CLINTON, MO., (August 1, 1999) Terry Thomas of Nixa, Missouri, took first place, $2327, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Ozark Division qualifier held Sunday on Truman Lake. Thomas brought in five bass weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce to top a field of 132 anglers competing for $7,930. Thomas fished the lower Grand area using crank baits and salt craw and buzzbait on a 20 lb. Stren fishing line.
Second place and $1,164 went to Donnie Cox of Battlefield, Missouri, for five bass weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces. Cox fished in the Osage area, around stumps and shallow water. He used buzzbait and Mister Twister tail red shad grub.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Phillip Isley, Springdale, AR, five bass, 13-1, $683. (4) Steve St-Clair, Pyatt, AR, four bass, 12-7. $438. (5) Bob Coffman, Hillsboro, MO, four bass, 12-6, $392. (5) Mike Renda, Florissant, MO, five bass, 12-6, $392.
Scott Rice of Buffalo, MO, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 6 pound, 8 ounce bass.
Donnie Cox of Battlefield, MO, is leading the Ozark Division’s Ranger Millennium big bass race for the year with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces. 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 Millennium tournament.
Danny Johnston, of Bonne Terre, MO, won the Berkley Powerbait award – a package of baits valued at $325 for the highest weight caught on Powerbait or Frenzy lures with 10 pounds, 10 ounces.
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.