Brauer leads Walmart FLW Series event on Clarks Hill Lake

Bart Blackburn of North Augusta, S.C., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces

APPLING, Ga. – Pro Chad Brauer of Osage Beach, Mo., caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces Thursday to capture the lead in the Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern Division tournament on Clarks Hill Lake with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 25-11.

“I had a few good bites today,” said Brauer, who moved up from third place to first in today’s standings. “I fished the same way I did yesterday but was able to narrow down some key areas in the lake. I only caught five keepers today.”

In a lake that was described as brutal by several of today’s anglers less than half (64) of the pro competitors were able to bag a five bass limit. Brauer said that he was very lucky today and that tomorrow his chances of catching a 15 – 20 pound bag would be equal to catching a zero pound bag.

Brauer now holds a 1-pound, 11-ounce lead over second place pro Matthew Wilbanks of Gainesville, Ga., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 24 during the first two days of competition.

Many of today’s anglers said that they have never seen Clarks Hill Lake fish this tough and felt fortunate to bring in the weight they did. When asked what the difference was from yesterday to today most replied “I got lucky!”

Keith Hutto of Evans, Ga. seemed to be one of the few who disagreed.

“I caught a lot of fish today, same as yesterday,” said Hutto, who has hometown advantage. Evans, currently in fourth place, is looking forward to tomorrow and plans to continue to top water fish in hopes of making the top 10 cut.

Rounding out the top five pros are Tom Mann, Jr. of Buford, Ga. (5 bass, 11-13); Keith Hutto (5 bass, 11-8) and Chris Martinkovic of Liberty Township, Ohio (5 bass, 12-12).

Glenn Browne of Ocala, Fla., earned the day’s $453 Folgers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught.

The remaining top ten pros are Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C. in sixth, Craig Johnson of Martinez, Ga., seventh, Team Land O’Lakes pro Keith Williamson of Lincolnton, Ga., eighth, O T Fears, III of Sallisaw, Okla., ninth, and in tenth, Team Iams pro Vic Vataloro of Kent, Ohio.

Overall there were 491 bass weighing 765 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 137 pros Thursday. The catch included 64 five-bass limits.

Pros are competing this week for a top award of $125,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.

Bart Blackburn of North Augusta, S.C., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 9 bass weighing 15-12 followed by Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., in second place with 10 bass weighing 15-2.

“Fishing in my home lake has certainly given me an edge over some of the other co-anglers,” said Blackburn, who is fishing in a lake he says he fishes every weekend. “I know a few tricks on how to land the local fish, but I am fishing with professionals and it’s just a matter of time before they figure it out.”

Blackburn caught 4 bass weighing 7-2 while fishing with pro Craig Dowling of Grant, Ala., Wednesday and 5 bass weighing 8-10 while fishing with pro Pat Golden of High Point, N.C., Thursday.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Larry Mullikin of Lauderhill, Fla. (5 bass, 11-6); Bob Blackerby of Chelsea, Ala. (3 bass, 4-8) and Team BP Kevin Koone of Greenbrier, Ark. (5 bass, 8).

Mullikin also earned $302 for the Folgers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught while fishing with pro Trad Whaley of Abbeville, S.C.

Overall there were 267 bass weighing 376 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 137 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 12 five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are competing this week for a top award of $25,000 as well as a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.

Top point earners from the FLW Tour, FLW Series, Stren Series, BFL Series, and the FLW National Guard College Champion will advance to the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup which will be held at Lake Lanier.

Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from Wildwood Park located at 6212 Holloway Road in Appling, Ga. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 4469 Washington Road in Evans, Ga., beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.

In FLW Series 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 total purse for the Clarks Hill Lake tournament is nearly $900,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.

Coverage of the Clarks Hill Lake tournament, hosted by the Columbia County Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Oct. 11 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world

Total awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.