MADISON, Ind., (July 12,1999) Bill McDonald of Indianapolis, Indiana, took first place, $2983, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Hoosier Division qualifier held Sunday on the Ohio River. McDonald brought in just two bass weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces to top a field of 186 anglers competing for $10,765.
McDonald fished the Craigs Creek area using a Rico Berkley Power Craw to catch his bass. He fished around stumps. Second place and $1492 went to Gary Dees of Hamilton, Ohio, for five bass weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces. He caught his bass in creeks using a power craw and spinnerbait around wood in shallow water.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Ladd Kitchel, Flora, IN, two bass, 6-4, $876; (4) William Backman, Aurora, IN, four bass, 6-0, $561; (5) David Montgomery, Moores Hill, IN, one bass, 5-11, $532.
David Montgomery of Moores Hill, IN, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 5 pound, 11 ounce bass. Tournament winner McDonald also won the Billy Rawson of Pevely, MO, won the Berkley Powerbait award a package of baits valued at $325 for the highest weight caught on Powerbait or Frenzy lures with pounds, 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.