LACROSSE, Wis. (June 17, 1999) – Mike Baldwin of Mohave Valley, Arizona, has taken the first day lead in the three-day, 1999 Red Man All-American Bass Championship being held on the Mississippi River with a first day catch totalling 11 pounds, 6 ounces. The 50 top anglers from the 139-event Red Man Tournament Trail, the nation’s largest competitive fishing program, are competing for a $100,000 first place cash prize in the prestigious bass event that features the cash purse in the events’ history – $289,250.
Baldwin used jigs, grubs, and Zipper worms in 8-10 feet of water to catch his limit. Due to Wisconsin’s “no culling” law, Baldwin released 13 bass before put the fifth bass in his livewell. Baldwin’s limit consisted of three largemouth and 2 smallmouth bass.
The All-American anglers will compete for two days for one of 10 berths available in Saturday’s final round. The 10 anglers with the highest weight total from Wednesday and Thursday will advance. Their weight totals will carry over and be added to their catch Saturday to determine the champion. In Saturday’s final round, each contestant will be paired with an ESPN 2 camera crew. The sports network is filming the championship for a one-hour special that will air in the fourth quarter of this year.
The 50 Red Man All-American anglers qualified for the 16th annual championship by finishing in the top 30 (based on a system of points and pounds) in one of 22 Red Man divisions, emcompassing 132 one-day tournaments, and advancing through one of seven two-day regional championships. The top eight anglers from five regions, the top four from the Western Regional, and the top six from the Chevy Trucks Wild Card Regional event comprise the All-American field.
The Red Man All-American is considered the most difficult event to qualify for in competitive fishing. Six of the contenders will have a shot at the CITGO National Points
Champion crown. John Murray of Phoenix, Arizona, KimCarver of Milledgeville, Georgia, Mike Sherley of Louisville, Kentucky, Tom Silber of Labadie, Missouri, Ronald Yurko of Conneaut, Ohio, and Kevin Powers of Unicoi, Tennessee, amassed the highest point totals within their respective divisions during the regular season; the highest finisher of the ” Select Six” will garner $10,000 as the CITGO National Points Champion..
The first Red Man All-American was held in 1983 on Kentucky Lake. Dean Starkey of Peru, Indiana, was the first champion, winning $50,000 from a total purse of $75,000. Starkey won the event again in 1994 when it was held on the Arkansas River at Muskogee, Oklahoma. He received $100,000 for the win. Starkey is the only angler in history to have won the coveted title twice.
Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Georgia, is the reigning Red Man All-American champion and, having qualified for the 1999 event, has an opportunity to be the first angler in history to win consecutive titles.
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, US Bank-VISA, and Frenzy.