Brent Long of Cornelius, N.C., has remained steady in his approach to fishing for three days against pros from all across the United States, Canada, Spain and Japan as they fish for a top cash award of up to $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Table Rock Lake presented by Kellogg’s.
Long advanced to the top 10 as the No. 1 seed with a five-bass limit Saturday of 22-3, his best sack of the tournament. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 58-15, he now holds a 3-pound lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition.
“I had a great day,” said Long, who has one FLW Tour win already on his resume. “I had a limit before 8:30. My second fish was the biggest fish I caught, and it was a little over 7 pounds. I fished with no pressure today because I caught them early. Each day I’m worried and say, ?Am I going to catch them today? Am I going to catch five?’ But today they bit early and it just made it so much more relaxing for me.”
Long said he’s flipping shallow wood in dirty water for pre-spawn fish. He said he caught 15 fish, 10 of which were keepers, during the course of the day. Long said he’s optimistic going into the final day of competition.
“I feel good because most people’s weights are going down,” Long said. “Mine went up today. I’ve got a lot of confidence I can catch them tomorrow.”
Stacey King of Reeds Spring, Mo., advanced to the final round of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 55-15. King said he’s using crankbaits on main lake points to target fish.
“I’m not all that confident,” said the hometown favorite. “I think my fish are evaporating. I’m fishing a pre-spawn offshore pattern, and those fish are moving on in, and that’s what these guys are catching.
“I’d have to get fortunate and get a couple of good bites to win,” King added. “But I’m going out to do the best I can.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros and advancing to the final day of competition are:
| 3rd: | Rayovac pro Jason Christie | Park Hill, Okla. | 15 bass | 55-14 |
| 4th: | Spencer Shuffield | Bismarck, Ark. | 15 bass | 55-9 |
| 5th: | Day 2 leader Kyle Welcher | Opelika, Ala. | 14 bass | 53-11 |
| 6th: | Snickers pro Chris Baumgardner | Gastonia, N.C. | , 15 bass | 49-8 |
| 7th: | Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi | Prosperity, S.C. | 15 bass | 49-7 |
| 8th: | Troy Morrow | Eastanollee, Ga. | 15 bass | 49-0 |
| 9th: | Clint Brownlee | Tifton, Ga. | 15 bass | 48-14 |
| 10th: | Clent Davis | Montevallo, Ala. | 15 bass | 47-4 |
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
| 11th: | Kettle Brand Chips pro Dan Morehead | Paducah, Ky. | 15 bass | 47-3 | $12,500 |
| 12th: | John Devere | Berea, Ky. | 14 bass | 45-3 | $12,500 |
| 13th: | Dr Pepper TEN pro Glenn Browne | Ocala, Fla. | 15 bass | 45-2 | $12,500 |
| 14th: | Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury | Springville, Ala. | 15 bass | 44-15 | $12,500 |
| 15th: | Tom Monsoor | LaCrosse, Wis. | 15 bass | 44-0 | $12,500 |
| 16th: | Craig Dowling | Nashville, Tenn. | 15 bass | 43-3 | $12,000 |
| 17th: | Day 1 leader Blake Nick, Adger | Ala. | 12 bass | 41-15 | $12,000 |
| 18th: | Robert Behrle | Hoover, Ala. | 14 bass | 41-13 | $12,000 |
| 19th: | Christopher Brasher | Spring, Texas | 14 bass | 40-12 | $12,000 |
| 20th: | OFF! pro Terry Bolton | Paducah, Ky. | 12 bass | 38-1 | $12,000 |
Overall there were 90 bass weighing 249 pounds, 10 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included 14 five-bass limits.
Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.
Patrick Bone of Cleveland, Ga., won the co-angler division and $25,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces followed by Brock Bertrand of Fayetteville, Ark., in second place with nine bass weighing 27-5 worth $7,500.
“I’ve said it a lot of times,” Bone said. “They could give away a box of doughnuts at a tournament and these guys would still work just as hard to win a box of doughnuts. The money’s good, but it’s (about) winning.
“All of the blood, the sweat and the traveling … It’s awesome,” Bone continued.
Bone credited his victory to Dobyns Rods and a Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hog and Tiger Tungsten weights.
“I just kept my head down all week,” Bone said. “That’s what you have to do is keep your head down and grind it out.”
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:
| 3rd: | Nick Hensley | Cumming, Ga. | 11 bass | 27-3 | $5,000 |
| 4th: | Jerry Reagan | Byrdstown, Tenn. | 12 bass | 27-1 | $4,000 |
| 5th: | J.R. Wright | Truckee, Calif. | 12 bass | 25-15 | $3,000 |
| 6th: | Steve Redwine | Blue Ash, Ohio | 12 bass | 25-4 | $2,500 |
| 7th: | Steven Meador | Bella Vista, Ark. | 11 bass | 25-1 | $2,000 |
| 8th: | Chad Pipkens | Holt, Mich. | 10 bass | 24-8 | $1,800 |
| 9th: | Casey Martin | New Market, Ala. | 10 bass | 24-6 | $1,700 |
| 10th: | Hector Delagarza | Rockwall, Texas | 9 bass | 24-5 | $1,600 |
Overall there were 46 bass weighing 99 pounds, 2 ounces caught by co-anglers Saturday. The catch included one five-bass limit.
Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.
The top 10 pros will take off at 7 a.m. Sunday morning from Table Rock State Park Marina located at 380 State Park Marina Road in Branson. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 1101 Branson Hills Pkwy. in Branson beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at the Walmart on Sunday from noon-4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. A $500 Walmart gift card will be given away to one lucky fan Sunday (winner must be present to win). All activities are free and open to the public.
Coverage of the Table Rock Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when “FLW” airs May 6 from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. “FLW” is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit the FLWOutdoors or FantasyFishing websites and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.By: Chad Gay, Director – Public Relations
