Two time Cedar Rapids Bassmasters fisherman of the year going for the hat trick

Having won his second straight Cedar Rapids Bassmasters fisherman of the year title, Justin Lubbock will be striving this year to join the elite company of two other anglers who have claimed the title three years in a row.

Lubbock said it would be an honor to share that distinction with George Paulsen, who won the title in 1978-1980, and with Thad Takes, who has done it twice, 2000-2002 and 2007-2009.

'It would be pretty cool to be mentioned in the same sentence as those guys,” he said.

Lubbock said he dug himself a deep hole by finishing close to the bottom of the standings in the club's first 2014 tournament on Thomas Hill Lake in northeast Missouri.

A pair of tournament wins on the Mississippi River put him back in contention, but he did not take the lead in the standings until just before the club's fifth and final tournament of the year, he said.

With just a slight lead over Mike Leuenberger and Bob Heath, Lubbock said he knew he had to catch limits both days of the two-day mid-October tournament to stay ahead of them.

To make matters more interesting, Lubbock and Leuenberger fished together, taking turns running Lubbock's boat on Pool 9 of the Mississippi River.

An obsessively competitive boat operator can position the craft for first crack at all likely fish-holding spots, making it difficult for a passenger to catch fish. But Lubbock said equal opportunity prevailed.

'There was nothing cutthroat about it. We took turns running the boat and just had fun. That's one of the things I like about this club. Nobody would ever take unfair advantage of the guy in the back of the boat,” Lubbock said.

Heath caught 10 bass weighing 23.7 pounds to win the final tournament, and Leuenberger finished second with 21.5 pounds. Lubbock caught 20.5 pounds to place third and hold on to his lead in the title race.

Other top finishers in the race for the fisherman of the year title were Leuenberger, second; Heath, third; Steve Teel, fourth; Jason Brecht, fifth; and Verlyn Hines, sixth.

Lubbock said fishing on the Mississippi was more difficult than it had been in other recent years.

'The same patterns and techniques were working, but the bass were just in different locations for much of the year,” he said.

Lubbock said he makes it a point to fish unfamiliar water during every tournament, but this year he did so at least half the time.

'I learned a lot of spots that I hope will help me in the future,” he said.