JASPER, Texas – Pro Phillip Walker of Spring Branch, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces Thursday to capture the lead in the Stren Series Texas Division tournament presented by Yamaha on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. With a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 37-7, he now holds a 1-pound, 9-ounce lead over second place pro James Stricklin Jr. of Jasper, Texas, who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 35-14 during the first two days of competition.
Rounding out the top five pros are Russell Cecil of Willis, Texas (nine bass, 35-0); Brandon Crouch of Buna, Texas (10 bass, 34-15); and Gary Vining of Morgan City, La. (10 bass, 34-6).
“The fishing was tough today and I didn’t execute very well,” said Cecil, who has earned more than $220,000 in career earnings with FLW Outdoors. “The fog was a big problem today. It came in right after takeoff and stayed all day. I didn’t want to take a chance, so I stayed close and didn’t get to fish my key areas.
“I had my opportunity and I lost some good fish today. Even with the circumstances, I feel confident about making the top-10 cut,” he added. “I think I will need to catch 13 to 14 pounds to make it to Saturday.”
Walker earned $268 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Overall there were 697 bass weighing 1,653 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 173 pros Thursday. The catch included 103 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for as much as $65,000, including a 198VX Ranger powered by Evinrude or Yamaha if contingency guidelines are met, and valuable points toward qualifying for the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Branson, Mo., Nov. 5-8 for a shot at $140,000. After four qualifying events are complete in each of the circuit’s five divisions, the top 40 pros from each division will advance to the championship. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the championship will also earn a spot in the $2 million 2009 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 TBF (The Bass Federation) for bass fishing’s biggest prize – $1 million.
Tournament pros aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every FLW Tour stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
Rich Dalbey of Greenville, Texas, leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 198VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 15-11 while fishing with pro Charles Dubroc of Hessmer, La., Wednesday and five bass weighing 18-8 while fishing with pro Buz Craft of Vidalia, La., Thursday for a total of 10 bass weighing 34-3.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Gilbert Herald of Pittsburg, Texas (10 bass, 28-8); Nick Diberardino of Huffman, Texas (10 bass, 28-4); Roy Walton of Oakhurst, Texas (10 bass, 27-2); and Harry Holloway of Dayton, Texas (10 bass, 26-13).
Robert Moffett of Silsbee, Texas, earned $138 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 7-pound bass.
Overall there were 486 bass weighing 1,053 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 173 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 46 five-bass limits.
The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup.