BENTON, Ky. (May 17, 2003) - Pro Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., collected $100,000 cash Saturday on Kentucky and Barkley lakes as winner of the four-day FLW Tour bass fishing tournament. Kennedy caught 10 bass over two days that weighed 44 pounds, 14 ounces to score his first FLW Tour win by a 10-pound, 1-ounce margin.
Kennedy finished the two-day opening round in sixth place to advance to Friday's competition, where he finished first with a five-bass catch weighing 23 pounds, 1 ounce. He added another five bass Saturday that weighed 21 pounds, 13 ounces to remain in first place and secure his spot in the winner's circle by the widest margin all season.
Rain that pounded the lakes overnight continued to fall intermittently Saturday, adding even more water to the already flooded reservoirs. Rising water failed to hamper Kentucky Lake fishing, however, as Kennedy stumbled upon a mother lode Friday and milked it again Saturday for another 20-plus-pound sack of bass.
"I practiced for a week and never caught a 4-pounder, but the last four days have been the best tournament days of my life," said Kennedy, who caught his bass on a Carolina-rigged green pumpkin Senko while fishing a flat in 8 to 10 feet of water. "I hammered that hole for two days, and I'm really surprised at what I got out of it. This is just icing on the cake."
The Kennedy family is no stranger to Kentucky Lake. Kennedy's father, Van, a 20-year FLW Outdoors competitor, was a contender in the 1983 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American on the reservoir.
Kennedy began his FLW Outdoors career in the Bass Fishing League and has appeared in the All-American twice, finishing third in 2002. He racked up five BFL tournament wins in four years in three different divisions. In 2000, he added EverStart Series events to his schedule and is currently ranked third in the Eastern Division points standings. This is his second season on the FLW Tour, where his previous best finish was a 16th-place effort on Lake Okeechobee. With his $100,000 win Saturday, Kennedy's career FLW Outdoors earnings now approach the $200,000 mark.
If it weren't for co-angler Ralph Wilson, Kennedy might have never found his lucrative honeyhole. "I fished with Ralph, who finished fifth on the co-angler side," Kennedy said. "We kind of butted heads because he wanted to drag the ledges, and I wanted to fish the bushes. I don't think either one of us had any idea how many fish were out there. You had to wade through the first 70 or 80 fish to get to the big ones. It's been an incredible week."
Rounding out the top five pros are Davy Hite of Prosperity, S.C. (10 bass, 34 pounds, 13 ounces, $35,000); Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis. (10 bass, 29 pounds, 11 ounces, $20,000); Mike Surman of Boca Raton, Fla. (10 bass, 29 pounds, 7 ounces, $16,000); and Jeffrey Thomas of Broadway, N.C. (10 bass, 26 pounds, 1 ounce, $14,000).
Ryan Chandler of Hobart, Ind., claimed $15,000 Friday as the co-angler winner thanks to a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces. He also earned a $500 Wal-Mart gift card from Castrol and $500 worth of Castrol products for the win.
Surman won a $500 Wal-Mart gift card plus a selection of Stanley tools as the winner of the Stanley Accuracy Cast Award, which goes to the angler who pitches a jig closest to a specified target.
Local pro and Angler of the Year points leader Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., retained his position atop the points standings despite finishing 55th on Kentucky Lake. His nearest challenger, David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., finished 30th to hold on to the No. 2 spot in angler standings. Morehead entered the Kentucky Lake event with a 51-point lead over Dudley and leaves with the lead whittled to 26 with one event left on the schedule.
One hundred and seventy-five pros and 175 co-anglers kicked off the tournament from Kentucky Dam Marina in Gilbertsville Wednesday and competed for two days for one of 10 final-round spots in their respective divisions. The Kentucky Lake event is the fifth of six regular-season FLW Tour events that lead to the $1.5 million Jacobs Cup on the James River in Richmond, Va., Sept. 10-13. The road to Richmond, Va., is indeed paved with gold, as the Jacobs Cup champion will collect $500,000, the largest guaranteed cash award in bass-fishing history.