Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Georgia, took first place and $100,000 in Operation Bass’ 15th annual Red Man All-American Bass Fishing Championship held on the Mississippi River with a 5 bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 0 ounces.
Carver, competing against 50 of the top bass anglers in the nation, made it through the preliminary round cut, Thursday and Friday, to advance to the championship round in the $265,750 tournament.
Carver attributed most of his catch to a Gambler Crawfish, and he also used a Pop-R and white spinnerbait over the three day tournament.
“All 50 of us out here deserved to win because we worked hard to get here,” said Carver. “It was really special for me to win today, though. Today is my birthday.”
His three-day winning weight 32 pounds, 8 ounces, edged runner-up Chris Baldwin of Lexington, North Carolina, who finished the day with 9 pounds, 3 ounces, and a three day total of 30 pounds, 12 ounces, which earned him $30,000.
Rounding out the top 10 were: (3) Curtis Samo, Creston, Illinois, 29 pounds, 4 ounces, $15,000; (4) Mike Felderman, Galena, Illinois, 29 pounds, 0 ounces, $12,500; (5) Bob Dillow, Blue Creek, Ohio, 28 pounds, 15 ounces, $10,000; (6) Skett Reese, Cotati, California, 28 pounds, 8 ounces, $9,000; (7) Steve Floyd, Sabina, Ohio, 27 pounds, 14 ounces, $8,000; (8) Sam Henry, Murray, Kentucky, 27 pounds, 13 ounces, $7,000; (9) Sterling Williams, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 20 pounds, 11 ounces, $6,000; (10) Steve Kendrick, San Jose, California, 18 pounds, 14 ounces, $5,000.
In the championship round, each of the 10 All-American finalists were paired with an ESPN 2 camera crew. The sports network fimed the event for a one-hour special that will air November 8, 1998, at 10 a.m. EST.
The 10 championship round anglers advanced through the preliminary round, Thursday and Friday, by weighing in the heaviest two-day total of bass. Catch weights from the championship round were added to the previous days’ total to determine the winner.
More than 24,000 anglers competed on the 139-event Red Man Tournament Trail, vying for one of the 50 Red Man All- American slots. The All-American is considered the most difficult event to qualify for in competitive fishing.
RED MAN ALL-AMERICAN
MISSISSIPPI RIVER MAY 30, 1998
FINAL RESULTS
Rank Name City, State Day 1&2 Day 3 Total Winnings
Total Total lbs-oz
1. Kim Carver Milledgeville, GA 22-8 10-0 32-8 $100,000
2. Chris Baldwin Lexington, NC 21-9 9-3 30-12 30,000
3. Curtis Samo Creston, IL 20-3 9-1 29-4 15,000
4. Mike Felderman Galena, IL 18-6 10-10 29-0 12,500
5. Bob Dillow Blue Creek, OH 19-6 9-9 28-15 10,000
6. Skeet Reese Cotati, CA 17-9 10-15 28-8 9,000
7. Steve Floyd Sabina, OH 19-2 8-12 27-14 8,000
8. Sam Henry Murray, KY 21-8 6-5 27-13 7,000
9. Sterling Williams Pine Bluff, AR 20-11 0-0 20-11 6,000
10. Steve Hendrick San Jose, CA 17-5 1-9 18-14 5,000
11. Preston Davis Bartlett, TN 16-9 $4,500
12. David Reault Livonia, MI 16-5 4,000
13. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 16-3 3,500
14. Joel Richardson Kernersville, NC 15-4 3,000
15. Taylor Hutchings Phoenix, AZ 14-14 2,500
16. Jeffery Carman Liberty, KY 13-14 2,000
17. David Walker Cannon, KY 13-6 2,000
18. Ben Kron, Jr. Maryville, TN 13-0 2,000
19. Sheldon Gentry Lohman, MO 12-11 2,000
20. Bill Nance Jackson, MS 11-13 2,000
21. Eric Bozeman Silver Springs, FL 11-11 1,500
22. Rick Miller Blue Grass, IA 11-9 1,500
23. Steve Kennedy Dadeville, AL 11-5 1,500
24. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10-9 1,500
25. Chris Byars Pine Bluff, AR 10-7 1,500
26. Jim Dopp Kimberling City, MO 10-6 1,500
27. Carl Graham Collierville, TN 10-5 1,500
28. Lloyd Pickett, Jr. Bartlett, TN 9-14 1,500
29. Terry Thomas Nixa, MO 7-8 1,500
30. Tad Richards Glendale, MO 7-1 1,500
31. Jim Bryant, Jr. Lancaster, KY 6-8 1,000
32. Jesse Draime Long Beach, MS 6-3 1,000
32. George Taylor Dresden, TN 6-3 1,000
34. Tony Butts Selma, AL 6-1 1,000
35. Tom Tischer La Crosse, WI 5-15 1,000
36. Robert Henz Dayton, OH 5-8 1,000
37. James Stricklin, Jr. Alexander, AR 4-12 1,000
38. Steve Wisniewski Arlin, NJ 4-0 1,000
39. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 3-12 1,000
40. Dwaine Williams Greenup, KY 3-10 1,000
40. Jeffrey Thomas Broadway, NC 3-10 1,000
40. Jim Forshee Lexington, KY 3-10 1,000
43. Keith Monson Burgin, KY 3-0 1,000
44. Dale Greene Mount Vernon, IL 2-10 1,000
45. Ronnie Tapp Boiling Springs, SC 2-8 1,000
46. Jim Tutt Longview, TX 1-8 1,000
47. Harmon Davis Marlow, OK 1-7 1,000
47. Thomas Ballucci Long Branch, NJ 1-7 1,000
49. Richard Carper Kansas City, MO 1-4 1,000
50. Alexander Nowyorkas Burton, MI 0-0 1,000