Two Women Advance to Co-Angler Finals
CLEWISTON, Fla., – Kevin Van Dam of Kalamazoo, Mich., caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces Thursday as the competition on Lake Okeechobee heated up during day two of the $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour season opener.
After a second place showing on day one, Van Dam finished the opening round atop the 175-angler pro field with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 13 ounces. He advanced to Friday’s semi-final round with nine other pros in hopes of securing a spot in the five-angler final round Saturday. Since weights from the first two days of competition are erased for the start of the semi-final round, Van Dam will have to repeat his early success to make the cut. Pro anglers will again start from zero and fish for the heaviest one-day weight Saturday to determine the winner of $100,000 cash in the tournament presented by EverStart.
“I worked hard for them (bass) all day long,” said Van Dam, who caught his limit while within sight of at least 20 other competitors. “I’m fishing an area that is highly visible, and there were a lot of anglers fishing around me. But I don’t think anyone else in the top 10 is fishing the same water.”
Clear water and less fishing pressure could be enough to put Van Dam into the top five, especially if he is able to hook a kicker bass like the 9-pound, 9-ounce largemouth that won pro Dale Teaney of Williamsburg, Ohio, $750 as day two’s big bass.
Pepsi big bass honors and $1,000 in the Pro Division, however, went to David Walker of Cannon, Ky., for a 9-pound, 10-ounce largemouth that he caught on opening day using a crankbait.
Overall, 21 limits were caught Thursday in the Pro Division, and one limit was caught in the Co-Angler Division.
Arlyn Johnson of Enon, Ohio, topped the 175-angler Co-Angler Division with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces. He caught two of the bass, which weighed a total of 12 pounds, 1 ounce, on day two. One of the fish weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and earned Johnson $500 as the co-angler big bass.
The top 10 co-anglers start from zero Friday and fish for one day to determine the winner of $15,000 cash. Two women, Tammie Muse of North Little Rock, Ark., and Wanda Rucker of Cocoa, Fla., will be among the competitors. Muse finished the opening round in third with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounces. Rucker qualified in 10th place with three bass weighing 11 pounds, 14 ounces. Donald Tross of Newport News, Va., qualified in second on the strength of his 20-pound, 14-ounce opening day catch. Bryan Williams of Mahomet, Ill., (five bass, 15-01) and Michael Brown of Chatsworth, Ga., (six bass, 14-12) qualified in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Rounding out the top five slots in the Pro Division were Kim Stricker of Howell, Mich., (nine bass, 33-04); George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., (10 bass, 33-01); David Walker of Cannon, Ky., (eight bass, 30-14) and Mark Hardin of Canton, Ga., (10 bass, 30-08).
Competition continues at 8 a.m. Friday at Roland Martin’s Marina located at 920 East Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston followed by a 5 p.m. weigh-in at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1005 West Sugarland Highway in Clewiston. Saturday’s final round starts at 7 a.m. and concludes with a 3 p.m. weigh-in at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart will also host the FLW Tour Family Fun Zone featuring fishing seminars, free product samples, interactive displays and children’s games starting at 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.
Sponsors of the 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Tour are ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires, Black & Decker, Chevrolet, CITGO, Coleman, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Lowrance, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Pepsi, Plano Tackle Systems, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers Cruncher Bar, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Wal-Mart, Weed Eater, Wrangler and Yamaha.