Judy Wong fishes on with the big boys in the Bassmaster Central Open

Bass angler Judy Wong will compete this week against 400 competitors, almost all of them male, in the Bassmaster Central Open on the Red River. Read Jimmy Watson’s article here in the Shreveport Time: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100602/SPORTS06/6020306/1031/SPORTS0301

A different look for the Bassmaster Open

There’s change in the air surrounding the Bassmaster Central Open tour: The roster for the April 8-10 season opener on Texas’ Lake Amistad includes 20 women.

Women have always been eligible to compete in Bassmaster Opens, and several women have done so. One, Pam Martin-Wells, the second woman to qualify for a Bassmaster Classic, has been entering Opens as a pro for three seasons. While 20 women out of 400 entrants may not constitute a core demographic shift, it’s a noticeable change from the circuit’s predominantly male makeup.

A dozen of the 20 will compete at Amistad as pros; eight signed on as co-anglers. Many of them will continue on with the circuit and fish all three Central Opens this season.

One such pro is Meta Burrell. At 22, she is both young and female. From Fort Worth, Texas, Burrell transferred to the Central Open after the Women’s Bassmaster Tour folded in late 2009.

So did Christiana Bradley of Bealeton, Va.

“I prefer to stay with BASS — it’s the premier tour and tournament organization,” said Bradley, whose face is familiar to many anglers since being featured in a full-page advertisement for her primary sponsor, Geico. Most recently, the ad ran on page 3 of the April 2010 issue of Bassmaster.

“Another key (to the decision) was that Geico wanted to see me at a national level,” Bradley said. “I explained to them that I thought I’d get even more exposure with the Opens than I did on the WBT.”

While Bradley retains her “day job” as an IT specialist, Burrell had a decision to make when the WBT disbanded. The Central Opens made the most sense to her.

“I think it’s going to be a good new start in my career, and I’m looking forward to competing at a higher level,” Burrell said. “I’ve fished all my life. It’s my career, and my goal is to make the Elites. I know a lot of people might look at me and say, ‘Oh, a girl, she won’t be able to do it,’ but I’m here to compete and go as far as I can.”

Burrell’s one previous taste of Open competition was as a co-angler in 2008 on Santee Cooper in South Carolina. She limited each of two days of the weather-shortened tournament, finishing second, just 2 ounces behind the winner.

Besides Burrell, Bradley and Martin-Wells, other women entered at Amistad as pros include Dianna Clark of Bumpus Mills, Tenn., a three-time WBT champion and 2006 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year; Judy Wong of Many, La., winner of three WBT events, including two championships; and Lisa Johnson of Centre, Ala., who competed as a pro in the 2008 Bassmaster Southern Open circuit.

Bassmaster.com will carry all the Amistad action. Coverage from the lake just outside of Del Rio, Texas, includes real-time leaderboards during weigh-ins; BASSCam video reports; extensive photo galleries; and results and standings. Weigh-ins are set to begin at 4 p.m. ET daily.

Deb Johnson

BASS Communications

Bassmaster Classic Notebook: Day 1 of Bassmaster coverage excels, Fans get into it!

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Despite the morning freeze, plenty of fans turned out Friday at Beeswax Creek Park on Lay Lake and waited in the dark to witness the 7 a.m. CT kickoff launch of the 40th Bassmaster Classic. At stake is the most coveted crown in professional fishing and a $500,000 first-place prize.

BASSCam reporter Robbie Floyd was there.

“What brings you out in the freezing cold temperatures on the first day of the Bassmaster Classic?” Floyd asked a fan.

“To watch the Bassmaster Classic, baby!” the fan said as others around him cheered.

At takeoff, the air temperature was 1 degree above freezing. The sun. low in the sky, was blindingly bright in the clear air. Water temperatures ranged from 42 to 45 degrees.

Within the hour, many in the Bassmaster Classic field had already hooked into fish. Fast results out of the gate were somewhat of a surprise, given the less than optimum fishing conditions — especially the cold water, which Classic anglers have been saying hurts the bite of spotted bass and largemouth bass alike.

Full results, analysis and photo galleries of each day’s competition, Friday-Sunday, are available at Bassmaster.com. Ongoing coverage while the anglers are on the water will be available throughout the final two days, Saturday and Sunday. Fans have their pick: Read Steve Bowman’s blog; monitor the live tallies of catches on a system called BASSTrakk; watch the action via BASSCast Powered by Humminbird cameras mounted in the stern of two anglers’ boats (on Friday, Byron Velvick and Takahiro Omori); up-to-the-minute video reports from the water and land venues via BASSCam; and live Toyota Hooked Up! shows five times a day beginning at 10 a.m.

At weigh-in time, Bassmaster.com will carry a real-time leaderboard, while live, streaming video is available each day at ESPN360.com.

Admission is free for the weigh-ins at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex arena. Doors open Saturday at 3 p.m. CT; on Sunday, 3:30 p.m. CT.

BASS BOOTH FUN AS EXPO OPENS: Within hours of opening at noon Friday, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods — another free-admission Classic offering — was packed.

The fans are being treated to the biggest Classic Expo ever presented in Birmingham. The show, spread over two floors of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, continues Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. CT and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The BASS booth anchors the top floor, an expanse where official Classic sponsors are showing their latest products and offering games, contests and giveaways.

The BASS exhibit was no exception. A main attraction Friday morning was the BASSTrakk leaderboard, which posts estimated weights of catches as reported from the water from 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Friday morning, visitors to the BASS booth found BASS founder Ray Scott signing autographs and Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall interviewing the Auburn and Alabama teams for Saturday’s inaugural Bassmaster College Classic (see below).

Showgoers were signing up for BASS’ free hourly giveaways as fast as pens were available. Friday’s lineup of prizes ranged from Abu Garcia Revo reels to Classic backstage tours and tickets for admission to front seats at the weigh-in. A different lineup of prizes will be offered Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

NEW YORK TIMES ON OMORI: Takahiro Omori, the 2004 Bassmaster Classic champ, was the subject of a feature story by Ray Glier published Friday in the New York Times.

Omori’s photo — holding up a bass, of course — appeared with the story. He was wrapped head to toe with cold-weather gear; the photo showing Omori on Lay Lake for practice last weekend, when temperatures hovered near freezing. The photo was shot by Gary Tramontina, a photographer for this week’s Classic as well as for Bassmaster Elite Series events. Fellow Bassmaster Elite Series pro and 2010 Classic competitor Kevin Wirth was quoted about how hard Omori worked in his early years as an aspiring pro.

Omori described his chosen career to the Times reporter: “My father worked the same job for 40 years — 40 years! Boring. I escaped. What else in life is there than this?”

MOONPIE CHALLENGE: At the Toyota booth at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, it’s tough to walk past the Tundra with a bed full of MoonPies, a longtime Southern treat.

It’s the setup for the Tundra MoonPie Challenge, happening Friday and Saturday at the Expo. Showgoers are being invited to guess the number of MoonPies loaded into the truck bed. The one person who comes closest to the count will win a prize package designed by Classic home-state favorite Gerald “G-Man” Swindle of Warrior, Ala.

Swindle put together the tackle pack and signed one of his tournament jerseys to give to the winner. In addition, the best guesser will receive MoonPie and Toyota apparel. The winner’s take is valued at $550.

“We’ve also got the Toyota Casting Challenge going on in the booth, so kids and kids at heart can participate and win some small prizes,” said Kendell Mooney, account executive for Toyota.

TIE THE KNOT: Anyone who claims to be an ace at knot tying can test his or her skills at the big Berkley booth at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Show attendees are invited to tie their best knot in 10-pound Trilene XT. The piece of line is put on a machine that tests its strength; if the knot doesn’t break, the fan wins a pony spool of 12-pound Trilene XT. If the knot breaks, the fan can get a free lesson on tying a knot.

TANKED: A demo fishing tank the size of a tractor trailer is where Berkley seminars and demos will take place throughout the weekend at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Two-time Classic champ Hank Parker will give several seminars, as will TV personality Jimmy Houston. Demos are scheduled with Parker, Bassmaster Elite Series pro J. Todd Tucker and others.

BEAT HOMER HUMPHREYS: Can a long list of accomplished pros, and an equally long list of young men on the college circuits, beat Bassmaster Open pro and two-time Classic qualifier Homer Humphreys on the casting range?

He says no way. Humphreys won the Mercury Casting Competition at the company’s booth at the 2009 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, and he’s back at this year’s show to take on all challengers.

Mercury Marine is hosting the casting contest at its booth in the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“I am the champion from last year, I put them all down,” he said, smiling. “The last one I put down, I wasn’t even looking at the target — I just got lucky.”

He said he won “bragging rights and grins” — the same prize offered this year.

“A lot of us touring pros will be going against one another; then the college boys will be coming in,” Humphreys said. “At the end, the best college caster goes up against the best pro caster. Hey, we love competing against the college guys. They come in talkin’ that smack and try to put us old men down.”

The big casting pool has various targets, each worth a set number of points.

Other pros lined up to try for the 2010 Mercury Casting Competition title: Bassmaster Elite pros Marty Stone, Chris Lane, Tim Horton, Brian Snowden, Peter Thliveros and Bernie Schultz. Also slated to try her hand is Judy Wong, the Women’s Bassmaster Tour 2009 Championship winner who will compete on the Bassmaster Central Open circuit this season.

AUBURN VS. ALABAMA: Billed as the “Iron Bowl of bass fishing,” the inaugural Bassmaster College Classic is set for Saturday on Logan Martin Lake.

Three two-man teams from Auburn University and three from the University of Alabama will compete for the first “Iron Fish Trophy” and the right to go on to next year’s event against a Louisiana university. The competition is a one-day, cumulative-weight event, team against team. Two anglers are assigned one boat, and each boat has a five-fish limit.

The six teams will weigh in their catches at 2:30 p.m. CT on a stage at the Toyota Tundra booth at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in downtown Birmingham.

Logan Martin — a Coosa River impoundment like Lay Lake, where the Bassmaster Classic is taking place Feb. 19-21 — promises tough fishing, said the presidents of both the Auburn and Alabama teams.

Auburn senior Shaye Baker, the team captain and president of the school’s fishing organization, predicted that the winning team will have to have 10 to 12 pounds per boat for a tournament total of 30 to 36 pounds.

He said his team is out for revenge — not for the Iron Bowl loss to Alabama in football this year, but for the fishing team’s loss in an intercollegiate event last week.

“They won first place, so yeah, we have a little bit of a bad taste in our mouth, and we need to get back at them this weekend,” Baker said. “It’s going to be a rough tournament.”

Baker said his team knows Logan Martin, but their one official practice day last Sunday was “cold and rough, just like on all the lakes here.”

David Rogers, an Alabama senior studying environmental management, said the Auburn-Alabama school rivalry is driving his team.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s football, baseball or fishing,” said Baker. “Going against your rival, you have a burning passion for what you’re doing, and you want to come out with a victory.”

He said he’s counting on the sunshine to warm the lake water come Saturday.

“I think the water temperature will go up a few degrees, and that will be the major factor, maybe turn on the fish in our spots,” Rogers said.

The team captains will call meetings to discuss strategy. With three two-angler teams, each side has to map out which boat should cover which parts of the lake. That way duplication will be avoided, an important factor in a six-hour team event.

The winning team will be recognized Saturday on stage during the Bassmaster Classic weigh-in at the arena inside the BJCC. The event is free; doors open Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.

About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing.  The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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Media contact: Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216, doug.grassian@espn.com

Outdoor Channel Exec Denise Conroy-Galley honored with CableFAX’s ‘Most Powerful Women in Cable’ Award

Outdoor Channel, America’s leader in outdoor TV, announced Denise Conroy-Galley, Outdoor Channel’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Research, has been named one of CableFAX’s Most Powerful Women in Cable. She will be honored along with her peers at a CableFAX awards breakfast being held on December 11th at The Grand Hyatt in New York City.

CableFAX’s The Most Powerful Women in Cable issue and corresponding celebratory breakfast recognizes and salutes distinguished women who have made their mark on the industry with leadership, innovation and community. Based on a nominations process, the annual magazine issue honors and ranks the top women in cable operations, programming, sales and technology. Previous winners of this accolade, executives like Bonnie Hammer, Judy McGrath, Abbe Raven, Anne Sweeney and Andrea Wong, possess corporate and cultural power, and point the way for new generations of women joining the industry.

“It’s humbling to be recognized as a leader in cable among this impressive group of women,” said Ms. Conroy-Galley. “CableFAX has been honoring women in the cable industry for years and I would like to thank them for empowering and supporting female leaders.”

A seasoned professional with 16 years of experience in marketing and research, Ms. Conroy-Galley joined Outdoor Channel in 2004 as the network’s first Director of Research. In that role, she built a media research department from the ground up. Promoted to Vice President of Marketing and Research in 2006, Ms. Conroy-Galley has helped to transform the Outdoor Channel brand into the category leader in the outdoor genre, emphasizing the Company’s principal initiatives in the original programming, high definition and online arenas, as well as its dedication to preservation and conservation principles. She has also lead successful promotional campaigns such as Gear Up and Go! and Spring Fever.

CableFAX is a cable industry trade publication written for operators providing the latest news and insight on mergers and acquisitions, technology breakthroughs, regulatory issues, marketing initiatives, programming and personnel changes.

About Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc.

Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: OUTD) owns and operates Outdoor Channel, America’s leader in outdoor TV, and Winnercomm Inc., an Emmy Award winning production and interactive company. Outdoor Channel offers programming that captures the excitement of hunting, fishing, shooting, off-road motorsports, adventure and the Western lifestyle and can be viewed on multiple platforms including high definition, video-on-demand, as well as on a dynamic broadband website. Winnercomm Inc. is one of America’s largest and highest quality producers of live sporting events and sports series for cable and broadcast television. Winnercomm also owns and operates the patented Skycam and CableCam aerial camera systems which provide dramatic overhead camera angles for major sports events, including college and NFL football. For more information please visit www.outdoorchannel.com.

Louisiana’s Judy Wong Claims Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship; Georgia’s Pam Martin-Wells Wins Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year

SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, La. — Pam Martin-Wells and Judy Wong shared a fishing spot for three days at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship on Louisiana’s Cypress Black Bayou Lake. When it came down to trophies and titles, they split them.

Martin-Wells won the coveted 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year trophy and the 2010 Bassmaster Classic berth and new Tundra that go with it.

A four-time WBT winner from Bainbridge, Ga., Martin-Wells is only the second woman in history to qualify for the sport’s biggest event. Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., was the first, winning the 2008 Angler of the Year and a berth in the 2009 Classic.

“Words can’t describe this,” Martin-Wells said. “I can walk through the living room and see a commercial on TV for the Bassmaster Classic – I freeze, watch it and get goose bumps. Now I’m going to get them for real. It’s going to be an awesome experience.”

After Day 2 of the three-day competition in Louisiana, it was evident that Martin-Wells would take AOY honors, but she did not consider it her prize until the title was officially awarded.

“With these ladies, you don’t know what can happen, they’re all excellent anglers,” she said. “Juanita (Robinson) is a friend of mine, and she’s very consistent, and she had me scared. The first day when I had 13 pounds, it helped. But I wasn’t comfortable until they announced it.”

Wong’s victory Sunday was her second championship title, her first coming in 2007. Her prize this time was $5,000 and a Triton/Mercury boat rig valued at $55,000. With a win last month on Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake, the championship gives Wong back-to-back victories on the tour.

Along with the AOY title, Martin-Wells took second-place honors in the championship. For that she took home $4,000 and a $39,000 Skeeter/Yamaha boat rig.

With a three-day weight of 36 pounds, 10 ounces, Wong bested Martin-Wells by almost 5 pounds. Finishing in third was a hard-charging Robin Babb of Livingston, Texas, with 30-15. Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, was fourth with 23-5.

Robinson made a run at the AOY title, staying close to Martin-Wells since the season opener, at which Martin-Wells took the win and the AOY points lead. Coming into the Louisiana championship, Robinson had a shot at overtaking the points leader, but her fourth-place finish wasn’t enough.

Wong, 55 points behind Martin-Wells coming into the championship, did all she could to catch the leader, including leading all three days and collecting 15 bonus points. No deal; Martin-Wells was in second place after Day 1 and settled in for the duration.

“I came into this to lead all three days and win this championship,” Wong said. “It was unfortunate that I couldn’t catch her, but I did the best I could.”

Wong and Martin-Wells camped out on a short bridge throughout the tournament, each taking an opposite side. Both worked Gary Yamamoto Senko lures in the rocks, as well as crankbaits. Wong relied on a Rapala DT-14 and DT-10, while Martin-Wells used an Academy H2O Express.

The co-angler competition turned into a rematch between 2008 champion Barbara Gaskins of Suffolk, Va., and 2008 runner-up Monica Altman of Angier, N.C. But Altman made it to the winner’s circle this year with 27 pounds, 0 ounces, earning her a $40,000 Triton/Mercury rig and $3,250.

“It’s always been my goal to make it to the championship and be the best that I can be,” Altman said. “I just came here to get five keepers each day and enjoy being here.”

Most of her fish came out of reeds and grass, but casting to seawalls and docks also helped fill her livewell, said Altman, whose three BASS co-angler wins include the Old Hickory Lake event last month in Tennessee.

Altman finished 10 pounds ahead of Gaskins, who last year bested Altman by 1 pound, 5 ounces. Gaskins took second place with her 17-0 total, worth $2,500 and a $35,000 Skeeter/Yamaha rig.

Rounding out the top five in the co-angler division were Colleen McKay of Worcester, Mass., with 13-14; Donna Newberry of Van Buren, Ark., with 13-11; and Diane Smith of Fayetteville, Ga., with 13-5.

Newberry emerged as the top co-angler of the season by earning the most points through five events.

The complete 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year points will be available, once finalized, at Bassmaster.com.

Local sponsors for the Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship include Shreveport Regional Sports Authority.

About BASS

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship relocated to Cypress Black Bayou Lake

Due to recent unsafe conditions and high water on the Red River, BASS relocated the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship, set for Oct. 16-18, to Cypress Black Bayou Lake, located in Benton, La.

The event will mark the first Bassmaster event on the fishery. The WBT Championship, the culmination of the 2009 season, will feature the top 20 pro and co-anglers from the regular-season Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year standings.

Anglers will get their first crack at Cypress Black Bayou on Thursday, Oct. 15 on the official practice day. On Friday, the three-day tournament will kick off.

Tournament launches, beginning at 7 a.m. CT each day, will be moved to Cypress Black Bayou Ramp;135 Cypress Park Drive out of Benton, La., 71006. Weigh-ins will be held, as previously scheduled, at the Academy Sports + Outdoors store located at 2801 Beene Blvd. in Bossier City, La., beginning at 3 p.m. CT Friday-Sunday.

Anglers are competing for a piece of $94,000 in prizes, including the winner’s take of $5,000 and a Triton/Mercury boat package valued at $55,000. Twenty other qualifiers will compete in the co-angler division, fishing from the back of pros’ boats for a $40,000 Triton/Mercury boat rig, plus $3,250, awarded to the co-angler winner. In both divisions, the second-place prize is a Skeeter/Yamaha rig.

Besides being the championship event, the Oct. 16-18 tournament is the finish line in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year race, in which the big plums are a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic and a new Tundra. With an entry in the Feb. 19-21 Classic on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala., the 2009 AOY will become only the second woman to qualify for a Classic.

All events are free and open to the public. Fans can visit Academy stores for additional information on the WBT and find out more about the organization at www.Academy.com.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at 407-566-2208 or visit www.Bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnoutdoorsmedia.com for ESPN Outdoors’ latest releases and images.

Live, daily weigh-ins and real-time leaderboards will be available throughout the tournament at Bassmaster.com.

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour: Title Sponsor — Academy Sports + Outdoors; Official Sponsors — Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine, Ramada, Triton Boats, LaserLure and Legend Boats.

Local sponsors for the event include Shreveport Regional Sports Authority.

WBT Championship Qualifiers

Pro Field

Place Points

1. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 862

2. Juanita Robinson Highlands, Texas 841

3. Laura Gober Pendergrass, Ga. 807

4. Judy Wong Many, La. 807

5. Dianna Clark Bumpus Mills, Tenn. 800

6. Tammy Richardson Amity, Ark. 785

7. Janet Parker Little Elm, Texas 784

8. Sheri Glasgow Muskogee, Okla. 782

9. Debra Petrowski Arlington, Texas 776

10. Kim Bain-Moore Alabaster, Ala. 759

11.Melinda Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 754

12. Meta Burrell Fort Worth, Texas 748

13. Lisa Sternard Clarksville, Tenn. 745

14. Paula Alexander Lincolnton, Ga. 739

15. Lisa Johnson Centre, Ala. 732

16. Lucy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 732

17. Cindy Hill Smyrna, Tenn. 732

18. Robin Babb Livingston, Texas 727

19. Emily Shaffer Mount Juliet, Tenn. 721

20. Patti Campbell Waxahachie, Texas 714

Co-Angler Field

Place Points

1. Terri Bittner McKinleyville, Calif. 870

2. Donna Newberry Van Buren, Ark. 836

3. Martha Goodfellow Simpsonville, S.C. 823

4. Stacy Zhelesnik Hoboken, N.J. 822

5. Debbie Pegoli Loveland, Ohio 802

6. Colleen McKay Worcester, Mass. 781

7. Monica Altman Angier, N.C. 781

8. Bonnie Ward Snohomish, Wash. 768

9. Gail Wood Russellville, Ark. 761

10. Kim Martin Clayton, Ind. 757

11.Linda Owens Brandon, Miss. 756

12. Teri Cindric Hermitage, Tenn. 743

13. Barbara Gaskins Suffolk, Va. 741

14. Sherry Melton Monterey, Tenn. 727

15. Vicki Henderson Ashdown, Ark. 722

16. Charlotte Frazier Dallas, Texas 722

17. Diane Smith Fayetteville, Ga. 716

18. Bertha Cavakis Amity, Ark. 708

19. Kala Wright Spiro, Okla. 706

20. Linda Walker Beebe, Ark. 704

About BASS: For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com; and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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Media Contact: Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216; doug.grassian@espn.com

Countdown begins for WBT Championship anglers

Laura Gober was stunned when she pulled into Shreveport-Bossier City, La., to scout the Red River for the Oct. 16-18 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship.

“I found out that everybody else already had been there, some since the (Sept. 10-12) Tennessee tournament,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Gee, whiz!’ I was able to practice Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some of them had been there for weeks.”

Perhaps the Pendergrass, Ga., pro’s comparatively short look at the water will put her at a disadvantage. Perhaps not. With a win on the Red River when the WBT stopped there in September 2007, Gober has at least a confidence advantage when she and 19 other pro qualifiers meet there again this month.

They will compete over three days for a piece of $94,000 in prizes, including the winner’s take of $5,000 and a Triton/Mercury boat package valued at $55,000. Twenty other qualifiers will compete in the co-angler division, fishing from the back of pros’ boats for a $40,000 Triton/Mercury boat rig, plus $3,250, awarded to the co-angler winner. In both divisions, the second-place prize is a Skeeter/Yamaha rig.

Besides being the championship event, the Oct. 16-18 tournament is the finish line in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year race, in which the big plums are a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic and a new Tundra. With an entry in the Feb. 19-21 Classic on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala., the 2009 AOY will become only the second woman to qualify for a Classic.

Gober goes into the championship in third place in the AOY competition, tied at 807 points with Judy Wong of Many, La. They are 55 points behind leader Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., and 34 points in back of Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas.

“A lot of people have asked me, ‘Do you think you have a chance at AOY?’” Gober said. “I do feel like I have a chance, but I know that Pam or Juanita are going to have to stumble. Pam, she doesn’t stumble much, and neither does Juanita. I need a little luck on my side. I’m going to give it my all.”

Martin-Wells, who won the season opener and stayed in first place in the points race the entire season, said she’s done all she can at this point to clinch the AOY victory. “What’s going to happen, is going to happen,” she said. “All I can do is prepare the best that I can.”

Robinson said two key factors, water clarity and water levels, are likely to change from what she saw in practice.

“The river started rising and got really muddy, and didn’t crest until Sunday (Sept. 27), at 21.55 feet in Shreveport,” she said. “Some of the oxbows were still clear — until the wind shifted around to come out of the south and started blowing the muddy water back up in the oxbows. The fish really backed up where you can’t get to them, or get to them easily.”

Wong, who won the season closer on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee, said her scouting time on the Red River showed her swift, muddy water.

“It isn’t going to be the same for the tournament — hopefully, it will be for the better as the river stabilizes,” Wong said. “On the one official day of practice (Oct. 15), I’ll be running and gunning to test some of the areas I scouted to see if I want to use them.”

Wong said her hope of winning AOY and the Classic berth lies in taking the lead at the Red River and holding it, garnering leader bonus points.

Fishing fans are invited to watch the competition unfold. The pros will launch at 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday from Red River South Marina, 250 Red River Road in Bossier City. The daily weigh-ins will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Bossier City Academy Sports + Outdoors location, 2801 Beene Blvd. All events are free and open to the public.

BASS has brought several tournaments to Shreveport-Bossier City, including the 2009 Classic in February, when the fan turnout broke Bassmaster event records. Many came to see 2008 AOY Kim Bain-Moore’s historic step for women in sports when she became the first woman to compete in a Classic.

The Alabaster, Ala., pro is this season’s No. 10 qualifier for the WBT Championship, which she won in 2008 addition to the AOY crown. Even though she’s 103 points behind the leader, she has a mathematical shot at repeating her title.

Second to Bain-Moore last season, Robinson barely missed the AOY crown. This year, Robinson finds herself again in that all-too-familiar runner-up spot, but this time to Martin-Wells.

“She had bad days just like I had bad days,” said Robinson, mentioning that she and Martin-Wells are on very friendly terms. “I think she’s scratching her pencil now, trying to figure out what she has to do to keep me from passing her. She knows I’m going for the win.”

Live, daily weigh-ins and real-time leaderboards will be available throughout the tournament at Bassmaster.com.

Local sponsors for the event include Shreveport Regional Sports Authority.

WBT Championship Qualifiers

Pro Field

Place Points

1. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 862

2. Juanita Robinson Highlands, Texas 841

3. Laura Gober Pendergrass, Ga. 807

4. Judy Wong Many, La. 807

5. Dianna Clark Bumpus Mills, Tenn. 800

6. Tammy Richardson Amity, Ark. 785

7. Janet Parker Little Elm, Texas 784

8. Sheri Glasgow Muskogee, Okla. 782

9. Debra Petrowski Arlington, Texas 776

10. Kim Bain-Moore Alabaster, Ala. 759

11.Melinda Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 754

12. Meta Burrell Fort Worth, Texas 748

13. Lisa Sternard Clarksville, Tenn. 745

14. Paula Alexander Lincolnton, Ga. 739

15. Lisa Johnson Centre, Ala. 732

16. Lucy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 732

17. Cindy Hill Smyrna, Tenn. 732

18. Robin Babb Livingston, Texas 727

19. Emily Shaffer Mount Juliet, Tenn. 721

20. Patti Campbell Waxahachie, Texas 714

Co-Angler Field

Place Points

1. Terri Bittner McKinleyville, Calif. 870

2. Donna Newberry Van Buren, Ark. 836

3. Martha Goodfellow Simpsonville, S.C. 823

4. Stacy Zhelesnik Hoboken, N.J. 822

5. Debbie Pegoli Loveland, Ohio 802

6. Colleen McKay Worcester, Mass. 781

7. Monica Altman Angier, N.C. 781

8. Bonnie Ward Snohomish, Wash. 768

9. Gail Wood Russellville, Ark. 761

10. Kim Martin Clayton, Ind. 757

11.Linda Owens Brandon, Miss. 756

12. Teri Cindric Hermitage, Tenn. 743

13. Barbara Gaskins Suffolk, Va. 741

14. Sherry Melton Monterey, Tenn. 727

15. Vicki Henderson Ashdown, Ark. 722

16. Charlotte Frazier Dallas, Texas 722

17. Diane Smith Fayetteville, Ga. 716

18. Bertha Cavakis Amity, Ark. 708

19. Kala Wright Spiro, Okla. 706

20. Linda Walker Beebe, Ark. 704

About BASS: For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com; and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

-30-

Media Contact: Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216; doug.grassian@espn.com

Georgia’s Pam Martin-Wells leads list of qualifiers for 2009 WBT Championship

MADISION, Tenn. — The regular WBT season ended here Saturday, setting the field of 20 pros and 20 co-anglers for next month’s Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship.

The pro field is led by Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., who has been in front since she won the season opener in March. Martin-Wells won the 2006 championship in the tour’s inaugural year.

The 2009 championship will be Oct. 16-18 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. Pros will be in hot contention to earn enough points to take the 2009 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year title, which comes with a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic.

The list of WBT championship qualifiers reads like a who’s who of the sport. Besides Martin-Wells, the roster includes 2007 champion Judy Wong of Many, La., who on Saturday won the regular season finale event on Old Hickory Lake.

Others include the holders of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year titles: respectively, Tennessee’s Dianna Clark, Oklahoma’s Sheri Glasgow and Alabama’s Kim-Bain Moore, who was also the 2008 championship winner and first woman to compete in a Bassmaster Classic.

The full list of WBT championship qualifiers is below.

Four-time WBT event winner Martin-Wells has successfully beat back all challengers since she grabbed the points lead with the win in the 2009 season opener. Saturday, the points she earned with her fifth-place finish on Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake sealed her position — for now.

“It ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings, and there’s one more to go,” said Martin-Wells. “It’s not over until the last tournament (the championship). I’m pleased with my performance, but I’m not counting any chickens.”

She knows several anglers will continue to put on the pressure. Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, is one challenger. She now had 841 points, close enough to Martin-Wells’ 862 points to create a little sweat on the part of both pros.

Many well-known pros are championship repeaters, but the field also has a few first-timers. One is Meta Burrell of Fort Worth, Texas, a 22-year-old who intends to earn her living as a pro angler. She entered the Old Hickory event 24th in points, four places out of the cut, but ended as the 12th qualifier, thanks in part to her good finish there, and in part to the points system that drops each angler’s lowest tournament.

“I was surprised,” Burrell said. “I am the youngest angler on tour, and this means a lot to me. It was my goal coming into this. I wanted to win one, but I made it to the championship.”

For others, such as Robin Babb, qualifying means a career boost. She competed in the inaugural 2006 championship, but missed qualifying for the 2007 and 2008 events. The Livingston, Texas, pro finished sixth at Old Hickory this week, a big boost to her points total.

“My heart was racing (during the announcement Saturday). My year hasn’t been so good, so I kept trying to be steady, and I guess steady got it,” Babb said.

The October championship will be the pros final chance to earn enough points to be the 2009 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year. Pros will post more points according to their finishes in the Red River competition, and the pro who is able to amass the highest points total will claim the season’s biggest prize package: the 2009 AOY title, a new Toyota Tundra, and a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala.

The co-angler field — training ground for future WBT pros — will compete from the back of the boat. Each pro will be randomly paired with a co-angler for the three days of championship competition.

Pro Field for 2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors Championship, Oct. 16-18

Red River, Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

Place Points

1. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 862

2. Juanita Robinson Highlands, Texas 841

3. Laura Gober Pendergrass, Ga. 807

4. Judy Wong Many, La. 807

5. Dianna Clark Bumpus Mills, Tenn. 800

6. Tammy Richardson Amity, Ark. 785

7. Janet Parker Little Elm, Texas 784

8. Sheri Glasgow Muskogee, Okla. 782

9. Debra Petrowski Arlington, Texas 776

10. Kim Bain-Moore Alabaster, Ala. 759

11.Melinda Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 754

12. Meta Burrell Fort Worth, Texas 748

13. Lisa Sternard Clarksville, Tenn. 745

14. Paula Alexander Lincolnton, Ga. 739

15. Lisa Johnson Centre, Ala. 732

16. Lucy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 732

17. Cindy Hill Smyrna, Tenn. 732

18. Robin Babb Livingston, Texas 727

19. Emily Shaffer Mount Juliet, Tenn. 721

20. Patti Campbell Waxahachie, Texas 714

Co-Angler Field for 2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors Championship, Oct. 16-18

Red River, Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

Place Points

1. Terri Bittner McKinleyville, Calif. 870

2. Donna Newberry Van Buren, Ark. 836

3. Martha Goodfellow Simpsonville, S.C. 823

4. Stacy Zhelesnik Hoboken, N.J. 822

5. Debbie Pegoli Loveland, Ohio 802

6. Colleen McKay Worcester, Mass. 781

7. Monica Altman Angier, N.C. 781

8. Bonnie Ward Snohomish, Wash. 768

9. Gail Wood Russellville, Ark. 761

10. Kim Martin Clayton, Ind. 757

11. Linda Owens Brandon, Miss. 756

12. Teri Cindric Hermitage, Tenn. 743

13. Barbara Gaskins Suffolk, Va. 741

14. Sherry Melton Monterey, Tenn. 727

15. Vicki Henderson Ashdown, Ark. 722

16. Charlotte Frazier Dallas, Texas 722

17. Diane Smith Fayetteville, Ga. 716

18. Bertha Cavakis Amity, Ark. 708

19. Kala Wright Spiro, Okla. 706

20. Karol Whitehurst Winnsboro, Texas 704

Louisiana’s Judy Wong scores her first regular season victory in WBT

Saturday on Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake, Judy Wong of Many, La., accomplished something that had eluded her for almost four competition seasons: a win in a regular-season event of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour.

“I did win the 2007 WBT championship event, but I came here to win this tournament,” she said. “I haven’t had a win on this tour other than the championship. To have a regular-season win under my belt was my goal.”

Wong took her win with a three-day total of 28 pounds, 5 ounces. She earned $1,000 and a boat package valued at nearly $55,000. She put her mark on the tournament the second day by bringing in a limit with two kickers, more than enough to give her the lead going into the final round. She had just three fish Saturday, but that didn’t matter in the end: She won by a 6-pound, 12-ounce margin.

Wong’s nearest challenger was another champion, Kim Bain-Moore, who scored second place with 21-9. The Alabaster, Ala., pro is also the reigning Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year and first woman to compete in a Bassmaster Classic. The Old Hickory event was her best showing so far in the 2009 season.

Lisa Sternard of Clarksville, Tenn., also ended with 21-9, but lost out on a tie-breaker rule that rewards highest number of fish caught over three days: Bain-Moore had 15 fish to Sternard’s nine.

Heather Broom, the Sylva, N.C., pro who made a serious run on the leader by standing fast in second place for two days, slipped on the final day to end in fourth with 20-14. She managed just one fish on Saturday.

Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., was fifth with 19-7, a finish that cemented her lead in the 2009 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year race, the points system that determines which 20 pros qualified for the 2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors Championship in October on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. A story on the qualifiers can also be found on Bassmaster.com.

Wong said she worked three areas for most of her fish. One, a ledge, she hit all three days. She worked it with an Academy H2O crankbait in a shad finish, then with Carolina-rigged Gary Yamamoto lizards. One was watermelon red, but she switched to black with blue flake when the sky was overcast.

“The big ones yesterday all came on the Carolina rig,” Wong said. “Today I went back to the ledge, but I went early because it was overcast this morning and I thought it would produce.”

“The bite was so slow,” Wong added, “and I keyed on fish following the shad all week, but there are only a limited number of keepers in any one area.”

Bain-Moore said she took nine of her keepers from under one large boat tied up at a dock.

“I didn’t have huge fish, but I was consistent,” she said. “Fishing was definitely slower today, and I stayed in three areas where I had caught keepers Thursday and Friday. I just ground it out in those three areas.”

Besides the boat, Bain-Moore got her fish out of grass and from under docks, and sometimes by working areas that were a combination of the two factors.

The winner in the co-angler division was Monica Altman of Angier, N.C., with a three-day weight of 17-3. Her prize was $500 and a Triton/Mercury boat rig valued at $25,000.

Altman, who won a WBT co-angler competition in 2006 on Lake Norman, led on Day One, zeroed on Day Two, then came back on Day 3 with a 10-pound, 11-ounce limit. She said she was “a little surprised” she won.

Altman’s third-day charge was enough to jump over local angler Regina Pierpaoli of Gallatin, Tenn., who led on Day Two. Pierpaoli ended in second place with 14-13.

Third was Colleen McKay of Worchester, Mass., who had 13-4. Filling out the top five were Virginia’s Barbara Gaskins with 12-12 and Indiana’s Jill Matheis, who had 12-6.

The Old Hickory event ended the regular WBT season and set the stage for the 2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors WBT Championship, Oct. 16-18 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.

That’s where the season-long points race will cross the finish line and one pro will claim the season’s biggest prize package: the Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year crown, a Toyota Tundra, and an invitation to the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala.

Championship qualifiers are the top 20 in the Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year points competition in both the pro and co-angler divisions. Click here for the story.

The local sponsor of the Old Hickory Lake event was Sumner County Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.sumnercvb.com).

Media Contact: Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216; doug.grassian@espn.com

ACADEMY SPORTS & OUTDOORS BASSMASTER WOMEN’S TOUR-FINAL STANDINGS- OLD HICKORY LAKE

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Judy Wong Many, LA 11 28-05 310 $55,640.00
   • Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 3 07-06
2. Kim Bain-Moore Alabaster, AL 15 21-09 295 $3,520.00
   • Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 5 07-15 Day 3: 5 06-10
3. Lisa Sternard Clarksville, TN 9 21-09 290 $2,880.00
   • Day 1: 3 06-14 Day 2: 4 10-13 Day 3: 2 03-14
4. Heather Broom Sylva, NC 11 20-14 285 $2,560.00
   • Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 10-09 Day 3: 1 01-05
5. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, GA 13 19-07 280 $2,240.00
   • Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 5 07-10 Day 3: 5 07-15
6. Robin Babb Livingston, TX 13 18-10 276 $1,920.00
   • Day 1: 5 06-08 Day 2: 5 07-07 Day 3: 3 04-11
7. Cindy Hill Smyrna, TN 9 17-02 272 $1,600.00
   • Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 5 09-09 Day 3: 2 03-09
8. Helen Gordon Flower Mound, TX 11 16-00 268 $1,280.00
   • Day 1: 4 05-07 Day 2: 4 06-06 Day 3: 3 04-03
9. Laura Heflin Topeka, KS 15 15-11 264 $1,120.00
   • Day 1: 5 04-09 Day 2: 5 06-01 Day 3: 5 05-01
10. Juanita Robinson Highlands, TX 11 15-11 260 $960.00
    • Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 4 05-15 Day 3: 2 02-10
11. Meta Burrell Fort Worth, TX 11 15-08 257 $864.00
    • Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 3 05-00 Day 3: 3 03-13
12. Mary DiVincenti Clinton, LA 9 14-09 254 $704.00
    • Day 1: 4 05-06 Day 2: 2 04-01 Day 3: 3 05-02
13. Cheryl Bowden Plano, TX 7 14-05 256 $640.00
    • Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 2 03-05
14. Dianna Clark Bumpus Mills, TN 10 14-03 248 $624.00
    • Day 1: 4 05-04 Day 2: 3 04-08 Day 3: 3 04-07
15. Cheryl Spencer Tulsa, OK 11 13-14 245 $608.00
    • Day 1: 3 03-10 Day 2: 5 07-05 Day 3: 3 02-15
16. Emily Shaffer Mount Juliet, TN 8 13-14 243 $592.00
    • Day 1: 4 07-07 Day 2: 1 01-11 Day 3: 3 04-12
17. Melinda Mize Ben Lomond, AR 8 13-12 241 $576.00
    • Day 1: 2 03-01 Day 2: 3 05-15 Day 3: 3 04-12
18. Keri Schieber Cumming, GA 8 13-04 239 $560.00
    • Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 3 04-08 Day 3: 3 04-03
19. Linda Redford Blue Eye, MO 7 12-06 237 $544.00
    • Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 4 07-04 Day 3: 1 01-06
20. Michelle Armstrong Denver, NC 7 11-15 235 $528.00
    • Day 1: 4 06-15 Day 2: 1 01-07 Day 3: 2 03-09

———————————————————————–

Day #	Limits	#Fish	Weight
1	7	131	208-01
2	8	115	197-00
3	3	57	85-08
Totals	18	303	490-09

 

 

 

 

 

 

———————————-

ACADEMY SPORTS & OUTDOORS BASSMASTER WOMEN’S TOUR- CO-ANGLER- FINAL STANDINGS- OLD HICKORY LAKE

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Monica Altman Angier, NC 10 17-03 310 $25,320.00
   • Day 1: 5 06-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 5 10-11
2. Regina Pierpaoli Gallatin, TN 6 14-13 295 $1,920.00
   • Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 3 06-06 Day 3: 1 04-00
3. Colleen McKay Worcester, MA 8 13-04 290 $1,600.00
   • Day 1: 5 06-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 3 06-13
4. Barbara Gaskins Suffolk, VA 9 12-12 285 $1,280.00
   • Day 1: 2 02-13 Day 2: 3 04-08 Day 3: 4 05-07
5. Jill Matheis Jasper, IN 9 12-06 280 $1,120.00
   • Day 1: 5 05-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 4 06-13
6. Stacy Zhelesnik Hoboken, NJ 7 12-03 276 $960.00
   • Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 1 01-10 Day 3: 3 05-01
7. Sarah Davis Livingston, LA 7 11-08 272 $800.00
   • Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 3 05-01 Day 3: 3 05-01
8. Bonnie Ward Snohomish, WA 8 11-03 273 $640.00
   • Day 1: 3 04-07 Day 2: 5 06-12 Day 3: 0 00-00
9. Linda Walker Beebe, AR 6 10-12 264 $576.00
   • Day 1: 1 01-10 Day 2: 3 05-11 Day 3: 2 03-07
10. Terri Bittner Mckinleyville, CA 7 10-01 260 $528.00
    • Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 5 07-09 Day 3: 1 01-03
11. Jada Tidmore Union Grove, AL 8 09-11 257 $480.00
    • Day 1: 4 06-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 4 03-11
12. Jennifer Helgren Park City, IL 5 09-09 254 $448.00
    • Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 2 03-15 Day 3: 1 01-14
13. Donna Newberry Van Buren, AR 5 09-00 251 $416.00
    • Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 1 01-05 Day 3: 1 01-11
14. Jennifer Rice Grant, AL 7 08-11 248 $384.00
    • Day 1: 2 02-05 Day 2: 2 03-13 Day 3: 3 02-09
15. Debra Cook Gardendale, AL 7 08-10 245 $368.00
    • Day 1: 2 03-03 Day 2: 2 02-08 Day 3: 3 02-15
16. Dianna Montgomery Lebanon, TN 3 07-08 243 $352.00
    • Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-02 Day 3: 1 01-06
17. Karol Whitehurst Winnsboro, TX 5 06-13 241 $336.00
    • Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 05-06 Day 3: 1 01-07
18. Barbara Ferge Somerville, TN 5 06-13 239 $320.00
    • Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 2 02-09 Day 3: 1 00-15
19. Elizabeth Sanders Brandon, MS 4 06-05 237 $304.00
    • Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 3 05-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
20. Kim Petrowski Arlington, TX 3 05-04 235 $288.00
    • Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 1 01-13 Day 3: 0 00-00

———————————————————————–

Day #	Limits	#Fish	Weight
1	3	83	122-07
2	2	76	119-15
3	1	41	65-00
Totals	6	200	307-06

 

 

 

 

 

———————————-

By Deb Johnson
BASS Communications

Women’s Bassmaster Tour heads to Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake for pivotal fourth event of season

For some anglers, the Sept. 10-12 Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour event on Old Hickory Lake out of Hendersonville, Tenn., will close the door on the 2009 season. For others, Old Hickory will open up new opportunities. For at least one pro, the gate to glory will swing wide open.

Here’s how it all plays out: Points anglers earn at Old Hickory will count toward determination of the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers of the season. Those anglers will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Academy Sports + Outdoors WBT Championship on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. — the same venue where fan attendance records were shattered at the Bassmaster Classic last February.

Pros and co-anglers will compete in separate divisions, and a season champion in each will be determined. But in the pro division, there’s an extra twist, and it’s a big one: One pro will earn enough points to become the 2009 Toyota Tundra Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year. The award rolls into one package the circuit’s most coveted prizes: the AOY title and trophy, a new Toyota Tundra, and a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic.

When that pro is named 2009 AOY, she will become the second woman in history to qualify for a Classic. Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., became the first when she won the 2008 AOY race, then competed in the 2009 Classic.

This season, Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., leads the points race going into Old Hickory. Just nine points behind her is Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas. Other close contenders for the title include Georgia pro Laura Gober, Tammy Richardson of Arkansas, Texan Janet Parker, and the 2007 AOY, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla. The full points standings can be found below.

“To me that’s the highlight, the AOY award that leads to the Classic,” said Glasgow, the 2007 AOY, the year before the Classic qualification was added to the women’s tour. “The Classic is as high as we can go. Just one of us can be Angler of the Year, so it’s not easy. We’re all fighting for it. The Classic spot is a dream come true for the circuit, no matter who wins it.

“I don’t know if I can pull that rabbit out of the hat. I might be too far down on the totem pole. But, as always, I’ll go in with the attitude of trying to win the (Old Hickory) tournament, do the best I can, then see how everybody else did.”

Besides vying for points, the pros at Old Hickory will compete for a first-place prize of $1,000 plus a boat rig worth $55,000. Co-anglers will be fishing to take home $500 cash and a boat-and-motor rig valued at $25,000.

The Tennessee WBT event marks the seventh time BASS has come to the Cumberland River impoundment for a pro-level competition. The WBT was there in June 2008, when Dianna Clark of Bumpus Mills, Tenn., took home the WBT trophy after bagging 36 pounds, 5 ounces, over three days.

Old Hickory snakes for 100 river miles across northern Tennessee. In places it fishes like a lake, in others like a river, said Clark, who does not consider Hickory to be her home lake — that honor falls to Kentucky and Barkley lakes farther south.

“You’ve got a lake portion and a river portion, like many impoundments,” the defending champion said. “Hickory is the same, where one end of the fishery can be different than the other. In a nutshell, it fishes more like a river. And it’s unreliable — you can’t count on fish being where they were the day before.

“There’s a lot of little fish, and kickers are few and far between,” she added. “I’m not going to take the lake for granted, it’s not that consistent. The lake’s had a lot of rain this year, and colder conditions in spring and through summer.”

Clark is a three-time WBT event champion and winner of the WBT’s inaugural AOY title, in 2006. She is eighth in the 2009 points race heading into Old Hickory.

Fans can watch the WBT’s fourth competition of the season unfold at www.Bassmaster.com. The site will present streaming video and real-time leaderboards of the Thursday-Saturday weigh-ins beginning at 2:45 p.m. CT. Daily photo galleries, reports and standings will also be available.

The public is invited to watch the launch at Sanders Ferry Park, 100 Sanders Ferry Road in Hendersonville, Thursday-Saturday at 6:15 a.m. CT.

The action shifts to Madison, Tenn., for the weigh-ins at Academy Sports & Outdoors, 2350 Gallatin Pike N. Weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. CT.

Sept. 9, that Academy store will host a Meet and Greet, an opportunity for fans to chat with the pros and get their autographs.

All WBT events are free and open to the public.

The local sponsor is Sumner County Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.sumnercvb.com).

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour

Title Sponsor: Academy Sports + Outdoors. Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Marine. Supporting Sponsors: Ramada, Triton Boats, LaserLure and Legend Boats.

About BASS: For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com; and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women’s Tour, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

-30-

Media Contact: Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216; doug.grassian@espn.com

2009 TOYOTA TUNDRA WBT ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS- PRO

——————————————-

Place Name St Pts

——————————————-

1 Pam Martin-Wells Ga. 850

2 Juanita Robinson Texas 841

3 Laura Gober Ga. 807

4 Tammy Richardson Ark. 785

5 Janet Parker Texas 784

6 Sheri Glasgow Okla. 782

7 Debra Petrowski Texas 776

8 Dianna Clark Tenn. 755

9 Paula Alexander Ga. 739

10 Lisa Johnson Ala. 732

11 Melinda Mize Ark. 728

12 Judy Wong La. 726

13 Lucy Mize Ark. 716

14 Lori Masters Tenn. 700

15 Patti Campbell Texas 692

16 Lynda Gessner Mo. 667

16 Mary Croft Va. 667

16 Jennifer Nevans Tenn. 667

19 Cindy Hill Tenn. 657

20 Teri Neal Ga. 653

21 Christiana Bradley Va. 646

22 Sandi Karnes Texas 633

23 Cheryl LaLumandier Mo. 627

24 Meta Burrell Texas 622

25 Marsha Gipson Ark. 621

26 Mary DiVincenti La. 615

27 Robinette Fox Ark. 612

28 Debbie Kemp Texas 611

29 Kali Weatherford Texas 607

30 Robin Babb Texas 606

31 Jan Heavener Ark. 605

31 Heather Broom N.C. 605

31 Tami Kashiwabara Ark. 605

34 Kathy Womack Ala. 603

34 Keri Schieber Ga. 603

36 Secret York Ky. 602

37 Linda Redford Mo. 597

38 Christena Baugh Ark. 587

38 Laura Heflin Kan. 587

40 Helen Gordon Texas 583

41 Kris McClendon Texas 575

42 Danalee Lofton Ark. 569

43 Debra Hengst Texas 559

44 Lila Bass Texas 551

45 Kathi Hurst Miss. 543

46 Susan Gregory Miss. 539

47 Bridget Allen Pa. 537

48 Michelle Armstrong N.C. 529

49 Lisa Craig Texas 519

50 Jo Dee Lake Ala. 513

51 Kim Stapp Ga. 495

52 BJ Carson Okla. 479

53 Emily Shaffer Tenn. 478

54 Pam Bolton Ark. 470

55 Kim Bain-Moore Ala. 464

56 Karen Savik Minn. 455

56 Lisa Sternard Tenn. 455

58 Robbie Hartline Mo. 451

59 Audrey McQueen Ariz. 410

60 Cheryl Bowden Texas 400

61 Kat Ealey Ala. 384

62 Terri Elkins Texas 342

63 Mary Hencken N.C. 320

64 Cindy Van Horn Texas 314

65 Rhonda Pope Ga. 285

66 Karen Elkins Ala. 227

67 Gina Jones Ala. 217

68 Penny Berryman Ark. 213

69 Linda Sands Ala. 195

70 Diane Phillips Texas 193

71 Kathy DiMartino Ala. 191

72 Betty Stahl Ala. 185

73 Barbara Wetzel Ala. 169

74 Kelley Shepherd Ariz. 163

74 Deb Doyal La. 163

76 Caprice Cherry La. 159

77 Sherri Dodson Ala. 155

78 Kimberlee Striker Ala. 151

79 Pat White Texas 149

80 Patsy McDaniel Ala. 137

81 Kim Hicks Ga. 127

82 Judy VanCanneyt Ala. 125

83 Ann Swinks Ga. 119

84 Kathy Freehling Fla. 115

85 Sharon Teague S.C. 0

POINTS STANDINGS- CO-ANGLER

Co-angler

——————————————-

Place Name St Pts

——————————————-

1 Terri Bittner Calif. 870

2 Martha Goodfellow S.C. 817

3 Donna Newberry Ark. 816

4 Debbie Pegoli Ohio 802

5 Gail Wood Ark. 761

6 Kim Martin Ind. 757

7 Teri Cindric Tenn. 741

8 Charlotte Frazier Texas 722

9 Linda Owens Miss. 720

10 Colleen McKay Mass. 712

11 Sherry Melton Tenn. 701

12 Vicki Henderson Ark. 694

13 Bonnie Ward Wash. 688

14 Bertha Cavakis Ark. 672

15 Renee Gumbrecht N.J. 665

16 Donna Rutledge Ill. 659

17 Linda Berry N.C. 658

18 Kala Wright Okla. 654

19 Diane Smith Ga. 650

20 Barbara Gaskins Va. 645

21 Lisa Diehl Pa. 644

22 Cheryl Buelow La. 642

23 Linda Walker Ark. 635

24 Denese Freeman Okla. 633

25 Kat Arnold La. 629

26 Kim Petrowski Texas 619

27 Trish Levitt N.M. 610

27 Karol Whitehurst Texas 610

29 Melissa Bond N.M. 609

30 Katie Hogan Tenn. 608

31 Elizabeth Sanders Miss. 605

32 Susan Dameron Tenn. 587

33 Katie Ellis Miss. 579

33 Barbara Ferge Tenn. 579

35 Kim Mendoza Texas 575

36 Nancy Oliver La. 573

37 Susan Wild Fla. 565

38 Jane Brunner Miss. 563

38 Patty Houston Ala. 563

40 Dawn Dudek Ill. 551

41 Stacy Zhelesnik N.J. 546

42 Patti James Texas 543

43 Pam Chism Ark. 539

44 Jill Matheis Ind. 525

45 Michele Gunderman N.C. 480

46 Monica Altman N.C. 471

47 Lesli Lively Texas 470

48 Lori Steele Okla. 461

49 Kelly Wells Ga. 460

50 Lesley Childers S.C. 412

51 Sabrina Thompson Texas 410

52 Sarah Davis La. 384

53 Torrye Vineyard Texas 382

54 Sharon Lawson Tenn. 361

55 Neva Brown Texas 356

56 Christine Martin Colo. 348

57 Debra Cook Ala. 338

58 Petra Ramsey Texas 330

59 Nancy Dugas Ala. 320

60 Jennifer Rice Ala. 316

61 Nancy Stumpe Fla. 276

62 Linda Higginbotham Fla. 272

62 Brande Branine Kan. 272

64 Jodi Galloway Texas 257

65 Vicki Hester Ala. 251

66 Cynthia Tayloe Texas 231

67 Bunny Hicks Ga. 227

68 Cheryl Sprayberry Fla. 221

69 Brandi Frasier Ky. 211

70 Miriam Donohoo Fla. 209

71 Laura Bean Ala. 201

71 Judy Pate La. 201

73 Jada Tidmore Ala. 199

74 Inez Zeagler La. 195

75 Cynthia Bryan La. 191

76 Jennifer Blackwood Ga. 181

76 De Lynn Montez Calif. 181

76 Sharron Stone Texas 181

79 Juanita Blasingame Tenn. 179

79 Denice Johnston Texas 179

81 LaShea Raynor S.C. 175

82 Leslie Anderson Mo. 169

83 Linda Rinker Fla. 167

83 Tracy Bailey Texas 167

85 Shelley Chenowith Ark. 161

86 Renee Key Johnston Texas 157

87 Lisa Skelley Tenn. 153

88 Virginia Buckner Ala. 133

89 Marilyn Biszmaier Ky. 131

90 Cassie Hall Ala. 129

91 Sugar Walker Ala. 125

92 Mona Crawford Fla. 123

93 Kimberly White Ill. 117

94 Gerry Threadgill Texas 0

94 Leanne Snowden Mich. 0

94 Caprice Cherry La. 0

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