SANDUSKY, Ohio – Steve Clapper, 52, of Lima, Ohio, out-fished 81 competitors this weekend to earn $6,418 and 100 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Buckeye Division season finale – a two-day Super Tournament on Sandusky Bay.
Clapper caught five bass weighing 18 pounds, 9 ounces on opening day to qualify for the second and final day of competition. On day two, he caught five more bass weighing 17-5 to top David Scales of West Liberty, Ohio, who finished with a day-two catch of 16-1 worth $3,209. Clapper caught his limits using a green and gold tube.
David Hayward of Sylvania, Ohio, took third place and collected $1,604 with a day-two catch weighing 14-8. Larry Mason of Waterside, Ohio, placed fourth and earned $1,391 with a day-two catch weighing 13-8, while John Viox of Cincinnati, Ohio, placed fifth and earned $1,284 with a day-two catch weighing 13-6.
Larry Baily of Vermillion, Ohio; Jesse Stienecker of New Bremen, Ohio; and Bob Easton of Hubbard, Ohio, tied for the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division. Each man caught a 4-pound, 15-ounce smallmouth worth $270.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $3,235 went to Doug Napier, 32, of West Alexandria, Ohio, who topped 78 competitors with a day-two catch of five bass weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces. Napier caught five bass weighing 15-15 on opening day to qualify for the final round.
Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,618 went to Gary Vanover of Cincinnati with a day-two catch weighing 15-13, while Tim Morgan of Pataskala, Ohio, took third place and $809 with a day-two catch weighing 15-8.
Ed Heuker of New Bremen, Ohio, won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $390 with a 5-pound, 4-ounce smallmouth that he caught on a tube while fishing drop offs in Canadian water.
James Risner, 27, of North Hampton, Ohio, won the Berkley Power Bait award, a package of baits valued at $200, for the heaviest overall catch on Power Bait or Frenzy lures. Risner caught five bass weighing 19-0 on opening day.
The trail’s championship event, the Red Man All-American, will award $100,000 to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler. 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.