Canadian Barry Graves wins International Title
MLF PRESS RELEASE
COUNCE, Tenn. – Fishing below the Wilson Dam, Brent Crow of Hartselle, Alabama, came out swinging on the final day of the Toyota Series Championship Presented by Guaranteed Rate at Pickwick Lake. Tallying 23 pounds, 1 ounce before 9 a.m., Crow moved from 10th to first with a 52-2 total. For the win, Crow earned $247,500 with the MLF Phoenix Bonus and other contingency money for a total payout of nearly a quarter-million dollars.
But the win isn’t something he just magically stumbled upon, it’s almost as if it was destiny. Crow is a guide on Pickwick, so he had this event circled on his calendar since it was announced. The only issue for him, however, was the stars couldn’t align if he wasn’t qualified for the event.
Enter the Northern Division.
“I’m not trying to make a living as a professional,” Crow says. “I make a living fishing and I like to fish and if the schedule suits me I fish. When the championship was announced it was going to be here in the fall I thought, ‘Oh, I got to make that.’ I had some conflicts, so I couldn’t fish some of the divisions and I didn’t like the Southern Division schedule. But I’ve been to Champlain before and I love St. Clair, so I love the north. Then I saw 1000 Islands and heard how good it was so I thought I’d go up there.
“It worked out perfect because it’s our slow time down here. July, August there’s not much guiding, or the fishing’s not that good here, so I went up north and was able to make it. I put more effort into making this championship than I have any of them. It worked out.”
While the Champlain event didn’t go as planned, Crow made a Top 10 at the St. Lawrence and survived the Potomac with an 18th-place showing to easily qualify for the Championship. With his ticket punched, all Crow had to do was sit back and wait for practice to start.
