Shumpert strolls into semifinals

Ricky Shumpert of Lexington, S.C., used a two-day total of 21 pounds, 13 ounces to grab the top qualifying position in the Pro Division heading into the semifinals. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Ricky Shumpert.

February 28, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

South Carolina native grabs overall lead in Pro Division, Deal tops co-angler class for second consecutive day

MOBILE, Ala. – After weighing in a catch of 7 pounds, 6 ounces on the first day of competition, Ricky Shumpert knew he needed to put together a fantastic day on the water in order to guarantee a spot in the all-important semifinals. As it turned out, he did just that. Using a catch of 14 pounds, 7 ounces – the second largest stringer of the day – Shumpert edged out fellow competitor David Dudley to stand alone atop the leaderboard heading into Friday’s competition.

“It feels really good,” said Shumpert of his clutch performance. “I knew there were plenty of fish out there, so it was just a question of whether or not I’d get the bites. I managed to catch a limit by 9:30 a.m., but I was definitely worried. I thought if I was catching a lot of fish, the big pros must be catching some good stringers as well. In a tournament like this, even if you think you have enough fish, you’ve got to keep going.”

And keep going he did. Targeting two different oxbow lakes, Shumpert hauled in a whopping two-day total of 21 pounds, 13 ounces to perfectly position himself for tomorrow’s competition.

“I have confidence going into tomorrow,” said Shumpert, a native of Lexington, S.C. “I have about 20 good spots, but I’m only going to fish two of them. And I’ll tell you what, I’m not holding anything back tomorrow. I’m going to fish as hard as I can and if the fish run out, then they run out.”

Although the extravagant prize money – which could amount to as much as $1 million for the winner of the Pro Division – might place added pressure on some anglers, Shumpert said he’s not thinking about a payday just yet.

“The only thing I need to be concerned about is catching fish,” he said. “I can’t start worrying about the money now. I’ll wait until I’m out on the boat on the final day and then, maybe, I’ll start thinking about the money.”

Dudley do-right

Standing in 35th place heading into the second day of competition, David Dudley knew that a duplication of his day-one efforts would not be good enough to qualify for the semifinals. So, with everything on the line, Dudley went out and made absolutely sure he would live to fish another day. Bringing in the largest stringer of the tournament to date – a 15-pound, 11-ounce sack – Dudley stormed into second place, leapfrogging 33 of the nation’s top anglers in the process.

“I’m excited,” said Dudley, who turned in a two-day catch of 21 pounds, 9 ounces. “Fishing is nothing more than a huge puzzle. And yesterday evening, I started putting the pieces together. Now, I think I’ve finally figured out what the fish are doing. I’ve very confident about going out there tomorrow.”

Dudley, a native of Manteo, N.C., said that he thought he had enough fish to advance to the next round shortly before lunchtime. However, he said he wasn’t taking any chances.

“I caught four fish pretty quickly, but with $1 million on the line, I wasn’t going to stop until I was confident I could make the cut. Some guys try to hold back on the second day. But I’d much rather be playing tomorrow with no (game) plan than to be not fishing at all.”

Like many of the competitors who have gotten this far in the tournament, Dudley says that the money is irrelevant when it comes to influencing his fishing strategy.

“To me, I just love competing,” he said. “I don’t care if I’m fishing for $5,000 or $100,000, I’ll fish just as hard. If you challenge me to eat a cookie faster than you, I’ll do it. It’s all about the competition.”

Kilpatrick kicks it into high gear

Bolstered by a two-day catch of 20 pounds, 7 ounces, Jason Kilpatrick of Satsuma, Ala., managed to grab the third qualifying position heading into the semifinals.

“I’m really happy to be where I am because this fishery is a very unique and very difficult place to fish,” he said. “It’s really tough to duplicate a good effort on back to back days fishing the same area. Here, the fish move a lot and the tidal waters make for some bizarre fishing patterns. I was really fortunate today.”

Kilpatrick, who is flipping and pitching jigs and plastics in 1 to 8 feet of water, said that he has confidence he will be able to qualify for the finals as well.

“I think you’ll probably need between 9 and 10 pounds tomorrow to advance and I think I should be able to do that,” he said. “I’m going to try and catch a small stringer tomorrow to ease some of the pressure off me in the early morning, then I’ll go after the quality bites.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-five qualifiers in the Pro Division were Mark Pack (fourth) of Mineola, Texas, with a two-day catch of 20 pounds, 5 ounces; and Randy Blaukat (fifth) of Lamar, Mo., with a total catch of 19 pounds, 12 ounces.

No fish, no big Deal

Despite not catching one keeper fish all day, Ryan Deal of Haubstadt, Ind., managed to maintain his overall lead in the Co-angler Division heading into tomorrow’s final round of competition.

“Today, I really wasn’t worried a whole lot about catching fish because I was pretty sure I was going to make the cut,” said Deal, whose 10-pound, 7-ounce catch on the first day of competition was still enough to keep him atop the leaderboard. “I was trying to catch fish, but I think my fishing style clashed a little bit today with my pro partner.”

Although Deal’s performance today was forgettable, the Indiana native said he is looking forward to fishing for the top prize of $250,000 in tomorrow’s competition.

“I’m really excited about fishing with Ricky (Shumpert) tomorrow,” he said. “I know he’s a good guy and an excellent fisherman. And he should be on some good fish.”

Although Deal said he isn’t feeling any added pressure as a result of the prize money at stake in tomorrow’s contest, he said he has plenty of incentive to do well in the finals.

“My entire family is making the 11-hour drive from Indiana tonight,” he said. “So I better catch some fish tomorrow.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top five co-anglers were David Millsaps (second) of Woodstock, Ga., with a total catch of 9 pounds, 1 ounce; Bill Boyett (third by virtue of a tiebreaker) of Willis, Texas, with a catch of 9 pounds, 1 ounce; Tim Hurst (fourth) of Oxford, Ala., with a catch of 8 pounds, 5 ounces; and Michael Robinson (fifth) of Greenville, Ga., with a catch of 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 8 a.m. at Chocolotta Bay Marina, located 2 miles east of downtown Mobile, Ala., near Hwy 90/98 at the Causeway Crossing.