LEWISVILLE, Texas – Among the cheers of her fellow anglers, Angie Douthit of Clewiston, Fla., made history on Thursday evening after bringing in 15 pounds, 6 ounces to lead Day 1 of the first Women’s Bassmaster Tour tournament, a highly anticipated preview event on Lewisville Lake.
“My main goal coming in was just to make the top six,” the 40-year old said, referring to the cut on Saturday when only the top six boaters and non-boaters will fish. “After today, I am pretty confident and I want to win this thing. I haven’t even visited some of my best spots.”
Douthit caught her limit using finesse-type worms and mixing in a crankbait. Her shallow fishing, a common thread amongst most of the ladies, has her leading second-place Debra Petrowski (11-12) of Arlington, Texas, by 3 pounds, 10 ounces.
Petrowski, whose daughter Kim Petrowski also fished the event as a non-boater, attributed much of her success to a productive practice period. “I live very close to the lake, so I had the chance to pre-fish pretty extensively,” Debra Petrowski said.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Arkansas’ Melinda Mize (11-10), Colorado’s Kelley Shepherd (11-10) and Texan Pamela Pope (11-8).
Douthit was paired with non-boater Sharon Rushton of Kimberling City, Mo., who holds the lead over Florida’s Carrie Bronson (7-2) by just 4 ounces after catching a three-fish limit of 7 pounds, 6 ounces.
Trailing Rushton and Bronson areTexan Billie Jaynes (5-3) in third, Arkansas’ Lesa Brown (4-14) in fourth and Indiana’s Ronda Kirby (4-2) in fifth.
Location and Field Women’s Bassmaster Tour preview event Lewisville Lake Lewisville, Texas Oct. 20-22, 2005
Field Cut to 6 after Day 2
Launch 7:15 a.m. Sneaky Pete’s Restaurant and Banquet Facility #2 Eagle Point Marina Lewisville, Texas 75075
Weigh-in 3 p.m. Sneaky Pete’s Restaurant and Banquet Facility #2 Eagle Point Marina Lewisville, Texas 75075
Day One Purolator Big Bass Boater: Danalee Lofton, Little Rock, Ark., 4-10 Non-Boater: Carrie Bronson, Polk City, Fla., 3-6
Local sponsors: The city of Lewisville, the Lewisville Area Chamber of Commerce, Sneaky Pete’s Restaurant and Banquet Facility and the Courtyard by Marriott.
2006 Women’s Bassmaster Tour
March 16-18 Toledo Bend Reservoir Huxley, Texas April 20-22 Neeley Henry Lake Gadsden, Ala. May 18-20 Lewisville Lake Dallas, Texas July 27-29 Lake Norman Huntersville, N.C. Aug. 24-26 Lake Dardanelle Russellville, Ark.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years. BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the CITGO Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 550,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
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