Quick Bites: FLW Tour, Lake Toho, Day 4

Wal-Mart FLW Tour

Lake Toho, Kissimmee, Fla.

Final round, Sunday

In a heartfelt gesture, FLW Outdoors donated $1,000 to Give Kids the World Village on Sunday. Give Kids the World Village (GKTW) is a non-profit resort in central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families by providing accommodations at its whimsical resort, donated attractions tickets, meals and more for a cost-free fantasy vacation. GKTW has welcomed more than 85,000 families from all 50 states and over 60 countries. For more information, visit www.gktw.org.

Representing the Sunshine State … Before the tournament began, there were several Florida natives that were expected to flourish on the renowned Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. Names such as Terry Seagraves, J.T. Kenney, Mike Surman and Glenn Browne were popular picks on fantasy fishing teams across the country. But in the end, the least-known Floridian was the one that did the best. Randy Hadden, a former Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect, finished his first FLW Tour event in 10th place and earned $15,000. In fact, he was the only Florida pro to make the top-10 cutoff.

Svebek takes a tumble … Although he moved up to second place on the leaderboard today, Carl Svebek took a fall for the ages one morning during practice. Svebek was sharing a house this week with fellow pro Kevin Long. The Castrol pro was staying on the top floor, and one morning he woke up a little groggy. Trying to locate the light switch, Svebek lost his footing and down he went. The Siloam Springs, Ark., native fell and rolled over 15 stairs and ended up in the living room. Amazingly, his only injuries were carpet burn and a bruised ego. But the seasoned veteran took the tumble in stride. In fact, he thinks it’s what brought him good luck – after all, this was his first trip to the top 10 since 2005. “I just couldn’t find the light, and the next thing I know I’m tumbling down the stairs,” Svebek said. “I’m sure everybody got a good laugh over it, but I knew my luck had to change and it did.”

Not much to see … When diehard fishermen think of Florida in January and February, they inevitably envision sight-fishing for bedding bass. Lake Toho can be one of the best sight-fishing lakes in the entire country, too – especially for big bass. But by the time the FLW Tour came to town, the spawn was all but over. Hadden was one of the few anglers to locate an area that still had spawning fish, and he still wasn’t able to see them. Plus, his fish completely ran out on day four as he brought a goose egg to the scale.

Free fantasy advice … For those looking for a sleeper fantasy pick for the rest of the season, look no further than Bryan Thrift. The Shelby, N.C., native is as good as they get when it comes to fishing docks. And this week Thrift proved he’s more than just a one-trick pony. The three-time Stren Series champion also won the Duracell Rookie of the Year award for the FLW Tour in 2007. He’s still relatively under the radar, but he won’t be for long. A quick glance at his angler profile reveals that he has fished 42 FLW Outdoors events. Of those 42, he has finished in the top 10 a remarkable 14 times. That means, on average, he finishes in the top 10 a third of his tournaments. Want more proof? In his career, Thrift has fished in eight FLW Tour events from the front of the boat. In those eight tournaments, he’s made the top 10 four times. Up next is Smith Lake, and that’s the only fishery left on the schedule that he’s never made a cast on. FLW Fantasy Fishing fans take note. “I want them to pick me,” Thrift said about fantasy players. “They better pick me. If they don’t, they’re going to lose – maybe.”

Wild ride for Schenck … It’s been an exciting, yet hectic, past 10 months for Indiana pro Shad Schenck. In each of his last three FLW Tour qualifying events, Schenck has qualified for the top 10. At the Potomac River last year he took seventh and he took fifth on Lake Erie. On Lake Toho this week, he finished ninth and earned $16,000. Although he didn’t top-10 at the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup, he still finished 17th and earned $14,000. To top things off, Schenck got married the day after Thanksgiving. “It’s been a wild ride,” he said. “Every tournament has been different, but I’ve had a good plan, I’ve worked hard, and I’ve executed when I got the bites.” Schenck also said having the support from his new bride has allowed him to fish relaxed and with more confidence.

Quick numbers

65: Number of keeper bass caught during the four-day tournament by Svebek – by far the most of any pro.

39: Number of top-10 finishes for Andy Morgan in his FLW Outdoors career – a company record.

38-9: Weight, in pounds and ounces, of pro winner Brett Hite’s final-round total.

25-2: Weight, in pounds and ounces, of the heaviest stringer of the tournament. It was caught by Hite on day three.

20-4: Margin of victory, in pounds and ounces, for Hite – an FLW Tour record. The largest margin of victory was previously set at 13 pounds by Ray Scheide in 2004 on Lake Okeechobee.

0: Weight needed by Hite on day four to claim victory.

Sound bites

“Twenty-five pounds yesterday? That was uncalled for.” – Dan Morehead, who didn’t appreciate Hite blowing open the tournament.

“He’s lucky he didn’t kill himself.” – Castrol pro Surman, who witnessed Svebek’s tumble down the stairs.

“Carolina rig all day.” – BP pro Shinichi Fukae, on how he caught his fish Sunday.

“I was so mad yesterday, I wanted to arm wrestle Hulk Hogan.” – Morgan, lamenting missed opportunities.