LA PLATA, Md. (Aug. 19, 2006) - Kellogg's pro Dave LeFebre of Union City, Penn., caught a final-round total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 6 ounces to win the $262,125 Stren Series Northeast Division tournament on the Potomac River Saturday. LeFebre won a 519VX Ranger powered by a Yamaha outboard and equipped with Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and EverStart batteries plus $10,000 cash. He also earned a $10,000 contingency bonus from Ranger for a total of $60,000.
"It was a tough bite today," LeFebre said. "I had to stay way back and make long, pinpointed casts."
LeFebre used two prototype jigs made by Mizmo to catch 90 percent of his fish by targeting underwater hard spots near vegetation. The prototype jig, designed by LeFebre and built by his good friend Jimmy Lunsford, will soon be produced by Mizmo. LeFebre rigged the prototypes with Yamamoto double-tail grubs.
LeFebre opened the tournament Wednesday with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce. On Thursday, he added another five bass weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces to his catch to make the top-20 cut in third place with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing, 30 pounds. He then caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces Friday to make the top-10 cut in first place. On Saturday, he caught another five bass weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces to secure his second Stren Series win.
"It was a real abrasive fishing situation," he said. "I used 20-pound-test Gamma fluorocarbon line just to be safe. The trick was to work the jig trough the thick cover, then swim it out. The Yamamoto grub is so soft and natural, it's an excellent choice when it's a tough bite."
Rounding out the top five pros are Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C. (10 bass, 31 pounds, 13 ounces, $10,000); George Acord, Jr., of Lancaster, Penn. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 3 ounces, $8,900); David Butenewicz Jr., of Monroeville N.J. (10 bass, 25 pounds, 14 ounces, $7,800); and Mike Hoskings of Dumfries, Va. (10 bass, 23 pounds, 1 ounce, $7,300).
David Gorsline of Lynchburg, Va., won the Co-angler Division thanks to a final-round total of eight bass weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces. Gorsline earned a 519VX Ranger plus $5,000 cash for a total award of $35,000.
"This is great," said Gorsline, competing in his very first FLW Outdoors tournament. "I practice a lot with James Dudley, a regular on the Stren Series, and I thought I would give it a shot."
Gorsline made the top-20 cut Thursday with a two-day total of nine bass weighing, 16 pounds, 7 ounces. He then caught three bass weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces with pro Bryan Perry of Raleigh, N.C., Friday to make the top-10 cut in sixth place. On Saturday, he caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 9 ounces to earn his first Stren Series victory.
"I'm definitely going to try it again," he said. "I would like to fish a Stren Series tournament in Florida during January when everyone else here in Virginia is shoveling snow."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeff Taylor of Olmstead, Ky. (seven bass, 15 pounds, 4 ounces, $4,000); Mike Orbell of Silver Spring, Md. (five bass, 12 pounds, 15 ounces, $3,420); Christopher Burns of Moncure, N.C. (eight bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces, $2,420); and Butch Zadlo of Boone, N.C. (four bass, 11 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,920).
Finishing in sixth place was 16-year-old Josh Wagy of Dewitt, Va., with six bass weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces. Wagy won the National Guard Junior World Championship on Lake Neely Henry July 31 in the 15 to 18 age group. He bested the second place angler by nearly five pounds during that event.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to Friday. Anglers start at zero Friday and compete for 10 spots in each division Saturday. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from Friday and Saturday.
The top 40 pros and top 40 co-anglers from each of the Stren Series' five divisions - Central, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast and Western - following four tournaments in each division will advance to the $1 million Stren Series Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Nov. 1-4 where they will fish for top awards of $140,000 and $70,000, respectively. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also earn a spot in the new $2 million 2007 Forrest Wood Cup where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and Ranger owners' tournaments for bass fishing's first $1 million top award.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
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