LA GRANGE, Ga. – Glenn Miller, a 47-year-old marine mechanic from Newbern, Ga., out-fished 135 competitors Saturday to earn $4,614 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Bulldog Division event on West Point Lake.
Miller caught five largemouth bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces during the one-day event to top Mark Stillwell, a 45-year-old homebuilder from Phenix City, Ala., who finished with a five-bass catch of 10-10 worth $2,307. Miller caught his bass in shallow water near Franklin using a combination of topwater baits and jigs. Stillwell, however, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected an additional $675 with a 5-pound, 12-ounce largemouth that he caught on a spinnerbait while fishing a ledge in the south end of the lake.
Kenny Carroll of Opelika, Ala., took third place and collected $1,154 with four bass weighing 10-5. Bobby Padgett of Columbus, Ga., placed fourth and earned $1,000 with four bass weighing 7-10, while Mark Fletcher of Palmetto, Ga., placed fifth and earned $923 with four bass weighing 7-4.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $2,307 went to Phillip Allen, 38, who topped 135 competitors with three largemouth bass weighing 8-13. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,154 went to Butch Jones of Dothan, Ala., with two bass weighing 7-3, while Morris Nix of Marietta, Ga., took third place and $577 with four bass weighing 6-6.
Lanier Mason of Danielsville, Ga., won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $337 with a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth that he caught off a deep ledge using a green-pumpkin colored lizard.
Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Ga., 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 two largemouth bass weighing 5-10.
The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 9-10 on Lake Sinclair, 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.
Red Man became the trail’s title sponsor in 1983. Wal-Mart recently announced that it has assumed title sponsorship of the tournament series for 2001 and will rename it the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League.