CLEWISTON, Fla. – Pro Jimmy McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 3 ounces Thursday to capture the lead in the Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 42-13.
“I didn’t get as many bites today,” said McMillan, who was the 2008 Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern Division Land O’ Lakes Angler of the Year. “The bites seemed to be better bites, however. I also caught some nice keepers sight-fishing and I don’t normally do that.”
McMillan said that he caught 10-15 keepers today and didn’t have a limit until 11:30 a.m.
“I plan on going back to my same spots tomorrow but I think it will be a lot tougher,” McMillan said. “There are a lot of boats around me so I will have to move down the right stretch at the right time.
“The biggest key is being in the right area at the right time.”
McMillan now holds a 4 -pound, 9-ounce lead over second place pro Scott Lunsford of Calhoun, Ga., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 39-04 during the first two days of competition.
“It was really tough today,” Lunsford said. “I had so many opportunities but I lost a lot of key fish today and you can’t make mistakes and win these tournaments. I have had my share of mistakes the past few days.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Ray Scheide of Dover, Ark. (10 bass, 38-06); Carmen Patti of Davie, Fla. (10 bass, 35-02) and Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis. (10 bass, 34-12).
Kelly Jordon of Mineola, Texas, earned the day’s $500 Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass.
Overall there were 590 bass weighing 1,496 pounds caught by 145 pros Thursday. The catch included 92 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing this week for a top award of $125,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.
Robert Wood of Jupiter, Fla., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30-06 followed by Larry Mullikin of Lauderhill, Fla., in second place with 10 bass weighing 30-00.
“I had to switch up my baits today,” Wood said. “Today, I threw a jig and it was a lot tougher. On day one of the tournament I caught all my fish on soft plastics. Who really knows what will happen tomorrow.”
Wood caught five bass weighing 17-11 Wednesday and five bass weighing 12-11Thursday.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Lisa Opel of Hernando, Fla. (10 bass, 29-00); Kevin Koone of Greenbrier, Ark. (nine bass, 27-13) and Chip Brooks of Bradenton, Fla. (10 bass, 26-03).
David Lauer of South Bend, Ind., earned $333 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to an 8-pound, 5-ounce bass.
Overall there were 340 bass weighing 800 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 121 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 24 five-bass limits.
Co-anglers are competing this week for a top award of $25,000 as well as a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from Roland & Mary Ann Martins Marina & Resort located at 920 E. Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 1005 W. Sugarland Highway in Clewiston, beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The total purse for the Lake Okeechobee tournament is nearly $900,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.
Coverage of the Lake Okeechobee FLW Series tournament will be broadcast as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. Check local listings for broadcast times in your area.
Total awards are based on a full field in every tournament.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.
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.