WOODHAVEN, MI., (August 1,1999) Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio, took first place, $2788, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Michigan Division qualifier held Sunday on Detroit River. Clapper brought in five bass weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce to top a field of 171 anglers competing for $9977. Clapper fished the Lake Erie area using green, brown and smoke color tubes on an eight 8 pound lb. line to catch his fish.
There was a tie for second place with $1106 going to Allen Huhra of Joliet, Illinois, and $1106 going to Marty Wiebelhaus, Taylor, Michigan each having five bass weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces. Huhra fished in the North Shore area, using a smoke color tube on Stren fishing line. Wiebelhaus fished in the Canada area, in deep waters using tubes on Stren fishing line.
Rounding out the top positions were: (4) Gaylon Leek, Twin Lake, MI, five bass, 17-14, $524. (5) Paul Rambo, Brighton, MI, five bass, 17-4, $497.
Ben Felton of Lansing, MI, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 5 pound 0 ounce bass. 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.
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.