Rose leads Walmart FLW Tour event on Pickwick Lake

Thill gains top spot in Co-angler Division

FLORENCE, Ala. – National Guard pro Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., crossed the stage Thursday with a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 10 ounces to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Tour on Pickwick Lake presented by AMP Energy. Rose now holds a 4-pound, 3-ounce lead over Kenneth Woods of Hazard, Ky., who caught five bass weighing 20-7 in a tournament featuring anglers from all across the country.

“This place has a special place in my heart,” said Rose, who said he has fished Pickwick since high school. “I like this area. I love the whole Tennessee River, and it’s fishing really good right now. Pickwick is one of the best in the country.

“We’re catching them with not much current right now, and that’s affecting the weights a little bit,” Rose added. “You’re still seeing great bags of fish come in. I would be willing to say this place is better than Kentucky Lake.”

Rose said he caught 25 to 30 fish during the course of the day and virtually all of them were keepers. Rose fished a Strike King shaky-head rig to catch a limit and then culled fish using a large soft-plastic worm as well as a crankbait.

“It was a grind,” Rose said. “I was catching one every 15 or 20 minutes. Without much current it’s a slow deal and you really have to slow your presentation down. If you grind it out and you know where they live you can catch them.

“We’re going to see a lot of 14- and 15-pound bags, and that’s a fun tournament,” Rose added.

Rounding out the top five pros after day one on Pickwick Lake are:

3rd: Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 19-14

3rd: Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., five bass, 19-14

5th: National Guard pro Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., five bass, 19-9

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Rose caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 5-10 on the pro side to win $500.

Overall there were 590 bass weighing 1,475 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 121 pros Thursday. The catch included 114 five-bass limits.

Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing.

This year’s Cup will be in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 11-14 on Lake Ouachita where pros are competing for a top prize of $600,000 – the sport’s biggest award. Pro anglers are also vying for the prestigious 2011 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s that will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors with the winner receiving $100,000 for their accomplishment.

Dan Thill of La Crosse, Wis., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 22-13 followed by Chris Hults of Vancleave, Miss., in second place with five bass weighing 17-15.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are:

3rd: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 17-10

4th: Johnny Douglas, Hustonville, Ky., five bass, 17-1

5th: Frank Divis Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., five bass, 15-10

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Thill caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 8-8 in the co-angler division to win $250.

Overall there were 514 bass weighing 1,005 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 121 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 87 five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. The Walmart FLW Tour Co-angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors and the winner will receive a new Ranger 198VX with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 James M. Spain Drive in Florence, Ala., at 6 each morning. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 3100 Hough Rd. in Florence beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at Walmart on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The first 300 kids 14 and under on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo compliments of KIX 96 FM. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

Coverage of the Pickwick Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors” will air Sept. 11 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to more than 500 million households worldwide.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW Outdoors on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.

About FLW Outdoors

FLW Outdoors is the best in fishing, on and off the water. Anglers worldwide can compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.