Cook wins on Lake Santee Cooper with whopping 31-pound catch
Big bass comes within 4 pounds, 13 ounces of state record
SUMMERTON, S.C. – Chad Cook of Summerville, S.C., easily walked away with a Red Man Tournament Trail Carolina Division victory on Lake Santee Cooper Saturday with a huge five bass limit weighing 31 pounds, including a single largemouth that weighed 11 pounds, 5 ounces.
Cook’s big bass, while 4 pounds, 13 ounces shy of the state record set in 1949, is the largest bass caught on any Operation Bass tournament series this year, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.
Cook earned $5,288 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points for his victory plus $825 for the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division. All of his bass were caught before 8:30 a.m. on Lake Moultrie, the lower end of Santee Cooper, using a 1/2-ounce white spinnerbait.
Brent Riley of Ridgeville, S.C., who finished with a five-bass catch of 23-4 worth $2,644 finished in second. Ken Ellis of Bowman, S.C., took third place and collected $1,322 for five bass weighing 19-2. Richard Porter of Loris, S.C., placed fourth and earned $1,146 for five bass weighing 19-0, while Lindwood Thornhill of Pineville, S.C., placed fifth and earned $1,058 for five bass weighing 18-11.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $2,644 went to Dave Murdock of Florence, S.C., who topped 165 competitors with four bass weighing 12-15. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,322 went to Mark Cummings of Maxton, N.C., for five bass weighing 12-3, while Shane Akins of Rincon, Ga., took third place and $661 with four bass weighing 11-0.
Norman Mullinax of Wilmington, N.C., won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $412 for an 8-pound, 4-ounce bass he caught on Lake Moultrie.
On June 24, the Red Man Tournament Trail will visit Lake Wateree for the fourth of five events in the Carolina Division. The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 9-10 on Lake Murray, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season receives $500.
Operation Bass was founded in 1979 on the principle that working anglers should be able to fish competitively without interfering with jobs and family. The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, awards $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. The highest placing CITGO Divisional Points Champion at the All-American receives $10,000 in the Boater Division and $2,500 in the Co-Angler Division. Overall, more than $5.7 million could be awarded in 2000 based on full fields in each of the series’ 119 events nationwide.
Red Man became the trail’s title sponsor in 1983.
Ross wins Red Man bass event on Lake Pleasant
1.Apr.2000
PEORIA, Ariz. – Rik Ross, 33, of Phoenix, Ariz., out fished 57 competitors Saturday to earn $2,710 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Colorado River Division event on Lake Pleasant.
Ross caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces during the one-day event to edge out Mike Goodwin of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., who finished with a five-bass catch of 12-7 worth $1,355. Ross caught his limit, including a 4-pounder, slow rolling a purple spinnerbait on the upper end of the lake. Goodwin, however, won the Berkley Power Bait award, a package of baits valued at $200, for the heaviest overall catch on Power Bait or Frenzy lures.
Gayle Janes of Palm Desert, Calif., took third place and collected $677 for five bass weighing 12-1. Tim Jacobs of Chandler, Ariz., placed fourth and earned $587 for four bass weighing 11-9, while John Murray of Phoenix, Ariz., placed fifth and earned $542 for five bass weighing 11-4.
Jacobs won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $285 for a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass that he caught near Sheriff’s Station on a Carolina-rigged do-nothing worm.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,355 went to Todd Herman, 36, of Gilbert, Ariz., who topped 57 competitors with five bass weighing 7-6. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $677 went to Ray Gilbreath of Scottsdale, Ariz., for four bass weighing 6-15, while Kirk Beardsley of Orange, Calif., took third place and $339 with four bass weighing 6-3.
Mike Harris, 51, of Riverside, Calif., won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $142 for a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass he caught out of Castle Cove while flipping a worm.
On June 17, the Red Man Tournament Trail will visit Lake Mead for the fourth of five events in the Colorado River Division. The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 23-24 on Lake Havasu, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season receives $500.
Operation Bass was founded in 1979 on the principle that working anglers should be able to fish competitively without interfering with jobs and family. The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, awards $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. The highest placing CITGO Divisional Points Champion at the All-American receives $10,000 in the Boater Division and $2,500 in the Co-Angler Division. Overall, more than $5.7 million could be awarded in 2000 based on full fields in each of the series’ 119 events nationwide.
Red Man became the trail’s title sponsor in 1983.
Carter wins Red Man bass event on Lake Palestine
1.Apr.2000
FLINT, Texas – Russ Carter of Longview, Texas, out-fished 110 competitors Saturday to earn $3,957 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Cowboy Division event on Lake Palestine.
Carter caught five largemouth bass weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces during the one-day event to edge out Tommy Murray of Hurst, Texas, who finished with a five-bass catch of 16-1 worth $1,978. Carter caught his limit on a spinnerbait by casting it to ridges and ditches in 2 to 5 feet of water.
Dicky Newberry of Houston took third place and collected $989 for five bass weighing 15-0. David Pace of Whitehouse, Texas, placed fourth and earned $857 for five bass weighing 14-8, while James Fredieu of Saint Martinville, La., placed fifth and earned $791 for five bass weighing 13-13.
Dean Morgan of Hamshire, Texas, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $550 for a 6-pound, 7-ounce largemouth that he caught on a black and blue 1/2-ounce jig.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,978 went to Mark Berry of Parks, La., who topped 110 competitors with five bass weighing 14-8. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $989 went to Chad Brooks of Houston for five bass weighing 14-3, while Robert Whittle of Freeport, Texas, took third place and $495 with five bass weighing 14-2.
Steve Grainger of Austin, Texas, won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $275 for a 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth he caught on a plastic lizard.
Rusty Colvard Jr. of Houston won the Berkley Power Bait award, a package of baits valued at $200, for the heaviest overall catch on Power Bait or Frenzy lures in either division. He caught two bass weighing 4-10.
On June 10, the Red Man Tournament Trail will visit the Red River for the fourth of five events in the Cowboy Division. The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 16-17 on Lake Sam Rayburn, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season receives $500.
Operation Bass was founded in 1979 on the principle that working anglers should be able to fish competitively without interfering with jobs and family. The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, awards $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. The highest placing CITGO Divisional Points Champion at the All-American receives $10,000 in the Boater Division and $2,500 in the Co-Angler Division. Overall, more than $5.7 million could be awarded in 2000 based on full fields in each of the series’ 119 events nationwide.
Red Man became the trail’s title sponsor in 1983.
Clift wins Red Man bass event on Patoka Lake
1.Apr.2000
BIRDS EYE, Ind. – High school teacher Raymond Clift, 53, of Indianapolis out-fished 178 competitors Saturday to earn $5,600 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail Hoosier Division opener on Patoka Lake.
Clift caught five largemouth bass weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces during the one-day event to edge out Kevin Wirth of Crestwood, Ky., who finished with a five-bass catch of 11-12 worth $2,800. Clift caught his limit, which also earned him the Berkley Power Bait award, fishing chunk rock banks along the Big and Little Patoka Rivers with a Carolina-rigged Power lizard and Frenzy crankbait. The Power Bait award, a package of baits valued at $200, is presented to the angler in either division with the heaviest stringer caught on Power Bait or Frenzy lures.
Curt Hughes of Greenwood, Ind., took third place and collected $1,400 for five bass weighing 11-11. John Borges of Cincinnati, Ohio, placed fourth and earned $1,214 for four bass weighing 11-4, while Gary Edwards of Milton, Ky., placed fifth and earned $1,120 for three bass weighing 11-2.
Edwards also won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $890 for a 6-pound, 7-ounce largemouth that he caught on a chrome-colored crankbait.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $2,800 went to Nick Lux, a 47-year-old electrician from Waldron, Ind., who topped 178 competitors with four bass weighing 8-2. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,400 went Richard Dale of Palmyra, Ind., for three bass weighing 7-6, while Ken Heckel of Lamar, Ind., took third place and $700 with two bass weighing 7-3.
On June 3, the Red Man Tournament Trail will visit the Ohio River for the second of five events in the Hoosier Division. The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 9-10 on the Ohio River, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
Operation Bass was founded in 1979 on the principle that working anglers should be able to fish competitively without interfering with jobs and family. The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, awards $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. The highest placing CITGO Divisional Points Champion at the All-American receives $10,000 in the Boater Division and $2,500 in the Co-Angler Division. Overall, more than $5.7 million could be awarded in 2000 based on full fields in each of the series’ 119 events nationwide.
Red Man became the trail’s title sponsor in 1983.