ZAPATA, Texas – Chevy Pro David Fritts of Lexington, N.C., the No. 24 seed from the BP Eastern Division, crushed his opponent, Cody Meyer of Redding, Calif., the No. 7 seed from the National Guard Western Division, on opening day of the Walmart FLW Series East-West Fish-Off Thursday on Falcon Lake. Fritts’s five-bass limit weighing 37 pounds, 2 ounces not only dwarfed Meyer’s catch of two bass weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces, it also ranked as the heaviest catch in any bracket.
“This was the best tournament day that I have ever had,” said Fritts, who is fresh off a FLW Series victory at Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Ga. “I can only remember two days that I caught more than that and that was in practice.”
Fritts remained tight-lipped on his exact technique but did say that he is catching some on a crankbait. All of the fish that he caught came off of three places and he still has four more places that he hasn’t touched.
“You really have to slow down to catch them,” Fritts said. “I am not used to catching fish this big. I am on some really big fish.
“I am very confident in what I am doing,” he added. “I knew that I was going to be able to catch 30 pounds. Hopefully this was my smallest stringer. I feel that there are bigger fish out in this lake.”
Despite his slow start, Meyer is definitely someone to be worried about. He is fresh off a third-place finish at the 2008 FLW Series opener on the California Delta, and he has earned more than $63,000 in career earnings with FLW Outdoors. He now has two-days left to overcome a 30-pound, 10-ounce deficit and advance to the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol in Pittsburgh, Pa., for a shot at winning $1 million – the sport’s biggest award – July 30-Aug. 2.
Overall there were 249 bass weighing 1,019 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the 60 pros Thursday. The catch included 40 five-bass limits.
On the co-angler side, Ron Fabiszak of South Bend, Ind., topped the field with a day-one catch of five-bass weighing 26 pounds, 2 ounces.
“I had five keeper bites and I stopped fishing,” said Fabiszak, who has amassed more than $114,000 in career earnings as a co-angler with FLW Outdoors. “I had my limit in the boat by 11 this morning. I am really looking forward to tomorrow, this place is such a great fishery.”
Fabiszak caught his Falcon Lake bass on a spinnerbait in 12 feet of water.
“I’m not sure what baits I will use tomorrow,” Fabiszak said. “I will have to adjust according to where my partner takes me.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Wood of Jupiter, Fla. (five bass, 25-6); Chuck Thurlow of Auburn, Ala. (five bass, 20-14); Greg Sniffen of Saratoga, Calif. (five bass, 20-7) and Mike Iloski of Escondido, Calif. (four bass, 20-2).
Overall there were 164 bass weighing 563 pounds, 12 ounces caught by the 56 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 15 five-bass limits.
The winners of the head-to-head match-ups in the Pro Division will advance to the Forrest Wood Cup along with the top 30 co-anglers based on accumulated weight during the three-day Fish-Off. The pro with the heaviest overall weight will also earn $25,000, and the co-angler with the heaviest overall weight will earn $5,000.
Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from the Zapata County Park & Public Boat Ramp. Weigh-ins each day will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The entire field competes all three days with the winner of each head-to-head matchup in the Pro Division determined by the heaviest total weight from all three days. These 30 winners will advance to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup. In the Co-angler Division, the top 30 competitors based on total weight will advance to the Forrest Wood Cup. With a total purse of $2 million, including as much as $1 million going to the winning pro, and a world-class outdoor show, the Forrest Wood Cup is bass-fishing’s crown jewel.
The 2008 Walmart FLW Series Fish-Off will be the final one as the format to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup in 2010 has changed. The top 20 pros and co-anglers from the FLW Series BP Eastern Division and National Guard Western Division will advance directly to the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup for a shot at winning $1 million, the sport’s largest award.
Coverage of the FLW Series Fish-Off hosted by the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Center will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits. FLW Outdoors also took fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million in cash and prizes.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.