BENTON, Ky. – Pro Sam Lashlee of Camden, Tenn., caught a final-round total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 15 ounces to win the Stren Series Midwest Division event on Kentucky/Barkley lakes. Lashlee earned a new 519VX Ranger rigged with a Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and EverStart batteries plus $10,000 cash for his win.
Lashlee joined a select few anglers to win two major events in two consecutive weeks. He won the Wal-Mart FLW Series event on Old Hickory Lake just last week to earn $100,000, and now adds this Stren Series victory to that for a total of $150,000 in cash and prizes in just two weeks.
On Old Hickory, Lashlee worked the ledges with Strike King crankbaits and jigs to catch his bass. He’s been doing the same thing all week in the extreme southern end of Kentucky Lake – a lake renowned for its excellent ledge fishing. Lashlee has been beginning his day by catching a limit early on a crankbait and then switching to a Strike King football-head jig and a big plastic worm to upgrade.
“I’d usually get a kicker or two on the crankbait, but I’d mainly switch back and forth between the worm and the jig later in the day after the sun would come out,” Lashlee said.
“You can just pinch me, wake me up, this is like a dream,” Lashlee said about his amazing run. “I’ve won a lot of small tournaments, but never anything like this. I’d love to do this full-time; it’s always been my dream.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Yancy Windham of Gordo, Ala. (10 bass, 38 pounds, 2 ounces, $10,000); Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas (10 bass, 33 pounds, 6 ounces, $9,000 plus $1,500 Ranger Cup award); Kenneth Chapman of Woodlawn, Tenn. (10 bass, 32 pounds, 15 ounces, $8,000); and Drew Lynch of Paducah, Ky. (10 bass, 32 pounds, 9 ounces, $7,500).
Ron Fabiszak of South Bend, Ind., won the Co-angler Division and earned $5,000. He caught 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 12 ounces during the final round. Fabiszak fished with Lashlee on the final day.
“I probably had 15 keepers today,” Fabiszak said. “I’ve been catching my biggest fish on a Carolina rig all week, but they wanted a jig today. On my first cast with it, I caught a 3-pounder and was able to cull. Every time you’d rip it out of the grass, they’d hit it.
“I did lose a giant, probably a 7 1/2-pounder, today at around noon, and when that happened, I thought `stick a fork in me, because I’m done. But it all worked out.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeramiah Sifers of Sellersburg, Ind. (nine bass, 28 pounds, 13 ounces, $4,000); Jesse Wolfe of Nelson, Wis. (10 bass, 27 pounds, $3,500); Brendan Murphy of Cape Girardeau, Mo. (eight bass, 25 pounds, 13 ounces, $2,500); and Fred McCormick of Greenville, Ind. (eight bass, 21 pounds, 12 ounces, $2,000).
Anglers are also competing for 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, Ranger owners’ tournaments and The Bass Federation for bass fishing’s first $1 million top award.
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 presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.