McCombs jumps atop leaderboard in $500,000 FLW tourney
Divis captures co-angler crown, $15,000 top prize with “amazing” 1-pound, 14-ounce catch
D’IBERVILLE, Miss. – During a 45-minute delay at the start of today’s takeoff, Johnny McCombs of Morris, Ala., carefully assessed his fishing strategy. Should he run 80 miles back up the Pascagoula River or play it safe and stay closer to the weigh-in site and fish the Biloxi River? Or should he try something altogether different. After weighing all options, McCombs came to a rather stunning conclusion.
“I realized I had no idea what to do,” said McCombs with an impish grin. “When I finally got out onto the water, I just went looking for fish. I decided if I caught something, I would stay right there and keep fishing. Somehow it all worked out.”
Simply put, McCombs decided to wing it.
“I knew if I could catch a limit I would make the top five,” said McCombs.
And that’s precisely what he did. While not huge by normal FLW standards, McCombs’ catch of 6 pounds, 12 ounces was good enough for first place heading into tomorrow’s all-important final round of competition. But more importantly, McCombs’ finish gave him a renewed sense of confidence that seemed to be lacking throughout the tournament.
“I didn’t feel very good coming into this tournament,” said McCombs, who has now earned four top-10 and three top-5 appearances on the FLW Tour. “But I think I have a spot that can win the tournament for me. The fish are starting to move in there now and my confidence level is pretty high. If there was ever a tournament that I could win, it’s this one.”
McCombs’ competition is formidable
Right behind McCombs in the standings sits the always-dangerous Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla. Biffle, who has three runner-up appearances on the FLW Tour to his credit, has turned in the most consistent performance to date during this year’s Pascagoula River tourney.
“It’s great to make it into the top five, but it’s not over yet,” said Biffle, who landed a catch of 6 pounds, 5 ounces. “I’ll be excited if I’m in first place tomorrow.”
However, Biffle admitted that he might have to shift gears Saturday due to the fact that his favorite spot has become inaccessible due to a drop in the water levels.
“The only way I’m getting into that spot tomorrow is if I want to (ruin) my Ranger boat,” he said. “And I don’t think I want to do that.”
Dale Teaney of Williamsburg, Ohio, was in third place heading into the finals after landing a catch of 5 pounds, 12 ounces. Teaney said that he played it safe today and didn’t try to make any long runs – a decision that turned out to be a wise one given today’s difficult weather conditions.
“I wasn’t sure if I would catch them, but I decided to take my chances and stay here (on the Biloxi River) today,” he said.
The Ohio native also suggested that his experience on his home waters has put him in a position to make a legitimate run at tomorrow’s championship.
“This place fishes just like the Ohio River,” said Teaney. “So I’m feeling pretty confident right now.”
Rick Clunn of Ava., Mo., was in fourth place with a catch of 4 pounds, 12 ounces. Perhaps the most dangerous angler on the tour, Clunn said that he just may have figured out where the fish are hiding – a foreboding sign for the rest of the field.
“My plan all along was to try and make the cut,” he said. “The (fishing) pattern changed a little bit today, but by the end of the afternoon I started to figure things out. I have a pretty good idea what to do tomorrow.”
Chuck Economou of Redington Beach, Fla., finished in fifth place today with a catch of 4 pounds, 11 ounces.
“I made a pretty long run today and I was only able to fish about 2 1/2 hours,” he said. “I wasn’t getting a lot of bites and I started losing confidence. But in the last half hour, I was able to get two big bites. And that was the difference.”
However, Economou said that his best location has become inaccessible due to the low water levels. And like Biffle, Economou was left scrambling for a new strategy.
“I need a place to fish tomorrow,” he said. “Any ideas?”
Rounding out the top 10 anglers in today’s competition were Denny Brauer (sixth) of Camdenton, Mo., who won $12,000 with a 1-pound, 11-ounce catch; Chris Daniels (seventh) of Clayton, N.C., who took home $10,000 for a 1-pound, 3-ounce catch; Marty Stone (eighth) of Linden, N.C., who won $9,000 for a catch of 1 pound; Jim Carnell (ninth) of Muskogee, Okla., who earned $8,000 for a 14-ounce catch; and Greg Carpenter (tenth place via a tournament tiebreaker) of Royal, Ark., who won $7,000 for an identical 14-ounce catch.
Divis uses “lucky” hat and “amazing” catch to win co-angler finals
In one of the most improbable finishes in recent memory, Frank Divis Sr. of Fayetteville, Ark., used a 1-pound, 14-ounce catch to capture the co-angler tour event championship on the Pascagoula River. Divis, who was forced to watch in nervous anticipation as eight other co-anglers weighed in after him, couldn’t believe he had enough to win.
“It’s truly amazing to win the way I did,” said Divis, who now has five top-5 appearances to his credit. “I never, in my wildest dreams, thought this would be enough. But it just goes to show you that you can’t ever give up.”
However, he insisted that despite the small catch totals, the co-anglers all deserved some recognition.
“It’s really tough out there,” he said. “The bites weren’t coming easily today. These co-anglers are great fishermen. My hats off to them.”
While Divis said the he poured his heart and soul into the day’s performance, he also gave some credit to a good friend and a very lucky hat.
“A friend of mine came into town last night,” he said. “At about 10 p.m. he came over to my room and gave me this Yamaha hat. He said, `If you wear this hat tomorrow, you’re going to win the championship.’ Wouldn’t you know it, he was right.”
Divis, who won $15,000 and an automatic berth in the 2001 FLW Co-Angler Championship, is no stranger to improbable finishes. In 1999, he won an EverStart Series tour event on Beaver Lake with a paltry catch of 2 pounds, 14 ounces.
“Yeah, I know, it’s pretty amazing,” he said.
Andrew Arnold of Princeton, Ky., finished in second place with a catch of 1 pound, 3 ounces. Arnold won $6,000 for his efforts.
“I’ve been very lucky and very blessed,” he said. “I’ve had a great time.”
In third place (via a tiebreaker) was Beverly Little of Greensboro, N.C., who also registered a catch of 1 pound, 3 ounces. Little won $4,000 for her finish.
“I’ve had a great time fishing here,” said Little, who led all co-anglers after the first day of competition on the Pascagoula River, becoming the first woman in FLW Tour history to lead a division after the conclusion of a day’s event. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C., finished in fourth place with a catch of 1-pound. Hill won a check for $3,000.
“I think I’ve been all over the state today,” joked Hill, who made numerous long runs with his partner, Jim Carnell. “I feel like I was on a Mississippi boat ride. But I’ve had a ball.”
Although the remaining top-10 co-anglers failed to land a fish in the finals, they all walked away with some nice parting gifts. Daniel Workman (fifth) of Oakwood, Ga., won $2,500; Tommy Szwankowski (sixth) of Hope, Ark., won $2,200; Jim Blake (seventh) of Lincoln, Neb., won $2,000; Richard Prestigiacomo (eighth) of Avon Park, Fla., won $1,800; Rodney Chmolack (ninth) of Phenix City, Ala., won $1,600; and David Brunaugh (tenth) of Carbondale, Ill., won $1,400.
The pro competition continues at 6:30 a.m. Saturday at D’Iberville City Marina followed by the final weigh-in at 3 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 3615 Sangani Blvd. in D’Iberville. A Family Fun Zone featuring fishing seminars, free product samples, interactive displays and children’s games will open in the Wal-Mart parking lot starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.
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