FORT WORTH, Texas - Two weeks ago, Dave Wolak wasn’t even aware he had qualified for the lucrative Bassmaster Majors. After Thursday, the Warrior Run, Pa., angler led the decorated field at the Bassmaster Memorial in the chase for the $250,000 top prize after catching a 16-pound, 14-ounce limit.
Right behind Wolak was Arkansas’ Mike McClelland, trailing the leader by only five ounces.
Fishing fans will have two chances to watch coverage from the Bassmaster Major. For the first time ever, ESPN2 will provide same-day coverage of a BASS event outside of the CITGO Bassmaster Classic. Coverage of the Bassmaster Memorial weigh-in at Will Rogers Coliseum will be aired on Sunday, May 21 at 7 p.m. ET.
ESPN2’s expanded tournament coverage of the Bassmaster Memorial will be featured on The CITGO Bassmasters on Saturday, May 27 at 10 a.m ET
Wolak found out about his Majors qualification after the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series’ Pride of Augusta presented by Lowrance. He qualified for all three Majors because he was the 2005 Toyota Rookie of the Year but he simply did not know that his status gave him automatic entry.
“I was ecstatic when I found out at Clarks Hill,” Wolak said, who is 48th on the Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index. “Now, to be leading the tournament with a shot at all that money is a great feeling. There are not many occupations when you have a chance at winning that kind of cash without an investment.” The $250,000 top prize would more than double Wolak’s career BASS earnings to date.
The key to success for Wolak was capitalizing on an early topwater bite, and then moving deeper later in the day. The 29-year-old angler caught fish in water of up to 30 feet deep.
He has three spots that he has confidence in and plans to sporadically visit all three on Friday. With a “touchy” bite at Eagle Mountain Lake, Wolak said, the key to boating the fish is to imitate the shad, which are the main forage for bass on the smallish fishery.
“The shad are really concentrated in certain spots and if you find one of those, you have to be patient and sit on it,” Wolak said.
McClelland, who qualified for the Majors through the CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, boated seven of his eight keeper bites on his way to a 16- pound, 9-ounce limit with a Jewel jig in very shallow water - 2 to 5 feet deep.
“I am in my comfort zone at this time of year at this type of lake,” McClelland said. “These fish are shallow and I would be very surprised if someone wasn’t catching them shallow.”
The Jewel jig that the Bella Vista, Ark. angler threw is the same bait that helped McClelland win the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship.
Rounding out the top five were Mineola, Texas, resident Kelly Jordon (15-6), Little Rock, Ark., angler Scott Rook (15-0) and Auburn, Calif., angler Skeet Reese (14-6).
The full field will fish on Friday on Eagle Mountain Lake. Only the top 12 will fish on Saturday and the top six on Sunday at Benbrook Lake.
Local Sponsors: Local sponsors include the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau
Bassmaster Memorial Sponsors: CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Advance Auto Parts and Theraseed®.
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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