ROGERS, Ark. – Evinrude pro Russ Moran of Murfreesboro, Tenn., made the most of a shortened day on Beaver Lake to lead 10 remaining pros into the lucrative Wal-Mart Open finals Friday with a total of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 8 ounces. He landed five bass weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces Wednesday to take the lead then caught another five bass weighing 11 pounds to retain it Thursday despite a two hour fog delay.
The 10 remaining pros and 10 remaining co-anglers from a field of 350 anglers representing 34 states, Canada and Japan are casting for top awards of $200,000 and $40,000, respectively. By virtue of making the cut, however, each pro is guaranteed at least $21,000 thanks to a $210,000 increase to the purse for this year’s event. The pro finishing in 50th place earned $10,000, and cash payments are awarded through 75th place.
“Everyone here can beat you on any given day,” said Moran, a tour newcomer who had never seen Beaver Lake until Saturday. “To be honest, I can’t believe that I’m in the lead, but I’ll take it.”
Moran relied on the same 3/8-ounce crankbait that produced for him on opening day, targeting creeks with points in 6 to 8 feet of water. “The fish are real spooky,” he said. “You have to make Hail Mary casts just as far as you can throw.”
Fishing as the No. 2 seed is Team Stanley Works pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., who entered Thursday’s competition in third place after landing five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces on opening day. Martin caught five more bass weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces Thursday for an opening round total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 4 ounces.
Rounding out the top five pros are Evinrude pro and Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points leader Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky. (10 bass, 22 pounds, 4 ounces); Aaron Martens of Castaic, Calif. (10 bass, 20 pounds, 12 ounces); and Wesley Burnett of Hot Springs (10 bass, 20 pounds, 7 ounces).
Terry Chapman of Stanley, N.C., entered the final round as the No. 1 co-angler with an opening round total of seven bass weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught on a jigs and finesse worms. He landed three bass weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces Wednesday while fishing with pro Glen Chappelear of Acworth, Ga., then secured a spot atop the leaderboard Thursday with four bass weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces that he caught while fishing with pro Kevin Reynolds of Bentonville.
“I’ve had good luck on this lake,” said Chapman, who finished 13th and 11th, respectively, on Beaver Lake in 1999 and 2000. “It finally came through, and it feels great.”
Fishing in the finals as the No. 2 seed is co-angler Brian Kingsley of Lawrence, Kan., who caught eight bass weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces in the opening round.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Greg Gulledge of Monticello (six bass, 11 pounds, 11 ounces); Kelly Greer of Green Forest (four bass, 11 pounds, 9 ounces); and Jim Blake of Lincoln, Neb. (six bass, 11 pounds, 9 ounces).
A total of 464 bass weighing 822 pounds, 11 ounces were caught by 225 anglers Thursday and 100 percent were released alive. The top-10 cut on Beaver Lake was 19 pounds, 1 ounce in the Pro Division and 9 pounds, 12 ounces in the Co-angler Division.
The heaviest bass Thursday belonged to Mary Parnell of Casselberry, Fla., who won the Snickers Big Bass Award in the Co-angler Division with a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass. Parnell earned $750 for the catch. Big-bass honors in the Pro Division went to Jeremiah Kindy of Benton, Ark., and Randall Hutson of Washburn, Mo., who earned $625 each with matching 4-pound, 3-ounce bass.
Peter Wenners of Galena, Mo., earned $1,000 from Snickers for catching the heaviest bass in either division during the opening round. He caught a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass Wednesday. Snickers also awards $5,000 at the end of the year to the angler who catches the heaviest bass during the regular season. To date, that honor belongs to Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., who caught a 9-pound, 15-ounce bass during the FLW Tour season opener on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee in January.
The Wal-Mart Open is the fourth of six qualifying events in the $5.76 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour and one of three million-dollar events on the tour. The $1 million Forrest Wood Open takes place on Wheeler Lake in Florence, Ala., June 18-21, and the historic $1.5 million Jacobs Cup world championship of bass fishing and outdoor show runs Sept. 10-13 on the James River in Richmond, Va. The winner of the Jacobs Cup earns an unprecedented $500,000 cash, the largest guaranteed award in the history of competitive bass fishing, so every point is critical to anglers looking for a shot at the record books. Points toward qualifying for the Jacobs Cup are awarded at each tour stop and only the top 48 pros and 48 co-anglers advance.
Competition resumes Friday at 8 a.m. at Prairie Creek Marina in Rogers and Saturday at 6:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins start at the Wal-Mart store located at 2110 W. Walnut in Rogers at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
The community is encouraged to attend the Family Fun Zone at Wal-Mart Friday and Saturday. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy. The Fun Zone opens Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. Immediately following Friday’s weighing, multi-platinum recording artist Tracy Byrd will perform a free concert in the Family Fun Zone.
Coverage of the Wal-Mart Open will be featured on the “FLW Outdoors” television show, which is broadcast to 55 million Outdoor Life Network subscribers. The program features fishing legends Hank Parker and Larry Nixon alongside hosts Charlie Evans, Carlton Wing and Taylor Carr. Parker’s preview of the event airs Saturday at 7 p.m. and again Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. Tournament highlights air April 19 and 20 followed by a tournament recap featuring Nixon April 26 and 27. “FLW Outdoors” airs every Saturday at 7 p.m. and every Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on OLN through July 5. Special Jacobs Cup episodes will air in September.
The FLW Tour features a pro/co-angler format in which the pro supplies the boat, fishes from the front deck against other pros and controls boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. One hundred and seventy-five pros and 175 co-anglers comprise a full field. After two days the field is cut to the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers who advance to day one of the final round Friday based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for Friday’s competition, and co-anglers compete for one day to determine the winner. Pros continue competition Saturday, with final positions determined by Friday and Saturday’s combined weight.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.
FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.