MORGAN CITY, La. (Feb. 13, 2004) - Temperatures continued to drop Friday and rain fell as it has the entire tournament, but co-angler Judy Israel, a former elementary school teacher from the South Bronx, must prefer the unpleasant conditions, as she caught three bass weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces to win the FLW Tour bass fishing tournament on the Atchafalaya Basin. The historic win is a first for a woman angler.
"I'm so nervous, so happy," said Israel, a 58-year-old grandmother of two who moved from New York to Clewiston, Fla., and started fishing seven years ago. "I've dreamed about this moment for so long."
Israel caught her bass Friday using a technique that she dreads - flipping. She stuck with the unfamiliar tactic using a borrowed flipping stick and a 4-inch Gambler tube with a 1/4-ounce sinker. She flipped the bait to wood cover while fishing clear water with veteran pro Dean Rojas of Grand Saline, Texas.
"I just try to learn as much as possible every time I go on the water," Israel said. "If my partner is talkative, I ask a million questions. All of the great professionals I've fished with are part of this win."
Israel advanced to the final round as the No. 5 seed with a two-day total of five bass weighing 10 pounds, 11 ounces. She will be fishing the EverStart Series Northern Division as a pro starting in June. Her $20,000 win here will further advance her status as the leading female money winner in FLW Tour history. She also collected a $500 Wal-Mart gift card from Castrol and $500 worth of Castrol products for the win.
Israel first made a name for herself in fishing circles in 1999 when she became the first woman to crack the top 10 in FLW Tour competition, finishing ninth on Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
Rounding out the top three co-anglers are Donald Braud of Woodville, Miss. (two bass, 3 pounds, 13 ounces, $10,000) and Leon Williams of Fairdale, Ky. (one bass, 2 pounds, 7 ounces, $9,000).
Pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., took the Pro Division lead Friday with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces. He caught the bass by flipping hyacinth mats in clear water. His bait of choice was a Zoom Vibe craw in black sapphire with a 1-ounce tungsten weight.
Baumgardner caught eight bass weighing 26 pounds, 10 ounces during the opening round to advance to the finals as the No. 3 seed.
"I tried everything else, and flipping is the only pattern that I could figure out," said Baumgardner, and FLW Tour veteran who last made the top 10 in 1999. "I probably caught a dozen to 15 keepers today, and I'm getting more confident every day."
Rounding out the top five pros are Sam Swett of Covington, La. (five bass, 12 pounds, 14 ounces); Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis. (five bass, 12 pounds, 6 ounces); Steve Tosh of Waterford, Calif. (four bass, 8 pounds, 6 ounces); and Randy Blaukat of Lamar, Mo. (four bass, 7 pounds, 12 ounces).
So far, 1,215 bass weighing a total of 2,951 pounds, 13 ounces have been weighed in. More than 99 percent of the bass have been released alive, thanks in part to an all-new, state-of-the-art Crestliner release boat that will be used at every FLW Tour stop in 2004. If the tour maintains a 98 percent live-release rate throughout the season, Energizer will donate $25,000 to the Children's Miracle Network.
Bill McDonlad earned the Energizer Keeps on Going Award and a $500 Wal-Mart gift card for advancing to the final round as the No. 10 seed after finishing 44th on opening day. He also earned the Schick Close Shave Award, a $100 Wal-Mart gift card and a selection of Schick products for advancing to the finals in the last qualifying position.
Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., earned the Shop-Vac Clean Sweep Award and a selection of four Shop-Vac products for advancing to the finals as the No. 1 seed with 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 11 ounces.
The four-day tournament is the second of seven events that comprise the FLW Tour, which culminates with the Championship and Outdoor Show in Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 11-14.