Curtis leads Stren Series Championship on Table Rock Lake
Category: press release
Nov 5th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Nov 5th, 2008 at 12:00 AM
BRANSON, Mo. – Pro David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, caught a five bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce to lead day one of the Stren Series Championship on Table Rock Lake. Curtis now holds a slim 6-ounce lead in the tournament featuring top anglers fishing for as much as $140,000.
“I had a good day today,” said Curtis, who qualified as the No. 11 seed in the Texas Division. “My first spot produced two nice fish and it was a spot that I found during practice. I didn’t know what the potential would be in that spot with the conditions we had today. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t catch more in that spot but it was a great way to start the day.”
Curtis took all largemouths to the weigh-in stage on the first day of competition but explained that the majority of his key areas are holding spotted bass.
“I fished shallow and deep today,” he said. “I really think that the wind and overcast helped my bite today and the pattern that I am on. I feel like fishing in the fall is a strength of mine and it is my favorite time of year. With the weather changing tonight we will see what happens to the bite tomorrow.”
“I do feel good about tomorrow, but you never know what will happen,” he said. “Last year I finished third in the Stren Championship which is good but I would love to win but before I can do that I need to catch as many bass as I can to make it in the top 10.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Harmon Davis of Marlow, Okla. (five bass, 16-11); Mark Goines of Shady Point, Okla. (five bass, 16-06); Stacey King of Reeds Spring, Mo. (five bass, 14-09); and Lendell Martin Jr. of Nacogdoches, Texas (five bass, 14-07).
Matt Greenblatt of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., earned $750 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass.
Overall there were 527 bass weighing 1,323 pounds caught by 173 pros Wednesday. The catch included 46 five-bass limits.
In the Co-angler Division, Stephen Smith of Glenwood, Ark., caught five bass weighing 12 pounds, 11 ounces to take the lead.
“Today I just got lucky,” said Smith, who qualified for the Stren Series Championship through the Texas Division. “It was really tough out there today. Tomorrow my goal is to get enough weight to make the top-10 cut. We will see though-its fishing.”
James Watson of Waynesville, Mo. (four bass, 12-06); Stephen Kocell of Waxhaw, N.C. (four bass, 10-12); Jeff Rikard of Leesville, S.C. (four bass, 10-10); and James Richardson Sr. of Harrison, Texas (four bass, 10-08) rounded out the top five-co-anglers.
Terry Rose of Eastland, Texas, earned $375 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass.
Overall there were 221 bass weighing 571 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 121 co-anglers Wednesday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
Anglers will take off from State Park Marina, located at Highway 165 South in Branson, at 7 each morning. Thursday’s weigh-in will be held at State Park Marina, beginning at 2:30 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.
The full field competes in the two-day opening round for 10 slots in Friday’s competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in. The top 10 pros continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
In Stren Series Championship competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers.
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, browse FLWOutdoors.com.
The Stren Series Championship is being hosted by the Branson/Lakes Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. For more information, visit explorebranson.com or call (417) 334-4084.
The top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers from each division will also qualify for the 2009 Walmart FLW Tour and Walmart FLW Series, bass fishing’s top professional circuits. The highest-finishing pro and co-angler from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also qualify for the $2 million 2009 Forrest Wood Cup, where pros will fish for as much as $1 million – the most lucrative award in bass fishing.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.