BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (Feb. 1, 2008) - Pro Clint Brownlee of Tifton, Ga., caught three bass weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to capture his lead in the Stren Series Southeast Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Seminole. With a three-day catch of 10 bass weighing 40-05, he holds an 11-pound, 6-ounce lead over his closest competitor heading into the final day of competition.
'Today was a tough day,' Brownlee said. 'I am doing the same thing everyday but the weather keeps changing. I have a good lead but I'm not sure it will stand. I have been targeting shallow bass and that's what I will do again tomorrow.'
Brownlee is running up the river 30 miles in an aluminum boat to access remote areas to catch his fish.
Rounding out the top five pros are Frank Jordan Jr. of Bainbridge, Ga. (10 bass, 28-15); Mike Jackson of San Mateo, Fla. (nine bass, 28-13); Curt Fannin of Prestonsburg, Ky. (nine bass, 27-11); and Troy Arthur of Bainbridge, Ga. (seven bass, 26-07).
Also clearing the top 10 cut weight of 24 pounds, 5 ounces in the Pro Division are Rick Couch of Ocala, Fla.; Currey Holley of Pulaski, Tenn.; Nicolas Supik of Natrona Heights, Pa.; Shane Cole of Empire, Ala.; and Larry Jones of Acworth, Ga.
Darryl Stewart of Slocomb, Ala., earned $285 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 7-pound, 5-ounce bass.
Overall there were 264 bass weighing 603 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 186 pros Friday. The catch included six five-bass limits.
Gerrit Goins of Cleveland, Tenn., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 198VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met, thanks to a three-day total of five bass weighing 17-13.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Ralph Moseley of Panama City, Fla. (seven bass, 17-03); Matthew Roesch of Toccoa, Ga. (six bass, 16-08); Tom Ridley of Valdosta, Ga. (six bass, 15-09); and Joseph Jenkins of Harrogate, Tenn. (four bass, 14-02).
Also clearing the top 10 cut weight of 13 pounds, 1 ounce in the Co-angler Division are Stephen Kocell of Waxhaw, N.C.; Bill Dunn of Maynardville, Tenn.; Jimbo Deaton of Pike Road, Ala.; Delane Harrison of Cottondale, Ala.; and John Allen of Midland, Ga.
Austin Spurlin of Peachtree City, Ga., earned $144 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 7-pound, 8-ounce bass.
Overall there were 107 bass weighing 265 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 186 co-anglers Friday. The catch included zero five-bass limits.
The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 7:30 Saturday morning from Bainbridge Earl Mae Boat Basin located at 100 Basin Circle in Bainbridge. Saturday's final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 500 E. Alice Street in Bainbridge beginning at 4 p.m. The takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. At the conclusion of Friday's weigh-in, the field is cut to the top 10 pros and co-anglers based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weights. These anglers continue competition Saturday, with the winners determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.