MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – The Stren Series Central Division tournament on Norfork Lake began a day late due to a winter storm in the region. The tournament will be shortened to three days, with the full field competing Thursday and Friday, before it is cut to the top 10 pros and co-anglers for Saturday. Winners will be determined Saturday by the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days of competition.
Pro Robbie Dodson of Harrison, Ark., caught four bass weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces Thursday to lead opening day of the Stren Series Central Division tournament.
“I just ran a bunch of spots that I knew,” said Dodson, who has fished on Norfork Lake all his life. “I got five bites and lost one of them, and it really hurt.”
Dodson caught two of his bass on stick baits in pockets and ledges and two on jigs in bushes, and hopes to get another four or five bites tomorrow doing the same thing.
“It’s been tough down here about all winter,” Dodson said. “It’s been really slow; I don’t know if this is going to change anything, as far as the fish biting. It’s slow fishing for everybody.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Wes Endicott of Joplin, Mo. (five bass, 10-1); Mike Foree of Osage Beach, Mo. (five bass, 8-14); Tim Fleetwood of Forsyth, Mo. (four bass, 8-11); and Mark Rose of Marion, Ark. (four bass, 8-1).
Dodson earned $225 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass.
Overall there were 160 bass weighing 305 pounds caught by 136 pros Wednesday. The catch included 4 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for as much as $65,000, including a 198VX Ranger powered by Evinrude or Yamaha if contingency guidelines are met, and valuable points toward qualifying for the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Branson, Mo., Nov. 5-8 for a shot at $140,000. After four qualifying events are complete in each of the circuit’s five divisions, the top 40 pros from each division will advance to the championship. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the championship will also earn a spot in the $2 million 2009 Forrest Wood Cup, where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and TBF (The Bass Federation) for bass fishing’s biggest prize – $1 million.
Tournament pros aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with 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 FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
Jamie Alan Horne of Jonesboro, Ark., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 198VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught three bass weighing 6-01 while fishing with pro Jason Elrod of Miamisburg, Ohio, who is currently in 78th place.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Prebeck of Norwood, Mo. (three bass, 5-5); Todd McCoy of Mountain Home, Ark. (two bass, 4-9); Andy Bylander of New Richmond, Wis. (two bass, 4-6); and Randy Fraser of New Florence, Mo. (two bass, 3-15).
Kurt Evans of Hardy, Ark. earned $119 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 3-pound, 9-ounce bass.
Overall there were 51 bass weighing 106 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 136 co-anglers Thursday. There were no five-bass limits.
The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from Henderson Point Park located at Highway 62 East, 288 Henderson Point Park Road in Henderson, Ark. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 65 Wal-Mart Drive in Mountain Home, Ark., beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Stren Series tournaments are normally four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. At the conclusion of Friday’s weigh-in, the field is cut to the top 10 pros and co-anglers based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weights. These anglers continue competition Saturday, with the winners determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
FLW Outdoors historically maintains a 98-percent live release rate in all of its bass tournaments.
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.