Three Generations of Chapmans Take on Toyota Series Plains Division
The second tournament of the FLW Toyota Series Plains Division wrapped up October 10 on Lake of the Ozarks. Matt Krekovich took home the win in central Missouri, while MLF pro Brent Chapman earned a seventh-place finish.
While Chapman was unable to come away with a victory, he was able to head back to Kansas with some great memories he shared with his family.
Three generations of the Chapman family competed on Lake of the Ozarks – Brent, his son Mason, and his father Ron. Although they’ve all fished professional tournaments before, it was the first time all three were competing in the same event. Brent fished as a pro, while Mason and Ron fished in the co-angler field.
“Usually you go into events just worrying about yourself and how you can do,” Brent said. “However, I found myself thinking about my son and my dad and wondering how their days were going multiple times throughout the day. It definitely added some emotion those first couple of days.”
Lessons Learned for Mason
Back in September, Mason earned a 20th-place finish in his first event as a co-angler on Lake Dardanelle. It was the first event of the Plains Division and a good start in Mason’s efforts to qualify for the Toyota Series Championship in December.
In Mason’s second event – and with Brent and his grandfather in the field – Brent was excited to see how they both would do competing against a tough field.
“It’s fun to see Mason out there with that competitive drive, while my dad is starting his tournament fishing back up,” Chapman said. “They both had fun out there, even though they both probably wish things went better for them. Still, there were probably lessons learned for both of them that they’ll take with them into the next tournament.”
Ron and Mason’s tournament ended after Day 2 as both failed to make the first round of cuts. Still, Brent liked what he saw out of his son on Day 1 and knows he will carry lessons learned on Lake of the Ozarks with him into the final tournament on Table Rock Lake next month.
“After a good first day with three bass for 6-13, Mason blanked on the second day,” Chapman recapped. “He was obviously disappointed with that, but I told him that it’s going to happen sometimes. You have to learn to take the lows along with the highs and be able to move on. I think he got a little confident after a good start and might have thought it was easier than it was going to be. He’ll learn, and I know he’ll make improvements for next time.”
Brent Rides Bladed Jig to Seventh-Place Finish
While this was Mason’s second event of the Plains Division season, it was his father’s first. Brent had a strong showing on the pro side, finishing in seventh place with a four-day total of 39-10.
It’s been years since he’s competed on Lake of the Ozarks, so Brent brought a new bass-catching weapon along with him that he didn’t have in the past.
“I formulated a plan and I stuck to it for the entire tournament,” Chapman said. “For me, it was all about covering water with a bladed jig. Back in the day, it used to be all about spinnerbaits this time of the year in the Ozarks. Last time I fished Lake of the Ozarks, a bladed jig didn’t even exist. Now, I caught fish in 60 feet to 6 inches of water on that bait. It really worked out well for me.”
All three of the Chapmans plan on competing in the final Plains Division event on November 5 at Table Rock Lake. For Brent, even in a shortened season, he’s already making plans for next year so he can continue fishing with his family in 2021.
“This taste of not only competing with my son and dad, but also getting to fish FLW events, makes me want to do more of these next year,” Chapman expressed. “I’m going to have a busy 2021 with the Bass Pro Tour and hopefully qualify for some MLF Cups, but I hope I can make time to do some of these events as well with my family. These are moments that we’ll all hold on to for a while.”