GREENVILLE, Miss., (August 30, 1999) Anthony Fulgham of Ethelsville, Alabama, took first place, $2451, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Mississippi Division qualifier held Sunday on Ferguson Lake. Fulgham brought in five bass weighing 18 pounds, 11 ounces to top a field of 139 anglers competing for $8297.
Fulgham fished the Mississippi River Oxbows using oz white Stanley spinnerbaits with a Colorado blade. He fished in 3-5 feet of water. Second place and $1225 went to George Bowman of Dumas, Arkansas for five bass weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Bowman fished the north end of the Mississippi River using crankbaits and a Carolina rigged lizard. He fished around ledges.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Mason Bassett, Cleveland, MS, five bass, 16-2, $719; (4) Charlie Long, Baton Rouge, LA, five bass, 16-1, $461; (5) Alton Albritton, Lake Village, AR, five bass, 15-8, $437.
Bob Pettigrew of Hughes, AR, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 6 pound, 15 ounce bass.
Michael Tharp of Arcola, MS, is leading the Mississippi Division’s Ranger Millennium big bass race for the year with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 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.
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.