CLINTON, Mo. – Troy Krodinger, 32, of Fletcher, Mo., out-fished 64 competitors this weekend to earn $5,650 and 100 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Ozark Division season finale – a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Truman.
Krodinger caught four bass weighing 9 pounds, 2 ounces on opening day to qualify for the second and final day of competition. On day two, he caught two more bass weighing 6-14 to top Brad Richmond of Valley Park, Mo., who finished with a day-two catch of 2-7 worth $2,825. Krodinger caught his bass using a white and green lipless crankbait over shallow mud flats.
Steve St. Clair of Pyatt, Ark., took third place and collected $1,413 with a day-two catch weighing 2-3. Howard Love of Sedalia, Mo., placed fourth and earned $1,224 with a day-two catch weighing 1-13, while Max Atkinson of Mountain Home, Ark., placed fifth and earned $1,130 despite not catching a fish on day two. Atkinson caught four bass weighing 10-11 on opening day.
Doug Vahrenberg of Higginsville, Mo., won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $640 with a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass that he caught on a black worm while fishing laydowns along creek banks.
Jim Eakins of Nixa, Mo., was declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000 after amassing 274 points through five regular season events.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $2,825 went to Billy Joe Boley, 21, of Dover, Ark., who topped 64 competitors with a day-two catch of three bass weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Boley caught three bass weighing 7-13 on opening day to qualify for the final round. He also amassed more points than any other co-angler during five regular season events to win the Co-Angler Divisional Points title and $500. Boley earned 228 points this season.
Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,413 went to Joe Gerth of Reed Spring, Mo., with a day-two catch weighing 2-4, while Larry Lamontagne of Fenton, Mo., took third place and $706 with a day-two catch weighing 1-12.
Jeff Lazendorf, 42, of Fenton, Mo., won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $320 with a 3-pound, 11-ounce bass that he caught on a crankbait while fishing shallow water stumps.
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.