2013 Forrest Wood Cup preview: The contenders IV

Forty six of nation’s top bass pros vie for $500,000 payday, place in history

Thousands of fans packed the Hot Springs Convention Center during the start of Friday's weigh-in at the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup. Photo by Gary Mortenson.

July 26, 2013 • Kyle Wood • Archives

With the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup slated for Aug. 15-18 on the Red River in Shreveport, La., the clock continues to tick toward the start of one of the most prestigious and exciting bass-fishing championships in the nation. In an effort to provide bass-fishing fans with a little more perspective and background on the competition, FLWOutdoors.com is launching a six-part series/overview of each of the 46 qualifying pros – one of whom will walk away with the title of Forrest Wood Cup champion.

With a guaranteed first-place prize of $500,000 on the line, there is clearly plenty at stake this summer in Louisiana. So without further ado, let’s meet the contenders.

(Editor’s note: Forrest Wood Cup competitors will be featured in alphabetical order. This is the fourth in a six-part series.)

2013 Forrest Wood Cup contenders

Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif. – This California native made his first appearance at the Forrest Wood Cup back in 2009 when he qualified through the Stren Series Western Division. Since then Meyer has qualified for the Cup every year making this season his fifth consecutive Cup in his short career. Even more impressive is that Meyer has never placed lower than 11th – including a second-place showing back in 2010 on Lake Lanier. Meyer started his pro career in 2007 and made the jump to the FLW Tour in 2009 and has gone on to earned over $600,000. The Ranger pro closed out the 2013 season in 11th place – his second highest on his stat sheet – and punched his ticket to the Cup all while continuing to show consistency on tour.

Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark. – Making his first trip to the prestigious Forrest Wood Cup this August is the 2013 BFL All-American winner Kerry Milner. The Arkansas pro steadily climbed the ranks at the BFL All-American that was held on Nickajack Lake in June. Milner worked the same 100-yard stretch of river below the Chickamauga dam and on the final day weighed his heaviest limit of the week at 25 pounds, 12 ounces. With a winning margin of 5-12 Milner earned a check for $120,000 and a pass to the Red River for the Cup. Milner has fished BFL tournaments since 2006 and even a few Central Division EverStart tournaments as well as an FLW Tour Open on Wheeler Lake last fall. He has earned over $147,000 and holds 14 top-10 finishes including a 2008 Arkie Division BFL win on DeGray Lake.

Ishama Monroe, Hughson, Calif. – Ishama or “Ish” Monroe is a fan favorite in the bass-fishing world. Ish fishes both the FLW Tour and Bassmaster events when the schedules don’t overlap. Because of that fact he has sampled all levels of competition from BFL to FLW Tours and Opens earning over $526,000 up to this point. This Californian has racked up 18 top-10 finishes in his FLW career so far including four wins – 2000 BFL Regional on Lake Mohave, 2001 BFL on Clear Lake, 2008 FLW Series on the California Delta and the 2009 EverStart on the California Delta. He has been to the Forrest Wood Cup two times before (2006,2010) and after finishing 30th in points Ish will make his third trip to the Cup.

Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis. – After missing the Forrest Wood Cup last year, Tom Monsoor will be heading to his fifth career Cup thanks to his 33rd place in the Angler of the Year points. Monsoor is a true master of fishing a swim jig and has made a career off of doing so. Not only can he swim a jig but he is also a tremendous river fisherman – both of which will come in handy on the Red River. Monsoor holds six career victories – five BFL wins and one EverStart win – and to no surprise they all came on the Mississippi River. The Wisconsin pro has made nearly $622,000 in 11 years on tour with a grand total of 33 top-10 finishes as he looks to add another to his resume this August.

Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky. – A former FLW Angler of the Year and EverStart Series champion, Dan Morehead is one of the true veterans of the sport. Morehead has been with FLW since it began making this his 18th season of competition. Along the way Morehead has captured 10 victories through all levels of FLW competition (two FLW Tour wins, four EverStart wins and four BFL wins). The Kentucky native holds close to $1.4 million in career winnings as well as 36 top-10 finishes. Morehead finished the season strong after placing fourth in the FLW Tour event on Lake Chickamauga. That helped boost him to a 14th position in the points (second highest of his career) to lock in his spot for his 13th Forrest Wood Cup visit.

Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn. – Like Morehead, Morgan has also spent his career with FLW and is hands down one of the most consistent anglers from year to year. Morgan has placed in the top 10 for the Angler of the Year race every year since 2007 including this season when he finally captured the Kellogg’s Angler of the Year trophy. He has one just one FLW Tour win (2007 on Beaver Lake) but holds two EverStart titles as well as three BFL wins. The best stat for Morgan is the staggering number of top-10 finishes he has – 55 to be exact – three of which came this season boosting his career winnings to over $1.5 million. He is known to be a man that loves to cover water and adjust on the fly which suits him perfectly. Morgan will look to carry his momentum to the Forrest Wood Cup where he will be attending his 16th of his career – the most of any angler in the field.

Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga. – This guy is a shining example of how working your way up the ladder of FLW competition can pay off. Morrow started fishing BFL tournaments early in his career and eventually worked up to fishing EverStart events as well. His big break came in 2010 when he managed to capture the title from both the BFL Regional on Lake Seminole and the BFL All-American on DeGray Lake. During the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup he would go on to place fifth in just his first Cup ever. Morrow owns 18 career top-10 finishes and over $460,000 in winnings. By finishing 34th in points this season Morrow will be on his way to his second Cup in the past three years.

Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn. – In 17 years on the FLW Tour Moynagh holds over $1.2 million in career earnings. Among that time spent on tour Moynagh has claimed three victories – one FLW Tour win on Lake Minnetonka in 1997, and two BFL wins (1996 and 1995) also on Minnetonka. The M&M’s pro is arguably one of the best football jig fisherman on the planet. That can best be reflected in the 20 top-10 finishes amassed over time thanks mostly in part to the football jig. Moynagh’s most recent top 10 came just weeks ago on Lake Chickamauga where the jig helped push him to sixth place as well as valuable points to qualify him for the Forrest Wood Cup. At 32nd in points, Moynagh punched his ticket to his 10th Cup this August.

Forrest Wood Cup preview: The contenders II

Forrest Wood Cup preview: The contenders

Pro field set for 2013 Forrest Wood Cup

For more information about the upcoming 2013 Forrest Wood Cup, click here.

To see detailed schedule information for this year’s Cup, click here.