Redemption on the River: Chong and Brownridge Crowned as Classic

[MichaelVandenberg]

Redemption on the River: Chong and Brownridge Crowned as Classic XX Champs

Morrisburg, Ontario September 13, 2015

The last time Renegade Bass held its Classic on the St. Lawrence River David Chong and Doug Brownridge made the long run from Morrisburg to Lake Ontario. “In 2010, we were on the fish to win the classic” reflects David Chong, a perennial contender anywhere bass are caught in Canada. “We were running to the lake and had good fish there, but on day 2 there were 6 foot waves in the big lake. We managed to catch 3 good fish and headed back into the river to close out our limit with largemouth. We got stuck with one that was only about 1.5 pounds and that cost us the Classic. We finished third and were only less than 1 pound from the win.”

On September 12 and 13, 2015 the Town of Morrisburg again hosted the Renegade Bass Classic. Chong and Brownridge were out for redemption and had a renewed game plan; one that kept them in the river and focussed solely on deep smallmouth. “Our pre-fish was mediocre, which really allowed us to key in on a handful of spots and simplified our decision on where to fish. We knew it was going to be a grind to get bites, but also knew that the bites we would get would be quality fish”. Their prediction was right and the team weighed in a two day total of 45.66 pounds, to win by more than 4.5 pounds over their nearest competition.

Their strategy was to drift deep water in search of big fish. All fish that were weighed in came out of 25 to 40 feet of water dragging Set the Hook tubes and drop shotting Crush Worms on Owner hooks. Both anglers relied on Sunline fluorocarbon for the ultra-clear water and, “with the wind blowing like it was, our Ultra Tungsten drop shot weights were key to ensuring we maintained bottom contact, where the fish were. The hardness of tungsten transmits the feel of bottom much better and made it easier to detect bites. Those subtle differences are crucial when the wind and waves can throw off an angler’s feel of their lure.”

“One factor that many might overlook was that we were wearing Simms Pro Dry rainsuits” noted Dave Chong. In extreme weather conditions like they encountered during this event, staying warm and dry allowed them to focus on the task at hand, winning the Classic! Often it is the little things that ultimately make the difference between winning and just being a contender!
Those little differences paid off in a big way and landed them their first Renegade Bass Classic victory. As the Classic champs they take home a brand new Ranger Z119 Bass Boat, rigged with an Evinrude BRP E-TEC G2 225 HP motor. The Ranger, rigged through Orleans Boat World & Sports, comes fully equipped with 2 Lowrance HDS Gen2 units, a Motorguide Tour Edition 24v trolling motor, 3 batteries from Total Battery, on-board charging system, a stainless prop, and a Ranger travel cover. The total value of the prize package is approximately $68,000.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to win this tournament, and we share this with all of those who have supported us. Both Doug and I have some tremendous sponsors that help us do what we love to do.” The team’s sponsors include: Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Motors, Daiwa rods and reels, Duckett Fishing rods, Power-Pole, Lowrance, Navionics, EGO Nets, SunLine, Ultra Tungsten, Owner hooks, Lucky Craft, Set the Hook, Stringease, Simms Fishing, Liquid Mayhem, Vigour Eyewear, Xtreme Marine, and Fintech.



Top 10
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1-David Chong / Doug Brownridge 23.75 21.91 45.66 Prize Boat

Ranger Z119 with 225 HP Evinrude BRP G2 E-Tec HO fully equipped with 2 Lowrance HDS Gen2 units, a Motorguide Tour Tour Edition 24v trolling motor, 3 batteries from Total Battery, on-board charging system, a stainless prop, and Ranger travel cover rigged through Orleans Boat World & Sports.

2-Barry Clayton / Steven Neveu 20.73 20.28 41.01 $3,000
3-Marc Alain / Pierre-Hugues Lussier 21.00 18.64 39.64 $2,000
4-Scott Lefebvre / Mario Formica 17.96 20.41 38.37 $1,500
5-Trevor Sinnett / Kevin McPhee 20.36 16.47 36.83 $1,000
6-Blake Orr / Matt Tooley 21.26 14.99 36.25 $700
7-Mark Hamelin / Jason Bilow 19.55 16.57 36.12 $600
8-Kevin Selleck / Travis Raison 17.00 17.40 34.40 $500
9-Robert Greenberg / Chris Lawson 21.22 13.03 34.25 $400
10-Dave Steen / Joel Brisson 14.38 19.39 33.77 $300

Day 1 Big Fish Charles Sim & David Drury 5.70 $780
Day 2 Big Fish Steve Barnett & Jack Levert 6.12 $780
Rhodes & Williams Award Pete MacCormack & Andrew Mazeikis $250
Navionics Chips Peter Gard & Chris Burton