Hill Leads Field At Alabama River

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - May 23, 2003 - In layman's terms Kenyon Hill is kicking butt in the CITGO Bassmaster Tour presented by Busch Beer event on the Alabama River. The only thing is no one is really paying any attention.

In one of the wilder days in Bassmaster competition the leader of the event took a backseat to several things, including Jay Yelas winning the Busch BASS Angler of the Year title, the final field being set for the CITGO Bassmaster Classic, and a disqualification that affected all of those things.

No one in the sport has ever seen a day quite like this one.

There are a couple of anglers who would rather they hadn't seen it

They don't include Hill whose two-day total is 36 pounds. He's followed by Yelas, who put an exclamation point to his Angler of the Year title, by moving to second with 34 pounds, 1 ounce. Yelas is already guaranteed a $100,000 payday by virtue of the title, and could add another $100,000 in the next two days.

Those remaining in the way include Pete Ponds of Madison, Miss. (3rd place with 32-6); Harold Allen of Shelbyville, Texas (4th, 31-0); Peter E. Thliveros of Jacksonville, Fla. (5th, 30-3); Takahiro Omori of Emory, Texas (6th, 29-5); Edwin Evers of Mannsville, Okla. (7th, 26-15); Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. (8th, 26-1); Brent Chapman of Shawnee, Kan. (9th, 24-11); Jeff Kriet of Ardmore, Okla. (10th, 24-12); Mark Menendez of Paducah, Ky. (11th, 24-2) and Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas (12th, 23-12).

Missing from that field is Dustin Wilks of Raleigh, N.C. Wilks finished the day in 8th place with 26-11, but was disqualified after he realized that he had unknowingly fished within 800 feet of one of the dams on the river. The area was off limits. As a result, his second day weight was erased and Wilks dropped to 42nd place.

The disqualification produced a topsy-turvy outcome for several of the anglers. For starters, Rowland moved into the semi-final 12. But the action had far-reaching impacts, including how the Classic field shaped up.

Prior to Wilks' disqualification, the last man in the field was Joe Thomas, who was tied with Matt Reed in 42nd place in the point standings. Thomas, by virtue of catching just 4 pounds, 5 ounces more during the course of the season, was in the Classic.

After the disqualification though, the point standings were calculated again, and this time Matt Reed came out on top and moved into the Classic.

"Devastating,'' is all Thomas could say. It is the ninth time in Thomas' career that he has fallen out of the Classic in the final day of competition.

The little bit of drama of the second day, though, won't be hard to overcome in the semi-final round. All of the anglers in the semi-final are guaranteed a spot in the Classic and the Angler of the Year race is over.

But all of the anglers will start at zero on Saturday and move to a six-hole course on Lake Jordon, just upriver from the last two days' tournament waters.

BASS tournament director, Trip Weldon, bills the new water as the premier spotted bass fishery in the country. Weights are expected to be heavy and with the top anglers in the country laying it on the line, "There's a whole lot of excitement left,'' Weldon said.

The majority of the anglers in the semi-final field caught the stringers of largemouth and spotted bass in extreme shallow water. Many of them like Hill and Yelas, targeted the waters directly below one of two dams that flow out of Lake Jordon and eventually into the Alabama River.

For Yelas, his stringers were caught in a no-man's land just 500-yards below Jordon Dam on the Coosa River. The area is basically inaccessible when the river is at normal flow and could be treacherous. Yelas, though, made up his mind early on that is where he would fish the tournament.

"My strategy was to get there whatever it took,'' Yelas said. "I knew I would either knock my prop off or win the Angler of the Year.''

It was an almost identical situation to his Classic victory 10 months earlier on the same river, but further upriver on Lay Lake.

"I have an affinity for that type water,'' he said. "I won the Classic like that and it gets in your blood.''

The difference in the final two days of the event, though, is the six-hole course is set right above the dam on Lake Jordon.

The tournament resumes Saturday at 6 a.m. with the weigh in starting at 3:30 p.m.

TELEVISION
The event from Montgomery will be telecast on ESPN2 in two parts. Part one airs May 31 at 10:30 a.m. (ET) and part two will air on June 7 at 10:30 a.m. The season finale will also be telecast at a special time, 6 p.m. on June 22 on ESPN2.

BASS ON THE INTERNET
For information and news about BASS events, www.bassmaster.com is available to members of the media and the general public and provides daily wrap-ups and standings from each event as well as schedules of events and other BASS news.

BASS SPONSORS
Sponsors of the CITGO Bassmaster Tour 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, and BankOne.

Associate Sponsors include Bass Cat Boats, G3 Boats and Bryant Heating and Cooling.

Sponsored locally by the City of Montgomery; State of Alabama Department of Conservation and Jubilee Cityfest.

CITGO Bassmaster Tour presented by Busch Beer
Alabama River; Montgomery, Ala.
P r o S t a n d i n g s D a y 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 10 36-00 175 $1,000

Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 17-03
2. Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas 10 34-01 174 $

Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 18-02
3. Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 10 32-06 173 $

Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 15-14
4. Harold Allen Shelbyville, Texas 10 31-00 172 $

Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 18-02
5. Peter E. Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 10 30-03 171 $

Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 12-15
6. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 10 29-05 170 $

Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 8-00
7. Edwin Evers Mannsville, Okla. 10 26-15 169 $

Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 13-05
8. Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 10 26-01 168 $1,000

Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 8-10
9. Brent Chapman Shawnee, Kan. 10 24-14 167 $

Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-13
10. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 10 24-12 166 $

Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 11-07
11. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 10 24-02 165 $

Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 13-07
12. Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas 10 23-12 164 $

Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 9-15

THE FOLLOWING ANGLERS DID NOT QUALIFY FOR SATURDAY'S SEMI-FINALS

13. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 8 23-04 163 $6,500

Day 1: 3 3-12 Day 2: 5 19-08
14. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 10 23-03 162 $6,000

Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 10-08
15. Kelly Jordon Mineola, Texas 10 22-15 161 $5,500

Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 11-06
16. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 10 22-10 160 $5,000

Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 11-05
17. Roland Martin Clewiston, Fla. 10 21-01 159 $4,500

Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 10-03
18. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 10 20-13 158 $4,000

Day 1: 5 8-12 Day 2: 5 12-01
19. Alton Jones Waco, Texas 9 19-10 157 $3,800

Day 1: 4 8-14 Day 2: 5 10-12
20. Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala. 10 18-12 156 $3,700

Day 1: 5 6-13 Day 2: 5 11-15
21. Ishama Monroe Patterson, Calif. 9 18-10 155 $3,000

Day 1: 4 6-09 Day 2: 5 12-01
22. Jimmy D. Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 10 18-07 154 $3,000

Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 7-05
23. Curt Lytle Suffolk, Va. 10 18-06 153 $3,000

Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 8-02
24. Matt Reed Madisonville, Texas 8 17-15 152 $3,000

Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 3 3-03
25. Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark. 9 17-06 151 $3,000

Day 1: 4 8-00 Day 2: 5 9-06
26. Tom Mann, Jr. Buford, Ga. 7 16-15 150 $

Day 1: 2 2-13 Day 2: 5 14-02
27. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 8 16-14 149 $

Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 3 5-13
28. Mark Tyler Concord, Calif. 8 16-05 148 $

Day 1: 3 4-10 Day 2: 5 11-11
29. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky. 10 16-03 147 $

Day 1: 5 7-14 Day 2: 5 8-05
30. Bud Pruitt Spring, Texas 8 15-15 146 $

Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 3 4-11
31. David Wharton Sam Rayburn, Texas 8 15-14 145 $

Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 3 4-11
32. Jack L. Wade Knoxville, Tenn. 8 15-08 144 $

Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 3 4-12
33. Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 8 15-07 143 $

Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 3 4-07
34. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, Ill. 9 14-03 142 $

Day 1: 5 7-15 Day 2: 4 6-04
35. Ron Shuffield Bismarck, Ark. 8 14-00 141 $

Day 1: 4 7-13 Day 2: 4 6-03
36. Jay Kendrick Ooltewah, Tenn. 7 13-14 140 $

Day 1: 5 8-14 Day 2: 2 5-00
37. Elton Luce Jr. Brookeland, Texas 8 13-09 139 $

Day 1: 5 8-05 Day 2: 3 5-04
38. Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville, Fla. 8 13-07 138 $

Day 1: 5 9-02 Day 2: 3 4-05
39. Roger Boler Slidell, La. 8 13-05 137 $

Day 1: 3 5-01 Day 2: 5 8-04
40. Mark Kile Payson, Ariz. 7 13-01 136 $

Day 1: 5 8-15 Day 2: 2 4-02
40. Todd Faircloth Jasper, Texas 7 13-01 136 $

Day 1: 5 9-06 Day 2: 2 3-11
42. Lance Vick Mineola, Texas 6 12-05 134 $

Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 1 1-14
42. Dustin Wilks Raleigh, N.C. 5 12-05 134 $

Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Terry Scroggins Palatka, Fla. 7 10-12 132 $

Day 1: 3 3-13 Day 2: 4 6-15
45. Jim Bitter Fruitland Park, Fla. 7 10-07 131 $

Day 1: 3 4-05 Day 2: 4 6-02
46. Tommy Stiles McMinnville, Tenn. 6 9-14 130 $

Day 1: 4 4-15 Day 2: 2 4-15
47. Joe Thomas Milford, Ohio 5 9-03 129 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 9-03
48. Jeff Reynolds Platter, Okla. 7 8-12 128 $

Day 1: 5 6-09 Day 2: 2 2-03
49. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 4 8-01 127 $

Day 1: 4 8-01 Day 2: 0 0-00
50. Allen Armour Jonesboro, Ga. 3 4-06 126 $

Day 1: 3 4-06 Day 2: 0 0-00

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Bass
Day
1 Mark Davis Mount Ida, Ark. 6-08 $1,000
2 Kenyon Hill Norman, Okla. 5-06 $1,000
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 36 224 500-12
2 29 196 429-05
----------------------------------

65 420 930-01

CITGO Bassmaster Tour presented by Busch Beer
Alabama River; Montgomery, Ala.
A m S t a n d i n g s D a y 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Ken T. Walters Pike Road, Ala. 9 21-12 $

Day 1: 4 12-09 Day 2: 5 9-03
2. Dennis Hamel Plainville, Kan. 8 21-07 $

Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 3 5-15
3. Bill Chicos Valparaiso, Ind. 9 21-00 $

Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 4 6-01
4. Brandon Norris Haleyville, Ala. 7 18-05 $500

Day 1: 2 8-08 Day 2: 5 9-13
5. Rick Pelletier Houston, Texas 5 15-03 $500

Day 1: 2 7-06 Day 2: 3 7-13
6. Donald Muir Baltimore, Md. 7 15-00 $

Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 2 2-06
7. Michael Fink Jacksonville, Fla. 9 14-12 $

Day 1: 5 7-08 Day 2: 4 7-04
8. Joe R. Rials Lafayette, La. 8 13-14 $

Day 1: 5 9-04 Day 2: 3 4-10
9. Richard Predmore Bainbridge, Ga. 5 13-12 $

Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 0 0-00
10. Jamie Horton Centreville, Ala. 7 13-07 $

Day 1: 2 4-08 Day 2: 5 8-15
11. Dennis Skaggs Daleville, Ala. 7 12-12 $

Day 1: 2 1-14 Day 2: 5 10-14
12. James Rigsby Jasper, Ala. 3 11-09 $

Day 1: 2 7-10 Day 2: 1 3-15

THE FOLLOWING ANGLERS DID NOT QUALIFY FOR SATURDAY'S FINAL ROUND

13. Edward F Singleton Anderson, S.C. 6 10-08 $1,200

Day 1: 2 4-15 Day 2: 4 5-09
14. E. Wayne Russell, Jr. Montgomery, Ala. 6 10-07 $1,200

Day 1: 3 4-02 Day 2: 3 6-05
15. John Hall Fairhope, Ala. 3 8-09 $1,200

Day 1: 3 8-09 Day 2: 0 0-00
16. Skip Mundy Cusseta, Ga. 5 7-14 $1,100

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 7-14
17. Erving H. Edmond, Jr Mobile, Ala. 4 7-05 $1,100

Day 1: 2 3-05 Day 2: 2 4-00
18. Donald D. Phillips Jacksonville, Fla. 4 7-01 $1,100

Day 1: 4 7-01 Day 2: 0 0-00
19. Kevin Louis Porche Gretna, La. 3 6-14 $1,100

Day 1: 2 5-12 Day 2: 1 1-02
20. Jimmy Miller Madison, Miss. 4 6-08 $967

Day 1: 4 6-08 Day 2: 0 0-00
20. Michael Burchett Pulaski, Va. 5 6-08 $967

Day 1: 4 5-06 Day 2: 1 1-02
20. Earl E. Johnson Powell, Tenn. 3 6-08 $967

Day 1: 1 3-13 Day 2: 2 2-11
23. Jamie Mills Resaca, Ga. 4 6-07 $900

Day 1: 2 4-08 Day 2: 2 1-15
24. Ty Story Montgomery, Ala. 3 6-05 $900

Day 1: 2 4-00 Day 2: 1 2-05
25. Al Redding Notasulga, Ala. 4 5-11 $900

Day 1: 1 2-01 Day 2: 3 3-10
26. Ernie Hillebrandt Sam Rayburn, Texas 4 5-08 $

Day 1: 2 2-10 Day 2: 2 2-14
26. Dennis W. Meredith Springtown, Texas 2 5-08 $

Day 1: 1 2-12 Day 2: 1 2-12
28. Marshall Cauthen Carrollton, Ga. 3 4-10 $

Day 1: 2 2-15 Day 2: 1 1-11
29. Les Underwood Louisville, Ky. 4 4-09 $

Day 1: 2 2-04 Day 2: 2 2-05
30. David L. Cannon Baton Rouge, La. 1 3-15 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 3-15
30. Terry Chapman Cornelius, N.C. 3 3-15 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 3-15
32. Gil B. Phillips Alba, Texas 2 3-13 $

Day 1: 2 3-13 Day 2: 0 0-00
33. Rock Rowell Wiggins, Miss. 2 3-10 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 3-10
34. Dewey G. McDaniel New Brockton, Ala. 2 3-07 $

Day 1: 1 2-01 Day 2: 1 1-06
34. Roger Stephens Knoxville, Tenn. 2 3-07 $

Day 1: 1 1-14 Day 2: 1 1-09
36. Michael Hadley Perdido, Ala. 2 3-03 $

Day 1: 2 3-03 Day 2: 0 0-00
37. Edward J. Hermoyian Roswell, Ga. 2 3-00 $

Day 1: 2 3-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
38. Steve A. Galberaith Alpharetta, Ga. 2 2-10 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 2-10
39. Jim Sparrow Prattville, Ala. 2 2-08 $

Day 1: 1 1-02 Day 2: 1 1-06
40. Clyde Roberts Marshall, N.C. 2 2-06 $

Day 1: 1 1-00 Day 2: 1 1-06
41. Gary J. Draper Knoxville, Tenn. 1 1-07 $

Day 1: 1 1-07 Day 2: 0 0-00
42. Chris Koester Clemmons, N.C. 1 1-06 $

Day 1: 1 1-06 Day 2: 0 0-00
43. Greg Prince Crestview, Fla. 1 1-03 $

Day 1: 1 1-03 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Tom Kelly Mexia, Ala. 0 0-00 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Robert W. Bryant Cedar Bluff, Ala. 0 0-00 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Randy King Auburn, Ala. 0 0-00 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Michael E. Dunn Johnsburg, Ill. 0 0-00 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Grant Olguin San Ramon, Calif. 0 0-00 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00
44. Phillip Hoomes Brewton, Ala. 0 0-00 $

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Bass
Day
1 Brandon Norris Haleyville, Ala. 6-02 $500
2 Rick Pelletier Houston, Texas 5-06 $500
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 6 94 206-10
2 5 82 142-13
----------------------------------

11 176 349-07

05/23/03
CITGO Bassmaster Tour
Busch BASS Angler of the Year Standings
-------------------------------------------
Place Name St Pts
-------------------------------------------
*001 Jay Yelas Texas 1463
002 Alton Jones Texas 1447
003 Mark Davis Ark. 1439
004 Roger Boler La. 1419
005 John Murray Ariz. 1417
006 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Fla. 1404
007 Mike Wurm Ark. 1389
008 Kelly Jordon Texas 1377
009 Skeet Reese Calif. 1375
009 Bud Pruitt Texas 1375
011 Zell Rowland Texas 1374
012 Mark Kile Ariz. 1369
013 Gary Klein Texas 1367
014 Kevin VanDam Mich. 1359
015 Elton Luce Jr. Texas 1339
016 Dustin Wilks N.C. 1314
017 Brent Chapman Kan. 1311
018 Ishama Monroe Calif. 1305
019 Mike Reynolds Calif. 1304
019 Tom Mann, Jr. Ga. 1304
021 Jeff Kriet Okla. 1303
022 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 1296
023 Harold Allen Texas 1290
024 Jay Kendrick Tenn. 1286
025 Todd Faircloth Texas 1276
026 Peter E. Thliveros Fla. 1267
027 Ron Shuffield Ark. 1264
028 Edwin Evers Okla. 1245
029 Kenyon Hill Okla. 1244
030 Randy Howell Ala. 1241
031 Jim Bitter Fla. 1229
032 Tim Horton Ala. 1227
033 Curt Lytle Va. 1226
034 Kevin Wirth Ky. 1221
035 Mark Menendez Ky. 1212
036 Chad Morgenthaler Ill. 1208
037 Roland Martin Fla. 1206
037 Jack L. Wade Tenn. 1206
039 Gerald Swindle Ala. 1203
040 Takahiro Omori Texas 1196
041 Tommy Stiles Tenn. 1189
042 Matt Reed Texas 1186

The following anglers did not qualify for this summer's CITGO Bassmaster Classic

043 Joe Thomas Ohio 1185
044 Jimmy D. Mize Ark. 1183
045 Pete Ponds Miss. 1169
046 Mark Tyler Calif. 1160
047 Terry Scroggins Fla. 1156
048 David Wharton Texas 1155
049 Allen Armour Ga. 1146
050 Lance Vick Texas 1137

* Indicates Busch BASS Angler of the Year