LAS VEGAS, Ariz., (June 28,1999) Ken Howden of Mesa, Arizona, took first place, $1793, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Colorado River Division qualifier held Sunday on Lake Mead.
Howden brought in a five bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces to top a field of 88 anglers competing for $5620. Howden fished the lower basin area using a split shot Junior worm and a Westy worm in brush in 20 feet of water. Second place and $897 went to Gayle Janes of Palm Desert, CA, for a five bass limit weighing 11-3. Janes caught the limit in Boulder Basin using purple Berkley Power worms and pumpkin grubs on wind blown points.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Ronald Williams, Dana Point, CA, five bass, 10-15, $526; (4) Jack Allen, Kingman, AZ, five bass, 10-5, $337; (5) Taylor Hutchings, Phoenix, AZ, five bass, 10-3, $320. Roanld Williams of Dana Point, CA, and Dewayne Luby of Phoenix, AZ, shared the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 4 pound, 8 ounce bass apiece.
Gabe Bolivar of Ramona, CA, is leading the Colorado River Division’s Ranger Millennium big bass race for the year with a bass weighing 7 pounds, 8 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 Millennium tournament. Gayle Janes of Palm Desert, CA, won the Berkley Powerbait award a package of baits valued at $325 for the highest weight caught on Powerbait or Frenzy lures with 10 pounds, 9 ounces. 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, US Bank-VISA, Powerbait, and Frenzy.