Climbing the ‘Rock’

Stren Series Championship on Table Rock could be career maker for some

BRANSON, Mo. – Progressing up any long-term career path means meeting new challenges and grasping opportunities to advance.

In the world of professional bass fishing, the Stren Series Championship is just such an opportunity to ascend to a new level.

The Stren Series Championship was added to the Stren Series in 2000 as a way to reward consistent pros and co-anglers with a season-ending, no-entry-fee championship for qualifiers.

Back then, there were just two divisions of the Stren Series: the Southeast and the Central, which served as feeder circuits for the Walmart FLW Tour.

But over the last eight years, the Stren Championship has evolved into much more. Two divisions have now grown to five divisions, including the Western Division.

These days the top 40 pros and top 40 co-anglers from each division are invited to the Stren Championship, giving more anglers across the United States a chance to qualify.

And while the Stren Series still serves as a qualifying circuit for the FLW Tour and Walmart FLW Series based on year-end point totals, the Stren Series Championship now offers coveted Forrest Wood Cup berths.

In all, five pros and five co-anglers from this Stren Series Championship will get an early guaranteed berth into the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup to be held in Pittsburgh.

In order to secure an early ticket, a pro or co-angler must be the highest finisher in their respective division. Even if a pro or co-angler finishes 100th in this championship, as long as they beat the other 39 qualifiers from their division, then they are going to Pittsburgh in 2009.

Over the years, the Stren Series Championship has been a launching pad for previous winners. In 2002, Koby Kreiger launched his fishing career with a Stren Series Championship win, and in 2004 Brent Ehrler got a boost into the big leagues with a Stren Championship win.

This year the Stren Series Championship is being held on Missouri’s Table Rock Lake – a perfect venue due to its location and diversity as a fishery.

Somewhat centrally located in the United States, Table Rock offers all three species of bass for anglers.

Smallmouth experts from the Northern Division can target bronzebacks, Western Division pros can seek out deepwater spotted bass, and muddobbers from the Southeast Division can travel far up the shallow river arms in search of largemouths.

No matter which species they target, all fish must be a minimum of 15 inches to be a deemed keepers at Table Rock.

According to legendary pro Stacey King of nearby Reed Springs, Mo., mixed bags of all three species are likely going to help an angler into the top 10, while those targeting just largemouths might end up with the heavier limits the first couple of days.

“The species mix here is pretty even right now,” said King, who qualified for the championship by finishing sixth in points in the Central Division. “The smallmouth and spotted bass have really taken off in the lower end, and the largemouths are generally found far up the rivers.

“The lake fishes pretty big, and anglers can fish just about any way they want to,” he added. “I’d like to see the water temperature fall a little bit more: When it first started dropping a couple of weeks ago, the fish were biting really well; but since it’s warmed back up, they’ve gone into a little bit of a funk. We’ve got another front coming later in the week, and that will probably help things.”

Logistics

Anglers will take off from State Park Marina, located at Highway 165 S. in Branson, at 7 each morning.

Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will be held at State Park Marina, beginning at 2:30 p.m. As part of the festivities, Pinegar Chevrolet, located at 181 Adair Road in Branson, will also host Chevy Pro Night on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Branson Convention Center, located at 200 West Main Street in Branson, along with the Stren Series Championship Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Show.

The Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday, features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy. On Saturday, the first 200 children 14 and under will be treated to a free rod and reel combo. Weigh-ins both days will begin at 4 p.m. Admission to all activities is free.

Two hundred pros and 200 co-anglers (the top 40 based on points standings from each of the Stren Series’ five divisions: Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western) will compete for two days on Table Rock Lake to determine the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers who will advance to the final round based on their two-day accumulated weight.

Weights are cleared for the final round, and co-angler competition concludes on day three with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. Pro competition concludes on day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

The winning pro will earn an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 198VX equipped with Lowrance electronics and a Minn Kota trolling motor plus $50,000 cash. If the winner is the original owner of a qualifying Ranger boat powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard that is used during the tournament, he will also receive a $25,000 bonus from Ranger and an additional $25,000 Evinrude or Yamaha bonus for a total award of $140,000.

The winning co-angler will receive a fully rigged Ranger 198VX plus $15,000 cash. If the winning co-angler meets Ranger and Evinrude or Yamaha contingency guidelines, he will also receive bonuses totaling $15,000 for a total award of $70,000. For a complete list of the championship purse, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Wednesday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:41 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 55 degrees

Expected high temperature: 76 degrees

Water temperature: 67 degrees

Wind: S at 15 to 20 mph

Day’s outlook: windy, warm