ROGERS, Ark. (May 16, 2009) - Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to capture the lead. Christie now holds a 1-pound, 15-ounce edge over his closest competitor, Mark Rose, heading into the final day of competition in the FLW Tour Open bass fishing tournament on Beaver Lake. If he holds on for the win, Christie will pocket $200,000.
"The first day we had a bright afternoon, the second day was all sun and today we had clouds, and I went to my best spot and didn't get a bite," said Christie, who has won $199,000 in FLW Outdoors events, and stands to double his winnings if he holds on for the win. "I realized I just needed to go fishing, so that's what I did. If we get some sunshine tomorrow, I can do it ... if not ... I'm just going fishing."
"I've got one pattern, and nothing in the back of my mind," Christie added. "I'm not fishing for spots; I'm fishing for blacks. I'm just looking for five bites."
Christie said he had six fish Saturday that fell for a YUM soft plastic creature bait. Christie fished the previous days with a YUM Tube, but had to change tactics Saturday. To target mid-lake largemouths in water he hadn't fished before, Christie paired the soft plastic baits with weights ranging from 3/8-ounce to 1 ounce.
"I've caught largemouth all three days," Christie said. "Now, I'll take a spot or a smallmouth if it bites, but I'm fishing for largemouth.
"I haven't lost one yet," Christie added. "I hope I don't jinx myself. I've got to get the bites first, and then I've got to get them in."
Rose caught five fish weighing 11 pounds even to advance to the final day of competition as the No. 2 seed. Rose said he has been targeting a shad spawn on flats to kickstart his day with a quick limit.
"I'm catching 71/2 to eight pounds in the mornings, and then I'm just going fishing," said Rose, who posted a second-place finish in the 2006 Open on Beaver Lake. "Hopefully I can continue to do that.
"The big thing is I've been able to throw that topwater bait," Rose added. "If it's windy, I can't catch that seven pounds, and then I'm scrambling just to catch five."
Rose said he has a couple of areas that is holding keepers that he will target on the final day of competition.
"It's going to take one or two of those big bites, so that's what I'm going for tomorrow," Rose said. "If I get them, it will be good.
"If it's not calm, I've got a chance to catch a limit, but it's going to take a while because they're just not eating that crankbait good," Rose added. "I'm in striking distance, and that's all you can ask for in a $200,000 tournament."
Rounding out the top 10 pros are pro Gabe Bolivar of Ramona, Calif. (five bass, 9-15); pro Ray Scheide of Dover, Ark. (five bass, 8-13); pro Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore. (three bass, 8-3); pro Glenn Browne of Ocala, Fla. (five bass, 7-3); pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. (five bass, 7-1); Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark. (five bass, 6-7); Keith Combs of Del Rio, Texas (five bass, 6-4) and pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas (four bass, 5-0).
Overall there were 47 bass weighing 82 pounds, 13 ounces caught in the Pro Division Saturday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
Brent Bridgeman of Elkmont, Ala., won the Co-angler Division and $40,000 Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces followed by Zac Cassill of Fairfax, Iowa, in second place with five bass weighing 7-3 worth $15,000.
Bridgeman opened the tournament in second place Thursday with five bass weighing 9-14 while fishing with Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo. On Friday he slipped to third place with a five-bass catch weighing 6-0 while fishing with pro Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn. He wrapped up his win while fishing with pro Glenn Browne of Ocala, Fla.
"I didn't even practice for this event," said Bridgeman, who is fishing his rookie season of the FLW Tour. "I showed up barely in time for the meeting.
"My first cast on Beaver lake I caught my first keeper fish," Bridgeman added. "First cast, first fish, first time on the lake. That's a lot of coincidences."
A custom airbrush artist for 21 years, Bridgeman decided to relocate from the west coast to fish the FLW Tour in 2009. Bridgeman grew up fishing tournaments with his father and won his first at age seven.
Bridgeman got the idea to fish the FLW Tour after researching Fantasy Fishing online. He had competed in a tournament at one point against angler Gary Yamamoto and had success and decided he could fish at the sport's top level. Once he was verified to fish the Tour, Bridgeman packed his bags and moved to Alabama. That turned out to be a profitable move for Bridgeman.
"I figured I was in the top six or five," Bridgeman said. "I thought it would take nine or 10 pounds to win it. I knew I had seven to eight pounds, and I'm glad it held up. I used a balance beam, and I bet that balance beam saved me."
Bridgeman said he caught all of his fish on a green pumpkin with green and purple flake 6-inch Gary Yamamoto Swimming Senko rigged on a shaky head jig head.
"The fish would catch it on the fall," Bridgeman said. "If they didn't catch it on the fall, I'd just reel it in."
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are Todd Lee of Jasper, Ala. (three bass, 6-3, $7,500); T.R. Fuller of Auburn, Ala. (four bass, 4-13, $5,000); Moo Bae of West Friendship, Md. (two bass, 2-10, $4,000); Eddie Laster of Morton, Miss. (one bass, 2-2, $3,500); Dirk Davenport of Delaware, Ohio (one bass, 2-1, $3,000); Shane Lehew of Charlotte, N.C. (two bass, 2-0, $2,500); Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif. (one bass, 1-15, $2,000) and David Hudson of Jasper, Ala. (one bass, 1-4, $1,750).
Overall there were 26 bass weighing 37 pounds, 8 ounces caught in the Co-angler Division Saturday. The catch included two five-bass limits.