BAY CITY, Mich., (July 19,1999) Greg Sochoci of Saginaw, Michigan, took first place, $2536, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Michigan Division qualifier held Sunday on Saginaw Bay. Sochoci brought in a five bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces to top a field of 150 anglers competing for $8875.
Sochoci fished the Augreo area, using a Berkley Powerbait near weedbeds to catch his fish. Second place and $1268 went to Kevin Veda of Claire, Michigan, for his five bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces. Veda fished the Pin Conning area in weeds with Berkley power worms.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Steve Woodruff, Laingsburg, MI, five bass, 11-0, $744; (4) Art Ferguson, Clewiston, FL, five bass, 10-12, $477; (5) Edward Rogers, Grand Rapids, MI, four bass,10-10, $452.
Benny Cheung of Wixom, MI, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 5 pound, 7 ounce bass.
Tournament winner Greg Sochochi Donald Eaton of McDonough, GA, won the Berkley Powerbait award a package of baits valued at $325 for the highest weight caught on Powerbait or Frenzy lures with 12 pounds, 8 ounces.
At the completion of the six Red Man qualifying events, the top 30 anglers, determined on a basis of pounds and points, will move onto Regional Championship competition. There they will compete against the top 30 fishermen from three other divisions for a Dream Rig consisting of a Chevy truck and a full-rigged Ranger bass boat powered by an Evinrude or Johnson outboard (only two divisions compete in the Western Regional for a fully-rigged Ranger bass boat) and a spot in the Red Man All-American in Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 8-13, 2000, where the winner will receive $100,000.
The rookie advancing farthest along the Red Man Trail will win the Old Milwaukee NA Rookie-of-the-Year Award.
All Red Man tournaments are catch and release events. Operation Bass historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate throughout the tournament season.
Sponsors of the 1999 Red Man Tournament Trail include: Evinrude Outboards, Evinrude Electrics, CITGO Petroleum, Ranger Boats, Humminbird Fishfinders, Stren Fishing Lines, Abu Garcia Rods and Reels, Chevy Trucks, ENERGIZER Marine Batteries, Old Milwaukee NA, Black & Decker, David Seeds, Coleman Products, Land O Lakes, BC Powder, Eveready, Wheaties, Chex Mix, Hamburger Helper, Wrangler, US Bank-VISA, Powerbait, and Frenzy.