MANY, La. – Stan Burgay of Timpson, Texas, out fished 161 competitors Saturday to earn $5,192 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail Cowboy Division event on Toledo Bend Reservoir.
Burgay caught five largemouth bass weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces during the one-day event to top David Matheny of Troup, Texas, who finished with a five-bass catch of 19-6 worth $2,596. Burgay caught his limit out of wood and grass on the north end of the lake in 5 to 6 feet of water.
David Truax of Beaumont, Texas, took third place and collected $1,298 for five bass weighing 19-4. Dalton Robbins of Tyler, Texas, placed fourth and earned $1,125 for five bass weighing 18-7. Robbins also won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $810 in the Boater Division for a 7-1 largemouth he caught out of Hurricane Creek on a gold rogue. Ken Hayes of Leesville, La., placed fifth and earned $1,039 for five bass weighing 17-12.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $2,596 went to Matt Cannon of Troy, Texas, for five bass weighing 17-5. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,298 went to Andy Ginn of Tyler, Texas, for five bass weighing 15-9, while Glenn Hardin of Brookeland, Texas, took third place and $649 with five bass weighing 14-8.
Mark Milward of Lexington, Texas, won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $405 for a 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth.
On April 1, the Red Man Tournament Trail will visit Lake Palestine for the third of five events in the Cowboy Division. The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 16-17 on Lake Sam Rayburn, 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.
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.