¡¡The Photo Essay of W.B.S.Classic 2005 is now up on the web.
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¡¡The Photo Essay of W.B.S.Classic 2005 is now up on the web.
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We are giving away 3 sets of these 7 items for 3 people. T-shirt (Reaction Innovations), autographed Bagley B3 (Bagley), a crankbait of Premium Balsa Series (Lee Sisson Lures), a no-name-yet crankbait (Thornwood Lures), Sumo Frog (Boze), Nitlon 8Lb line (Yotsuami), Squid worm (Bass Pro Shops). ]]>
Those who want to have a set of those items, write your zip code, snail address, name, age, telephone #, and also please give us some comments and suggestions. Send the information to:contact@basswave.jp
You can only send it once. The deadline for this present is 5:00 PM, October 24th, 2005, Tokyo time. Winners will be selected by lottery, and announced on basswave.jp.
In addition, the personal information that you send is not going to be used in other purposes except this present.
+Reaction Innovations
+Nature Friend, Inc.
+Lee Sisson Lures
+Thornwood Lures, Inc.
+OFT
CONROE, Texas - Pro Russell Cecil of Willis caught 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 6 ounces to win the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship presented by Lays on Lake Conroe Oct 15-16. Cecil earned $70,000 for the win, including a fully-rigged Ranger 519 VX powered by a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart batteries, plus $15,000 cash. Also included in that $70,000 total is a $20,000 bonus for meeting the Ranger Boats contingency guidelines.]]>
An already shallow lake, Lake Conroe has been drawn down 6 feet below normal to inspect damage to the dam caused by Hurricane Katrina, putting many of the popular fall fishing spots high and dry. Added challenge came in the shape of a high pressure system followed by blue bird skies and calm winds during the tournament.
"I'm from around here, and I just fished places I knew normally held big bass this time of year," Cecil said. For Cecil, that meant hitting as many productive docks, brush piles and offshore structure spots he could over the course of two days. He threw a shad-colored Norman Baby N on 12-pound Ande monofilament with a 7-foot Falcon Cara Reaction rod. He also flipped a Lake Fork Tackle Flipper in killer craw color on 50-pound Ande braid with a 6-foot, 10-inch Falcon Cara pitching rod with a 5/16-ounce tungsten weight.
Rounding out the top five pros were Keith Combs of Temple (seven bass, 21 pounds, 9 ounce, $11,000); Chad Griffin of Cresson (five bass, 21 pounds, 8 ounces, $8,500); Barry Smith of Palo Pinto (six bass, 21 pounds, 4 ounces, $6,500); and Stan Gerzsenyi of Alba (five bass, 20 pounds,$4,750).
Kevin Flowers of Beaumont caught six bass weighing 21 pounds to win the Co-angler Division and earned $40,000 including a fully-rigged Ranger 519 VX powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart batteries, plus $5,000 cash. Flowers earned an additional $5,000 for meeting the Ranger Boats contingency guidelines. He also was awarded a $500 Wal-Mart gift certificate and $500 of Castrol products from Castrol for wearing a Castrol shirt on the final day of competition.
"On Saturday, I caught my one fish on a senko for 2 pounds, 7 ounces," Flowers said. "Today I threw a drop-shot and caught 18 pounds, 9 ounces." Flowers fished with Ronnie Wagner on Sunday. They were targeting bass on a creek-channel edge in 8 to 10 feet of water near brush piles. Flowers threw a 4-inch watermelon with red flake Zoom finesse worm on 12-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon line with a Falcon Cara weightless worm rod with a Shimano reel.
"My partner showed such great sportsmanship Sunday," Flowers said. "I caught a 4-pounder and a 5-pounder out of a brush pile, and the wind started to blow us off the spot. But he held me in position all day, where I could reach the productive waters too. It would have been easy for him not to with the slight breeze, but he was a class act."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Danny Joiner of Irving (four bass, 15 pounds, $4,500); Todd R. Lee of Grove, Okla. (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces, $3,000); William Herline of Silsbee (three bass, 13 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,350); and Bill Rogers of Jasper (four bass, 10 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,900).
Jeffrey Giarrizzo of Belton caught an 8-pound, 8-ounce largemouth Sunday to win the $1,000 Snickers Big Bass award for the tournament.
+For more infomation, click www.FLW Outdoors.com.
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CONROE, Texas - Pro Barry Smith of Palo Pinto caught five bass weighing 18 pounds, 3 ounces to lead the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship presented by Lays on Lake Conroe Saturday. One hundred of Texas' finest pros and co-anglers are competing for a share of $195,000 in cash and prizes. The winning pro will earn as much as $70,000, including a fully-rigged Ranger 519 VX powered by a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart batteries, plus $15,000 cash. If the winner meets the Ranger Boats contingency guidelines, he will receive an additional $20,000.]]>
Lake Conroe normally fishes much better this time of year. Hurricane Katrina, however, has altered the fishing on what's normally a dramatically improved fishery. The normally shallow lake has been drawn down 6 feet below normal to inspect damage to the dam caused by Hurricane Katrina, putting many of the popular docks high and dry. To make matters more difficult, a high-pressure system moved into the area, and conditions following that system were high blue bird skies and calm, slick water.
"This lake doesn't have many of the floating docks," Smith said. "These are pole and pedestal docks, and many of them are 6 feet over the water, making the fishing pretty tough."
Smith has been on the lake since last Saturday and found 10 key spots where he could catch the better quality bass in practice. "I'm just trying to hit my spots as many times in a day as I can," he said. "I had 17 bites, caught five keepers, lost one real good bass and boated about 4 other small bass. They're short striking it because of the high pressure and slick conditions. They had been a lot easier to catch this week before this high-pressure system moved in on us."
Rounding out the top five pros are Russell Cecil of Willis (five bass, 17 pounds); Guy Adams of Corpus Christi (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces); Reagan Henry of Voss (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces); and Trey Morgan of Goldonna, La. (five bass, 13 pounds, 15 ounces).
Todd R. Lee of Grove, Okla., caught four bass weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces to lead day one in the Co-angler Division.
"I fished with Sean Hoernke today," Lee said. "He's a class act and is around two groups of quality bass, but it's just real tough to catch them right now." Lee caught two keepers on a crankbait, one on a jig and his largest bass - a 3-pounder - on a topwater lure first thing Saturday morning.
The winning co-angler will earn up to $40,000 in cash and prizes consisting of a fully-rigged Ranger 519 VX powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart batteries, plus $5,000 cash.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Bill Rogers of Jasper (three bass, 7 pounds, 11 ounces); Danny Joiner of Irving (one bass, 6 pounds, 7 ounces); Casey Craig of Spring (two bass, 6 pounds, 5 ounces); and Frank Morales Sr. of Heath (one bass, 6 pounds, 3 ounces).
Anglers take off at 7 a.m. Sunday from the April Plaza Marina and Motel in Montgomery. Texas Marine and Ranger Boats will provide free food and demo rides in a selection of bass boats, fish and ski boats, and bay boats at April Plaza Marina from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Sunday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 18700 State Highway 105 West in Montgomery beginning at 4 p.m.
+For more infomation, click www.FLW Outdoors.com.
]]>LAKEPORT, Calif. - Jared Lintner and Chris Zaldain should fish together more often. The pair were randomly paired together on the final day of the CITGO Bassmaster Western Open at Clear Lake and won the boater and non-boater division respectively. Lintner takes home a $50,000 prize package including a fully-rigged Triton boat with Mercury outboard.
]]> In dramatic fashion, California's Lintner jumped all the way up from 25th place to surge into the lead on the final day. His three-day catch of 49 pounds, 15 ounces was good enough to hold off Day 2 leader Michael Tuck by 2 pounds, 11 ounces. In the end, it was his experience with western fisheries that helped him to his first BASS win."I have a bunch of spots on this lake that I know I can go to" Lintner said. "I started my day in one of my hot spots that had been productive during this tournament. My partner Chris caught a limit there by 9 a.m. I knew I had a bunch of other places that I could go because I have fished here so many times, and I had to use them."
Lintner starter early in his hot spot working a buzz bait. Later in the day, due to the weather, he moved to protected waters as the wind built up. He switched to bright and flashy jigs to combat the unpredictable clarity of the water.
His 22-3 limit on the final day was by far the biggest bag on the day. Lintner attributed his fantastic finish to his knowledge of the lake. In 2004, Lintner finished third in the CITGO Bassmaster Open at Clear Lake.
Lintner's banner final day put the pressure on Tuck to bring in a solid limit. His catch of 10 pounds, 3 ounces was not quite enough to take home his first BASS victory. Despite the solid showing, Tuck could only think of the one that got away.
"When you are fishing a tournament like this with such quality anglers, you can't afford to lose any fish and this weekend I lost a few," the Californian said. "I don't even want to talk about the almost 9 pounder I lost in the last fifteen minutes of fishing today."
Finishing behind Lintner and Tuck is Nevada's Rob Wenning (47-3), California's Jim Davis (47-0) and California's Ricky Shabazz (45-3).
On the non-boater side, Zaldain takes home a Triton boat package valued at $25,000. Rounding out the top five are Japan's Hideki Maeda (38-8), California's Rick Spinney (36-11), California's John Sherak (35-9) and California's Gary Morris (34-12).
The Californians dominated on their state lake as 8 of the top 10 finishers on the boater and non-boater side hail from California.
The lone remaining event in the Western Open series will take place on Lake Shasta in Shasta Lake, Calif. (Nov. 17-19). The top 15 boaters and non-boaters from the Western Open point standings will advance to the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship on the Alabama River in Prattville, Ala., Dec. 1-4. The top five boaters from the Open Championship will qualify to fish in the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic (Feb. 24-26; Lake Tohopekaliga, Kissimmee, Fla.) and compete for a $500,000 top prize.
Location and Field
Clear Lake
Lakeport, Calif.
Oct.13-15, 2005
Launch Konocti Vista Resort & Marina
2755 Mission Rancheria Road
Lakeport, Calif. 95453
Weigh-in
Konocti Vista Resort & Marina
2755 Mission Rancheria Road
Lakeport, Calif. 95453
Day Three Purolator Big Bass
Boater: Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif., 6-9
Non-Boater: Chris Zaldain, San Jose, Calif., 4-13
Big Bass of Tournament: David Kromm, Kennewick, Wash., 9-3
Local sponsors
Local sponsors include the Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina.
Bassmaster Open Series sponsors
CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
BASS Communications -Oct. 15, 2005
+For more infomation, clickwww.bassmaster.com.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. - It takes a skilled angler to win two BASS tournaments in one year. Takahiro Omori put himself in that coveted category with a commanding 4 pound, 10 ounce win over Louisiana's Craig Dowling in the CITGO Bassmaster Central Open at Norfork Lake on Saturday winning more than $50,000 in cash and prizes including a new Triton boat with a Mercury outboard.
]]> "This feels great to win two BASS tournaments in the same year," said the 35-year old Texan, who also won the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Tour stop at Lake Toho in January. "That is very tough to do, so I feel very good about that."Omori spent all three days fishing the same creek, located just minutes away from the launch location. He concentrated on shallow pockets of water, 5 five feet in depth using a Lucky Craft BDS2 crankbait and a Zoom Baby Brush Hawg. Additionally, Omori was using 20 pound fluorocarbon Sunline coupled with a 7 foot Daiwa spinning rod.
The crankbait enticed the bigger bites, which were rare considering the tough fishing conditions. However, Omori landed a 3-8 bass with the crankbait on the final day which would have been good enough to win the tournament by itself.
Although Omori brought in a solid bag (7-10) on the final day, his closest competition wilted as Brad Hallman, second place after Day 2, failed to weigh in a fish. Hallman slipped all the way back to sixth place.
"The fishing has been real tough," Oklahoma's Hallman said. "I got pretty lucky my first day out here, but yesterday, I had trouble and I felt like my areas were drying up. I figured I better concentrate on new water today, but I just couldn't find that hot stretch."
Taking over second was Louisiana's Dowling. Despite falling short of winning his first BASS tournament, he was pleased with his second-place finish.
"It has been a great week," Hallman said, who threw Yamamoto hula-grubs and cut-tails all week. "I guess my luck finally ran out today, but I couldn't be happier."
Rounding out the top five on the boater side are Louisiana's Jeremy Guidry (21-15), Texan David Wharton (20-5) and Arkansas's Doug Garrett (18-15).
Garrett was the only Arkansas angler to finish in the top five on the boater side. He moved up from his 11th place position after Day 2 with a 7-pound, 2-ounce catch on the final day.
Anglers from the Natural State fared a bit better on the non-boater side as two finished in the top five. Winning a prize package that includes a Triton boat valued at $25,000 is Texan Dwight Dickerson with a three day total of 14 pounds, 8 ounces.
Finishing behind Dickerson are Texan Rusty Harvey (13-1), Arkansas's Bob Snyder (12-10), Arkansas's Jeary Wheeler (11-13) and Mississippi's Dennis Mcdaniel (11-3).
The last of the three Central Open tournaments will take place on the Red River in Natchitoches , La., Nov. 9-11, 2005.
The top 25 boaters and non-boaters in the CITGO Bassmaster Central Open point standings advance to the CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship on the Alabama River in Prattville, Ala., Dec. 1-4, 2005. The top five finishers in the Open Championship will move on to the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic Feb. 24-26 on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla. and compete for a $500,000 top prize.
Location and Field
Norfork Lake
Mountain Home, Ark.
Oct.13-15, 2005
Launch
Lake Norfork Marina
19 CR 825
Henderson, Ark. 75653
Weigh-in
Lake Norfork Marina
19 CR 825
Henderson, Ark. 75653
Day Three Purolator Big Bass
Boater: Chad Brauer, Osage Beach, Mo., 4-1
Non-Boater: Dennis Mcdaniel, Roxie, Miss., 4-1
Purolator Big Bass of tournament: Homer Humphreys, Jr., Minden, La., 4-14
Nathan Borque, Prairieville, La,, 4-14
Local sponsors
Local sponsors include the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bassmaster Open Series sponsors
CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
BASS Communications -Oct. 15, 2005
+For more infomation, clickwww.bassmaster.com.
LAKEPORT, Calif. -All it takes is a little confidence for California angler Michael Tuck to succeed. After a tough first day that included a lost 5 pounder on his first cast, Tuck regained his confidence and seized the Day 2 lead by catching a limit of 18 pounds, 15 ounces at the CITGO Bassmaster Western Open at Clear Lake. Tuck holds a 1-pound, 10-ounce lead over fellow Californian Ricky Shabazz.
]]> "Today was very different for me from yesterday. I lost a 5 pound fish on my first cast and that put me into a downward spiral," Tuck said. "But I stuck with it and stayed confident in my abilities. It really paid off today." Tuck caught most of his fish with a slow presentation in 8 to 13 feet of water. He was exceptionally successful at getting bass to bite later in the day. Within striking distance of Tuck is Shabazz, who is targeting fish in extremely shallow water. Shabazz is searching strictly for big bites, and thus far, it has paid off. Shabazz vaulted into second place with a Day 2 limit of 19 pounds, 12 ounces, which included an 8-11 lunker good enough for Purolator Big Bass honors and $1,000. "I'm fishing very shallow to super shallow," Shabazz said. "I'm sure that no one else is fishing similar to me. I am confident that the fish here will respond to a different style of fishing that they may have never seen before."Rounding out the top five on the boater side are Nevada's Rob Wenning (34-3), Oregon's Dave Palmer (33-2) and California's Jim Reese (32-12).
On the non -boater side, California's Doug Jones moved into first place with a two-day total catch of 27 pounds, 14 ounces. Trailing Jones are Japan's Hideki Maeda (27-12), California's Gary Morris (25-11), California's Steve Biechman (25-4) and California's Steve Zaldain (25-3).
Location and Field
CITGO Bassmaster Western Open
Clear Lake
Lakeport, Calif.
Oct.13-15, 2005
Launch
Konocti Vista Resort & Marina
2755 Mission Rancheria Road
Lakeport, Calif. 95453
Weigh-in
Konocti Vista Resort & Marina
2755 Mission Rancheria Road
Lakeport, Calif. 95453
Day Two Purolator Big Bass
Boater: Ricky Shabazz, Rialto, Calif., 8-11
Non-Boater: Gary Morris, Tracy, Calif., 7-12
Local sponsors
Local sponsors include the Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina.
Bassmaster Open Series sponsors
CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
BASS Communications -Oct. 14, 2005
+For more infomation, clickwww.bassmaster.com.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. - Leave it to a former CITGO Bassmaster Classic winner to champion significantly tough conditions. Fighting through a near three-hour fog delay and extremely poor fishing weather, 2004 Bassmaster Classic champ Takahiro Omori seized the lead at the CITGO Bassmaster Central Open on Norfork Lake with his Day 2 catch of 9 pounds, 14 ounces. He leads Oklahoman and Day 1 leader Brad Hallman by a mere 13 ounces.
]]> The dense fog in the morning delayed launch nearly three hours- decreasing fishing time on the water- before giving way to permanent sunshine. Conditions were tough, when only two anglers caught a five-fish limit. And, although short of a limit, Omori's (19-11) four bass were enough on a day that he described as "rough"."I'm fishing a typical fall pattern searching for largemouths only," the 35-year old Texan said. "I have two places to fish, so I hope my areas are productive tomorrow. I am anxious to get out there and fish."
Omori is keying in on shallow water, roughly 5 feet deep, in search of strictly largemouths. He played it close to the vest on other details, promising more after the final day of the tournament.
In second place is Hallman, who is also fishing very shallow. His Day 2 catch of 5 pounds, 1 ounce, was enough to keep him within striking distance of Omori. Despite relinquishing the lead, he was pleased with the results after two days.
"I'm happy with the way I fished today even though I slipped a place," Hallman said. "I plan to just put the trolling motor down and fish new areas tomorrow. I'm excited to be in this contending position."
With the weather expected to be similar to the first two days on Norfork, anglers can expect more of the same tough conditions. The stingy fishery only yielded one bag upwards of 10 pounds on Friday- Missouri's Doc Seger caught a 10-10 limit.
The majority of Seger's bag was caught in the last hour of competition. Seger's secret to success was a local jig that he received a few days before the competition.
"I got this jig from a local guy and he called it Zeke's Hairy Bug Jig," Seger said. "I threw that thing in the last hour and I caught four keepers. You can be sure that I go back to that same area and throw that secret jig."
Seger currently sits in sixth place, but remained optimistic about his chances tomorrow. Not only will Seger have to beat the stingy waters of Lake Norfork again to take home the $50,000 top prize, he will have to fend off Omori.
"I'm pretty confident that I will bring in a big stringer tomorrow," Seger said. "I can't wait to get out there tomorrow. I think I have just enough to win this thing."
Trailing Omori and Hallman in third is Louisiana's Craig Dowling (18-9). Dowling was the only other angler besides Seger to catch a limit. Rounding out the top five are Ohio's Tim Dungan (14-13) and Alabama's Brannon Jones (14-3).
On the non-boater side, Dwight Dickerson sits in first with a two-day catch of 9-14. Following Dickerson is Texan Rusty Harvey (9-2), Louisiana's Stan Williams (8-5), Canada's Mike Desforges (8-4) and Texan Harry Durham (7-6).
Location and Field
Norfork Lake
Mountain Home, Ark.
Oct.13-15, 2005
Field
Top 50 will fish Saturday
Launch
Lake Norfork Marina
19 CR 825
Henderson, Ark. 75653
Weigh-in
Lake Norfork Marina
19 CR 825
Henderson, Ark. 75653
Day Two Purolator Big Bass
Boater: Mike McClelland, Vella Vista, Ark., 4-0
Non-Boater: Stan Williams, Calhoun, Louis., 3-9
Local sponsors
Local sponsors include the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bassmaster Open Series sponsors
CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
BASS Communications -Oct. 14, 2005
+For more infomation, clickwww.bassmaster.com.
LAKEPORT, Calif. - David Kromm of Kennewick, Wash., took a commanding lead early during the Day 1 weigh-in of the CITGO Bassmaster Western Open on Clear Lake with a five-fish limit that topped the scales at 21 pounds, 14 ounces - including his 9-pound, 3-ounce Puralator Big Bass of the day.
]]> "It was a slow bite and getting the fish to move on a reaction bait was my best chance at getting some of those larger fish in this lake," said Kromm. "I needed to bring in two or three large fish to get into the top 20. After weighing in early, I had no idea that it was going to hold up all day."While Kromm worked hard throughout the day for his five fish, other anglers caught fish in astounding numbers. Of the 298 registered anglers, all but five of them weighed fish and 227 anglers came in with limits.
Many anglers consider Clear Lake the bass capital of the west because it still produces quality catches, despite the hundreds of boats on the water every week in tournaments.
Steve Tosh of Modesto, Calif., is in second place with 19 pounds, 4 ounces and third place is owned by Wayne Breazeale of Kelseyville, Calif., a local angler just 1 ounce behind Tosh.
"My best tactic was going light but that's why I lost two large fish in the beginning," Tosh said. "I used a drop shot rig with only 6-pound test."
Rounding out the top five were Larry Brower of Cottonwood, Calif., with 18-03 and Michael Tuck of Antelope, Calif., with 18-02.
On the non-boater side, a pair of California anglers, Doug Jones and Len Kovats, tied for first place with 14 pounds, 3 ounces.
Location and Field
Clear Lake
Lakeport, Calif.
Oct.13-15, 2005
Launch
Konocti Vista Resort & Marina
2755 Mission Rancheria Road
Lakeport, Calif. 95453
Weigh-in
Konocti Vista Resort & Marina 2755 Mission Rancheria Road Lakeport, Calif. 95453
Day One Puralator Big Bass
Boater: David Kromm, Kennewick, Wash. 9-03
Non-Boater: Alex Ochoa, Los Angeles, Calif. 6-08
Local sponsors
Local sponsors include the Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina.
Bassmaster Open Series sponsors
CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
BASS Communications -Oct. 13, 2005
+For more infomation, clickwww.bassmaster.com.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. - Oklahoma's Brad Hallman was less than optimistic about his chances of taking the lead after catching 13 pounds, 13 ounces of bass on the opening day of the Norfork Lake CITGO Bassmaster Central Open. Little did Hallman know - due to bluebird weather conditions and anglers' unfamiliarity with the fishery - his total was enough to take first place by more than a pound over his closest competitor.
]]> "There is no way this will hold up," said Hallman, who was one of the first anglers to take the stage and weigh in. "I only caught five keeper bites all day, so what you see in that bag is all I have."Hallman filled his limit throwing a Carolina-rigged green Baby Brush Hawg. Like many anglers this week, this visit to Norfork marks the first time he has seen the fishery.
Also a first-timer to Norfork Lake is Texan David Wharton, who trailed Hallman by a margin of 1 pound, 2 ounces. Wharton said he employed a totally different strategy than the rest of the field, albeit, one that he wouldn't reveal.
"No one is doing what I am doing," Wharton said. "I'd rather not say, but I will tell you I am catching all my fish shallow."
Rounding out the top five on the boater side are Ohio's Tim Dungan (12-1), Louisiana's Craig Dowling (10-4) and Alabama's Brannon Jones (10-2).
Noticeably missing from the top five on the boater side is a Natural State angler. The top Arkansas competitor was Vella Vista's Mike McClelland, in sixth place.
In the end, Arkansas' Mark Davis summed it up the best:"Today was just terrible," the 1995 CITGO Bassmaster Classic champ said. "But like always, I will be ready to catch them tomorrow."
Leading on the non-boater side was Louisiana's Nathan Bourque (6-4). Following Borque are Texan Rusty Harvey (6-1), Texan Harry Durham (4-14), Arkansas' Dewayne French and Texan Scott Darragh (4-13).
Location and Field
CITGO Bassmaster Central Open
Norfork Lake
Mountain Home, Ark
. Oct.13-15, 2005
Launch
Lake Norfork Marina
19 CR 825
Henderson, Ark. 75653
Weigh-in
Lake Norfork Marina
19 CR 825
Henderson, Ark. 75653
Day One Purolator Big Bass
Boater: Homer Humphreys, 4-14, Minden, LA
Non-Boater: Nathan Borque, 4-14, Prairieville, LA
Local sponsors
Local sponsors include the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bassmaster Open Series sponsors
CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).
BASS Communications -Oct. 13, 2005
+For more infomation, clickwww.bassmaster.com.
New circuit offers total purse of $4 million, expanded opportunities for professional bass anglers
BENTON, Ky. - In a move designed to meet the needs of professional bass anglers in a rapidly evolving marketplace, FLW Outdoors has announced a new companion circuit to the successful Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Named the Wal-Mart FLW Series and launching in March 2006, the new circuit features five $900,000 events that qualify anglers for a new, no-entry-fee $2 million championship that will debut in 2007.
]]> The new Wal-Mart FLW Series will allow anglers to use their own boats on all four days of competition. Every tournament will feature an accumulated weight format with 200 boats fishing days one through three and the top 10 competing on day four. The winner will be determined based on total weight from all four days, and every tournament will have a 12-day off-limits period prior to practice days. Entry fees are $2,750 for pros and $650 for co-anglers.On the exposure front, every Wal-Mart FLW Series tournament will be televised nationally on FSN (Fox Sports Net) as part of the ¡ÈFLW Outdoors¡É television series that covers the FLW Tour. Every event will also receive in-depth coverage in FLW Outdoors Magazine and daily coverage on FLWOutdoors.com through nightly features along with the innovative FLW Live leaderboard, featuring real-time streaming audio and video. With the exception of alcohol and tobacco logos, anglers may wear any logos they choose during the first three days of competition. Only FLW Outdoors sponsor logos will be allowed on clothing during day four of competition.
The top 100 pros from the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Series will receive priority entry into the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Series. The top 30 pros from the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Series will also qualify for the new $2 million Forrest Wood Cup and receive priority entry into the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Tour.
¡ÈWe are in the business of providing tournament opportunities for everyone from weekend anglers to top professionals,¡É said FLW Outdoors Chairman Irwin Jacobs. ¡ÈCountless dreams are built around our sport, and demand for professional-level events has grown rapidly since the introduction of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour 10 years ago. Due to extensive Wal-Mart FLW Tour waiting lists and recent changes in the marketplace, it became clear that demand had sharply exceeded supply. Therefore, we are pleased to open a new world of opportunity for professional bass anglers with the introduction of the Wal-Mart FLW Series as a companion circuit to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.¡É
There are no changes for the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour, but for 2007 the Forrest Wood Cup will replace the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship and pit top anglers from the 2007 FLW Tour against top anglers from the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and Ranger owners tournaments (details to be announced later). Eighty pros and 80 co-anglers will qualify for the five-day Forrest Wood Cup, which will award $500,000 to the winning pro. If the winner is a Ranger owner, he or she will receive $1 million.
At the Forrest Wood Cup, the full field of pros will compete head-to-head for two days. Winners from the opening round will continue head-to-head competition on day three. Winners from day three will advance to day four for a final round of head-to-head elimination. On day five, weights will be cleared and the winner will be determined among the 10 remaining anglers based on the day¡Çs heaviest catch. The 40th-place pro in the Forrest Wood Cup will receive $10,000, and pros finishing 41st through 80th will receive $1,000 for qualifying.
Tentative dates and locations for the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Series are Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Ga., March 8-11; Lake Cumberland in Somerset, Ky., May 3-6; Old Hickory Lake in Nashville, Tenn., May 31-June 3; Lake of the Ozarks in Ozark, Mo., Oct. 11-14; and Smith Lake in Cullman, Ala., Nov. 15-18.
One hundred entries in the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Series have been reserved for pros who competed on the 2005 Bassmaster Tour. These entries will be awarded, regardless of boat brand, on a first-come, first-served basis to anglers who enter all five events beginning at 8 a.m. Central time Oct. 21. To enter, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com. Deposits are $750 per tournament for pros and $150 per tournament for co-anglers.
An additional 100 entries have also been reserved for pros who participated in the 2005 Wal-Mart FLW Tour. These pros may also enter beginning at 8 a.m. Central time Oct. 21. Details about additional entry dates will be announced later.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $35 million through 235 events in 2006.
For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Tentative 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Series schedule:
Date ------ Lake ----- City, State
March 8-11 ? Lake Lanier ? Atlanta, Ga.
May 3-6 ? Cumberland ? Somerset, Ky.
May 31-Jun 3 ? Old Hickory Lake ? Nashville, Tenn.
October 11-14 ? Lake of the Ozarks ? Ozark, Mo.
November 15-18 ? Smith Lake ? Cullman, Ala.
$900,000 Wal-Mart FLW Series purse structure:
Place -- Pro -- Co-angler
1 - $100,000 - $20,000
2 - 50,000 - 10,000
3 - 40,000 - 9,000
4 - 30,000 - 8,000
5 - 20,000 - 7,000
6 - 19,000 - 6,000
7 - 18,000 - 5,000
8 - 17,000 - 4,000
9 - 16,000 - 3,000
10 - 15,000 - 2,500
11-15 - 12,500 - 2,250
16-20 - 12,000 - 2,000
21-25 - 11,500 - 1,750
26-30 - 11,000 - 1,500
31-40 - 10,500 - 1,100
41-50 - 10,000 - 1,000
Big Bass - 1,500 - 500
Key Wal-Mart FLW Series rules:
- Every tournament will feature a 12-day off-limits period prior to practice days
- A full field of 200 boats will fish three days and be cut to the top 10 for day four
- Standings will be determined by accumulated weight from all four days
- Anglers will use their own boats all four days (alcohol and tobacco logos will not be allowed on boats)
- Every tournament will be televised nationally on FSN (Fox Sports Net) as part of the ¡ÈFLW Outdoors¡É television series
- Anglers may wear any logos (except alcohol or tobacco) on the first three days. Only FLW sponsor logos will be allowed on clothing for day four
- The top 100 pros will receive priority entry into the 2007 FLW Series
- The top 30 pros will qualify for the 2007, no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup and will also receive priority entry into the 2007 FLW Tour
+For more infomation, click www.FLW Outdoors.com.
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basswave 1000000 hits memorial present part 2 is autographed Lucky Craft crankbait with a cap. Autographed by Lucky Craft staffer angler, Brent Ehrler , the Everstart Championship 2004 winner. ]]>
Those who want to have the autographed Lucky Craft crankbait with a cap, write your zip code, snail address, name, age, telephone #, and also please give us some comments and suggestions. Send the information to:contact@basswave.jp
You can only send it once. The deadline for this present is 5:00 PM, October 17th, 2005, Tokyo time. Winners will be selected by lottery, and announced on basswave.jp.
In addition, the personal information that you send is not going to be used in other purposes except this present.
Present items are provided by Lucky Craft
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We give you 3 basswave special T-shirts autographed by Rick Clunn (4 times BASS Bassmaster Classic winner, 2 times WON Bass U.S.OPEN winner) and Aaron Martens (BASS CITGO Bassmaster Tour 2005 AOY, 2 times WON Bass U.S.OPEN winner) for 3 glorious readers! For more info, read below.]]>
Those who want to have the autographed basswave shirt, write your zip code, snail address, name, age, telephone #, and the size of the shirt you want (choose from M, L, XL), also please give us some comments and suggestions. Send the information to:contact@basswave.jp
You can only send it once. The deadline for this present is 5:00 PM, October 11th, 2005, Tokyo time. Winners will be selected by lottery, and announced on basswave.jp.
In addition, the personal information that you send is not going to be used in other purposes except this present.