Meet the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup contenders III

Seventy-eight of nation’s top bass pros vie for $500,000 payday, place in history

With the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup slated for Aug. 5-8 on Lake Lanier in Atlanta, the clock continues to tick toward the start of one of the most prestigious and exciting bass-fishing championships in the nation. In an effort to provide bass-fishing fans with a little more perspective and background on the competition, FLWOutdoors.com is launching a five-part series/overview of each of the 78 qualifying pros – one of whom will walk away with the title of Forrest Wood Cup champion.

With a guaranteed first-place prize of $500,000 on the line (as well as another $100,000 if the winning pro is Ranger Cup qualified), there is clearly plenty at stake in Atlanta. So without further ado, let’s meet the contenders.

(Editor’s note: Forrest Wood Cup competitors will be featured in alphabetical order. This is the third in a five-part series.)

2010 Forrest Wood Cup contenders

Tim Klinger – Boulder City, Nev. Klinger cracked the top 10 once during 2010 FLW Tour competition by placing ninth at the Lake Ouachita event. He finished in 17th place in the 2010 Angler of the Year race on the FLW Tour, his second-best finish since his 13th-place finish in 2006. He now has qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup twice during his three-year professional career. Klinger recorded an FLW Tour win in 2004 at Beaver Lake and an FLW Series victory at the 2007 Clear Lake event. Klinger qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup through the FLW Tour.

Thanh Le – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Le qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup through the 2009 FLW Series National Guard Western Division. Le did not cash a check on the FLW Tour in 2010 and has recorded one win, the 2005 AFS Lake Mead event, during his four-year pro career. Le is about to make his third appearance at the Forrest Wood Cup. His best finish in Cup competition came in 2006 on Logan Martin Lake where he placed 14th.

Robert Lee – Angels Camp, Calif. Lee qualified for his first Forrest Wood Cup by finishing fifth in the FLW Series National Guard Western Division Angler of the Year race in 2009. In 2008, he won the FLW Western Series Division Angler of the Year award and currently sits in fifth place in the Western Division standings. Lee’s highest 2010 FLW Series finish came at the California Delta where he placed 13th. Lee has eight career top-10 finishes, including two at Lake Shasta.

Dave Lefebre – Union City, Pa. Lefebre’s lucrative career continued in 2010 as he cashed checks in every event and finished eighth in the Angler of the Year race. The Chevy pro won the 2006 FLW Series Angler of the Year title and has four wins and 39 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition. Lefebre has earned more than $1,211,000 while qualifying for eight Forrest Wood Cups in his eight years of professional competition. In 2009, in his home state of Pennsylvania, Lefebre finished eighth at the Forrest Wood Cup held on Three Rivers in Pittsburgh. Lefebre also finished second at the Cup in 2008 on Lake Murray and placed seventh in 2004 on Logan Martin Lake. Lefebre qualified for the 2010 Cup via the FLW Series.

Justin Lucas – Montevallo, Ala. Lucas is making his third appearance at the Forrest Wood Cup, but this will be the National Guard pro’s first appearance as a pro. His two previous trips to the Cup were as a co-angler. In 2008, Lucas managed his best showing in Cup competition when he managed a 13th-place finish on Lake Murray. Lucas qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup through the FLW Series National Guard Western Division. Lucas, a native Californian, recently relocated to Alabama and is no stranger to the leaderboard, scoring five victories as a co-angler and 12 top-10 finishes.

Kyle Mabrey – McCalla, Ala. Mabrey cranked up his intensity toward the end of the 2010 season and cashed checks in the last two regular-season events. In the process, he qualified for his second Forrest Wood Cup in his three years of professional competition and finished with his strongest season on the FLW Tour to date. Mabrey, still looking for his first FLW Outdoors win, qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup through the FLW Tour.

Tom Mann Jr. – Buford, Ga. The 2009 FLW Series Eastern Division Angler of the Year ended the 2010 FLW Tour season on a high note as he recorded his best finish of the season at Lake Guntersville (20th). Mann now is carrying that momentum into the Forrest Wood Cup where he’ll be able to fish the familiar waters of Georgia’s Lake Lanier. The 2010 Cup marks Mann’s seventh appearance in his 15 years on the FLW Tour. Mann’s best finish in Cup competition was 15th in 2000. Mann qualified for this year’s Cup through the FLW Series.

Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. Martin burst onto the scene in 1999 and won the FLW Tour’s Angler of the Year award in his rookie season. Since then, the National Guard pro has racked up 22 top-10 finishes and four victories in FLW Outdoors competition and banked more than $1,168,000 along the way. Martin, the son of legendary angler and television personality Roland Martin, posted his highest finish of the year on the FLW Tour, a sixth-place effort, at the season opener at Table Rock Lake. Martin is making his ninth Cup appearance and qualified for this year’s championship via the FLW Series.

Randy McAbee Jr. – Bakersfield, Calif. McAbee qualified for his first Forrest Wood Cup by finishing the 2009 FLW Series National Guard Western Division 11th in the points standings. McAbee boasts seven top-10 finishes in only four years of fishing, including a career-high second-place finish at Clear Lake in 2009. During his rookie year in 2007, McAbee took home the coveted FLW Series Western Division Angler of the Year title. He followed that up with consecutive 11th-place finishes in the standings in 2008 and 2009.

Jason Meninger – Gainesville, Ga. Meninger’s only top-10 finish came during 2010 BFL competition at Lake Lanier. However, the FLW Tour rookie collected paychecks at three of the five regular-season FLW Tour events. Meninger, who is making his first trip to the Forrest Wood Cup, qualified for this year’s championship via the FLW Tour.

Cody Meyer – Grass Valley, Calif. Meyer turned in a third-place finish at his first Forrest Wood Cup appearance last year on the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pa. During the 2010 season, Meyer’s rookie year on the FLW Tour, he finished 43rd in the points standings. Meyer qualified for this year’s Cup through the FLW Series National Guard Western Division, where he currently sits in second place in the 2010 Angler of the Year race. This season, Meyer also has recorded two top-10 finishes in FLW Series competition, finishing seventh at Lake Mead and ninth at Lake Shasta.

Sean Minderman – Spokane, Wash. Minderman qualified for his first Forrest Wood Cup through the FLW Series National Guard Western Division. Minderman last fished the FLW Tour in 2008 where he competed in only three of the six events. However, he bounced back during the 2009 season of the FLW Series, finishing in sixth place overall in the Western Division Angler of the Year race. Minderman has six career top-10 finishes, with five of those coming on Lake Mead and Clear Lake.

Ishama Monroe – Hughson, Calif. Ish had a stellar year in 2010, finishing sixth in the Angler of the Year race and notching two top-10 finishes in FLW Tour competition. Monroe is making his second Forrest Wood Cup appearance and capping off his most successful year of FLW Outdoors competition to date. Monroe has amassed four wins and 18 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition and is closing in on the $500,000 mark in career winnings. Monroe was one of a select few anglers to compete on both the FLW Tour and the Bassmaster Elite Series. Monroe qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup via the FLW Tour.

Keith Monson – Burgin, Ky. Monson notched his highest finish of the 2010 FLW Tour season, a fourth-place effort, at the Lake Ouachita Tour stop. Monson is making his second Forrest Wood Cup appearance in four years. He has posted four BFL victories, one American Fishing Series win and 33 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition. Monson qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup via the FLW Tour.

Tom Monsoor – La Crosse, Wis. Monsoor qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup through FLW Series competition, where he finished 18th in the Eastern Division’s points race in 2009. Monsoor hasn’t fished in FLW Tour competition since the 2008 season and is making his third Forrest Wood Cup appearance. Monsoor has collected six wins and 28 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition.

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