GROVE, Okla. – Ron Shaw, a 39-year-old fireman from Moore, Okla., out-fished 83 competitors this weekend to earn $6,576 and 100 CITGO Challenge Points on the boater side of the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Okie Division season finale – a two-day Super Tournament on Grand Lake.
Shaw caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces on opening day to qualify for the second and final day of competition. On day two, he caught four more bass weighing 10-15 to top Jim Carnell of Muskogee, Okla., who finished with a day-two catch of 10-10 worth $3,288. Shaw caught his bass using a 1/2-ounce orange spinnerbait around laydowns in about 7 feet of water.
Jeff Tipton of Afton, Okla., took third place and collected $1,644 with a day-two catch weighing 7-12. Ken Hagar of Jay, Okla., placed fourth and earned $1,425 with a day-two catch weighing 3-9, while John Vick of Inola, Okla., placed fifth and earned $1,315 with a day-two catch weighing 2-0.
Norman Barton Jr., 43, of Vian, Okla., won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award in the Boater Division and collected $830 with a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass that he caught on a crankbait while fishing laydowns.
Carnell was declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000 after amassing 207 points through five regular season events.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $3,288 went to Walter Coble, 37, of Tulsa, Okla., who topped 83 competitors with a day-two catch of two bass weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces. Coble caught four bass weighing 10-3 on opening day to qualify for the final round. He also won the co-angler Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $415 with a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass that he caught on opening day using a brown jig.
Randy Kelly of Inola, Okla., amassed more points than any other co-angler during five regular season events to win the Co-Angler Divisional Points title and $500. Kelly earned 222 points this season.
Second place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,644 went to Billy Cox of Salina, Okla., with a day-two catch weighing 4-6, while Terry Jelinek of Seward, Neb., took third place and $822 with a day-two catch weighing 4-2.
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.