LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – Dick Shaffer, 41, of Celina, Ohio, out-fished 94 competitors Saturday to earn $3,586 and 50 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Buckeye Division event on the Ohio River.
Shaffer caught five bass weighing 8 pounds, 15 ounces during the one-day event to top Ed Allen of Lakeview, Ohio, who finished with a five-bass catch of 7-8 worth $1,793. Shaffer caught his limit, including a 4-pound, 3-ounce largemouth bass that earned him $470 as the Abu Garcia Big Bass in the Boater Division, using a white buzzbait, smoke-colored grubs and crankbaits.
Michael Simonton of Fremont, Ohio, took third place and collected $896 with five bass weighing 7-6. John Viox of Cincinnati placed fourth and earned $777 with four bass weighing 7-5, while Bill Lowen of Addyston, Ohio, placed fifth and earned $717 with four bass weighing 6-14.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,736 went to Lester Cockerham, 34, of Camden, Ohio, who topped 91 competitors with four largemouth bass weighing 4-5. Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $868 went to Randy Weaver of Piqua, Ohio, with three bass weighing 4-1, while Robert Workman of Florence, Ky., took third place and $434 with two bass weighing 4-0.
Donny Young, 28, of West Carrolton, Ohio, won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $227 with a 2-pound, 15-ounce largemouth bass he caught while flipping a Berkley power lizard.
Darin Jorg of Cincinnati 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 largemouth bass weighing 6-6 using a 7-inch power worm.
The boater with the most CITGO Challenge points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 23-24 on Sandusky Bay, 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.