KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Opening day leader Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., caught a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to reclaim his lead in the $1 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on Lake Toho. He now holds a 12-pound, 13-ounce advantage over his closest competitor, Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., heading into the final day of competition.
“You dream about days like this,” Hite said. “I stayed calm and relaxed all day. I just went out and fished, and it was unbelievable.”
Hite caught his bass on a green-pumpkin Chatterbait near submerged vegetation on Kissimmee Lake.
“There is something about the vibration of the lure that the fish are keying on, and it has worked for me everyday,” he said. “I am fishing a big area, and I covered a lot of water today. Early in the week other boats where in the area, but today it was calm. I was able to break down my spot and really focus on catching the fish.”
Morehead caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces to advance to the final day of competition as the No. 2 seed.
Rounding out the top 10 pros are Carl Svebek III of Siloam Springs, Ark. (five bass, 9-10); Shinichi Fukae of Mineola, Texas (five bass, 9-04); Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn. (five bass, 6-15); Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. (four bass, 6-11); Ron Shuffield of Bismarck, Ark. (two bass, 6-02); Pat Fisher of Buckhead, Ga. (four bass, 5-14); Randy Hadden of Jacksonville, Fla. (five bass, 5-04) and Shad Schenck of Waynetown, Ind. (three bass, 4-03).
Overall there were 43 bass weighing 92 pounds, 6 ounces caught in the Pro Division Saturday. The catch included six five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for a top award of $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by Castrol in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 14-17, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.
Tournament pros aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™, which offers $7.3 million in cash and prizes, FLW Outdoors® presents anyone with the opportunity to land the catch of a lifetime. Players in the lucrative new fantasy sports league can become virtual pros by signing up for Player’s Advantage, which provides exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every FLW Tour stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and receive a complimentary $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
In the Co-angler Division, Bryan Talmadge of Pell City, Ala., and Todd Lee of Jasper, Ala., each caught 6 pounds. Talmadge, who had five bass, won the tiebreaker to claim the Co-angler Division title and $20,000. Lee won $10,000 for his second-place effort that included just three bass. Ties are broken by day-two standings in the Co-angler Division.
Talmadge opened the tournament in first place Thursday with five bass weighing 13-07 while fishing with pro Lendell Martin Jr. of Nacogdoches, Texas. He retained his lead Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 9-14 while fishing with Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn. He wrapped up his win Saturday while fishing with Svebek.
“I knew in practice that I would win the tournament,” said Talmadge, and FLW Tour rookie. “In practice I fished a different lake everyday and a lot of different ways. When it came tournament time, I felt like I was prepared no matter where my pro decided to go. That gave me the confidence I needed.
“Today, I took a lot of chances. I didn’t catch a keeper until 12:15, and that’s when I decided to stop going for the big bite. I picked up my spinning rod with a wacky-rigged Senko and went to work.”
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are Trevor Fitzgerald of Ocklawaha, Fla. (four bass, 5-13, $9,000); Garrett Olivotti of Rockford, Ill. (two bass, 2-13, $8,000); David Givens of Hernando, Fla. (one bass, 2-8, $7,000); Spencer Shuffield of Bismarck, Ark. (one bass, 2-05, $6,000); Sean Stepp of Stafford, Va. (two bass, 2-05, $5,000); Mike Drain of Purcell, Okla. (one bass, 1-02, $4,000); Louis Manata of Columbia, Miss. (zero bass, $3,000) and Casey Gallagher of Pulaski, Wis. (zero bass, $2,000).
Overall there were 19 bass weighing 28 pounds, 14 ounces caught in the Co-angler Division Saturday. The catch included one five-bass limit.
Anglers will take off at 7 Sunday morning from Kissimmee Lakefront Park, located at 101 Lake Shore Blvd. in Kissimmee, followed by a 4 p.m. weigh-in at Silver Spurs Arena in Osceola Heritage Park, located at 1875 Silver Spur Lane in Kissimmee.
Prior to the weigh-in, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the Exhibition Building in Osceola Heritage Park from noon to 6 p.m. The Family Fun Zone offers fans a chance to meet their Fantasy Fishing team anglers face-to-face and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other sponsors while children are treated to giveaways, fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator. Children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone Sunday will also receive a free rod and reel combo while supplies last, and one lucky member of the audience will win a new Ranger boat during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in Sunday. Admission and parking are free, and you must be present to win.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes Thursday and Friday for 10 slots in Saturday’s competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared Saturday, and co-angler competition concludes with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. The top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the final two days.
Coverage of the tournament will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program airing March 30. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.