Jay Morgan of Lake Wales, Florida, took first place, $5,035, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Gator Division qualifier held Sunday on Lake Toho. Morgan brought in five bass totaling 18 pounds, 6 ounces, to top a field of 383 anglers competing for $20,107.
Morgan caught his limit flipping a black lizard. Second place and $2,519 went to David Crews of Plant City, Florida, for five bass weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces. Crews fished a soft plastic crawdad around isolated lily pads. Third place and $1,478 went to Tim Ward of Vero Beach, Florida, for three bass weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces. Ward fished lily pads with a black/blue worm. David Glenn of Auburndale, Florida, with five bass and Gregory Cumings of Mount Dora, Florida, with four bass tied for fourth place with 15 pounds, 5 ounces, worth $922. Glenn fished an 8-inch worm around isolated lily pads to catch his limit. Cumings fished a blue worm in 10 feet of water.
Rounding out the top positions were: (6) Bill Rucker, Cocoa, Florida, five bass, 14 pounds, 10 ounces, $799; (7) George Halle, Port St. Lucie, Florida, five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces, $699; (8) Mark Bozeman, Silver Springs, Florida, five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces, $599; (9) Raymond Trudeau, St. Cloud, Florida, five bass, 13 pounds, 2 ounces, $498; (10 tie) Kyle Sellars, Jr., Winter Haven, Florida, five bass, and Paul Daniel, Tampa, Florida, five bass, 12 pounds, 11 ounces, $402.
William Lorton of Melbourne, Florida, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 9 pound, 8 ounce bass caught on a black/blue worm.
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.