LEESYLVANIA, Va., (Oct. 10, 1999) – Tony Black of Manassas, Va., took first place, $3,146 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Northeastern Division qualifier held Sunday on the Potomac River. Black brought in five bass weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces to top a field of 202 anglers competing for $11,605.
Black fished grass beds along the main river using a white and chartreuse spinnerbait.
Second place and $1,573 went to Skip Sjobeck of Randolph Center, Vt., for five bass weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce. Sjobeck caught his limit fishing a sand bar along the main river with a white spinnerbait.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Michael Morrin, Waterloo, N.Y., five bass, 12-13, $923; (4) Jeff Caldarulo, Bridgeton, N.J., five bass, 12-6, $592; and (5) Kevin Bishop, Hilton, N.Y., five bass, 12-5, $561.
Paul Brugger of Rehrersburg, Pa., won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 5 pound, 10 ounce bass. Peter Longo of Holmdel, N.J., is leading the Northeastern Division Ranger Millennium big bass race for the year with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 3 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.
Wayne Shreve of Warren, Pa., won the Berkley Powerbait award – a package of baits valued at $325 – for the highest weight caught on Powerbait or Frenzy lures with 3 pounds, 5 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.