LAGRANGE, Ga. (Feb. 18, 2006) - Pro Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., caught a final-round total of 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces to win the Stren Series Southeast Division bass fishing tournament on West Point Lake Saturday. Tucker won a 519VX Ranger plus $10,000 cash. He also earned a $10,000 contingency bonus from Ranger plus $3,000 for the Ranger Cup award for a total prize package worth $63,000.
With a major cold front moving through, anglers found bass that were tight-lipped all week even tougher to hook on the final day.
Tucker led the event for the final two days, but at the end of day three, he was worried about the bass moving out of his primary area on day four due to diminishing sunshine as a result of the impending cold front. However, he found that wasn't the case. As a matter of fact, the water temperature was a degree warmer in his area on the last day than on day three.
"There's a clay bottom in some of the creek bends I've been fishing that I think may be a little warmer," Tucker said. "Bass have been pulling up and sitting over that. I had eight bites today and was able to catch six fish total."
Tucker revealed the makes of his winning lures on the final day. He was throwing a shallow-running perch-colored Davis crankbait, as well as flipping a homemade jig with a Prowler Pro Chunk trailer. Though he has been weighing all largemouth bass through most of the week, two small spotted bass rounded out his limit on the last day.
Rounding out the top five pros are Ott Defoe of Dandridge, Tenn. (nine bass, 15 pounds, 1 ounces, $10,000); Patrick Hailstones of Cincinnati, Ohio (eight bass, 14 pounds, 10 ounces, $9,000); Kevin Stowers of Gainesville, Ga. (five bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces, $8,000); and Artie Phillips of Monroe, N.C. (five bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces, $7,500).
Nathan Fuller of Hillsboro, Ga., won the Co-angler Division thanks to a final-round total of two bass weighing 9 pounds, 6 ounces. Fuller earned a 519VX Ranger plus $5,000 cash for a total award of $35,000.
Fuller fished with Tucker on the final day. "His area was just a big, shallow flat that was a foot or 2 deep," Fuller said. "The water temperature was anywhere from 48 to 50 degrees. The air was actually warmer this morning, but it starting raining at about 11 this morning and it's been getting colder all day. This has been the toughest day so far."
Fuller's single keeper bass on day two fell to a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap crankbait.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Thomas Shafer of Pine City, N.Y. (three bass, 7 pounds, 14 ounces, $4,000); Rodger Ray of Social Circle, Ga. (five bass, 7 pounds, 3 ounces, $3,500) Clinton McClure of Gosport, Ind. (one bass, 6 pounds, 14 ounces, $2,500); and Richard Mitchell of Appling, Ga. (three bass, 5 pounds, 15 ounces, $2,000).
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
The next Stren Series Southeast Division event will be held March 15-18 on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala. Boats will launch from Lakepoint State Park in Eufaula. Eufaula/Barbour County Chamber of Commerce and the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources will be hosting the event. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 1218 South Eufaula Ave. in Eufaula.