GREENVILLE, Miss. – Mason Bassett, 19, of Cleveland, Miss., out-fished 69 competitors this weekend to earn $6,092 and 100 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Mississippi Division season finale – a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Ferguson.
Bassett caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces on opening day to qualify for the second and final day of competition. On day two, he caught five more bass weighing 13-7 to top Steve Jones of Pascagoula, Miss., who finished with a day-two catch of 12-2 worth $3,046. Bassett caught his limits fishing brush piles with a Carolina-rigged brush hog.
Larry Perrin of Blytheville, Ark., took third place and collected $1,523 with a day-two catch weighing 11-7. Steve Hatch of Long Beach, Miss., placed fourth and earned $1,320 with a day-two catch weighing 9-15, while Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tenn., placed fifth and earned $1,218 with a day-two catch weighing 5-15.
Pickett and Jones tied for the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $345 each with a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass. Pickett caught his heavyweight using a Carolina-rigged lizard while Jones used a spinerbait.
Hatch was declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000 after amassing 214 points through five regular season events.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $3,046 went to Bobby Bales, 58, of Jackson, Miss., who topped 69 competitors with a day-two catch of two bass weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces. Bales caught five bass weighing 8-5 on opening day to qualify for the final round.
Joel Ross of Brandon, Miss., amassed more points than any other co-angler during five regular season events to win the Co-Angler Divisional Points title and $500. Ross earned 220 points this season.
Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,523 went to Murphy Downing Jr. of Hernando, Miss., with a day-two catch weighing 3-3, while John Raines of Enterprise, Miss., took third place and $761 with a day-two catch weighing 2-13.
Johnny Clark of Senatobia, Miss., won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $345 with a 4-pound bass that he caught on a plastic worm.
James Phillips of Greenwood, Miss., won the Berkley Power Bait award, a package of baits valued at $200, for the heaviest overall catch on Power Bait or Frenzy lures. Phillips caught four bass weighing 11-8.
The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, will award $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. 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.