LAGRANGE, Ga. – Pro Tommy Williams of Somerset, Ky., caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 24 pounds, 11 ounces lead day two of the Stren Series Southeast Division event on West Point Lake.
Pros are competing for as much as $64,500 and valuable points that could qualify them for a trip to the $1 million Stren Series Championship for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also earn a spot in the new $2 million 2007 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 Ranger owners’ tournaments for bass fishing’s first $1 million top award.
Anglers had sunny skies and temperatures around 70 degrees for the second day of the event, making the bass bite somewhat better than on day one.
“The warm weather treated guys a little better today,” Williams said. “There were some big bags brought in and I was a little worried about it.
“I knew I was in the lead this morning, so I just went to my area to check my fish. I caught three bass first thing, two on back-to-back casts, and quit after that. I didn’t want to beat up on them. But I’m going to have to really buckle down and fish hard tomorrow if I want to stay in this thing.” Williams continued fishing a shallow-water crankbait pattern on day two.
Rounding out the top five pros are Mike Mortensen of Westland, Mich. (eight bass, 24 pounds, 11 ounces) Ott Defoe of Dandridge, Tenn. (six bass, 23 pounds, 6 ounces); Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala. (eight bass, 22 pounds, 12 ounces); and Patrick Hailstones of Cincinnati, Ohio (seven bass, 19 pounds, 15 ounces).
Jerry Kelley of Wewahitchka, Fla., earned $750 for the Snicker’s Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to an 8-pound, 6-ounce bass.
Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught a five-bass limit while fishing with Patrick Hailstones for a two-day total of six bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces.
Hults was also fishing a shallow crankbait pattern. “I caught an early limit and quit by 10 a.m.,” Hults said. “Patrick finished up by about 1 p.m., so we just came on back early.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are James Pendleton of Vale, N.C. (seven bass, 12 pounds, 8 ounces); Melvin Pigue of Aiken, S.C. (five bass, 12 pounds, 6 ounces); Thomas Shafer of Pine City, N.Y. (four bass, 12 pounds 5 ounces); and Steve Jones of Moss Point, Miss. (four bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce).
Richard Mitchell of Appling, Ga., earned $250 for the Snicker’s Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to an 8-pound, 6-ounce bass.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
The next Stren Series Southeast Division event will be held March 15-18 on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala.
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, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
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 Wal-Mart.com.