GROVE, Okla., (Sept. 27, 1999) Terry Thomas of Nixa, Mo., took first place, $3,017 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Okie Division qualifier held Sunday on Grand Lake. Thomas brought in five bass weighing 22 pounds, 4 ounces to top a field of 191 anglers competing for $11,027. Thomas fished muddy water up river on Grand using a shallow running crankbait.
Second place and $1,509 went to Steve Wayne of Tulsa, Okla., for five bass weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces. Wayne fished shallow rock formations using spinnerbaits and crankbaits.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Joe Erwin, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 16-0, $886; and (4) Joe Simon, Vian, Okla., five bass, 14-12, $552 and Walter Andries, Coweta, Okla., five bass, 14-12, $552. Terry Johnson of Sallisaw, Okla., won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 7 pound, 4 ounce bass. Johnson’s bass also landed him the Berkley Powerbait award — a package of baits valued at $325 — for the highest weight caught on Powerbait or Frenzy lures. Johnson now leads the Okie Division Ranger Millennium big bass race for the year. 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.