Candlewood Bassmasters club member Paul Mueller nearly became the second B.A.S.S. Nation angler to win a Bassmaster Classic with his record-breaking performance in the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville.
After weighing in only three keepers the first day of the Classic, Mueller surged into fifth place on Day 2 by catching a Classic record five-fish limit weighing 32 pounds, 3 ounces. The Connecticut angler followed up with a 24-11 limit the final day but finished in second place and fell short in his bid to become Bryan Kerchal’s successor as the next Nation angler to win the Classic.
“That is one of those things that you learn from,” Mueller said of his Classic experience. “I felt good about the third day. I fished clean the last two days and didn’t lose a single fish. It was a tough bite the third day, but I felt I had a pretty good weight given the conditions for that day.”
Mueller earned a return trip to the Classic by finishing as the top angler of the Eastern Division in the 2014 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship (BNC).
He not only won his division; he also won the BNC to add another highlight to his already impressive résumé.
“It was pretty awesome,” Mueller said of his victory. “Honestly, I didn’t think I had a chance to win going into the third day. I knew that I was back in the Classic based on how heavy of a bag I had that day (14-9), but I figured Coby Carden of Alabama would catch at least a 9-, 10- or 11- pound bag again because he had been really consistent with two bags heavier than 11 pounds the first two days.”
Mueller won the BNC title when Carden caught only two keepers the final day.
With one Classic experience under his belt, Mueller says he knows what to expect in his second Classic appearance.
“I will probably be more comfortable in this one,” he said. “It is like anything else. The more you do something you get comfortable doing it, and now I know the routine of it all and what to expect from Media Day and all the extras that go with the Classic.
“At the end of the day, it is just a fishing tournament, so you have to do the same things that you do at any tournament at any level: Just catch the five biggest fish each day and make the proper adjustments,” Mueller said.
Owning the record for the heaviest limit on a Classic day should give Mueller plenty of confidence as he prepares for another shot at a championship title.
See his video on how he qualified for the Classic below.