AUGUSTA, Ga. - Another day, another leader at the Bassmaster Tour bass fishing event on Clarks Hill Reservoir, but this time the leader is also the winner. In Augusta, where the Masters is king, this week it was the Bassmasters, and California's Mike Reynolds was the best of the best, topping the field with a four-day catch weighing 52 pounds, 11 ounces.
Despite the fact that he had only a small five-bass limit today weighing just eight pounds, 10 ounces, Reynolds outlasted the rest of the Super Six to take home the winner's check for $100,000. As he put things, "It was just meant to be."
Reynolds' biggest bass of the day was blind in one eye, and his last fish came with just 10 minutes to go on the final day, but it was enough to edge Arkansas' Jimmy Mize by five ounces.
Reynolds started the tournament in 24th place after the first day, but crept up the leaderboard each round, jumping to sixth on Day Two and all the way to second on Day Three.
"This is my new favorite lake, and this is the best crowd in the world," Reynolds said as he accepted the first-place trophy and an ovation from the audience. He was emotional when he explained how important the victory is to him.
"It'll change my life," he said. "It puts money in the bank and helps me with my sponsorships. It just means so much and gives me so much confidence. You know, you can't win a second one of these things until you've won your first."
Reynolds used a spinnerbait to carry him into the winner's circle - slow-rolling it through cover in the backs of pockets - but it was his last and smallest fish of the day that guaranteed his victory.
"I had been fishing the spinnerbait all day - all tournament," he said, "but I knew I had to have one more fish to fill out my limit and give myself a chance to win.
"I started looking for something different and went to a new place that I hadn't fished before. It was a crazy place - a little pocket with a lot of grass that looked like hay. I threw the spinnerbait at it but didn't get anything, so I cast a black and blue tube in there and shook it. When I lifted the bait, I could feel the fish, and I set the hook."
That last bass, which weighed less than a pound, made all the difference. It gave Reynolds a five ounce edge over Jimmy Mize and the esteemed title of Bassmaster Tour winner.
Despite taking the top spot in one of the most interesting and hotly contested Tour events in recent memory, Reynolds talked mostly about the lake.
"Clarks Hill is just a fantastic place to fish," he said. "There are lots of bass and absolutely any kind of cover or structure that you could ever want to fish. It's an amazing place."
Mize's second-place finish is the best of his career and moves him into second in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, 39 points behind Florida's Terry Scroggins.
Tour rookie Terry Butcher of Oklahoma finished third with 50 pounds and moved into fifth place in the Toyota Rookie of the Year standings.
Texas' David Wharton used today's catch weighing 12 pounds, eight ounces to lift him from sixth place and the final qualifying spot into fourth with 48-13.
The Day Three leader, 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion Michael Iaconelli, struggled today and weighed in just two bass totaling three pounds, one ounce. It was good enough for a four-day tally of 47-8 and fifth place.
The Big Bass of the day weighed four pounds, four ounces and belonged to North Carolina's Guy Eaker. The lunker anchored his final round catch of two largemouths weighing five pounds, 11 ounces and left him in sixth place.
The Big Bass of the tournament belonged to non-boater David Hernandez of Alabama, whose eight pound, five ounce lunker earned him $500 as the Big Bass of Day Two on the non-boater side and an additional $1,000 as the best overall fish of the event.
The Bassmaster Tour event on Clarks Hill Lake will be telecast on The Bassmasters on Saturday, March 12 at 10:00 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
2005 Georgia Bassmaster Tour Pro 03/03-03/06 Clark Hill/Strom Thurmond Reservoir, Augusta, Ga. (PRO Division) Standings Day 4 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 19 52-11 305 $102,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 4 14-12 Day 3: 5 15-09 Day 4: 5 8-10 2. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 20 52-06 295 $38,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 12-02 Day 4: 5 11-11 3. Terry Butcher Talala, Okla. 20 50-00 290 $23,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 12-00 Day 4: 5 9-05 4. David Wharton Sam Rayburn, Texas 20 48-13 285 $21,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 7-01 Day 3: 5 10-10 Day 4: 5 12-08 5. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 17 47-08 285 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 14-09 Day 4: 2 3-01 6. Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 13 45-03 281 $17,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 1 3-07 Day 4: 2 5-11 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Bass Day 1 Frank Ippoliti Smithsburg, Md. 7-15 $1,000.00 2 Dion Hibdon Stover, Mo. 7-11 $1,000.00 3 Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 7-02 $1,000.00 4 Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 4-04 $1,000.00 Day 4 Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 4-04 $1,000.00 Day 1 Frank Ippoliti Smithsburg, Md. 26-07 $1,000.00 2 Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 20-07 $1,000.00 3 Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif. 15-09 $1,000.00 4 David Wharton Sam Rayburn, Texas 12-08 $1,000.00 Angler of the Year Leader Terry Scroggins Palatka, Fla. $1,000.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 91 613 1307-06 2 72 562 1061-14 3 6 42 100-11 4 4 24 50-14 ---------------------------------- 173 1241 2520-132005 Angler of the Year Pro Points After Augusta, Ga. Ending 03-06-2005, Day 4 ------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Terry Scroggins Fla. 923 2 Jimmy Mize Ark. 884 3 Marty Stone N.C. 872 4 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 868 5 Luke Clausen Wash. 866 6 Skeet Reese Calif. 855 7 Aaron Martens Calif. 854 8 Ron Shuffield Ark. 850 9 Kevin Wirth Ky. 848 10 Mark Tyler Ariz. 844 11 Guy Eaker N.C. 842 12 George Cochran Ark. 823 13 David Walker Tenn. 818 14 Edwin Evers Okla. 812 15 Mike Reynolds Calif. 804 16 Jay Yelas Texas 803 17 Dave Wolak Pa. 786 18 Tommy Biffle Okla. 780 19 Jeff Kriet Okla. 767 20 Takahiro Omori Texas 763 21 Bud Pruitt Texas 754 22 Brian Snowden Mo. 749 23 Rick Clunn Mo. 748 24 Gerald Swindle Ala. 742 25 Mark Tucker Mo. 735 26 Jay Kendrick Tenn. 734 27 Scott Rook Ark. 728 28 Tim Horton Ala. 715 29 Kevin VanDam Mich. 714 30 Greg Hackney La. 702 31 Andre Moore Ariz. 695 32 Todd Faircloth Texas 692 33 Larry Nixon Ark. 683 34 Preston Clark Fla. 672 35 Stephen Browning Ark. 666 36 John Crews Va. 663 37 Kelly Jordon Texas 658 38 David Gliebe Calif. 650 39 Scott Suggs Ark. 636 40 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 632 41 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 631 41 Robert Hamilton Jr Miss. 631 43 Davy Hite S.C. 624 44 Bernie Schultz Fla. 623 45 Frank Scalish Ohio 622 46 Mark Rizk Ala. 609 47 Zell Rowland Texas 604 47 Ishama Monroe Calif. 604 49 Mike Hicks Va. 599 50 Frank Ippoliti Md. 598 51 Brent Chapman Kan. 594 52 Terry Butcher Okla. 590 52 Jack A Gadlage Ky. 590 54 Dustin Wilks N.C. 585 55 David Fritts N.C. 578 55 Mark Rogers Fla. 578 57 Gary Yamamoto Texas 573 58 David Dudley Va. 568 59 Norio Tanabe Japan 565 60 Tommy Martin Texas 563 61 Mike Wurm Ark. 560 62 O T Fears III Okla. 559 63 Paul Elias Miss. 557 63 Jeff Magee Miss. 557 65 Roger Boler La. 553 66 Kevin Short Ark. 552 67 Denny Brauer Mo. 551 68 John Murray Ariz. 546 68 Rick Morris Va. 546 70 Lee Bailey Conn. 544 71 Art Ferguson III Mich. 542 71 Stacey D King Mo. 542 73 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 541 74 Curt Lytle Va. 530 75 David Wharton Texas 528 76 Gerald Gostenik Mich. 525 77 Chad Morgenthaler Ill. 521 78 Alton Jones Texas 520 79 Dion Hibdon Mo. 516 80 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Fla. 514 81 R J Bennett Calif. 512 82 Darryl Burkhardt Ore. 509 83 Woo Daves Va. 503 83 Dean Rojas Texas 503 85 Jimmy Houston Okla. 494 86 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 489 87 Pete Gluszek N.J. 484 88 Kenyon Hill Okla. 481 89 Jarrett Edwards Colo. 478 90 Randy Howell Ala. 477 90 Todd Auten S.C. 477 92 Peter E Thliveros Fla. 476 92 Doug Garrett Ark. 476 94 Jesse Draime Miss. 474 94 Russ Lane Ala. 474 96 Chris Baumgardner N.C. 471 97 Tommy Stiles Tenn. 465 98 Ben Matsubu Texas 456 98 Cliff Pace Miss. 456 100 Jason Quinn S.C. 448 101 Robert Lee Calif. 447 101 Randy Yarnall Pa. 447 103 Mike McClelland Ark. 445 104 Chad Brauer Mo. 444 105 Tim Loper Miss. 440 106 Gary Klein Texas 434 106 Tom Mann, Jr Ga. 434 108 Charlie Hartley Ohio 427 109 Roland Martin Fla. 423 110 Byron Velvick Nev. 416 111 Jim Bitter Fla. 413 112 Matt Reed Texas 410 113 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 405 114 Mike Auten Ky. 403 115 Chip Hawkins Ark. 402 116 Danny White Ga. 396 117 Harold Allen Texas 390 118 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 389 118 Chris Bielert Conn. 389 120 Joe Thomas Ohio 377 121 Eric Nethery Ga. 353 121 David Mansue N.J. 353 123 Mark Davis Ark. 344 123 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 344 125 Randy Blaukat Mo. 341 126 Mark Rose Ark. 339 127 Chris Daves Va. 338 128 Steve Sennikoff Texas 334 129 Johnny Lesesne Ga. 327 130 Charlie Weyer Calif. 323 131 Ken Cook Okla. 322 131 Marcel Veenstra Mich. 322 133 Kyle Mabrey Ala. 318 134 Jason Reyes Texas 314 134 Elton Luce Jr Texas 314 136 Jack Wade Tenn. 312 137 Homer Humphreys, Jr La. 311 138 Zachary Thompson Calif. 304 139 Cody Bird Texas 284 140 Terry Baksay Conn. 279 141 Jimmy Mason Ala. 275 142 Thad Takes Iowa 246 143 Pete Ponds Miss. 242 144 Brett Hite Ariz. 217 145 Sean Hoernke Texas 205 146 Steve Daniel Fla. 203 147 Mike O'Shea Calif. 197 148 Terry Adams La. 193 149 Tim Carroll Okla. 192 150 Brooks Rogers Texas 191 151 Mark Menendez Ky. 187 152 Louis Iribarren N.Y. 174 153 Charlie Youngers Fla. 168 154 Bradley Stringer Texas 155 155 Bink Desaro Idaho 149 156 Randy Dearman Texas 134 157 Grant Goldbeck Md. 103 158 David Cooke N.C. 33ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 2005 Tournament Year After AUGUSTA, GA ending 03-06-2005, Day 4 Place Angler Name City State Total Points 1 David Wolak Warrior Run Pa. 786 2 Andre Moore Scottsdale Ariz. 695 3 Preston Clark Palatka Fla. 672 4 David Gliebe Stockton Calif. 650 5 Terry Butcher Talala Okla. 590 6 Greg Gutierrez Red Bluff Calif. 541 7 Jesse Draime Long Beach Miss. 474 7 Russell Lane Prattville Ala. 474 9 Cliff Pace Petal Miss. 456 10 Fred Roumbanis Auburn Calif. 405 11 Chip Hawkins White Hall Ark. 402 12 Chris Bielert Danbury Conn. 389 13 Zachary Thompson Orinda Calif. 304 14 Thad Takes Center Point Iowa 246 15 Terry Adams Morgan City La. 193 16 Louis Iribarren Port Jervis N.Y. 174 17 Bradley Stringer Huntington Texas 155 18 Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg Md. 1032005 Horizon Award 2005 After AUGUSTA, GA ending 03-06-2005, Day 4 --------------------------------------------------------- Place Name 2004 Finish 2005 Standings --------------------------------------------------------- 1 Jay Kendrick 143 26 2 Frank Scalish 147 45 3 Stephen Browning 131 35 4 Gary Yamamoto 151 57 5 Michael Hicks 141 49 6 Jeff Kriet 109 19 7 Norio Tanabe 148 59 8 Roger Boler 153 65 9 Frank Ippoliti 135 50 10 Todd Faircloth 116 32 11 Robert Hamilton Jr 124 41 12 John Crews 107 36 13 Mike Reynolds 85 15 14 Jimmy Mize 67 2 14 Mark Tyler 75 10 16 Luke Clausen 67 5 17 Rick Morris 122 68 18 Morizo Shimizu 93 40 19 Guy Eaker 63 11 20 Pete Gluszek 138 87 21 Ron Shuffield 58 8 22 Woo Daves 127 83 23 Mark Rizk 89 46 24 Mike Wurm 103 61 24 Tommy Stiles 139 97 26 Jay Yelas 56 16 26 Doug Garrett 132 92 28 Terry Scroggins 40 1 28 Jeff Reynolds 80 41 28 Jarrett Edwards 128 89 31 George Cochran 48 12 31 David Fritts 91 55 33 Tommy Biffle 52 18 33 Kotaro Kiriyama 120 86 35 Curt Lytle 106 74 36 Bud Pruitt 51 21 37 Larry Nixon 62 33 38 Scott Rook 55 27 39 Kevin Wirth 33 9 39 Tom Mann, Jr 130 106 41 Rick Clunn 45 23 42 R J Bennett 102 81 43 Jimmy Houston 105 85 44 Gerald Gostenik 94 76 45 Edwin Evers 31 14 46 Byron Velvick 126 110 47 David Walker 27 13 48 Art Ferguson III 84 71 49 Jack A Gadlage 64 52 50 Marty Stone 14 3 50 Mark Tucker 36 25 52 Ishama Monroe 57 47 52 Mark Rogers 65 55 54 Brian Snowden 30 22 55 Johnny Lesesne 134 129 55 Ken Cook 136 131 55 Homer Humphreys, Jr 142 137 58 John Murray 72 68 59 Roland Martin 110 109Busch Heavy-Weight 2005 Tournament Year After AUGUSTA, GA ending 03-06-2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Place Name Body Of Water Day lbs-Ozs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Morizo Shimizu Lake Guntersville, Ala. 4 30-05 2 Edwin Evers Lake Guntersville, Ala. 1 27-15 2 Gerald Swindle Lake Guntersville, Ala. 2 27-15 4 Jim Bitter Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 1 26-12 5 Frank Ippoliti Clark Hill/Strom Thurmond 1 26-07 6 Scott Rook Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 2 22-08 7 Zell Rowland Lake Guntersville, Ala. 3 22-06 8 Guy Eaker Clark Hill/Strom Thurmond 2 20-07 9 Peter Thliveros Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 4 19-15 10 Takahiro Omori Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 2 17-15 11 Peter Thliveros Harris Chain of Lakes, Fl 3 16-13 12 Mike Reynolds Clark Hill/Strom Thurmond 3 15-09 13 Kevin Wirth Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 1 15-05 14 David Wharton Clark Hill/Strom Thurmond 4 12-08 15 Gerald Swindle Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 3 12-04 16 Jeff Reynolds Toho/Kissimmee, Fla. 4 8-13 ALL MONEY REPORTAll Years After AUGUSTA, GA ending 03-06-2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Place Angler Name City State Cash Merchandise Cash Total Winnings Bonus Bonus Winnings -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- 1 Denny Brauer Camdenton Mo. 1,277,676.71 556,000.00 55,500.00 1,889,176.71 2 Rick Clunn Ava Mo. 1,029,820.53 512,000.00 61,724.00 1,603,544.53 3 Larry Nixon Bee Branch Ark. 1,085,370.58 450,000.00 42,363.00 1,577,733.58 4 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo Mich. 827,508.33 420,000.00 177,600.00 1,425,108.33 5 Jay Yelas Tyler Texas 812,507.00 357,000.00 137,100.00 1,306,607.00 6 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr Gainesville Fla. 744,680.23 471,500.00 41,750.00 1,257,930.23 7 Gary Klein Weatherford Texas 870,643.97 298,000.00 66,800.00 1,235,443.97 8 Ron Shuffield Bismarck Ark. 730,771.00 260,000.00 52,000.00 1,042,771.00 9 Roland Martin Naples Fla. 762,603.16 220,000.00 53,539.00 1,036,142.16 10 George Cochran Hot Springs Ark. 755,209.78 232,000.00 38,100.00 1,025,309.78 11 Mark Davis Mount Ida Ark. 692,771.30 256,000.00 64,300.00 1,013,071.30 12 Davy Hite Prosperity S.C. 583,350.00 289,500.00 66,900.00 939,750.00 13 Zell Rowland Montgomery Texas 737,140.90 144,000.00 54,700.00 935,840.90 14 David Fritts Lexington N.C. 465,155.00 384,000.00 27,850.00 877,005.00 15 Peter E Thliveros Jacksonville Fla. 601,039.00 197,500.00 37,250.00 835,789.00 16 Jim Bitter Fruitland Park Fla. 552,643.60 225,000.00 44,800.00 822,443.60 17 Alton Jones Waco Texas 504,016.67 175,000.00 136,500.00 815,516.67 18 Takahiro Omori Emory Texas 579,275.00 185,000.00 43,500.00 807,775.00 19 Tommy Biffle Wagoner Okla. 491,175.80 264,000.00 51,503.00 806,678.80 20 David Wharton Sam Rayburn Texas 531,118.30 196,000.00 44,187.50 771,305.80 21 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede N.J. 546,495.00 130,000.00 50,400.00 726,895.00 22 Randy Blaukat Lamar Mo. 410,242.70 272,000.00 36,400.00 718,642.70 23 Tommy Martin Hemphill Texas 458,276.51 199,300.00 10,200.00 667,776.51 24 Stacey D King Reeds Spring Mo. 410,009.33 163,000.00 84,000.00 657,009.33 25 Ken Cook Lawton Okla. 514,438.20 108,000.00 23,954.00 646,392.20 26 Woo Daves Spring Grove Va. 459,626.80 144,300.00 8,509.00 612,435.80 27 Tim Horton Muscle Shoals Ala. 366,562.31 207,500.00 38,200.00 612,262.31 28 Guido Hibdon Gravois Mills Mo. 429,380.40 167,000.00 13,000.00 609,380.40 29 Kelly Jordon Mineola Texas 411,900.00 130,000.00 60,000.00 601,900.00 30 Paul Elias Laurel Miss. 451,355.73 95,000.00 34,134.00 580,489.73