Jerry Shawver Wins BASS Federation Championship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., May 17, 2003 - When the fishing is tough, bass tournaments predictably go down to the wire. And that is just what happened Saturday afternoon when the CITGO BASS Federation Championship presented by Busch Beer wrapped up on Lake Tuscaloosa.

After fine-tuning his strategy all week, Jerry Shawver II, a high school mathematics teacher from Jacksonville, Fla., captured amateur bass fishing's championship title by an 8-ounce margin. His three-day score of 24 pounds, 10 ounces bettered the effort of second-place angler Joel St. Germain of Cumberland, R.I., whose final tally was 24-2.

For the win, Shawver collected the BASS winning prize purse of $15,000 and a double bonus from BASS Federation Alliance sponsors Triton Boats and Mercury Marine. Each sponsor kicked in another $15,000 by virtue of Shawver using their respective products on his personal boat.

"This is just phenomenal for a working class guy like me to win $45,000 in a bass tournament," said Shawver. "I gambled all week long and sometimes it pays off."

Shawver had good reason to gamble. He caught his five-bass tournament limit each day of the competition by 10:30 a.m., leaving him the remainder of the time to search for new water. And in every case, the new water paid dividends, especially so on the final day when he caught the 2 1/2-pound largemouth that iced the win.

"I was fishing grass points where the fish were staging after the spawn," noted the winner. "This is such a textbook pattern like you'd read about in Bassmaster."

The fish caught by Shawver were making their final move before abandoning the shallow water where they were staged on the edges of grassbeds bordering deep water.

To catch his fish, Shawver used a shad-color Bite-A-Bait topwater lure under cloudy conditions and a watermelon Senko during brief periods of sunshine.

Shawver and Germain advance to the CITGO Bassmaster Classic presented by Busch Beer as winners of the Southern and Eastern divisions of the Federation. Joining them at bass fishing's world championship are divisional champions Tom Schachten of Driggs, Idaho (Western), Cole Garrett of Calvin, La. (Central) and Karl Guegold of Westerville, Ohio (Northern).

The CITGO BASS Federation Championship will air on ESPN2 May 24 at 10:30 a.m. (ET).

Sponsors of the CITGO BASS Federation Championship presented by Busch Beer include CITGO Petroleum Corp., Busch Beer, Chevrolet Trucks, Yamaha Outboards, Mercury Marine, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Kumho Tires, Progressive Boat Insurance, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Diamond Cut Jeans, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Bass Pro Shops, Armstrong Industrial Hand Tools, BankOne and Quantum.

Bryant Heating and Cooling is an associate sponsor with local support provided by the Alabama BASS Federation, the Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau and SouthernLinc Communications.

CITGO BASS Federation Championship Notebook - Day 3

Weather most foul
The final weigh-in of the CITGO BASS Federation Championship presented by Busch Beer was nearly delayed due to multiple thunderstorms that brought hail, tornado watches and worried frowns to the crowd at Jenkins Arena. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when tournament officials announced that all anglers made it in safely.

Bass kissing
Classic-bound Karl Guegold was so grateful to his catch that he snuck a quick kiss before his bass was taken to the live release boat. "I didn't think it was going to weigh 2 pounds," he said. Another bass kisser showed up later, when Ontario, Canada's Bob Peters 'fessed up to releasing several small bass with a smooch and a suggestion "to bring back his big brother."

What state am I in?
Three competitors don't live in the states they're representing: Brian LaClair, who lives in Queen Anne, Md. and fishes for Delaware, Kevin Mason, who lives in Carrollton, Ala. and fishes for Mississippi, and Tom Schachten, who lives in Driggs, Idaho and fishes for Wyoming.

The truth comes out
Arkansas angler Gary Marshall admitted that the life of a professional angler may not be so great, after all. "I don't know," he said when emcee Fish Fishburne asked if he intended to pursue a pro career. "This (getting up at) three o'clock in the morning business is for the birds."

Is he Welsh?
Fish Fishburne wasn't prepared for the return of Dustin Beckwith, but the 2002 CastingKids national champion was more than ready to see Fishburne again - so ready that he brought along a white tennis shoe. Turns out that Fishburne vowed to eat a size 13 sneaker if Beckwith came out at the top of his age group. But despite Beckwith's forethought (the teen-ager even brought a fork), Fish wasn't biting.

Graceful words
The crowd cheered for Ken Christ when the 2002 Federation champ took the stage to say a few parting words. Christ's final day was more successful than the previous two (he brought in 6 pounds, 4 ounces), but wasn't enough to send him back to the Classic. However, he stopped long enough to tell the crowd, "It's been an honor and a privilege for me to represent the Federation. Thank you."

Best of the U.S.?
South African angler Darryl Quinton's newfound love for Krispy Kreme doughnuts didn't go unnoticed. Quinton was just drifting off to sleep on Friday night when his hotel's front desk called to tell him a package had been delivered for him. The contents? A dozen glazed.

Don't miss it
If you want to catch the excitement of the Federation championship, don't miss "The CITGO Bassmasters" on May 24 at 10:30 a.m. The ESPN2 program will highlight this year's amateur championship.



CITGO BASS FEDERATION CHAMPIONSHIP
LAKE TUSCALOOSA TUSCALOOSA AL
FINAL STANDINGS
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PLACE NAME CITY STATE FISH LBS-OZ WINNINGS
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1 Jerry Shawver II Jacksonville, FL SR 15 24-10 15,000
2 Joel St Germain Cumberland, RI ER 14 24- 2 7,000
3 Cole Garrett Calvin, LA CR 15 22- 6 3,000
4 Ron Schneider Hewitt, NJ ER 13 22- 3 2,500
5 Karl Guegold Westerville, OH NR 12 21- 6 1,500
6 Darryl Quinton ELSPARK, SA SR 14 21- 5 1,400
7 Brian LaClair Queen Anne, MD ER 15 20- 9 1,300
8 Robby Fleshman Tad, WV ER 15 19- 4 1,200
9 Tom Schachten Driggs, ID WR 13 18-15 1,600
10 Eddie D. Jewell Lawrenceburg, TN SR 13 18- 6 1,000
11 Alan Foster Chevyville, NC SR 12 18- 4 500
12 Ron Colby W JORDAN, UT WR 15 18- 2 500
13 Harold Walters Tuscaloosa, AL SR 13 18- 1 500
14 Jimmy Lankford Henry, TN SR 12 17- 3 500
15 Cris Vanclef Mountainview, CA WR 14 16-14 500
16 Dave Mehalechko Glendale, AZ WR 15 16-10 400
17 Pirrie Prinsloo Haraee, ZW CR 14 16- 6 400
18 Kraig H. Grayson Inez, KY SR 13 16- 5 400
19 Shigeru Tsukiyama Tokyo, JA WR 11 15- 6 400
19 Jared Knuth Wahoo, NE CR 9 15- 6 400
21 Ronald Matthews Athol, MA ER 11 14- 3 400
22 Ryan Hawthorne Mansfield, CT ER 13 13-15 400
23 Stefano Corsi Florence, IT NR 8 13-13 400
24 Jason Schumer Festus, MO CR 10 13- 8 400
25 Robert Thompson East Peoria, IL NR 13 13- 1 400
26 Bill Alexander Sylvan Beach, NY ER 11 12-15 300
27 Shannon Fletcher Honaker, VA ER 7 12-13 800
28 Chuck Rizuto Navajo Dam, NM WR 9 12- 8 300
29 Nelson Walker Manning, SC SR 12 12- 3 300
30 Michael Gibney Troutdale, OR WR 10 12- 2 300
31 Tony DeFilippo Lake Ann, MI NR 8 11- 8 300
32 Patrick Brown Swainsboro, GA SR 8 11- 5 300
33 Mike Zachary Ada, OK CR 10 11- 4 300
34 Benjie Wilhelm Frankton, IN NR 4 10- 5 300
35 Brian Morin Manchester, NH ER 10 9-15 300
35 Randy Waite Adams, WI NR 9 9-15 300
37 Ed Riley Woodbine, MD ER 9 9-14 300
38 Martin 'Marty' Lamberti Altoona, IA NR 9 9-12 300
39 Trent Menees Tacoma, WA WR 9 9-10 300
39 Charles 'Skip' Sjobeck Randolph Ctr, VT ER 9 9-10 300
41 Jay Evans Corvallis, MT WR 7 9- 9 300
42 Pal Newsom Graham, TX CR 9 9- 6 300
43 D J Hauser Montoursville, PA ER 8 8-10 300
44 Tom Bayley Scarboro, ME ER 6 8- 2 300
45 Gary Marshall Green Forest, AR CR 8 7-12 300
46 Robert 'Bob' Hennen Shakopee, MN NR 7 7-10 300
47 Ken Christ Glen Ellyn, IL CR 6 7- 9 300
48 Larry Triplett Parker, CO WR 6 6-10 300
49 Kevin Mason Carrollton, AL CR 5 6- 8 300
50 Mark McCurdy Hutchinson, KS CR 4 3-14 300
51 John Teachout Mission, SD NR 3 2-15 300
52 Rico Pena Monterrey, MX CR 3 2-11 300
53 Dusty Womack Caldwell, ID WR 2 1- 4 300
54 Robert 'Bob' Peters Schomberg, ON NR 1 0-13 300

DAY BIG BASS NAME CITY STATE CASH
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1 5/ 5 Ron Schneider Hewitt, NJ ER 500.00
2 3/10 Tom Schachten Driggs, ID WR 500.00
3 5/ 6 Shannon Fletcher Honaker, VA ER 500.00

DAY # FISH # LIMITS LBS/OZ
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1 183 20 238/ 7
2 169 19 217/ 6
3 179 16 243/ 6
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531 55 699/ 3

CITGO BASS FEDERATION CHAMPIONSHIP
LAKE TUSCALOOSA TUSCALOOSA AL
DIVISIONAL STANDINGS
D A Y 3
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PLACE STATE WEIGHT PRIZE
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ER Joel St Germain 24/ 2
ER Ron Schneider 22/ 3
ER Brian LaClair 20/ 9
ER Robby Fleshman 19/ 4
ER Ronald Matthews 14/ 3
ER Ryan Hawthorne 13/15
ER Bill Alexander 12/15
ER Shannon Fletcher 12/13
ER Brian Morin 9/15
ER Ed Riley 9/14
ER Charles 'Skip' Sjobeck 9/10
ER D J Hauser 8/10
ER Tom Bayley 8/ 2

SR Jerry Shawver II 24/10
SR Darryl Quinton 21/ 5
SR Eddie D. Jewell 18/ 6
SR Alan Foster 18/ 4
SR Harold Walters 18/ 1
SR Jimmy Lankford 17/ 3
SR Kraig H. Grayson 16/ 5
SR Nelson Walker 12/ 3
SR Patrick Brown 11/ 5

WR Tom Schachten 18/15
WR Ron Colby 18/ 2
WR Cris Vanclef 16/14
WR Dave Mehalechko 16/10
WR Shigeru Tsukiyama 15/ 6
WR Chuck Rizuto 12/ 8
WR Michael Gibney 12/ 2
WR Trent Menees 9/10
WR Jay Evans 9/ 9
WR Larry Triplett 6/10
WR Dusty Womack 1/ 4

CR Cole Garrett 22/ 6
CR Pirrie Prinsloo 16/ 6
CR Jared Knuth 15/ 6
CR Jason Schumer 13/ 8
CR Mike Zachary 11/ 4
CR Pal Newsom 9/ 6
CR Gary Marshall 7/12
CR Ken Christ 7/ 9
CR Kevin Mason 6/ 8
CR Mark McCurdy 3/14
CR Rico Pena 2/11



NR Karl Guegold 21/ 6
NR Stefano Corsi 13/13
NR Robert Thompson 13/ 1
NR Tony DeFilippo 11/ 8
NR Benjie Wilhelm 10/ 5
NR Randy Waite 9/15
NR Martin 'Marty' Lamberti 9/12
NR Robert 'Bob' Hennen 7/10
NR John Teachout 2/15
NR Robert 'Bob' Peters 0/13

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (334) 551-2375.