JASPER, Texas - Pro Stephen Johnston of Hemphill, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the $275,225 Stren Series Texas Division bass fishing tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 70-2. For his victory, Johnston earned $25,000 cash and a $40,000 519VX Ranger boat. He also earned a $4,500 Ranger Cup bonus for a total of $69,500 in winnings.
"I've fished these tournaments for a while, and I've known guys who have won a few, and I asked them, 'What do I have to do to win one of these things?'" said Johnston, who has earned more than $45,000 in FLW Outdoors events. "And they said, 'When it's your time, it's your time.'"
Johnston opened the tournament in second place Wednesday with five bass weighing 18-8. On Thursday he added another five bass weighing 19-9 to capture his lead. He then caught five bass weighing 14-0 on Friday to make the crucial top 10 cut in first place.
"I started out throwing a Sebile Flat Shad," Johnston said. "But when the water started dropping and the fish stopped chasing, I had to slow down and fish a Texas rig or a Carolina rig. I found a lot of fish using the Texas rig on the outside of bushes. I even flipped a tube some."
Rounding out the top five pros are Shane Gibson of Kilgore, Texas (20 bass, 58-7, $10,000); Jim Guzman of Coldspring, Texas (20 bass, 53-0, $9,000); Randy Millenger of Teague, Texas (17 bass, 52-11, $8,000); and Charles Haralson of Laredo, Texas (18 bass, 52-8, $7,000).
Ronnie Hopkins, Jr. of Mounds, Okla., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Wednesday - a 10-pound, 14-ounce largemouth - that earned him the day's Snickers Big Bass award of $300.
Overall there were 31 bass weighing 79 pounds, 3 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included three five-bass limits.
Kerry Barnett of Waldron, Ark., won the Co-angler Division and $5,000 with a four-day total of 18 bass weighing 52-8.
"The first three days I threw a Smithwick Super Rogue inside grass lines 6 to 7 feet deep and even in pockets where the fish were staging to spawn," said Barnett, who kept his pattern a secret until the final weigh-in. "Today I caught them on a Carolina rig. I'm not real good at a Carolina rig, and I couldn't feel the bottom with one ½-ounce weight, so I had to go to two ½-ounce weights so I could feel the bottom.
"The first fish I caught was a 4-pounder, and I felt bad for my partner, but it turns out he didn't need the fish," Barnett said. "When it's your time to win, it's your time."
Barnett caught five bass weighing 13-5 Wednesday while fishing with pro Wayne Brown of Ardmore, Okla., to open the tournament in fourth place. He then caught five bass weighing 19-01 Thursday while fishing with pro Steve Palmer of Lorena, Texas, to capture his lead. On Friday he added three more bass weighing 6-9 to make the top 10 cut in first place while fishing with pro Steve McCain of Graford, Texas. Finally, on Saturday, he sealed the win with a five-bass catch weighing 13-9 while fishing with pro Johnston.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas (18 bass, 43-1, $4,000); Ray Peace of Arlington, Texas (15 bass, 40-11, $3,250); Alan Moore of Lufkin, Texas (17 bass, 40-8, $2,500); and Bill Guillory of Jasper, Texas (17 bass, 39-8, $2,000).
Wendell Williams of Alba, Texas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday - a 9-pound, 15-ounce largemouth - that earned him the day's Snickers Big Bass award of $150.
Overall there were 36 bass weighing 77 pounds, 3 ounces caught by co-anglers Saturday. The catch included four five-bass limits.
The next Stren Series Texas Division event, hosted by the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, will be held March 21-24 on Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas. Boats will launch from Lake Amistad Marina in Del Rio, Texas, and the final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 2410 Dodson St. in Del Rio, Texas.
After four qualifying events are complete in each of the Stren Series' five divisions, the top 40 pros from each division will advance to the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Mobile, Ala., Nov. 8-11 for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the championship will also earn a spot in the $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup, where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series and TBF (The Bass Federation) for $1 million.
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.
FLW Outdoors historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate in all of its bass tournaments.