FORT WORTH, Texas - Who says dreams don't come true? It was just last week that Jacksonville , Fla., native Peter Thliveros dreamt during his sleep that he had won a BASS tournament. He woke up not lending much credence to the premonition but on Sunday, that dream became reality as the former Italian chef secured a solid creel - 10 pounds, 5 ounces - to win the Bassmaster Memorial bass fishing tournament and the $250,000 top prize. His 25-pound, 8-ounce, two-day total bested New Jersey angler Michael Iaconelli by more than three pounds.
"The dream was very life-like but I didn't think much about it afterwards," said Thliveros. "When I pulled into the arena and realized Edwin Evers had done well - as he had in my dream - I choked up."
Dreams aside, Thliveros rode a wave of confidence into Sunday's finale. "Peter T." - as he's known to fans - had an unproductive practice period but eventually developed a jig pattern right before competition began. He used two Team Supreme jigs to boat nearly all of his fish, including the four he caught on Sunday.
"I had a real cold streak in practice and I just couldn't get anything going," Thliveros said. "But persistence paid off and in the last few minutes of practice, I found something that worked."
After a nine-year drought, the 17-year veteran's last BASS win came in January 2005 in his home state of Florida at the Harris Chain of Lakes. That win was worth $100,000 and has marked a resurgence of sorts for the 46-year-old, he said. In 2006, he has made the top 50 cut in four of the five Elite Series tournaments.
Although Iaconelli ultimately fell short - totaling 22 pounds, 3 ounces in the last two days - the 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion has yet to finish a tournament lower than 20th place. He won $100,000 at the Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville in Alabama earlier this season.
Eerily similar to Thliveros' dream, Evers took the third-place spot with 20- 4. Mark Menendez of Kentucky came in fourth with 17-14, Skeet Reese of California was in fifth with 14-4 and Greg Hackney of Louisiana rounded out the Super Six with 9-13.
The Memorial marked Reese's 27th top-10 BASS finish and despite not getting the win, the angler said he is looking forward to the next Bassmaster Major, the Bassmaster American on July 27-30 at Lake Wylie in Charlotte, N.C., and the $250,000 top prize.
"The money is insane with these Majors," Reese said. "These are the greatest events because you can swing for the fences and the reward at the end of the rainbow is fantastic."
Two more millionaires
Two more anglers joined the BASS millionaires club on Sunday with their wins at the Bassmaster Memorial in Fort Worth.
Thliveros' first-place finish earned him $250,000. Along with the additional $5,000 he won in tournament contingency awards, he now has total BASS career earnings of $1,160,439.
Iaconelli also joined the club because of his second-place paycheck of $33,500. He now has $1,007,829. "It seems like yesterday I was fishing for $30 or $50 in local tournaments," said Iaconelli, who has fished professionally for seven years. "It's an incredible feeling."
There are 15 anglers who have earned more than $1 million by fishing BASS. Leading is Kevin VanDam with $1,984,808. Also included are anglers Denny Brauer, Rick Clunn, Gary Klein, Shaw Grigsby, Davy Hite and Zell Rowland.
A new perspective When the format for the Bassmaster Majors was announced last year, Kentucky angler Mark Menendez didn't believe he would have the opportunity to fish. Entry was based on the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings from the past three years and because he contracted viral meningitis, Menendez only fished in six tournaments in 2005, leaving him short in AOY points.
BASS officials gave the 40-year-old from Paducah a medical exemption entry into the Memorial and the angler made the most of his entry, finishing fourth with a two-day catch of 17 pounds, 14 ounces.
Menendez' life-threatening illness has changed his outlook on fishing - and life. "I'm fortunate just to be standing here. I realize that every day," he said. "I'm fortunate to have a beautiful wife and two beautiful children so fishing has now become secondary in my life. It's my vocation and I want to do well, but it just doesn't have the same importance it once did." The fourth-place finish was his first top 10 of the year and earned him $22,000. "The illness just made me realize there are more important things in life than catching a bass," Menendez said. "But I'm not belittling what we do for a living., I felt a tremendous amount of pressure to make the Bassmaster Classic and make the finances to continue the fishing machine, so to speak." Menendez, who thanked his family while he was on weigh-in stage at the Will Rogers Coliseum, feels a little different now.
2006 Bassmaster Memorial 05/18-05/21
Eagle Mountain Lake, Ft. Worth Texas
(PRO Division) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 8 25-08 0 $255,000.00
Day 1: 5 8-03 Day 2: 4 13-12 Day 3: 4 15-03 Day 4: 4 10-05
2. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 9 22-03 0 $33,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 4 10-12 Day 4: 5 11-07
3. Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 8 20-04 0 $28,500.00
Day 1: 4 8-02 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 3 7-03 Day 4: 5 13-01
4. Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 6 17-14 0 $22,000.00
Day 1: 3 12-03 Day 2: 4 8-11 Day 3: 5 13-14 Day 4: 1 4-00
5. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 6 14-04 0 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 4 10-09 Day 4: 2 3-11
6. Greg Hackney Gonzales, La. 4 9-13 0 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 9-11 Day 3: 3 7-10 Day 4: 1 2-03
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Big Bass
Day
1 Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky. 7-01 $1,000.00
2 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 7-00 $1,000.00
3 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 7-05 $1,000.00
4 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 4-09 $1,000.00
Big Bass of Tournament
Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 7-05 $1,000.00
Busch Heavyweight
Day
1 David Wolak Warrior Run, Pa. 16-14 $1,000.00
2 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 16-14 $1,000.00
3 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville, Fla. 15-03 $1,000.00
4 Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 13-01 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 23 201 455-11
2 17 181 400-15
3 1 33 89-06
4 2 18 44-11
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43 433 990-11