Fishing News - 10/18/00
From BASS
Takahiro Omori Takes Day One Lead at BASSMASTER Alabama Top 150
MOBILE, Ala.-October 18,2000-Japanese angler Takahiro Omori used the strength of a 13 pound 4 ounce limit to take the day one lead at the $431,000 BASSMASTER Alabama Top150. Omori was able to bag his limit
despite tough fishing conditions in the Mobile Delta that limited the 308 angler field to just 51 limits.Angler Tim Wilson of Marion, Ind., holds down the second spot with a weight of 11 pounds. Art Ferguson of St. Clair Shores, Minn., is in third at 10-10. Waco, Texas' Alton Jones and Aztec, New Mexico's Johnny Parksround out the top five with 10-0 and 9-14, respectively.
"I'm in an area that has just one other boat," said Omori, who now resides near Lake Fork in Texas. "It is an area that has some cattails and some cane grass. We'll see if there are enough fish there for the whole
tournament." Omori, whose previous win on the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail came in 1996 on the Lake of the Ozarks, is using a lure that he designed personally.Many anglers found that a lack of rain during the previous six months allowed salt water to protrude over 30 miles up the rivers. "If you had enough time and gas to run up to the dams on the rivers," remarked seventh place Jeff Magee of Mendenhall, Miss., "then you could probably catch some big bass. The salt has pushed the bigger bass well up river. I'm praying for some rain and a cold front to come through here.
Wilson though, doesn't believe that the weather will affect his spot. "I am in an area," Wilson explains, "where the fish basically have nowhere else to go. I don't think that it can rain hard enough, fast enough to make a difference. I think that there may be enough fish in the area to last all four days."
David Hudson of Jasper, Ala., holds the lead on the amateur side at 7-4. Charlie Hartley claimed the $1,000 big bass bonus on the pro side, and Central Square, NY's Craig Daino claimed the amateur bonus of $400.
The tournament will continue through Saturday with the first place pro claiming $110,000. Weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. at the U.S.S. Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The event is free to the public.
The Alabama Top 150 is the third of the seven-event BASSMASTER Top 150 series. Anglers that finish in the top 25 at the end of the season earn an automatic berth into this summer's 31st BASS Masters Classic, recognized around the globe as fishing's world championship.
A free BASSMASTER CastingKids event, sponsored by Chevy Trucks and Zebco will be held on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This fun-filled national program designed by B.A.S.S. CEO Helen Sevier encourages children to perfect the basics of fishing - casting, pitching and flipping. The Alabama B.A.S.S. Federation will conduct the event and provide instruction.
The 32-year-old BASSMASTER Tournament Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit. It continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism, and sportsmanship as it has for more than three decades.
Sponsors of the 2000 BASSMASTER Tournament Trail include: Ranger Boats,
RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Outboards, Chevy Trucks, ACDelco Batteries, Worldwaters.com, Humminbird, Pennzoil Marine, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Zercom Marine, First USA/B.A.S.S. Platinum Visa, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Gore-Tex Outerwear and GMAC Insurance.
The event is sponsored locally by the City of Mobile, the County of Mobile and the Mobile Area Sports Commission.
B.A.S.S. Web site: http://www.bassmaster.com.
More Fishing News
