Forty-eight pros in hunt for $500,000 top prize
RICHMOND, Va. – High tide and a northeastern wind dominated talk among Wal-Mart FLW Tour pros during Wednesday’s opening day of the $1.5 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour World Championship of Bass Fishing presented by Castrol. Pros in the hunt for the $500,000 top prize found the James River to be a challenging playing field, but No. 44 seed Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark., managed to haul in a tournament-leading five bass weighing 11 pounds, 12 ounces.
The four-day event features bracket-style competition in which anglers compete head-to-head. Anglers were seeded according to year-end rank, and the No. 1 seed fished against the No. 48 seed, the No. 2 seed fished against the No. 47 seed, and so on. Kilby leads No. 5 seed Tim Carroll of Owasso, Okla., by a 7-pound, 4-ounce margin.
“I fished here several years ago when the water was higher than it is now,” Kilby said. “I’ve got different areas, but it’s still the same type of fishing. I had a game plan, but it changed completely when I got to the landing and piers were completely underwater. I just threw everything out, scrapped my game plan and made a few good decisions.”
7 UP pro and No. 38 seed Shad Schenck of Waynetown, Ind., also found luck on the James, as he caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces to claim the second-heaviest catch of the day. His competition, No. 11 seed Matt Herren of Trussville, Ind., caught five bass weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces.
Schenck found his honeyhole thanks to some help from a local 12-year-old, Justin Carr, who caught a 2-pound fish off a log during a practice outing with Schenck. That gave Schenck the confidence that big fish were in the area.
“I’m having a great time,” said Schenck, who also claimed day-one Snicker’s big-bass honors with a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass. “I feel fortunate.”
2003 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year and No. 1 seed Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., had a tough first day on the James, taking one lone bass for 1 pound, 3 ounces. He now faces a 7-pound, 6-ounce hill to climb to catch No. 48 seed and Kellogg’s pro Alvin Shaw of State Road, N.C., who caught 8 pounds, 9 ounces.
The battle of the Team Fujifilm pros heated up as No. 40 seed Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., caught a limit of five bass worth 8 pounds, 15 ounces to command a 4-pound, 15-ounce lead over fellow Fuji pro and No. 9 seed Randy Blaukat of Lamar, Mo.
“I caught mine flipping a jig,” said Strader, another pro hoping to see the tide go down. “I don’t know if it was the good Lord’s intervention or just me slowing down and picking stuff to death.”
Two former Angler of the Year winners – 1999 winner David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., and 1997 and 2000 winner Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas – found themselves competing against each other with Wendlandt having 6-pound, 6-ounce edge with 7 pounds, 5 ounces. Wendlandt blamed tropical storm Henri for the fluctuating tide that plagued competitors on day one.
“I don’t think it’s that northeast wind,” said Wendlandt, a Kellogg’s pro. “It’s Henri just sitting and spinning. But I’ve got an area that’s got a lot of key little areas that are good. When the water’s high, though, it’s difficult. Most people are fishing different baits than I am, but I have seven people in my area.”
No. 34 seed John Crews of Jetersville, the lone local in the tournament, eked out a narrow lead over tournament veteran Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., Wednesday. Crews, a sophomore on the FLW Tour, caught one bass for 2 pounds, 12 ounces while the legendary Clunn, who ranks among the sport’s highest money winners, caught one bass weighing 2 pounds, 4 ounces.
John Kitchens of Smyrna, Ga., leads the Co-angler Division after day one with a 9-pound, 8-ounce sack of three bass that puts him in a 4-pound, 3-ounce lead over his nearest competitor, David Hudson of Jasper, Ala., who caught five bass Wednesday weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces. Fishing against their entire 48-competitor field, co-anglers will compete again Thursday for one of 24 final-round slots. The remaining 24 will compete Friday for the heaviest one-day weight, and the co-angler champ will be crowned Friday and presented with a $25,000 check.
“I’m going to fish hard, but I feel good about it,” said Kitchens, who ranked seventh in year-end co-angler points standings. “Nothing’s over until tomorrow, and there are a lot of good fishermen around here.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Joe Small of Marion, Ark. (four bass, 4 pounds, 13 ounces); Alton Lackie of Germantown, Tenn. (four bass, 4 pounds, 13 ounces); and Greg Lineberry of Galax (three bass, 4 pounds, 8 ounces).
The road to Richmond began in January as competitors kicked off the six-event regular season, looking to claim one of the 48 spots in the points standings that would advance them to the $1.5 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour World Championship of Bass Fishing. Pro Division anglers will continue head-to-head competition Thursday, after which the top angler from each bracket will advance to Friday’s semifinal round. These 24 competitors will compete head-to-head for one day for one of 12 final-round slots. On Saturday, the 12 remaining pros will compete against each other for the history-making top pro award of $500,000.
Anglers take off each morning at 7 a.m. from Osborne Landing in Richmond. Weigh-ins begin at 5 p.m. each day at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, site of the world-class outdoor show and boat sale surrounding the event. The outdoor show, featuring more than 150,000 square feet of exhibits, is open from 1 to 9 p.m. daily at the convention center, and admission is free. Over a hundred exhibitors are featuring great buys on everything from crankbaits to bass boats. The event concludes Saturday with a free concert featuring country artist Andy Griggs following the final weigh-in.
Coverage of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour World Championship of Bass Fishing will be featured on the “FLW Outdoors” television show, which is broadcast to 55 million subscribers on the Outdoor Life Network. The program features fishing legends Hank Parker and Larry Nixon alongside hosts Charlie Evans, Carlton Wing and Taylor Carr. Parker’s preview of the championship will air Saturday at 6 p.m. and again Sunday at noon CST. Tournament highlights from the championship will air Sept. 20 and 21 followed by a tournament recap featuring Nixon Sept. 27 and 28.
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 FLW Outdoors since 1997.