Tucker Leads day three of Stren Series event on West Point Lake
LAGRANGE, Ga. – Pro Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., caught a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces to lead day three 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.
Tucker’s substantial lead is impressive, particularly on a day in a tough tournament when the bite got even tougher. “I’m working a small, three-acre area with a creek channel coming into it. The bite has slowed down a lot. But I caught my limit pretty early this morning and was able to cull a few times.”
Like many pros on a successful pattern this week, Tucker has been catching his bass up shallow on crankbaits, though he said he’s caught a few while flipping as well. “I need more sunshine,” Tucker said of impending rain for Saturday. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I’ve got another place in mind to try.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Barry Isbell of Trussville, Ala. (three bass, 8 pounds, 11 ounces); Charles Pearson of Auburn, Ala. (four bass, 8 pounds, 3 ounces); Patrick Hailstones of Cincinnati, Ohio (three bass, 6 pounds, 10 ounces); and Artie Phillips of Monroe, N.C. (three bass, 6 pounds, 9 ounces).
Nathan Fuller of Hillsboro, Ga., 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. Fuller only caught one bass, but it weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces.
The big bass fell for a 3/8-ounce jig fished shallow along a rocky bank. “I only had two bites all day,” Fuller said. “But I got lucky that one of them was a good one.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Clinton McClure of Gosport, Ind. (one bass, 6 pounds, 14 ounces); Rodger Ray of Social Circle, Ga. (four bass, 5 pounds, 14 ounces); Thomas Shafer of Pine City, N.Y. (one bass, 4 pounds, 11 ounces); and Richard Mitchell of Appling, Ga. (two bass, 3 pounds, 13 ounces).
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.
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, 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.