Hamblin wins co-angler title, $5,000
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 7, 2008) – Pro Randy Haynes of Counce, Tenn., caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the Stren Series Southeast Division tournament on Pickwick Lake with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 73-13. For his victory, Haynes earned $25,000 cash.
“This is a dream come true,” said Haynes, who has only fished one other FLW Outdoors Stren Series tournament. “This is my home lake which makes it really special and to win at this level is an awesome feeling.”
Haynes caught his fish this week on a Carolina rig and jig.
Haynes opened the tournament in first place Wednesday with five bass weighing 19-09. On Thursday he added another five bass weighing 16-15 to maintain his lead. He then caught five bass weighing 14-10 Friday to make the crucial top 10 cut in fourth place.
“Yesterday, I had boat problems from the beginning,” Haynes said. “I had a cranking battery go dead and that was on my mind all day. I was just hoping to have enough power to make it back in and to add to it I didn’t fish that well.
“Today everything changed, I was on a great school of fish and everything went right. It was the perfect fishing day.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Todd Rasberry of Florence, Ala. (20 bass, 71-08, $8,512); William Davis of Russellville, Ala. (20 bass, 70-08, $7,661 plus $5,000 Ranger bonus); Ryan Rigsby of Hixson, Tenn. (20 bass, 67-09, $6,810); and Curt McGuire of Lawrenceburg, Tenn. (20 bass, 62-11, $5,958).
Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Friday – a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Snickers Big Bass award of $256.
Overall there were 50 bass weighing 150 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 10 pros Saturday. The catch included 10 five-bass limits.
Greg Hamblin of New Albany, Miss., won the Co-angler Division and $35,000, including a 198VX Ranger boat, with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 58-08.
“This is an awesome feeling,” said Hamblin, who is qualified for the Stren Series Championship at Table Rock Lake in November. “I would love to make a career out of this. I told my family that this is what I want to do and there isn’t a better time than now.
“The key to winning the tournament was the knowledge I have of the lake. Everyone caught fish this week but it is important to understand what the fish are doing on any given lake.”
Hamblin’s bigger bites this week came off a Strike King Quad Shad.
“Anglers were fishing in shallow water and no more than 30 feet and that’s where I caught a lot of my fish,” Hamblin said. “My morning bite came off a spinnerbait and as it got hotter I would go to a Carolina rig or a jig. It was important to fish slow and stay in contact with the bottom.”
Hamblin caught five bass weighing 11-10 Wednesday while fishing with pro Derek Hicks of Rocky Face, Ga., to open the tournament in 10th place. He then caught five bass weighing 16-12 Thursday while fishing with pro Craig Grubbs of Tishomingo, Miss., to capture his lead. On Friday he added five more bass weighing 4-11 to make the top 10 cut in fourth place while fishing with pro Brian Parker of Corinth, Miss. Finally, on Saturday, he sealed the win with a five-bass catch weighing 17-07 while fishing with pro Randy Haynes of Counce, Tenn.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Perry Kennedy of Florence, Ala. (20 bass, 48-04, $3,529); Doug Back of Jackson, Ky. (20 bass, 47-14, $2,868); Aaron Fahnestock of Enterprise, Ala. (20 bass, 47-11, $2,206); and Kenneth Owens of Wise, Va. (20 bass, 43-00, $1,765).
Hamblin caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday – an 6-pound, 7-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Snickers Big Bass award of $134.
Overall there were 50 bass weighing 107 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 10 co-anglers Saturday. The catch included 10 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 Branson, Mo., Nov. 5-8 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 2009 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 TBF (The Bass Federation) for bass fishing’s biggest prize – $1 million.
Tournament pros aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™, FLW Outdoors® offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour® stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
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.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.