REDDING, Calif. – Dave Rush of Palermo, Calif., out-fished 49 competitors Saturday to earn $2,566 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Western Division event on Lake Shasta.
Rush caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces during the one-day event to top Peter Jenson of Roseville, Calif., who finished with a five-bass catch of 9-13 worth $1,283. Rush caught his limit on a blue Zara Spook near points in the Sacramento River.
David Symmons of Pinole, Calif., took third place and collected $642 with five bass weighing 9-0, while Rob Pitt of Redding, Calif., placed fourth and earned $556 with five bass weighing 8-11. Pitt also won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $245 with a 3-pound, 3-ounce largemouth that he caught out of the Sacramento River on a green plastic worm.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,283 went to Jared Stone of Santa Rosa, Calif., who topped 49 competitors with five bass weighing 13-8. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $642 went to Jirii Sakata of Manteca, Calif., for five bass weighing 10-7, while Gary Morris of Pleasanton, Calif., took third place and $321 with five bass weighing 7-15.
Stone won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $122 with an 8-pound, 2-ounce bass he on a white fluke in the Sacramento River.
Craig Miller of Danville, Calif., won the Berkley Power Bait award, a package of baits valued at $200, for the heaviest overall catch on Power Bait or Frenzy lures. He caught five bass weighing 5-1.
Overall, 415 bass weighing 532 pound, 11 ounces were caught, including 68 five-bass limits.
On July 29, the Red Man Tournament Trail will visit Cal Delta for the fourth of five events in the Western Division. The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 30-Oct. 1 on Cal Delta, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $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.