FORT WORTH, Texas – After a poor practice at Eagle Mountain Lake, Peter Thliveros was less than thrilled with his chances at winning the $250,000 top prize at the first-ever Bassmaster Major.
Now, fast forward to Saturday at the Bassmaster Memorial in Fort Worth. The wily veteran from Jacksonville, Fla., led the tournament after catching a 15-pound, 3-ounce limit and is headed into Sunday’s finale at Benbrook Lake with confidence he previously did not have. Thliveros led angler Mark Menendez of Paducah, Ky., by more than 1 pound.
Fishing fans can catch all of the-on-the-water action plus the weigh-in from Will Rogers Coliseum on ESPN2 on Sunday, May 21 at 7 p.m. ET. For the first time ever, ESPN2 will provide same-day coverage of a regular-season BASS event.
ESPN2’s expanded tournament coverage of the Bassmaster Memorial will be featured on The CITGO Bassmasters Saturday, May 27 on ESPN2 at 10 a.m.
“This is my tournament to lose,” said Thliveros, who for the second consecutive day weighed-in the Purolator Big Bass and also had the BUSCH Heavyweight Bag of the day. “I have never been this confident heading into the final day at a BASS tournament before.”
In his 17 years as a BASS pro, the 32nd-ranked angler on the Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index has amassed more than $900,000 in tournament earnings. However, a $250,000 Memorial payday would push him over the threshold, making him the latest BASS millionaire, joining 13 other anglers.
An ex-chef who toiled in his father’s Italian restaurant in Jacksonville, Thliveros fished a ½-ounce Team Supreme jig around riprap – a pattern he said is unique in the field – on the way to seven keeper-sized bites.
Second-place Menendez – who was the only angler to catch a limit – strolled across the Memorial stage at Will Rogers Coliseum with his dog Barkley, weighing in 13-14. Much like the rest of the field, the 35th-ranked angler on the Power Index had little previous knowledge of Benbrook Lake.
“You’ve got to let instincts take over when you have little knowledge of a fishery,” said Menendez, 41. “I just let that Strike King bait show me the way.”
The $250,000 top prize would augment an already significant comeback for Menendez. It was just last year when Menendez was stricken with viral meningitis and feared it would end his fishing career. But after a fifth-place finish at the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship and a stellar 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series season, the two-time BASS winner is once again a force to be reckoned with.
Lurking right behind Thliveros and Menendez was 2003 CITGO Bassmaster Classic champ Mike Iaconelli. The Runnemede, N.J., pro has had a banner season and like Thliveros, is nearing the $1 million mark in BASS career earnings. Last month, Iaconelli won the Southern Challenge presented by Berkley on Lake Guntersville in Alabama and has yet to place lower than 20th. As soon as he completes the Memorial, Iaconelli will fly to California to appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, May 24, at 12:05 a.m. ET.
“I have the advantage heading into Sunday because I get to select where I start,” Iaconelli said, who will choose his starting location on the six-hole course because he leads the CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. “But you have to catch the fish to win any tournament.”
The rest of the top six moving into Sunday’s finale are California’s Skeet Reese (10-9), Louisiana’s Greg Hackney (7-10) and Oklahoma’s Edwin Evers (7-3).
Memorial Expo
Big crowds showed up on the opening day of the ESPN Outdoors Expo at the Bassmaster Memorial. The show – at Will Rogers Coliseum in conjunction with the Memorial weigh-in – is a smaller version of the popular annual expo during CITGO Bassmaster Classic week.
One feature getting the most attention from fishing fans were the CastingKids exhibit – manned by Texas Federation Nation volunteers and state youth director Trey Scott. Children who tried their hand at a cast received an official certificate of competition as well as a free copy of Junior Bassmaster magazine. “This is a fantastic opportunity for the volunteers to spend quality time with the kids and teach them the techniques of fishing,” Scott said.
For the first time, the BASS Federation Nation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are teaming up to access a network of 1,200 volunteers who will work together on grass-roots projects across the state, Scott said.
“We’re so pleased with the success of both the Memorial and the expo,” said Don Rucks, vice president and general manager of BASS, who was at the weigh-in Saturday. “The whole idea of the Bassmaster Majors was to elevate a few tournaments above and beyond the Elite Series and we feel like we’ve accomplished that goal. The fan and angler feedback has been amazing.”
Day 3 Purolator Big Bass Pro
Peter Thliveros, Jacksonville, Fla., 7-5
Day 3 Busch Heavyweight
Peter Thliveros, Jacksonville, Fla., 15-3
Location and Field
Bassmaster Memorial
Eagle Mountain Lake- Days 1 & 2
Benbrook Lake- Days 3 & 4
Fort Worth, Texas
May 18-21
Field
55 pro anglers
Cut to top 12 after Day 2
Cut to top 6 after Day 3
Launch
Days 1 & 2
West Bay Marina & RV Park
6925 Liberty School Tap Road
Azle, Texas 76020
6:50 a.m. CT
Days 3 & 4
Benbrook Lake
Benbrook Marina
Fort Worth, Texas 76126
6:50 a.m. CT
Weigh-in
Will Rogers Coliseum
3401 West Lancaster
Fort Worth, TX 76107
3:30 p.m. CT
Local Sponsors: Local sponsors include the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau
Memorial Major 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. ,p> 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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