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The Full Story
FLW Series: Lake Lanier, GA
Series
Event # 1 of 5
Preview | Day 1 |
Day 2 | Day 3 |
Day 4
Preview: FLW Series to Open on Lake Lanier
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GAINESVILLE,
Ga. - The new $6.5 million Wal-Mart FLW Series will open its season on Lake
Lanier near Gainesville, Ga., March 8-11. The winning pro will earn
$100,000, while co-anglers will cast for a top award of $20,000. Ultimately,
all anglers in the FLW Series are competing for spots in the $2 million,
2007 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., where the winning pro will have
a shot at bass fishing's first $1 million prize.
Lake Lanier is a lake renowned for the potential of yielding hefty limits of
trophy-sized spotted bass. Buford, Ga., pro Tom Mann Jr. said with current
weather patterns, anglers should expect to hit the bass bite just about
right.
"It's a good place to start the Series, and I think everyone should have a
lot of fun," Mann said. "It's always iffy this time of year anywhere in the
Southeast, but with the warm weather we've had, it's shaping up to be
awesome. If it works out right, guys will be catching big, fat, prespawn
fish.
"Speaking conservatively, you could see some 16- to 18-pound limits of
spotted bass brought in. Guys will catch several largemouths, too, but there
are enough big spotted bass that you can catch consistent 14- to 15-pound
bags of them each day."
Anglers will take off each morning at 7 from Little Hall Park in
Gainesville. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday's weigh-ins will also be held at
the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the
Wal-Mart store located at 400 Shallowford Road SW in Gainesville beginning
at 4 p.m. Children will be treated to the Fujifilm trout pond and rides in
the Kellogg's Ranger boat simulator beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday prior to
the final weigh-in at Wal-Mart. All events are free and open to the public.
The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events.
Co-angler winners are determined on day three by the heaviest accumulated
three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four
and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all
four days.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day,
with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing
against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other
co-anglers.
Coverage of the Lake Lanier FLW Series tournament will be broadcast to 80
million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the
"FLW Outdoors" television program airing April 16. "FLW Outdoors" airs
Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast
internationally to approximately 350 million households in such countries as
Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the
United Kingdom, making it the most widely viewed weekly outdoor-sports
television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide
tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the
world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the
American Forces Network.
The second FLW Series event will be held May 3-6 on Lake Cumberland near
Somerset, Ky., followed by an event on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin, Tenn.,
May 31-June 3, and an event on Lake of the Ozarks near Ozark, Mo., Oct.
11-14. The final event will be held on Lewis Smith Lake near Jasper, Ala.,
Nov. 15-18.
Day 1: Farley Leads FLW Series on Lanier
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GAINESVILLE,
Ga. - Local pro Tim Farley of Lula, Ga., is hoping to land his name in the
record books as the first Wal-Mart FLW Series tournament winner, and if
Wednesday's catch of five bass weighing 19 pounds, 9 ounces on Lake Lanier
is any indication, he appears to be well on his way to doing just that.
After all, he has been fishing the lake since 1975, averaging more than 150
days per year on the water, so you'll be hard pressed to find anyone with
more knowledge of the fishery.
"I probably culled a 12-pound limit today," said Farley, an FLW Outdoors
newcomer who has won four boats on Lanier in the last three years. "I had
over 14 pounds in the boat within the first 15 minutes this morning, and I
probably have two or three other areas where I can catch the same thing.
Hopefully I'll be able to hang on to the lead all four days."
Farley caught a mixed bag of largemouths and spotted bass on a 1/4-ounce
Swarming Hornet Fishhead Spin rigged with a white Zoom Super Fluke Junior.
At the end of the day, he weighed in three spotted bass and two largemouths,
one of which registered 6 pounds, 1 ounce.
In the runner-up spot, just 1 pound, 8 ounces behind Farley, is Terry Baksay
of Monroe, Conn., with five bass weighing 18-1.
"I'm doing what I love to do and it's working," said Baksay, who competing
in his first professional tournament since September 2005. "I had a limit in
less than 9 minutes this morning."
While he declined to give specifics on his technique with $100,000 on the
line, Baksay did say that he was targeting spotted bass and was surprised by
the number of largemouths he caught. "In practice, I never caught a
largemouth," he said. "But the weather is warming up, and they are becoming
a lot more active."
Baksay's limit included four largemouths and one spotted bass.
Tim Peek of Sharpsburg, Ga., is in third place with two largemouths and
three spotted bass weighing 17-14 that he caught on an assortment of
Performance Custom Baits while fishing an area that is "piled" with
baitfish.
"I'm using five or six lures, but every single largemouth bit the same
bait," Peek said. "Unless it gets crowded in the area I'm fishing, I have no
doubt that I can catch my limit by 9 every morning."
Rounding out the top five pros are Weed Eater pro Ray Scheide of
Russellville, Ark. (five bass, 15-15) and Mark Rose of Marion, Ark. (five
bass, 15-6).
Five pounds, 3 ounces separate the top 10 pros.
Tim Shmigal of Akron, Ohio, landed the day's biggest bass in the Pro
Division, a 7-pound, 5-ounce largemouth. He caught the bass on a suspending
Lucky Craft Pointer under a dock in 30 feet of water.
Mary Divincenti of Clinton, La., is the highest ranking woman in the Pro
Division at 31st-place with five bass weighing 13-1.
Ty Hester of Russellville, Ala., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass
weighing 13-5 followed by Jeff Shelton of Hanceville, Ala., with five bass
weighing 12-7.
Hester caught his bass on a Brian's Bee crankbait and Spot Remover jig while
fishing with BFGoodrich Tires pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla. Martin is
currently in 18th with five bass weighing 13-11.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Sean Stepp of Stafford, Va. (five
bass, 11-11); Ronald Aikin of Valley Station, Ky. (four bass, 11-10) and
Gregory O'Neal of Winchester, Tenn. (five bass, 11-9).
Two pounds, 13 ounces separate the top 10 co-anglers.
John Bruce of Dacula, Ga., and Scott Gibson of Biloxi, Miss., tied for the
day's biggest bass in the Co-angler Division with a 5-pounder.
Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., who has already earned back-to-back top-10s
on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour this season, is currently in seventh place with
five bass weighing 10-13. She is the highest ranking woman in the Co-angler
Division.
Overall, 1,237 bass weighing 2,694 pounds, 4 ounces were caught Wednesday,
including 142 five-bass limits.
The new $6.5 million FLW Series features five $900,000 qualifying
tournaments, each with a top award of $100,000, that advance anglers to the
$2 million, 2007 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., where the winning
pro will earn as much as $1 million cash.
Anglers fishing the FLW Series tournament on Lake Lanier will take off each
morning at 7 from Little Hall Park in Gainesville. Thursday and Friday's
weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's
weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 400 Shallowford Road
SW in Gainesville beginning at 4 p.m. Children will be treated to the
Fujifilm trout pond and rides in the Kellogg's Ranger boat simulator
beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday prior to the final weigh-in at Wal-Mart. All
events are free and open to the public.
The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events.
Co-angler winners are determined on day three by the heaviest accumulated
three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four,
and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all
four days.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day,
with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing
against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other
co-anglers.
Coverage of the Lake Lanier FLW Series tournament will be broadcast to 80
million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the
"FLW Outdoors" television program airing April 16. "FLW Outdoors" airs
Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast
internationally to approximately 350 million households in such countries as
Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the
United Kingdom, making it the most widely viewed weekly outdoor-sports
television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide
tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the
world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the
American Forces Network.
Standings >
Day 2: Baksay Takes Lead on Lake Lanier
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GAINESVILLE,
Ga. - Terry Baksay of Monroe, Conn., posted a solid five-bass limit weighing
15 pounds, 13 ounces Thursday to take the lead in the Wal-Mart FLW Series
opener on Lake Lanier. Baksay's catch comes on the heels of an opening-day
limit weighing 18-1 and puts his two-day total at 10 bass weighing 33-14. He
now holds a 5-pound lead over A & W Root Beer pro JT Kenney of Daytona
Beach, Fla., who jumped from 28th to second with five bass weighing 15-11
for a total of 10 bass weighing 28-14.
"I'm a little on the nervous side," said Baksay, who is competing in his
first professional tournament since September 2005. "I know I can catch some
fish, but there are a lot of variables in play. They didn't bite as well
today, and I had to really pound them out. I'm still fishing the way I want
to fish, but I had to force feed them a bit."
Baksay declined to disclose his exact technique with $100,000 on the line,
but he did admit to getting a little help from a loon feeding in the area.
"Every time the loon dived under the water, the baitfish came to the
surface, and we caught a couple of bass," he said. "I've never seen anything
like it before."
Baksay's first fish of the day was a 6-pound largemouth. He then rounded out
his limit with spotted bass.
Local favorite and day one leader Tim Farley of Lula, Ga., slipped to fourth
place after catching an impressive limit weighing 19-9 on opening day. On
Thursday, he struggled to catch five bass weighing just 8-13 for a total of
10 bass weighing 28-6. Meanwhile, Tim Peek of Sharpsburg, Ga., held on to
his No. 3 position with five bass weighing 10-15 for a total of 10 bass
weighing 28-13.
"I had the bites, I just couldn't hook them up," Farley said. "I lost five
fish at my first hole then landed five keepers, and that was it."
Farley is throwing a 1/4-ounce Swarming Hornet Fishhead Spin rigged with a
white Zoom Super Fluke Junior.
While many of the top anglers are fishing areas, Kenney believes he has
nailed down a pattern. "I have something figured out," he said. "I know it's
a pattern because I fished all new water today."
Rounding out the top five pros is Eagle Claw angler Chris Elliott of
Beaufort, N.C., with 10 bass weighing 28-5.
Only
the top 10 pros following Friday's competition will advance to Saturday's
grand finale, where the winner will be determined by the heaviest
accumulated weight from all four days. Currently 6 pounds, 9 ounces separate
the top 10 pros.
Tim Shmigal of Akron, Ohio, retained his big bass lead in the Pro Division
with a 7-pound, 5-ounce largemouth that he caught on a suspending Lucky
Craft Pointer under a dock in 30 feet of water Wednesday. The pro with the
heaviest bass during the first three days of competition will earn the
Snickers Big Bass Award of $1,500.
Ty Hester of Russellville, Ala., continues to lead the Co-angler Division
with 10 bass weighing 26-9 followed by Kevin Koone of Greenbrier, Ark., with
10 bass weighing 26-4.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Monte Atkins of Greenville, Va.
(nine bass, 21-0); Ken Keirsey of Owasso, Okla. (10 bass, 20-7) and Sean
Stepp of Stafford, Va. (10 bass, 20-3).
John Parker of Gaffney, S.C., took the big bass lead in the Co-angler
Division Thursday with a 5-pound, 1-ounce largemouth. The co-angler with the
heaviest bass during the first three days of competition will earn the
Snickers Big Bass Award of $500.
Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., who has already earned back-to-back top-10s
on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour this season, is currently in 40th place with six
bass weighing 13-12. She is the highest ranking woman in the Co-angler
Division and FLW Outdoors' all-time leading female money winner, with more
than $84,000.
Overall, 1,136 bass weighing 2,447 pounds, 5 ounces were caught Thursday,
including 122 five-bass limits.
The new $6.5 million FLW Series features five $900,000 qualifying
tournaments, each with a top award of $100,000, that advance anglers to the
$2 million, 2007 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., where the winning
pro will earn as much as $1 million cash.
Anglers fishing the FLW Series tournament on Lake Lanier will take off each
morning at 7 from Little Hall Park in Gainesville. Friday's weigh-in will
also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be
held at the Wal-Mart store located at 400 Shallowford Road SW in Gainesville
beginning at 4 p.m. Children will be treated to the Fujifilm trout pond and
rides in the Kellogg's Ranger boat simulator beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday
prior to the final weigh-in at Wal-Mart. All events are free and open to the
public.
The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events.
Co-angler winners are determined on day three by the heaviest accumulated
three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four,
and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all
four days.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day,
with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing
against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other
co-anglers.
Coverage of the Lake Lanier FLW Series tournament will be broadcast to 80
million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the
"FLW Outdoors" television program airing April 16. "FLW Outdoors" airs
Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast
internationally to approximately 350 million households in such countries as
Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the
United Kingdom, making it the most widely viewed weekly outdoor-sports
television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide
tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the
world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the
American Forces Network.
Standings >
Day
3: Baksay Retains Lead on
Lake Lanier
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GAINESVILLE,
Ga. - Terry Baksay of Monroe, Conn., added five bass weighing 13 pounds, 4
ounces to his total weight Friday to retain the lead he captured a day
earlier in the Wal-Mart FLW Series opener on Lake Lanier. He now leads the
10 remaining pro finalists with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47-2.
"I love clear water, and I love fishing the way that I am," said Baksay, who
is competing in his first professional tournament since September 2005. "I'm
just having a good time and hoping that I can hang on for the win."
Baksay is fishing a small, clear water pocket that is packed with baitfish.
"I think the stripers have the bait, and bass, corralled in there," he said.
Trailing Baksay by 13 ounces is day one leader Tim Farley of Lula, Ga., who
slipped to fourth Thursday but climbed two spots Friday with five bass
weighing 17-15. His total now sits at 15 bass weighing 46-5.
"I got a little nervous after leading on opening day, but I settled down
last night and went back to the pattern that was working for me," said
Farley, who proved he can produce big numbers on his home lake by landing
the heaviest limit of the tournament on opening day. "I changed up on day
two and did a lot of running, but today I slowed down."
Farley has been throwing a 1/4-ounce Swarming Hornet Fishhead Spin all week.
He rigs the lure, which he helped design, with a white Zoom Super Fluke
Junior. He has also been catching fish on a Custom Farley crankbait. His big
stringer on day one weighed 19-9.
Just 4 pounds, 7 ounces behind Farley and 5 pounds, 4 ounces off the lead is
Shinichi Fukae of Mineola, Texas, in third place with 15 bass weighing
41-14. Fukae won the Wal-Mart FLW Tour season opener on Lake Okeechobee in
January and is hoping to repeat here. He is using a Yamamoto 5 3/4-inch cut
tail worm in green pumpkin rigged with a 1/8-ounce weight. He is fishing the
lure in 10 to 20 feet of water.
Marty Sisk of Evansville, Ind., climbed from 17th to fourth Friday with a
total catch of 15 bass weighing 41-8 - just 5 pounds, 10 ounces off the
lead.
Fujifilm pro Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., rounds out the top five
pros with a total catch of 15 bass weighing 41-7. He'll need to make up 5
pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to claim the tournament's $100,000 top award. On
the first two days of competition he was catching bass on a jerkbait, but on
Friday he switched to a 1/16-ounce jig with a Zoom finesse worm in
watermelon candy and a Zoom Super Fluke that he was skipping under docks.
Also clearing the top-10 cut weight of 39 pounds, 10 ounces were pros Tim
Peek of Sharpsburg, Ga.; Jody Cordell of Flowery Branch, Ga.; A&W Root Beer
pro JT Kenney of Daytona Beach, Fla.; Mike Auten of Benton, Ky.; and Tom
Mann Jr. of Buford, Ga.
Arkansas Tech student Kevin Koone, 23, of Greensbrier, Ark., won $20,000 in
the Co-angler Division Friday after catching five bass weighing 10-7. The
limit boosted his total to 15 bass weighing 36-11, giving him the win by 2
pounds, 7 ounces over runner-up Ty Hester of Russellville, Ala., who slipped
from first to second with a total catch of 12 bass weighing 34-4 to earn
$10,000.
"I really don't know what to think," said Koone, who will graduate in May
with a degree in Agra Business. "This is just incredible. I had my limit by
11:30 and felt really good about it. I figured that if I couldn't win with
five keepers, then it just wasn't meant to be."
Koone caught his bass fishing with John Kitchens of Atlanta, Ga., on opening
day, Tom Monsoor of LaCrosse, Wis., on day two, and Mark Rose of Marion,
Ark., on day three. His bigger fish came on a 5/8-ounce Jewel football head
jig with a green pumpkin Zoom twin tail trailer. He also used a 1/8-ounce
Shaky Head jig rigged with a Zoom finesse worm in either green pumpkin or
watermelon.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Ken Keirsey of Owasso, Okla. (15
bass, 30-5, $9,000); Sean Stepp of Stafford, Va. (15 bass, 29-5, $8,000) and
Wayne Hauser of Winston Salem, N.C. (13 bass, 28-3, $7,000).
Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., who has earned back-to-back top-10s on the
FLW Tour this season, finished in 17th place with 11 bass weighing 23-11.
She is FLW Outdoors' all-time leading female money winner, adding $2,000 to
her already impressive total of $84,000 in winnings.
Tim Shmigal of Akron, Ohio, won the Snickers Big Bass Award of $1,500 in the
Pro Division with a 7-pound, 5-ounce largemouth that he caught on a
suspending Lucky Craft Pointer under a dock in 30 feet of water on opening
day.
Snickers Big Bass honors and $500 in the Co-angler Division went to Keith
Stephenson of Jasper, Texas, thanks to a 5-pound, 10-ounce largemouth that
he caught Friday.
Overall, 1,157 bass weighing 2,512 pounds, 12 ounces were caught Friday,
including 127 five-bass limits.
The new $6.5 million FLW Series features five $900,000 qualifying
tournaments, each with a top award of $100,000, that advance anglers to the
$2 million, 2007 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., where the winning
pro will earn as much as $1 million cash.
Anglers fishing the FLW Series tournament on Lake Lanier will take off
Saturday at 7 a.m. from Little Hall Park in Gainesville. The final weigh-in
will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 400 Shallowford Road SW in
Gainesville beginning at 4 p.m. Children will be treated to the Fujifilm
trout pond and rides in the Kellogg's Ranger boat simulator beginning at 2
p.m. Saturday prior to the final weigh-in at Wal-Mart. All events are free
and open to the public.
The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events, but
only the top 10 professionals continue competition on day four. The winning
pro is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day,
with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing
against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other
co-anglers.
Coverage of the Lake Lanier FLW Series tournament will be broadcast to 80
million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the
"FLW Outdoors" television program airing April 16. "FLW Outdoors" airs
Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast
internationally to approximately 350 million households in such countries as
Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the
United Kingdom, making it the most widely viewed weekly outdoor-sports
television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide
tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the
world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the
American Forces Network.
Standings >
Day 4: Farley Wins FLW Series Opener
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GAINESVILLE,
Ga. - Local pro Tim Farley of Lula, Ga., started his FLW Outdoors career off
right Saturday by coming from behind to win $100,000 in the historic first
Wal-Mart FLW Series tournament. The FLW Outdoors newcomer trailed Wal-Mart
FLW Tour veteran Terry Baksay of Monroe, Conn., by 13 ounces entering the
final day of competition on Lake Lanier, but he ended the $900,000
tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds that boosted his
four-day total to 20 bass weighing 56-5.
"This is just awesome, it's a dream come true," said Farley, who has fished
Lanier since 1975 and spends more than 150 days per year on the lake. "In
the last hour of the tournament, when I lost a couple of 4-pounders, I
thought I blew it. I was getting little fish, but I couldn't get the big
ones to hook up."
Farley led the tournament on opening day with the heaviest limit of the
event, 19-9, then slipped to fourth on day two with five small bass weighing
8-13. On Friday, he returned to form with a 17-15 limit and climbed into
second place. All week he caught a limit early on a white 1/4-ounce Sworming
Hornet Fishhead Spin, which he helped design, rigged with a white Zoom Super
Fluke Junior. After catching a limit of spots, he'd switch to a custom
painted Mega Bass Vision 110 jerkbait. He threw the Fishhead Spin in creek
channels ranging in depth from 8 to 28 feet. He fished the jerkbait around
the shady side of docks in shallow pockets to pick up a few largemouths.
Baksay finished second on opening day with five bass weighing 18-1. He then
grabbed the lead on day two with a limit weighing 15-13. On Friday he caught
another solid limit, weighing 13-4, to retain control of first place heading
into the final round. On Saturday, however, he managed just four bass
weighing 8-6, which was not enough to fend off Farley, and he came up
13-ounces shy of his first win. His total catch for the tournament was 19
bass weighing 55-8.
While he had been tight lipped about his fishing techniques all week, Baksay
was more than happy to share the information Saturday. He fished a small,
clear water pocket that was packed with baitfish. His theory is that striped
bass had the bait, and bass, corralled in the pocket. He enticed them to
strike using a green albino 1/2-ounce Sworming Hornet Fished Spin rigged
with a Lunker City 5-inch trailer in salt and pepper and green phantom. He
also caught bass using a Rapala X-Rap in spotted minnow color and a
1/4-ounce leadhead with a Lunker City Rascal worm in hot mustard color. The
productive pocket gave out on him Saturday, however, and he was forced to
scramble.
Rounding out the top five pros were former FLW Tour Land O'Lakes angler of
the year Shinichi Fukae of Mineola, Texas (20 bass, 54-4, $40,000); Team
Fujifilm pro Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn. (20 bass, 53-12, $30,000)
and Yamaha pro Mike Auten of Benton, Ky. (20 bass, 53-4, $20,000).
On Friday, Arkansas Tech student Kevin Koone, 23, of Greensbrier, Ark., won
$20,000 in the Co-angler Division after catching 15 bass weighing 36-11
during the first three days of competition.
"I really don't know what to think," said Koone, who will graduate in May
with a degree in Agra Business. "This is just incredible."
Koone caught his bigger fish on a 5/8-ounce Jewel football head jig with a
green pumpkin Zoom twin tail trailer. He also used a 1/8-ounce Shaky Head
jig rigged with a Zoom finesse worm in either green pumpkin or watermelon.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Ty Hester of Russellville, Ala.,
(12 bass, 34-4, $10,000); Ken Keirsey of Owasso, Okla. (15 bass, 30-5,
$9,000); Sean Stepp of Stafford, Va. (15 bass, 29-5, $8,000) and Wayne
Hauser of Winston Salem, N.C. (13 bass, 28-3, $7,000).
Overall, 48 bass weighing 110 pounds, 5 ounces were caught by the top 10
pros Saturday, including 8 five-bass limits.
The new $6.5 million FLW Series features five $900,000 qualifying
tournaments, each with a top award of $100,000 and $10,000 through 50th
place in the Pro Division. The next FLW Series event will be held May 3-6 on
Lake Cumberland in Somerset, Ky., followed by an event on Old Hickory Lake
in Gallatin, Tenn., May 31-June 3, and an event on Lake of the Ozarks in
Ozark, Mo., Oct. 11-14. The final regular-season FLW Series tournament will
be held on Lewis Smith Lake in Jasper, Ala., Nov. 15-18. Each tournament
takes the world's best bass anglers a step closer to the $2 million, 2007
Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., where the winning pro will earn as
much as $1 million cash.
Complete coverage of the Lake Lanier FLW Series tournament will be broadcast
to 80 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part
of the "FLW Outdoors" television program airing April 16. "FLW Outdoors"
airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast
internationally to approximately 350 million households in such countries as
Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the
United Kingdom, making it the most widely viewed weekly outdoor-sports
television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide
tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the
world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the
American Forces Network.
Standings >
Articles and images courtesy of FLW
Compiled by Brandon Shook
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