Clunn leads Forrest Wood Open; lands in third consecutive final round
FLW Tour Co-Angler Wade Wins $40,000
FLORENCE, Ala. – Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., one of the most successful fisherman of all-time, will lead five pros into Saturday’s final round of the $1 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour Forrest Wood Open on Pickwick Lake with a semifinal-round catch of five bass weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces.
At dawn Saturday, Clunn and four other finalists will be paired with television crews from ESPN as they start from scratch in the tourney presented by Kellogg’s for a shot at a $200,000 first place cash award.
“My goal has always been to maximize my potential as a human being and as an angler,” said Clunn, whose top-five appearance makes him the first angler in FLW Tour history to qualified for three consecutive final rounds. “I’m getting better everyday, so if the fish do their part, I’ll do mine.”
Joining Clunn in the final round of the richest bass tournament in Alabama history are: Arlie Napier of Middlesboro, Ky., who qualified in second place with five bass weighing 14-3; Johnny McCombs of Morris, Ala., in third with five bass weighing 12-13; Marty Stone of Linden, N.C., in fourth with five bass weighing 12-5; and David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., in fifth with four bass weighing 10-8.
Each contestant will fish from a specially designed Ranger Comanche fishing machine with distinctive NASCAR-type styling. Adorned with corporate logos, each boat is powered by a highly-efficient RAM Ficht-injected 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
Jerry Wade of Indianapolis dominated the Co-Angler Division Friday to win $40,000 plus a year’s supply of CITGO gasoline with a five-bass catch weighing 14-0. Co-Angler Chris Rand of Davie, Fla., finished second with five bass weighing 9-12 to collect $20,000.
“The key to this week is I had a pro on day one that put me on some nice smallmouth,” said Wade, who caught his limit Friday on a Carolina rig while fishing below Wheeler Dam. “I didn’t catch any bass on the second day, but I still made it into the top 10.”
Rounding out the top spots in the Co-Angler Division were: Troy Pickett of Roberta, Ga., with two bass weighing 5-15; Mike Maxfield of Summerville, S.C., with two bass weighing 5-6; and former NFL lineman Tim Irwin of Knoxville, Tenn., with two bass weighing 4-6.
Overall, 55 bass weighing 136 pounds, 4 ounces were brought to the scales Friday, including six five-bass limits.
Run by Operation Bass Inc., the world’s largest bass tournament organization, the $4.4 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate. If the FLW Tour continues the rate through 2000, BFGoodrich Tires will donate $25,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network.
The final weigh-in, which will be broadcast live to Wal-Mart Stores nationwide and taped for ESPN, begins at 3:30 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 3100 Hough Road in Florence. The weigh-in will air July 8 as part of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour series on ESPN at noon EST. The weigh-in also will be broadcast live on ESPN Extra.