Morehead takes Angler of the Year lead
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Rookie angler Chris Elliott, 27, of Gloucester, N.C., landed three bass weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday on Lake Murray to top nine other Wal-Mart FLW Tour contenders and win $100,000 with a final round total of eight bass weighing 30 pounds, 9 ounces.
The lucrative catch came as cool temperatures and rain blanketed the productive fishery, forcing some competitors to change tactics at the last minute. For Elliott, however, the rain was just what he needed to catch the fish he’d found positioned in a small grass bed.
“I caught two in the first 10 to 15 casts, but then I lost three fish,” said Elliot, who was using a Rat-L-Trap. “At that point, I thought it was out of reach. I thought I was fishing for second place.”
Elliott, a newcomer to the FLW Tour this season, had previously earned just three top-10 finishes in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and amassed just $5,043. With this victory, he increased his FLW Outdoors earning by 20 fold.
On Wednesday he landed five bass weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces to place 32nd. He then added five bass weighing 20 pounds, 8 ounces Thursday to enter the finals as the No. 7 seed with an opening round total of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 12 ounces. Weights were cleared for Friday’s action, and Elliott caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce to secure third heading into Saturday.
“This has been what I’ve been striving for since I was just 12-13 years old,” Elliot said. “I’ve wanted to get into this position for a long time. I’m glad to get a national win under my belt.”
Stanley Mitchell of Fitzgerald, Ga., finished just 1 pound, 6 ounces behind Elliott after catching four bass weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces on a spinner bait Saturday to climb from fourth into second with a final round total of nine bass weighing 29 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned Mitchell $35,000.
Rounding out the top five pros are John Crews of Jetersville, Va. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 2 ounces, $20,000); Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo. (10 bass, 25 pounds, 14 ounces, $16,000); and Jody Cordell of Flowery Branch, Ga. (eight bass, 24 pounds, 10 ounces, $14,000).
Evinrude pro Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., who entered the tournament ranked second in the Land O’Lakes Angler-of-the-Year standings, unseated Gary Klein of Weatherford, Texas, with an eighth-place performance while Klein finished in 73rd place. Morehead landed eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces in the final round using a lipless crankbait to earn $9,000.
“Kevin VanDam would have had a hard time keeping up with me,” Morehead said. “I had the trolling motor on high and really covered some water.”
Robertson won a $500 Wal-Mart gift card plus a selection of Stanley tools as the winner of the Stanley Accuracy Cast Award, which goes to the angler who pitches a jig closest to a specified target.
Lonnie Fuller Jr., 73, of Hemphill, Texas, turned in a dominating catch of four bass weighing 16 pounds Friday to win the Co-angler Division and pocket $15,000 cash plus a $500 Wal-Mart gift card from Castrol and $500 worth of Castrol products. He caught his bass using a half-ounce, red Rat-L-Trap while fishing with pro John Crews of Jetersville, Va.
This four-day tournament presented by Snickers marks the midpoint of the $5.76 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour. With three tournaments now complete, 350 anglers representing 35 states, Canada and Japan have three additional FLW Tour events in which to earn points toward qualifying for the historic $1.5 million Jacobs Cup world championship of bass fishing on the James River in Richmond, Va., Sept. 10-13. Every point is critical, as only the top 48 pros and 48 co-anglers advance to the Jacobs Cup, where the winning pro earns $500,000 – the largest guaranteed cash award in the sport’s history. Every angler who receives weight credit earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 for third, and so on.
One hundred and seventy-five pros and 175 co-anglers kicked off the tournament from Lighthouse Marina in Chapin Wednesday and competed for two days for one of 10 final-round spots in their respective divisions. Weights were cleared for Friday’s competition, and co-anglers competed for one day to determine the winner. Pros continued competition Saturday, with final positions determined by Friday and Saturday’s combined weight. In the FLW Tour’s pro/co-angler format, the pro supplies the boat, fishes from the front deck against other pros and controls boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers.
Coverage of the Lake Murray tournament will be featured on the “FLW Outdoors” television show, which is broadcast to 55 million Outdoor Life Network subscribers. The program features fishing legends Hank Parker and Larry Nixon alongside hosts Charlie Evans, Carlton Wing and Taylor Carr. Parker’s preview of the event airs Saturday at 7 p.m. and again Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. Tournament highlights air March 22 and 23 followed by a tournament recap featuring Nixon March 29 and 30. “FLW Outdoors” airs every Saturday at 7 p.m. and every Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on OLN through July 5. Special Jacobs Cup episodes will air in September.
The Wal-Mart FLW Tour will visit Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., April 9-12 for the $1.26 million Wal-Mart Open. The winner of that tournament earns $200,000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of the FLW Tour since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.
FLW Outdoors and the FLW Tour are named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.