REDMOND, Calif. (May 16,1999) – James Ray of Sutter, California, took first place, $1667, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Western Division qualifier held Sunday on the Lake Shasta. Ray brought in a five bass limit totaling 8 pounds, 10 ounces to top a field of 78 anglers competing for $5095. Ray used a one-quarter ounce grub in a chartreuse color, fishing rocks in 15 feet of water in the Bay Bridge area to catch his fish.
Second place and $833 went to Phil Mitsueda of Redding, California, for a five bass limit
weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces. He caught his fish using spooks and flukes around long points and under bridges. He fished near Bay Bridge Resort.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Charles Bean, Fremont, CA, five bass, 8-2, 489; (4) Tony Botelho, Hayward, CA, five bass, 8-0, $313; (5) Dan Perkins, Arnold, CA, five bass, 7-11, $297.
James Ray of Sutter, CA, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 3 pound, 5 ounce bass. Chris Costello of Gilroy, CA, is leading the Western Division’s Ranger Millennium big bass race for the year with a bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces. The Ranger boat owner who catches the largest bass in each Red Man division over the course of the season, will qualify to enter the Ranger M1 Millenium tournament.
Red Man Western Division
At the completion of the six Red Man qualifying events, the top 30 anglers, determined on a basis of pounds and points, will move onto Regional Championship competition. There they will compete against the top 30 fishermen from three other divisions for a Dream Rig consisting of a Chevy truck and a full-rigged Ranger bass boat powered by an Evinrude or Johnson outboard (only two divisions compete in the Western Regional for a
fully-rigged Ranger bass boat) and a spot in the Red Man All-American in Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 8-13, 2000, where the winner will receive $100,000.
The rookie advancing farthest along the Red Man Trail will win the Old Milwaukee NA Rookie-of-the-Year Award. All Red Man tournaments are catch and release events. Operation Bass historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate throughout the
tournament season.
Sponsors of the 1999 Red Man Tournament Trail include: Evinrude Outboards, Evinrude Electrics, CITGO Petroleum, Ranger Boats, Humminbird Fishfinders, Stren Fishing Lines, Abu Garcia Rods and Reels, Chevy Trucks, ENERGIZER Marine Batteries, Old Milwaukee NA, Black & Decker, David Seeds, Coleman Products, Land O’Lakes, BC Powder, Eveready, Wheaties, Chex Mix, Hamburger Helper, Wrangler, Powerbait, and Frenzy.