Blaukat blitzes pro field

Randy Blaukat of Lamar, Mo., shows off part of his 14-pound, 8-ounce catch. Blaukat was in first place heading into the finals. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Randy Blaukat.

March 1, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Missouri native uses commanding performance to grab lead at $3.6 million Ranger M1 tourney

MOBILE, Ala. – Arguably the most consistent angler throughout the tournament, Randy Blaukat of Lamar, Mo., turned in another stellar performance to capture the overall lead heading into tomorrow’s historic final round of Ranger M1 competition. Using a 14-pound, 8-ounce catch, Blaukat left his competition in the dust, out-fishing his nearest rival by nearly 5 pounds. The effort, which was impressive considering the cold weather and rapidly changing water levels that have plagued anglers all week, appeared to put Blaukat in perfect position to make a run at the $1 million top prize.

“I think I have some pretty good momentum going into tomorrow,” said Blaukat, one of the most soft-spoken and mild-mannered anglers in the tournament. “This type of water is the water I love to fish. There’s a lot of heavy cover and stained water, so it kind of plays right into my hands. This is all I could have asked for. I just wanted to put myself in a position to win and I’ve done that.”

Blaukat, who is pitching and cranking jigs and lizards around stumps, laydowns and cypress trees, said that despite the huge prize money at stake, he is relaxed and mentally prepared for tomorrow’s competition.

“You’ve got to take it one cast at a time. I can’t look much further than that because I don’t have control over the weather, wind or the conditions,” he said. “The only thing I can do right now is control my mental process. And so far, I’m pretty focused and calm. It does no good to start worrying. In a lot of ways, I’m probably more relaxed right now than when I started the tournament.”

Blaukat, a professional since 1986, said that his extra practice session on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta has helped him tremendously during the tournament so far.

“I came here and practiced about six days, which is about twice as long as I normally practice,” he said. “And looking back, I think it’s really helped me out. These are some tough conditions were fishing in. The fish are moving around a lot. And the water levels are changing every day. But I feel like I have a good enough idea of what is going on.”

With a third-place finish on day one, a fifth-place finish after day two and a first-place finish in today’s competition, Blaukat said things couldn’t have gone much better.

“Everything has gone smoothly all week for me,” he said. “And if the fish bite tomorrow like they have the last two days, I think I should be in good shape.”

Dudley gaining momentum

After turning in a relatively modest performance on the first day of tournament action, David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., clearly found his groove over the next two days of competition. With the help of a 15-pound, 11-ounce catch yesterday, Dudley moved up 33 spots to second place in the Pro Division. Today, Dudley made sure that his long climb up the Pro Division standings would not be for naught. Using a 9-pound, 11-ounce catch, Dudley failed to relinquish his grasp on the runner-up position for a second consecutive day.

“I’m excited, there’s no doubt about it,” said Dudley. “All I wanted to do was put myself in position to have a shot at the title.”

Dudley, who is flipping jigs in medium cover, said that the key to his performance tomorrow will be whether or not he can gain access to one particular prime fishing location, approximately 70 miles from the takeoff point at Chocolotta Bay.

“If I can just get into that spot, I’ll feel very confident,” he said. “I’ve never fished there before, but I also know no one else has fished there all week. But with the (changing) water levels, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get in there. If I can’t, I’m going to go back to where I was fishing today.”

However, Dudley acknowledged that his backup plan isn’t as sound as he would like it to be.

“I think that area might be all fished out,” he said.

Coming up roses

Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., grabbed third place heading into the finals with a catch of 8 pounds, 10 ounces. However, Rose acknowledged that he was lucky to be fishing at all today, after barely qualifying for the semifinals in the 20th and final spot at yesterday’s weigh-in.

“I’ve been fishing my red-headed heart out all week and I’m pretty lucky to be here,” said Rose, who has been known to take a good-natured ribbing from time to time over his bright red hair. “I’ve never had a big win, but who knows, I’ve been pretty blessed so far.”

Kilpatrick uses local ties to his advantage

Jason Kilpatrick of Satsuma, Ala., relied on some savvy fishing ability, expert local knowledge and a catch of 8 pounds, 8 ounces to capture the fourth qualifying position heading into the finals. However, he acknowledged that his home-field advantage will only take him so far.

“There are some dynamite fishermen in this field and I’ve been lucky just to get this far,” said Kilpatrick. “The forecast is calling for a lot of rain tomorrow, so conditions could really change. I’m just going to go out and do my best.”

Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., finished the day in fifth place after netting a 6-pound, 10-ounce catch.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 qualifiers in the Pro Divison were Michael Black (sixth) of Toledo, Ill., with a catch of 6 pounds, 7 ounces; Tom Monsoor (seventh) of La Crosse, Wisc., with a catch of 6 pounds, 4 ounces; Dale Teaney (eighth) of Williamsburg, Ohio, with a catch of 5 pounds, 11 ounces; David Walker (ninth) of Sevierville, Tenn., with a catch of 5 pounds, 10 ounces; and Takahiro Omori (tenth) of Emory, Texas, with a catch of 4 pounds, 9 ounces.

Tomorrow’s final takeoff is scheduled to take place at 6:30 a.m. at Chocolotta Bay Marina, located 2 miles east of downtown Mobile, Ala., near Hwy 90/98 at the Causeway Crossing.