JASPER, Texas – Pro Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas, caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces to lead day one of the Stren Series Central Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
Pros are competing for as much as $64,500 and valuable points that could qualify them for a trip to the $1 million Stren Series Championship for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also earn a spot in the new $2 million 2007 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 Ranger owners’ tournaments for bass fishing’s first $1 million top award.
Many events, including this one, were originally scheduled be held on nearby Toledo Bend Reservoir but were moved to Sam Rayburn because of extremely low, unsafe water conditions in Toledo Bend. As a consequence, fishing pressure on Sam Rayburn has been heavy for the last several weeks. However, bass are in all stages of the spawn in the lake and still willing to bite, as evidenced by Wednesday’s catch weights.
McCall, who finished 11th in the Stren Series Central Division opener on Lake Amistad, and has more than $165,000 in career earnings, added another $725 to that on day one after winning the day’s big-bass award in the Pro Division with an 8-pound, 11-ounce bass. Regarding the intense fishing pressure, McCall said it’s had an effect, but the sheer quality of the fishery has offset that effect to a degree.
“I did much better than I thought I would. I had a poor practice and was singing the blues for a while,” McCall said. “But I just made a milk run today of some of my usual places. I caught fish both going in (to spawn) and coming out.”
McCall chose to keep the type of lure he was throwing to himself, but he did hint that it was a moving bait and that he’s covering lots of water.
Rounding out the top five pros are Bob Weaver of Lawton, Okla. (five bass, 22 pounds, 8 ounces); Derek Remitz of Hemphill, Texas (five bass, 21 pounds, 4 ounces); Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas (five bass, 20 pounds, 8 ounces); and Jerry Dolezal of Bullard, Texas (five bass, 19 pounds, 7 ounces).
Bill Guillory of Jasper leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 21 pounds, 2 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Bill Rogers of Jasper (five bass, 17 pounds, 3 ounces); Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark. (four bass, 14 pounds, 12 ounces); Billy Yelverton of Baton Rouge, La. (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces); and Matt Williams of Nacogdoches, Texas (four bass, 13 pounds, 14 ounces).
Blaylock, who was the youngest angler to ever qualify for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship in 2005, earned $245 for the Snicker’s Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to an 8-pound, 4-ounce bass.
The next Stren Series Central Division event will be held on Lake Texoma near Denison, Texas, April 26-29.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.