Comment from: djkimmel

By editor on Feb 4, 2011 | In Bass Tournaments, FLW Tour, FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors News
Big sacks continue to dominate on a healthy Lake Okeechobee; FLW Tour records continue to be broken
CLEWISTON, Fla. (Jan. 4, 2011) – Walmart FLW Tour pro Chad Prough of Chipley, Fla.,caught a five-bass limit weighing 32 pounds, 4 ounces Friday to maintain the lead on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude on Lake Okeechobee. His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 67 pounds, 7 ounces gives him a commanding lead heading into the third day of the tournament. There were 160 pros and 160 co-anglers from across the United States, Canada and Spain that started the tournament. The top 20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day four.
“I am so floored right now, this is just phenomenal,” said Prough, who brought in two stringers over 30 pounds each day. “To be catching this kind of fish against this caliber of competition is unheard of, I feel like I’m dreaming. I just wanted to cash a check this week, I would have been happy with 15 pounds per day!
“I went to the same areas of the lake today as I did yesterday – the north end – and it was the same thing; females coming in to spawn. The area seems to be replenishing daily and I just hope it lasts another two days. The fish weren’t quite as active today but I did have my limit by 10 a.m.
“I did a little more sight fishing today and threw a few creature baits, but this is the area and style that I am going to live or die by.”
Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., is in the No. 2 spot with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 61-14.
Seven anglers set Walmart FLW Tour records for the heaviest day-two tournament catch to make it into the top 20 and they are: Fred Roumbanis, 34-5; Chad Prough, 32-4; Randall Tharp, 31-10; Brian Travis, 30-4; Andy Morgan, 30; Jake Morris, 29-13 and Brandon McMillan, 28-14.
Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish Saturday on Lake Okeechobee are:
3rd: Brandon McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 10 bass, 55-14
4th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 54-13
5th: Randall Tharp, Gardendale, Ala., 10 bass, 53-2
6th: Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 10 bass, 53-1
7th: Trevor Fitzgerald, Belleview, Fla., 10 bass, 50-15
8th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 10 bass, 50-1
9th: Jeremy York, Longanville, Ga., 10 bass, 49-12
10th: Pete Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 10 bass, 49
11th: Koby Kreiger, Okeechobee, Fla., 10 bass, 48
12th: Brian Travis, Conover, N.C., 10 bass, 47-4
13th: Jake Morris, McKee, Ky., 10 bass, 46-8
14th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 10 bass, 46-7
15th: Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., 10 bass, 45-12
16th: Darrell Davis, Dover, Fla., 10 bass, 45-12
17th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 45-6
18th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 45-5
19th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 44-6
20th: Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas, 10 bass, 44-3
Final results for the remaining field can be found on www.FLWOutdoors.com
Fred Roumbanis caught the Snickers® Peanut Butter Squared Big Bass weighing 9-7 on the pro side to win $500.
Overall there were 799 bass weighing 2,800 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 160 pros Friday, a new Walmart FLW Tour record for heaviest day-two total tournament catch. The previous record was set at the Detroit River in 2007 when 2,756 pounds of bass crossed the stage. The catch included 159 five-bass limits.
The 2011 Lake Okeechobee event now holds the Walmart FLW Tour record for the heaviest combined tournament catch for day one and day two, 5,529-7. The previous record was set in 2008 at the Detroit River with 5,370-1.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The top five anglers from the four Walmart FLW Tour Open tournaments will qualify.
Aymon Wilcox of Lauderdale Lake, Fla., leads the Co-angler Division with an two-day total of 10 bass weighing 46 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Ron Buck of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., in second place with 10 bass weighing 37-3.
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None of our local guys made the top 20 cut though 2 did make it into the money:
35 NATE WELLMAN JENISON, MI 5 16-14 5 24-13 $10,500
69 CHIP HARRISON FORT WAYNE, IN 5 17-02 5 18-13 $4,000
86 TEDDY BRADLEY MISHAWAKA, IN 5 19-09 5 13-11
103 SCOTT DOBSON CLARKSTON, MI 5 13-00 5 17-10
135 CHAD PIPKENS HOLT, MI 5 12-09 5 13-00
136 VIC VATALARO KENT, OH 5 12-08 5 12-12
147 LEO REITER GOSHEN, IN 5 11-02 5 12-06