JASPER, Texas – Pro Toby Hartsell of Livingston, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 10 ounces to lead day three of the Stren Series Central Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
Pros are competing for as much as $64,500 and valuable points that could qualify them for a trip to the $1 million Stren Series Championship for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also earn a spot in the new $2 million 2007 Forrest Wood Cup where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and Ranger owners’ tournaments for bass fishing’s first $1 million top award.
“I’m just going fishing,” Hartsell said of his pattern. “I’m hitting lots of areas with several different lures, but I plan to buckle down and fish my two best spots tomorrow.”
Hartsell has been throwing an Eakins jig as well as a Senko, Trick Worm and an imitation of the Chatterbait. Most of his bass have been prespawn fish caught over grass beds.
With a top-10 finish already added to his list of eight previous top-10s, including a fifth place on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Hartsell is in the hunt for his first win with FLW Outdoors.
Rounding out the top five pros are days one and two leader Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas (five bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces); Jason Reyes of Humble, Texas (five bass, 12 pounds, 6 ounces); Cody Bird of Granbury, Texas (five bass, 12 pounds, 4 ounces); and Trent Huckaby of Fort Stockton, Texas (five bass, 11 pounds, 1 ounce).
Bill Guillory of Jasper caught the day’s largest limit at 22 pounds, 5 ounces to lead the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met.
Guillory, who fished with Huckaby on day three, said the duo started out fishing shallow, but soon had to move to deeper hydrilla beds to catch their bass. Guillory’s heavy limit came on spinnerbaits and Carolina rigs tipped with Zoom plastics.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Tom Medlock of Licking, Mo. (five bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces); Bill Rogers of Jasper (five bass, 12 pounds, 13 ounces); Brian Branum of Longview, Texas (four bass, 12 pounds, 3 ounces); and Phillip Hudnall of Newkirk, Okla. (five bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces).
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.