BRACEY, Va. (Oct. 5, 2007) - Pro David Wright of Lexington, N.C., caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces Friday to capture the lead in the $275,225 Stren Series Northern Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Gaston. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 41-02, he holds a 9-ounce lead over his closest competitor heading into the final day of competition.
Rounding out the top five pros are Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn. (15 bass, 40-10); Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C. (15 bass, 39-05); Terry Baksay of Easton, Conn. (15 bass, 36-06); and Vic Vatalaro of Kent, Ohio (14 bass, 35-08).
Also clearing the top 10 cut weight of 31 pounds, 7 ounces in the Pro Division are Dustin Wilks of Rocky Mount, N.C.; Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va.; Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Mich.; Kip Carter of Loganville, Ga.; and Richard Jenkins of Callaway, Md.
Wesley Cashwell of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., earned $185 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass.
Overall there were 282 bass weighing 620 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 92 pros Friday. The catch included 19 five-bass limits.
Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Va., 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 13 bass weighing 30-02. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jason Sherwood of Damascus, Md. (10 bass, 25-3); James Richardson Sr. of Harrison, Ohio (10 bass, 25-02); Gary Guilliams of Troutville, Va. (nine bass, 24-01); and Paul Mueller of Southbury, Conn. (11 bass, 22-10).
Also clearing the top 10 cut weight of 19 pounds, one ounce in the Co-angler Division are Glenn Stephenson of Willow Springs, N.C.; Jerry Hayden of Charlotte, N.C.; Renee Hensley of Edwardsburg, Mich.; Edward Piwonski of Granby, Conn.; and Lynn Baciuska Jr. of Afton, N.Y.
David Slonaker of Howard, Ohio, earned $105 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass.
Overall there were 161 bass weighing 342 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 80 co-anglers Friday. The catch included two 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 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 7 Saturday morning from Americamps located at 9 Lakeside Lane in Bracey, Va. Saturday's final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 200 N. Cooper Road in Henderson, N.C., 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. s