SAVANNA, Ill. – Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., out-fished 87 competitors Saturday to earn $5,784 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River.
Monsoor caught five largemouth bass weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces during the one-day event to top Marty Clauson of Montello, Wis., who finished with a five-bass catch of 12-13 worth $1,723. Monsoor caught his limit fishing around isolated wood with a black-and-blue grub.
Jeff Herburger of Hazel Green, Wis., took third place and collected $862 with five bass weighing 12-7. Gerald Rew of Janesville, Wis., placed fourth and earned $747 with five bass weighing 12-5, while Brian Fitzpatrick of La Crosse placed fifth and earned $689 with five bass weighing 12-4.
Fitzpatrick also won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $435 with a 4-pound, 12-ounce bass that he caught on a white spinnerbait.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,723 went to Matt Scholzen of Racine, Wis., who topped 87 competitors with five bass weighing 13-3. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $862 went to Brandon Krogh of Fond Du Lac, Wis., with five bass weighing 11-14, while Thomas Gust of Dubuque, Iowa, took third place and $431 with five bass weighing 10-13.
Scholzen won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $217 with a 5-pound largemouth bass he caught while fishing around fallen trees with a spinnerbait.
The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 16-17 on the Mississippi River near La Crosse, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
Operation Bass was founded in 1979 on the principle that working anglers should be able to fish competitively without interfering with jobs and family. The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, awards $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. The highest placing CITGO Divisional Points Champion at the All-American receives $10,000 in the Boater Division and $2,500 in the Co-Angler Division. Overall, more than $5.7 million could be awarded in 2000 based on full fields in each of the series’ 119 events nationwide.
Red Man became the trail’s title sponsor in 1983. Wal-Mart recently announced that it has assumed title sponsorship of the tournament series for 2001 and will rename it the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League.