HENDERSON, N.C., (June 28,1999) Mark Cooper of Collinsville, Virginia, took first place, $5186, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Piedmont Division qualifier held Sunday on Kerr Lake. Cooper brought in a five bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces to top a field of 400 anglers competing for $22,000. Cooper fished the Nutbush area of the lake using a fluke and topwater baits in shallow water to catch his fish. Second place and $2593 went to Bob Williams of Rocky Mount, NC, for five bass weighing 19-9. Williams used a spook w/front runner in 2 feet of water to catch his fish.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Jeff Viverette, Frederick, MD, five bass, 17„2, $1522; (4) James Henderson, Evington, VA, five bass, 15-11, $975; (5) Michael Stewart, Sutherlin, VA, five bass, 14-9, $925.
Frank Ippoliti of Kingston, TN, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 8 pound, 1 ounce bass. Ippoliti is also leading the Piedmont Division’s Ranger Millennium big bass race for the year with a bass weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce. The Ranger boat owner who catches the largest bass in each Red Man division over the course of the season, will qualify to enter the Ranger M1 Millenium tournament.
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.