SHREVEPORT, La. (May 20, 2011) – John Cox of Debary, Fla., caught a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds even Friday to extend his lead on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on the Red River presented by OFF!. His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 10 ounces gives him a commanding lead heading into the third day of the tournament. The top 20 anglers will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day four.
Cox fished the first two days of competition from a 17-foot boat powered by a 75-horsepower Mercury outboard with hopes the lighter rig would allow him to access shallow-water areas the other competitors could not. Cox said he made a two-hour run each way to his fishing spot.
“The whole way down there today I was thinking, `There’s no way I’m getting in there,'” Cox said. “I got there and got ready to go in and my camera guy said, “You’re going to go through that?’ I said, `I hope so.’ And it was a miracle we worked (the boat) back and forth and somehow got in there. When we got in there we were exhausted and sweaty, but it was worth it.”
The gamble paid off; however, Cox said his strategy will have to change on the third day of competition. Cox said he caught bass in the secluded pond on the second day of competition on a Gambler Big EZ swimbait, but the lower water level will render the pond unfishable on Saturday.
“I’d have to get a canoe or something to get in there,” Cox said. “It just ain’t gonna happen. I’ve got a spot here I always fish. I’m going to go in there. Usually there’s a few people in there and it usually hurts it, but there’s only 20 of us fishing tomorrow. I think I’ll be able to sight fish tomorrow.
“There’s no telling what will happen,” Cox said. ” I’m just going to get five and maybe I’ll see a big (fish) sitting there.”
National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., is in the No. 2 spot with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 21-6.
Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish another day on the Red River are:
3rd: Mike Reynolds, Modesto, Calif., 10 bass, 20-9
4th: Clint Brownlee, Tifton, Ga., 10 bass, 20-7
5th: National Guard pro Mark Rose, Marion, Ark., nine bass, 19-14
6th: Gary Yamamoto, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 19-12
7th: OFF! Pro Terry Bolton, Jonesboro, Ark., 10 bass, 19-11
8th: Christian Romans, Carrollton, Ky., 10 bass, 19-11
9th: Glenn Chappelear, Acworth, Ga., 10 bass, 19-9
10th: Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 19-4
11th: Diet Mountain Dew pro Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., 10 bass, 19-1
12th: Jon Strelic, El Cajon, Calif., nine bass, 18-14
13th: Gene Eisenmann, Frisco, Texas, seven bass, 18-12
14th: Mike Wurm, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 18-5
15th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 10 bass, 18-0
16th: M&Ms pro Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., eight bass, 17-13
17th: Kevin Hawk, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 17-13
18th: National Guard pro Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 17-11
19th: Castrol pro Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 10 bass, 17-9
20th: Koby Kreiger, Okeechobee, Fla., 10 bass, 17-8
Final results for the remaining field can be found on FLWOutdoors.com.
Moynagh caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 5-5 on the pro side to win $500.
Overall there were 505 bass weighing 825 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 135 pros Friday. The catch included 59 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Cup will be in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 11-14 on Lake Ouachita where pros are competing for a top prize of $600,000 – the sport’s biggest award. Pro anglers are also vying for the prestigious 2011 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s that will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors with the winner receiving $100,000 for their accomplishment.
David Lauer of Lady Lake, Fla., leads the Co-angler Division with an opening-round total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces, followed by Keith Carson of Debary, Fla., in second place with 10 bass weighing 17-12.
Rounding out the top 20 co-anglers are:
3rd: Timothy Sisk, Gastonia, N.C., eight bass, 16-4
4th: Billy Dehart, Burlingame, Calif., nine bass, 15-11
5th: J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., nine bass, 15-8
6th: Mike McDonald, Randleman, N.C., six bass, 14-4
7th: Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., seven bass, 13-15
8th: Mark Denney, Somerset, Ky., eight bass, 13-8
9th: Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga., 10 bass, 13-5
10th: Jeff Sprague, Forney, Texas, nine bass, 13-2
11th: Timothy Lane, Momence, Ill., 10 bass, 12-15
12th: Dan Thill, LaCrosse, Wis., seven bass, 12-6
13th: Aaron Beshears, Van Buren, Ark., five bass, 11-11
14th: Chris Hults, Vancleave, Miss., seven bass, 11-9
15th: Paul Mueller, Southbury, Conn., six bass, 11-0
16th: Tony Nation, Springdale, Ark., eight bass, 11-0
17th: Max Wilson, Everton, Mo., six bass, 10-13
18th: Anthony Brooks, Cornelia, Ga., five bass, 10-12
19th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., seven bass, 10-11
20th: Andy Scholz, Reno, Nev., six bass, 10-3
Final results for the remaining field can be found on FLWOutdoors.com.
Brooks caught the Snickers® Big Bass weighing 3-15 in the co-angler division to win $250
Overall there were 270 bass weighing 412 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 107 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 16 five-bass limits.
Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. The Walmart FLW Tour Co-angler of the Year presented by Kellogg’s will be determined by the most points accumulated over the six Tour Majors and the winner will receive a new Ranger 198VX with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
Anglers will take off from Red River South Marina located at 250 Red River South Rd. in Bossier City, La., at 6:30 each morning. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Shreveport Convention Center located at 400 Caddo St. in Shreveport beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at the Shreveport Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The first 300 kids 14 and under on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo compliments of KTBS 3. Fans can also register to win a Can-Am ATV courtesy of Kiss Country 93.7 and 99X which will be given away following the final weigh-in. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Coverage of the Red River tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors” will air June 26 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to more than 500 million households worldwide.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW Outdoors on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
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