LAURIE, Mo., – Jay Hulsey of Bourbon, Mo., out fished the competition Saturday to earn $6,000 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail Ozark Division opener on Lake of the Ozarks.
Hulsey caught five largemouth bass weighing 23 pounds, 4 ounces during the one-day event to edge out Scott Stephenson of Topeka, Kan., who finished with a five-bass catch of 16-8 worth $3,000. Hulsey caught his limit, including a 7-pound, 9-ounce largemouth that earned him $1,000 for the Abu Garcia Big Bass
Award, in deep water on the main lake around chunk rocks.
Bruce Gier of Eldon, Mo., took third place and collected $1,500 for five bass weighing 16-6. Calvin Douglas of Springfield, Mo., placed fourth and earned $1,300 for five bass weighing 15-13, while Jim Eakins of Nixa, Mo., placed fifth and earned $1,200 for five bass weighing 15-6.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $3,000 went to Shawn Walker of Midway, Ark., for five bass weighing 17-13. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,500 went to Scott St. Clair of Blue Springs, Mo., for five bass weighing 16-2, while Billy Boley of Dover, Ark., took third place and $750 with three bass weighing 15-15. Boley also won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $500 for an 8-pound, 5-ounce largemouth.
On March 18, the Red Man Tournament Trail will visit Table Rock Lake for the second of five events in the Ozark Division. The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 23-24 on Lake Truman, is declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season receives $500.
Operation Bass was founded in 1979 on the principle that working anglers should be able to fish competitively without interfering with jobs and family. The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, awards $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. The highest placing CITGO Divisional Points Champion at the All-American receives $10,000 in the Boater Division and $2,500 in the Co-Angler Division. Overall, more than $5.7 million could be awarded in 2000 based on full fields in each of the series’ 119 events nationwide.