Gibson wins co-angler title, $15,000 in prize money
GALLATIN, Tenn. – John Sappington of Wyandotte, Okla., landed five bass weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces Friday to lead 10 of the nation’s top pro anglers into the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s lucrative final round on Old Hickory Lake. A top award of $110,000 cash is at stake Saturday.
The $550,000 tournament presented by Snickers started Wednesday with 175 pros and 175 co-anglers representing more than 30 states and Japan. Both divisions were cut to the top 20 anglers Thursday, and co-angler competition concluded Friday with W.D. “Hoot” Gibson earning $15,000 cash and a $500 Snickers bonus with four bass weighing 9 pounds, 11 ounces. Only the top 10 pros advanced to Saturday’s final round where they will start from zero and fish for one day to determine the winner.
Sappington, who is making his first top-10 appearance after making three straight top-20 cuts, caught his bass Friday using a Lassic jig along steep rock banks and a shallow-running crankbait near isolated stumps. He advanced to the semifinal round in 11th place after catching 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 1 ounce in the two-day opening round.
“I started out this morning and caught two good fish right off, then I caught the big one and went looking for some new water,” said Sappington, referring to a 6-pound largemouth that anchored his five-bass limit. “I’ve made three top 20s in a row, now I’d like to win one of these.”
Rounding out the top five finalists are Frank Ippoliti of Mount Airy, Md. (five bass, 13 pounds, 4 ounces); Basil Bacon of Springfield, Mo. (five bass, 12 pounds); Mark Pack of Mineola, Texas (five bass, 11 pounds, 11 ounces); and reigning Land O’ Lakes Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., (five bass, 11 pounds, 4 ounces).
Dion Hibdon of Stove, Mo., earned the Energizer Power to Keep Going and Going award Friday for advancing to the finals in seventh place after finishing 73rd on opening day. Ippoliti landed the Shop-Vac High Performance award for the heaviest total catch during the first three days of competition with 15 bass weighing 42 pounds, 4 ounces.
Jason Abram of Bluff City, Tenn. (five bass, 8 pounds, 5 ounces, $6,000); Charlie Cawthon of Rome, Ga. (three bass, 7 pounds, 4 ounces, $4,000); Gary Bucciarelli of Trenton, Mich. (two bass, 6 pounds, 15 ounces, $3,000); and Lance Oligschlaeger of Gallatin, Tenn., (four bass, 5 pounds, 13 ounces, $2,500) rounded out the top five co-anglers.
Overall, 106 bass weighing 237 pounds, 13 ounces were caught Friday including 10 five-bass limits.
Saturday’s final takeoff from Bull Creek Marina in Gallatin starts at 6 a.m. The final weigh-in at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1112 Nashville Pike in Gallatin starts at 2 p.m.
A Family Fun Zone in the Wal-Mart parking lot opens at 11 a.m. Some of the nation’s top anglers will be in the Fun Zone signing autographs and giving fishing advice. There are also children’s games to entertain the family. Admission to the Fun Zone and weigh-ins is free. Weigh-ins and a portion of the Fun Zone are housed inside a heated or air conditioned tent in case of inclement weather.