Fishing News - 2/21/02
From BASS
Texans In Command On Sam Rayburn
Vance leads field with nine from Lone Star state in top 10
JASPER, Texas - February 21, 2002 - Persistence rather than technique turned out to be the key ingredient for David Vance during Thursday's opening round of competition at the Texas CITGO BASSMASTER Central Open presented by Skeeter.
Vance of Winnsboro, Texas, had only one bass in the boat at 10 a.m., but
by day's end his persistence had paid off with a catch of 23 pounds, 9 ounces of Lake Sam Rayburn bass including the day's big fish, an 8-3 largemouth. Vance enters the second day of the three-day event with a 3-7 lead over second place."It truly was more persistence than pattern," said Vance. "There were not a lot of bites. I caught a small limit in shallow water, and the bigger fish in deep water. The bite could be better tomorrow, or it could be worse."
Vance caught four of his bass on a new Wedge Tail plastic minnow lure, recently introduced by well-known Texas lure manufacturer Lonnie Stanley, who is also competing in the tournament. He rigged the lure weightless, and fished it around shallow flooded bushes.
Texans hold each of the first nine spots in the competition, with Scott
Dean of Farmers Branch in second with 20-4; Brad Ridgeway of The Woodlands third with 19-12; Jason Barber of Gunbarrel is fourth with 18-5 and David Wharton of Sam Rayburn is tied with Matt Reed of Madisonville in fifth at 18-0.Dean's day could have been a lot different had it not been for a 6 pounder he caught in the closing moments of the day.
"Catching the big ones is kind of hit and miss," said Dean. "I caught my big bass five minutes before time to head back to the weigh-in. Hopefully the area I am in will keep replenishing throughout the tournament."
Weather for the anglers during the first day of the event saw calm waters
and sunny conditions, much different than the showers and 10-12 mile per hour wind called for during Friday's competition.Anglers found fish plentiful, with only 27 anglers unable to bring in a single bass. A total of 871 bass and 80 limits were brought in by the 322 anglers in the field on Thursday.
Anglers competing in the event are vying for a total purse of $250,000 with $51,000 going to the winner. Additionally, they are attempting to earn valuable points towards qualifying for the CITGO BASS Masters Classic to be held this July 25-27 in Birmingham, Ala.
The Texas CITGO BASSMASTER Central Open presented by Skeeter will air on
ESPN2 March 23 at 10:30 a.m. (ET).Daily weigh-ins take place at Twin Dikes Marina at 2:30 p.m. Anglers
launch beginning at 6:40 a.m.Additionally, a free CastingKids event, presented by Chevy Trucks and CITGO, will be held there Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This fun-filled national program encourages children to perfect the skills of casting, pitching and flipping. Local bass clubs conduct the events and provide instruction to all youngsters.
By sanctioning over 20,000 tournaments worldwide, B.A.S.S. is the world's largest fishing organization. The CITGO 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 after more than three decades.Sponsors of the Texas CITGO BASSMASTER Central Open presented by Skeeter include: CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Chevrolet Trucks, Mercury Marine, Yamaha Outboards, Triton Boats, Skeeter Boats, Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Stowaway Batteries, Kumho Tires, Long John Silver's, Gore-Tex Outerwear, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Bass Pro Shops, Armstrong Industrial Hand Tools, GMAC/ B.A.S.S. Vehicle & Boat Insurance, B.A.S.S. Platinum Visa/First USA.
Associate Sponsors include: Bass Cat Boats and G3 Boats
The Texas CITGO BASSMASTER Central Open presented by Skeeter is presented
locally by the Jasper Chamber of Commerce (409-384-2762).B.A.S.S. Web site: http://www.bassmaster.com.
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