ROCKWALL, Texas – Pro Tommy Durham of Waxahachie caught six bass weighing 22 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday and Sunday to win the $195,000 Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship presented by Frito-Lay on Lake Ray Hubbard. He earned $50,000 in cash and prizes, including $15,000 cash plus an Evinrude-powered Ranger 519VS Comanche bass boat, as the 2003 TTT Champion.
Durham caught one bass Saturday weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces to get a relatively slow start at the tournament, but he made up for it Sunday with a limit of five bass weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces to claim the victory, his second this season. Durham also led the field on Lake Lewisville in May and finished the regular season ranked third in Pro Division points standings.
Rounding out the top five pros are Randy Qualls of Streetman (six bass, 20 pounds, 6 ounces, $6,000); Landan Ware of Jewett (eight bass, 20 pounds, 3 ounces, $4,500 plus $4,000 bonus); David Truax of Beaumont (five bass, 19 pounds, 15 ounces, $3,500 plus $3,000 bonus); and Jason Reyes of Humble (nine bass, 19 pounds, 5 ounces, $2,500). Cash bonuses were awarded to Ranger Boat owners who met contingency guidelines.
Rick Turner of Tyler bested the Co-angler Division championship contenders with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. He earned $5,000 cash plus a new 195 Ranger for the win, and he earned another $5,000 cash bonus from Ranger Boats for a total award worth $40,000. He caught four bass Saturday weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces and caught another three bass Sunday weighing 11 pounds to claim the tournament win.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Charlie Anderson of Marble Falls (eight bass, 20 pounds, $2,000 plus $2,500 bonus); Jason Barton of McGregor (five bass, 14 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,500 plus $1,500 bonus); Richard Hooter of Natchitoches, La. (four bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,250 plus $1,100 bonus); and Anthony Ferdinando of Spicewood (two bass, 12 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,000).
The tournament kicked off Saturday from Chandler’s Landing Marina in Rockwall, and the entire field competed for two days to determine position and prize money. The championship field was comprised of the top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings after four regular-season events. Every angler who received weight credit in a tournament earned points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on. These points determined angler standings.