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Alabama to Host $3.6 Million Ranger Millennium
Bass Tournament; Top Angler to Win Up to $1 Million
MOBILE, Ala.--(BW SportsWire)--Jan. 4, 2001--Ranger Boat Company
of Flippin, Ark., has announced that Mobile, Ala., will host
the
company's second M1 Millennium bass tournament Feb. 27 through
March 2, 2002. Featuring a $3.6 million purse with up to $1 million
going to the winner, the Millennium is the richest bass tournament
in
history. Only the first Ranger Millennium held in November 1999
equals
it.
The 2002 Millennium will feature the top 400 bass anglers
from
hundreds of qualifying tournaments held nationwide. It will also
mark
only the second time that top Ranger competitors from the nation's
leading bass fishing organizations have squared off in head-to-head
competition.
Operation Bass in Gilbertsville, Ky., is the catalyst behind
the
sport's robust growth among the nation's 55 million anglers.
All told,
the company and its impressive line up of sponsors - including
Wal-Mart, Kellogg's, Pepsi, Chevrolet, Citgo, Fujifilm, Garmin,
Visa
and Ranger to name a few - could award tournament competitors
more
than $16 million during the 2001 season. Ask the sport's insiders
and
they will say the money couldn't be going to a nicer group of
people.
"Fishing has always been associated with wholesome family
fun,"
said Irwin L. Jacobs, chairman of Operation Bass. "Unlike
many of
today's sports heroes, professional bass anglers are some of
the
finest role models in our society. The Millennium is an opportunity
for these competitors to shine. It's an exceptional way to expose
the
sport to a new generation of anglers while also rewarding our
loyal
family of Ranger boat owners."
The final round of the first Ranger Millennium was televised
Nov. 7. The historic broadcast reeled in more than 2 million
viewers
as Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., won $600,000 and instantly
joined
the sport's top all-time money winners.
"I am proud that Alabama will host such a prestigious
event in the
world of sportfishing," said Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.
"This
opportunity will allow us to showcase to the world that Alabama's
natural resources and beauty are second to none."
Anglers will qualify for the Millennium as pros or co-anglers,
with pros fishing up front for the tournament's top dollars.
Co-anglers will fish from the back of the boat for up to $250,000
-
the richest amateur award in bass fishing history. Each pro will
retain total control of his or her boat throughout the competition.
Millennium competitors will fish in three elimination rounds
on
the Tensaw Delta, a 100,000-acre fishery formed by the convergence
of
the Tombigbee, Alabama and Mobile Rivers at Mobile Bay. The full
field
will compete for two days and then be cut to the top 10 anglers
in
both divisions based on total catch weight. These anglers will
then
start from zero and compete for one day in the semi-final round.
Only
the top five pro anglers will advance to the final day of competition.
Catch weights will be cleared again or the final day. Co-angler
competition ends after day three.
Weigh-ins for the first two days of competition will be held
at
Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile. The two remaining weigh-ins
will
be held at the Mobile Convention Center.
"The Mobile-Tensaw Delta will offer many challenges for
participants in the Millennium tournament," said Riley Boykin
Smith,
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources commissioner.
"This
is a great opportunity to showcase this wonderful fishery and
the
facilities that Mobile has to offer. It is a credit to the Alabama
Bass Trail that Mobile was selected to host the Millennium."
The Alabama Bass Trail consists of five world-class fisheries
with
accommodations, facilities and activities to compliment every
fishing
outing from weekend getaways with the family to the nation's
premier
bass events.
The Millennium's total purse is based on a guaranteed payback
of
$1.3 million plus $2.3 million in sponsor bonus money. The winning
pro
is guaranteed $400,000 and the winning co-angler is guaranteed
$150,000. Each competitor will receive a minimum cash award equal
to
his or her entry fee provided minimum sponsor bonus requirements
are
met. Entry fees are $5,000 for pros and $2,500 for co-anglers.
"After the outstanding success of the first Ranger M1
Millennium
we had to have another one," said Randy Hopper, president
of Ranger
Boats. "Ranger has been a leading sponsor of competitive
fishing for
more than 30 years. The Millennium is the ultimate expression
of our
appreciation to the loyal family of Ranger owners everywhere."
Contact Operation Bass at 270/362-4880 for more information
about
how to qualify for the Millennium or visit www.operationbass.com.
For
more information about the Alabama Bass Trail, contact the Alabama
Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries at 334/242-3471
or visit
www.dcnr.state.al.us.
BASS Masters Classic Champion to be Honored
prior to NASCAR Season Finale
ATLANTA, Ga. - November 10, 2000 -- Reigning BASS Masters
Classic Champion Woo Daves continues to reap the rewards of winning
the biggest prize in professional fishing.
"It's our pleasure to honor Woo and host his wife, Patty,
during NAPA 500
weekend," said Ed Clark, President and General Manager of
Atlanta Motor
Speedway. "Many of his friends in the garage area fish for
recreation,
follow the B.A.S.S. pro tour and were thrilled to see Woo capture
the BASS
Masters Classic last summer in Chicago."
Prior to winning what is regarded around the globe, as the
"World
Championship of Professional Fishing," Daves, 54, had qualified
for the
Classic 15 times, including 7 top five finishes. In accepting
the trophy which had eluded him so many times before, Daves compared
his journey to the one Dale Earnhardt had in finally capturing
a Daytona 500 after 18 tries.
"I'm an angler by profession as well as a lifelong NASCAR
fan," said Daves
upon learning about the VIP treatment in store for him on November
19th at
AMS. "I feel like it's gonna be Bobby Labonte's year as
Winston Cup Champion. I'd like to think he was inspired in September
when I waived my B.A.S.S. Championship ring in front of his face
before the Chevrolet 400 at Richmond."
Daves and Labonte have been friends for years and have fished
together in Daves
annual charity tournament near his home in Spring Grove, Va.
In fact, Labonte
and his crew chief Jimmy Makar have both learned a thing or two
about fishing
from the 25-year B.A.S.S. pro.
"I started my tournament nine years ago as a get-together
for friends. Each
year it has grown and grown to the point that Patty is now cooking
for
hundreds of people," said Daves. The best thing is that
we've turned it
into a charity fund-raising event for the Super Kids, a southeast
Virginia-based organization benefiting the mentally challenged."
Daves is proud to report that his tournament has already garnered
enough
funds for a bus, and his next goal is to build a group-housing
complex for the adults. Other NASCAR greats who've fished alongside
Daves are Bobby and Donnie Allison, Dave Marcus, Tony Stewart,
Derrick Cope and Jack Roush.
Plans call for a guided tour of the garage area, an introduction
to the
crowd and luxury seating in the skyboxes high atop the start/finish
line at
Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Big bucks on the line in catfish tournament
World Wide Catfish Anglers Tournament Series will stage their
Catfish
Extravaganza on Sept. 30 at Glasgow, Mo., on the Missouri River.
If 70
teams of anglers participate, the first place prize will be $10,000
and
second place will be $5,000. For more information, contact John
Jamison of
Spring Hill, Kansas, at 913-592-2499 or their Web Site
Konawa best big Oklahoma lake for bass
numbers
For bass fishing prospects on lakes larger than 1,000 acres,
Lake
Konawa in south-central Oklahoma appears to be a promising destination,
according to spring electrofishing data released by the Oklahoma
Department
of Wildlife Conservation.
Covering 1,300 acres near Konawa, Lake Konawa produced 188
bass per
hour of electrofishing during this year's surveys. That's a slight
drop from
last year, when it produced 207 bass per hour.
Ranking second was Dripping Springs Lake, which produced more
than 172 bass
per hour during this year's electrofishing bass surveys. The
Department did
not sample it last year. Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma ranked
third with
145 bass per hour. That's a considerable jump from 1999, when
it produced
107 bass per hour.
Ranking fourth was Lake Broken Bow (107 bass per hour), followed
by
McGee Creek Lake (103 bass per hour), Lake Hudson (90 bass per
hour), Lake
Skiatook (83 bass per hour) and Lake Texoma (82 bass per hour).
If you're interested in big bass, Lake Konawa topped that
category,
too. For each hour of electrofishing, it produced about 84 bass
per hour
longer than 14 inches. That's a slight jump from last year, when
81 bass per
hour were longer than 14 inches.
Grand Lake ranked second in that category with about 56 bass
per
hour that were longer than 14 inches. Ranking third was Lake
Hudson (47 bass
per hour over 14 inches), followed by McGee Creek (34 bass per
hour over 14
inches), Lake Texoma (29 bass per hour over 14 inches) and Lake
Fuqua (28
bass per hour over 14 inches).
"Lake Konawa has a good forage base, good production
and good
recruitment, all of which indicate a healthy bass fishery,"
said Kim
Erickson, chief of fisheries for the Department. "From what
we've seen over
the last few years, it's been a very consistent producer during
spring
sampling."
This year, no lake larger than 1,000 acres produced a bass
that
exceeded 10 pounds. Lake Ellsworth produced the largest bass
during spring
electrofishing, and it weighed 8.8 pounds. Two other lakes produced
bass
larger than eight pounds, including Dripping Springs (8.7 pounds)
and
Webbers Falls (8.1 pounds).
Data from the springtime bass survey is divided between that
collected from lakes larger than 1,000 acres, and lakes smaller
than 1,000
acres. The data is used to determine the health and trends of
individual
bass fisheries. Regional fisheries management personnel capture
bass using
electrofishing equipment, and then they weigh and measure each
fish before
releasing them back into the water unharmed. The information
helps
biologists determine which lakes might benefit from specialized
management
techniques such as length and slot limits.
The Department rates a lake as high quality when it produces
more
than 15 bass over 14 inches per hour of electrofishing. Quality
lakes yield
more than 10 bass over 14 inches per hour of electrofishing,
and those which
produce fewer than 10 per hour are considered below average.
In terms of total numbers of bass per hour, lakes that yield
more
than 60 bass of any size per hour are rated as high quality.
Those producing
40 bass or more per hour are considered "quality" lakes,
and less than 40
per hour are considered below average.
Adair tops bass list for small Oklahoma
lakes
Among lakes smaller than 1,000 acres, Adair Recreation Lake in
Adair
County produced the most bass per hour during spring electrofishing
surveys
conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
In terms of overall numbers, Adair Lake produced 198 bass
per hour
of electrofishing, a big jump from last year when it yielded
124 bass per
hour. Ranking second was Mountain Lake in Garvin Co., with nearly
183 bass
per hour, followed by Lake Raymond Gary in Choctaw Co. (128 bass
per hour)
, Taylor Lake in Grady Co. (124 bass per hour) and American Horse
Lake in
Blaine Co. (122 bass per hour).
Rounding out the top 10 small lakes were Chimney Rock Lake
in Mayes
Co. (120 bass per hour), Okemah Lake in Okfuskee Co. (101 bass
per hour),
Onapa Lake in McIntosh Co. (96 bass per hour), Boomer Lake in
Osage Co. (90
bass per hour), and Sportsman Lake in Seminole County (90 bass
per hour).
For numbers of bass larger than 14 inches per hour of
electrofishing, Mountain Lake was the top producer with 137.
Durant Lake was
a distant second with more than 67 bass per hour over 14 inches,
followed by
Okemah Lake (61 bass per hour over 14 inches) Lake Raymond Gary
in Choctaw
Co. (36 bass per hour over 14 inches), and Lake Fairfax in Osage
Co. (nearly
35 bass per hour over 14 inches)
No lake smaller than 1,000 acres produced a largemouth weighing
10
pounds or more, but three - Sportsman Lake, Lake Raymond Gary
and Lake
Holdenville - each produced a bass weighing more than eight pounds.
Sportsman Lake produced one that weighed 8.9 pounds, Raymond
Gary yielded
one that weighed 8.8 pounds, and Lake Holdenville produced one
that weighed
8.5 pounds.
Lake Watonga in Blaine Co., yielded a 7.5-pound bass, and
Lake Vincent in
Ellis Co., produced a 7.2-pounder.
Since only a few of Oklahoma's small lakes were surveyed,
Kim
Erickson, chief of fisheries for the Department, said that anglers
shouldn't
use the data as a comprehensive guide to quality fishing in Oklahoma.
Many
other lakes that weren't surveyed this year also have outstanding
bass
populations.
"Although the results of the survey can help anglers
find good
places to fish, they're not the only information anglers should
use when
making their decisions on where to go," Erickson said. "There
are hundreds
of small lakes across the state, and we can't survey all of them
every year.
Based on the numbers, these are the best lakes we surveyed this
year, but
they're not necessarily the best in the state."
Electrofishing surveys are conducted by regional fisheries
management personnel to measure the health and trends of individual
bass
fisheries. Bass captured during the surveys are weighed, measured
and
released back into the water unharmed. The information collected
helps
biologists determine which lakes might benefit from specialized
management
techniques, such as length or slot limits.
In evaluating electrofishng data, the Department rates a lake
as
high quality when it produces more than 15 bass over 14 inches
per hour of
electrofishing. Quality lakes yield more than 10 bass over 14
inches per
hour, while those producing fewer than 10 are considered below
average.
For total numbers of bass per hour, lakes that yield more
than 60
bass of any size per hour are rated as high quality. Those producing
40 or
more bass per hour are considered "quality" lakes,
and less than 40 per hour
is considered below average.
Zeiner's Bass Shop is in
a new home
After being located at 1001
S. Washington in Wichita, KS for over ten years, Zeiner's moved
across the steet to the north. They are in the new store now,
but still working to get everything organized.
The new store features a more open feel
without all the nooks and crannies of the old store. It should
help customers find the things they need without having to travel
from room to room.
The new store will also allow them to
sponsor in-store seminars, something space prohibited them from
doing in the present store. Higher ceilings will also allow customers
to look at rods without being so cramped. Visit
Zeiner's online
When a record isn't a record
Texas angler lands Oklahoma record trout,
but record gets away after all is said and done
Every angler has a tale about, The one that got away, but
a recent story from southeast Oklahoma beats them all.
On March 13, while fly fishing below the re-regulation dam
on the lower Mountain Fork River, Barry Kniffen of Tyler, Texas,
hooked a monster brown trout on an olive wooly bugger. An avid
bass tournament angler, Kniffen was relatively new to fly fishing,
so it was especially remarkable that he could land such a large
fish on such light tackle in high water and strong current. Furthermore,
the trout measured 25 inches long and weighed eight pounds, enough
to break the Oklahoma state-record for that species.
Two other anglers witnessed the catch, and Kniffen sent several
good-quality photographs to the Department's assistant chief
of fisheries, Barry Bolton. Unfortunately, Kniffen neglected
to have the catch certified by an Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation fisheries biologist, disqualifying it from consideration
as a potential record.
The ODWC was prepared to send personnel to Kniffen1s home
to witness a second weighing, but Kniffen1s taxidermist had already
begun mounting the fish before Bolton could contact him. Kniffen
landed the fish, but his state record got away.
Mr. Kniffen hooked and landed a very impressive fish on light
tackle, and the Wildlife Department congratulates him on his
accomplishment,2 Bolton said.
However, we regret that his potential state record cannot
receive the recognition it deserves. That1s why it is so important
for an angler who catches a potential record to follow the required
procedure.
Anglers who believe they have caught a record fish should
immediately contact a Department employee to certify the weight
and measurement. A Department fisheries employee must then verify
the species. For more information, consult the 2000 Oklahoma
Fishing Regulations or call the Department1s Fisheries Division
at (405) 521-3721.
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