the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award among non-boaters with an 8-2.
The City of Eufaula hosted the tournament.