BRACEY, Va. (Oct. 6, 2007) – Pro David Wright of Lexington, N.C., caught a five-bass limit weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the $275,225 Stren Series Northern Division tournament presented on Lake Gaston with a four-day total of 15 bass weighing 49-08. For his victory, Wright earned $25,000 cash and a $40,000 198VX Ranger boat powered by Yamaha. He also earned $4,500 in Ranger Cup and Powered by Yamaha bonuses for a total of $69,500 in winnings.
“This is such a great feeling,” said Wright, who has amassed more than $387,000 in career earnings with FLW Outdoors. “This week I did what I do best, throw a crankbait. Every morning I would start out throwing a crankbait at the edge of grass and in the afternoon focus on rocks and stumps. Even though I won the tournament I never caught a big fish, I stayed around the 4-pound range.”
Wright opened the tournament in fifth place Wednesday with five bass weighing 15-01 that he caught on a crankbait while fishing near rocks and stumps. On Thursday he added another five bass weighing 28-04. He then caught five bass weighing 12-14 on a Friday to make the crucial top 10 cut in first place.
Rounding out the top five pros are Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn. (20 bass, 47-08, $6,131 plus $5,000 Ranger bonus); Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C. (19 bass, 46-10, $5,518 plus $5,000 Ranger bonus); Vic Vatalaro of Kent, Ohio (19 bass, 44-08, $4,905); and Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va. (20 bass, 44-08, $4,291).
Wesley Cashwell of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Friday – an 7-pound, 3-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Snickers Big Bass award of $185.
Overall there were 37 bass weighing 69 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 10 pros Saturday. The catch included four five-bass limits.
Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Va., won the Co-angler Division and $5,000with a four-day total of 16 bass weighing 36-01.
“I am one lucky guy,” Crowder said. “I had a great time at the tournament. Each day I was paired with great pros. This week, I ended up borrowing the bait from my pros that helped me win the tournament. I should have left all my baits at home. Without these guys I wouldn’t have done as good as I did.”
Crowder caught five bass weighing 9-07 Wednesday to open the tournament in eighth place. He then caught four bass weighing 12-14 Thursday. On Friday he added four more bass weighing 7-13 to make the top 10 cut in fist place. Finally, on Saturday, he sealed the win with a three-bass catch weighing 5-15 while fishing with pro David Wright of Lexington, N.C.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Gary Guilliams of Troutville, Va. (14 bass, 35-06, $2,776); James Richardson Sr. of Harrison, Ohio (13 bass, 30-12, $2,255); Edward Piwonski of Granby, Conn. (15 bass, 29-02, $1,734); and Jason Sherwood of Damascus, Md. (11 bass, 27-09, $2,000).
William Green of Auburn, N.Y., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Wednesday – an 6-pound, 3-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Snickers Big Bass award of $105.
Overall there were 27 bass weighing 53 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 10 co-anglers Saturday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
After four qualifying events are complete in each of the Stren Series’ five divisions, the top 40 pros from each division will advance to the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Mobile, Ala., Nov. 8-11 for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the championship will also earn a spot in the $2 million 2008 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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series and TBF (The Bass Federation) for bass fishing’s biggest prize – $1 million.
The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.
FLW Outdoors historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate in all of its bass tournaments.
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 presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
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 Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.