EUFAULA, Okla. (April 11, 2005) - Boater Jason Christie of Park Hill earned $3,880 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Okie Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Eufaula. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Okie Division events and featured 122 boaters vying for the win, which earned Christie 200 points in the Boater Division.
Christie's winning catch of five bass weighed 21 pounds, 3 ounces. Christie was slow-rolling a spinnerbait along rocky points to catch his bass. Christie earned an additional $1,000 for the Garmin contingency award and another $1,000 for the Ranger Cup award.
Finishing second was Wade Ramsey of Midwest City with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces that earned him $1,940. Seth Valentine of Edmond claimed $1,268 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces. In fourth was Andy Carroll of Ft. Smith, Ark., with four bass weighing 12 pounds, 11 ounces worth $988, and finishing fifth and earning $811 was Nick Frakes of Gravette, Ark., with four bass weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces.
Steve Dowty of Claremore took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $610 for a 7-pound, 2-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a Carolina-rig.
Mike Leland of Collinsville earned $1,855 as the co-angler winner, thanks to three bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught on a Wiggle Wart crawdad. Leland won an additional $285 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with 5-pound, 15-ounce bass.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Ron Cheshier of Owasso (three bass, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, $928); Chris Wall of Bentonville, Ark., (three bass, 8 pounds, 6 ounces, $608); Jerry Corbett of Chouteau (three bass, 6 pounds, 11 ounces, $472); and Thomas C. Hill of Dallas, Texas (one bass, 5 pounds, 6 ounces, $388).
The Okie Division's next event will be held May 7 on Ft. Gibson Lake near Sequoyah, followed by an event on Grand Lake near Monkey Island June 4. The Okie Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 17-18 with a two-day Super Tournament on Grand Lake near Grove.