Lisek wins Co-angler Division, $40,000; Yelas clinches Angler of the Year
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, S.C., will lead 10 pros into the final round of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s $1.05 million Forrest Wood Open presented by Kellogg’s after landing five bass weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces Friday on Lake Champlain.
Each angler will start from scratch Saturday in a final bid for the tournament’s top award of $210,000 cash – one of the largest awards in competitive fishing.
“I didn’t think that I had that much weight,” said Auten, who is fishing his first Wal-Mart FLW Tour event. “It probably hurt me catching those big fish. I was just hoping to make the cut.”
Auten caught one largemouth and four smallmouth Friday while sight fishing in protected pockets after advancing to the semifinal round of 20 pros in 12th place with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 11 ounces.
Rounding out the top five pro finalists are Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla. (five bass, 16 pounds, 4 ounces); Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn. (five bass, 15 pounds, 15 ounces); Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. (five bass, 15 pounds, 7 ounces); and Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla. (five bass, 14 pounds, 11 ounces).
Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, advanced to the final round in 10th place Friday with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 5 ounces. He also won the coveted Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title in nail-biting fashion, beating pre-tournament favorite and 2001 Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., by six points. He had to finish 16th or better to top VanDam, who finished 44th in Thursday’s competition, not enough to propel him to Friday’s semifinal round.
“I considered myself a long shot coming into this tournament,” Yelas said. “VanDam had to stumble, which is something he has never done before.”
Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., earned the Energizer Power to Keep Going and Going award Friday for advancing to the finals in fifth place after finishing 103rd on opening day. Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., landed the Shop-Vac High Performance award for the heaviest total catch during the first three days of competition with 15 bass weighing 50 pounds, 8 ounces.
Rick Lisek of Springfield, Mo., captured top honors and $40,000 cash in the Co-angler Division Friday with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces. Jeff Baffa of Tinley Park, Ill. (five bass, 12 pounds, 11 ounces, $20,000) and T.R. Fuller of Auburn, Ala., (five bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces, $10,000) finished second and third, respectively.
“I’m going to take the $40,000 and use it to fish next year,” said Lisek, who had never finished higher than 60th during his first season fishing the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. “I caught all of my fish on a hand-painted Strike King jerkbait.”
Competition at the Forrest Wood Open continues at 5:30 a.m. Saturday at Mooney Bay Marina in Plattsburgh, N.Y., followed by a 3 p.m. weigh-in at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh. Fishing fans are invited to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Family Fun Zone, also located at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Plattsburgh, beginning at noon Saturday. The Fun Zone offers fishing enthusiasts a chance to meet some of the nation’s top anglers, collect autographs and receive expert fishing advice. There are also plenty of children’s games, including the Fujifilm trout pond and Minn Kota inflatable slide, to entertain the family. Weigh-ins and a portion of the Fun Zone are housed inside a tent that can be heated or cooled in case of inclement weather.