Fishing News - 5/21/00
CHAPMAN WINS LOUISIANA INVITATIONAL; WAGLEY SECOND
2000 BASS Masters Classic Field Finalized
SHREVEPORT, La. May 20, 2000 Brent Chapman went to Red River looking for a BASS Masters Classic berth and came away with a lot more.
The Shawnee, Ks. pro not only garnered the coveted Classic berth, he walked away with the $42,000 BASSMASTER Louisiana Central Division title with a three-day limit weighing 50 pounds, 3 ounces. It was his first B.A.S.S. win.
"I skipped the Alabama Top 150 last week to come here and practice," said Chapman, who moved from eighth to fifth in the Central Division standings. "That's how important this tournament was to me."
Baton Rouge, La. angler Rodney Wagley finished second with 44 pounds, 8 ounces while O.T. Fears, Sallisaw, Ok. was third with 43 pounds, Travis Dallas Gray, Jr., Minden, La., fourth with 41 pounds, 10 ounces and Tim Sainato, Branson, Mo., fifth with 41 pounds, 2 ounces.
The Louisiana Invitational was the last BASS event to determine the remaining contestants in the 2000 BASS Masters Classic, to be held in Chicago July 20-22. The five Central Division anglers qualifying for the 46-man Classic include Scott Rook, Arkansas; Curt Lytle, Virginia; Edwin Evers, Oklahoma; Randy Jackson, Missouri; and Chapman.
Both Chapman and Wagley went to great extremes to find hot spots that other contestants wouldn't fish. Due to the time of year and muddy water conditions, the Red River fished small and pushed most of the anglers into the flooded timber in the backs of sloughs.
"Everybody was trying to fish the same areas and it got crowded out there," said Wagley.
Chapman, who found a small backwater lake during practice, switched from his 20-foot fiberglass rig to a 17 foot, flat bottom aluminum boat outfitted with a 75 horse outboard. The shallow draft boat, the smallest in the field, enabled him to get through water that was inaccessible to other contestants fishing from larger high performance boats.
Wagley, meanwhile, waded through snake-infested backwaters during practice, cutting a swath through the flooded timber with a saw so that he could reach a remote fishing area once the tournament began.
"It took me three hours to make a path to the area I wanted to fish," he described.
While Chapman worked a Lunker Lure Rattleback jig (black and blue) and a Hawg Caller buzzbait around logs and trees, Wagley fished two different spinnerbaits (Hombre and Slam Dunk)and a Reaction Gator Dog soft plastic lure in the heavy cover.
"I just kept switching up the lures to give the fish a different look," said Wagley, who finished fourth here in the B.A.S.S. National Federation tournament last year.
Lucy Mize, who was in fifth place heading into the last day, fell to 39th place but still re-established a high water mark for a female angler in a B.A.S.S. event. Mize also held the previous best finish (46th) which she set last year.
Winners of the BASSMASTER CastingKids event held at Clark's Marina Saturday were Cameron Pate, Heflin, La. in the 7-10 age group and Josh Shirley of Haughton, La. in the 11-14 age group.
Standings and photos from the Central Invitational tournament can be found at www.bassmaster.com.
The BASSMASTER Tournament Trail, celebrating its 33rd year, continues to be the most prestigious bass fishing circuit in the nation. The trail has set the standard for credibility, professionalism and competition in the rapidly growing sport of bass fishing.
Sponsors of the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail include Ranger Boats, RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Outboards, BIG Kmart, Chevy Trucks, ACDelco Batteries, Humminbird Electronics, Zercom Marine, Pennzoil Marine, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, worldwaters.com and MotorGuide Trolling Motors. The local sponsor is the Shreveport Regional Sports Authority. ##
George McNeilly
Director, Communications and Broadcast Development B.A.S.S., Inc.
5845 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36117
