LEWISVILLE, Texas (May 12, 2003) - Pro Tommy Durham of Waxahachie caught six bass weighing 21 pounds, 11 ounces over two days to claim $10,000 plus a fully-rigged Ranger 519VS Comanche as the winner of the Texas Tournament Trail bass fishing event on Lake Lewisville. Durham finished first out of a field of 200 pros to claim his first TTT win in the season's only two-day event.
The full field competed on Saturday, with the top 20 pros and co-anglers advancing to Sunday's competition. Durham caught four bass weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to make the cut and backed that up Sunday with a two-bass catch weighing 8 pounds.
Rounding out the top five pros were Dale Witt of New Braunfels (10 bass, 21 pounds, 7 ounces, $8,000); Randy Qualls of Streetman (eight bass, 20 pounds, 2 ounces, $6,000); Keith Cullum of Corinth (nine bass, 19 pounds, 5 ounces, $4,300); and Bill Rule of Bryan (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce, $3,200).
Ricky Friedrich of Houston earned a $5,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. He finished sixth with four bass weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces.
Ernie Paul Jr. of Longview earned a $500 gift certificate from Travis Boating Center for weighing in the heaviest bass of the tournament, a 7-pound, 12-ounce lunker. Travis Boating Center, one of the nation's largest retailers of Ranger Boats, sponsors 2003 TTT big-bass awards.
Joe Cooper of Smithville topped 200 co-anglers to earn $4,000 cash as the TTT co-angler winner. Kessler caught six bass over two days that weighed 16 pounds, 2 ounces.
Eric Wendeborn of Gatesville (four bass, 15 pounds, 2 ounces, $3,000 plus $1,650 Ranger bonus); Dwain Morgan of Grand Prairie (five bass, 14 pounds, 6 ounces, $2,000); Lyall Grant of Waxahachie (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,000); and Scott Meads of Killeen (three bass, 11 pounds, 6 ounces, $800 plus $900 Ranger bonus) rounded out the top five co-anglers.
Bonuses are awarded to registered Ranger Boat owners who purchased their Ranger new from a Ranger dealer.
The $1 million Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail will visit Toledo Bend near Many, La., June 7 for the final regular-season tournament. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship Oct. 18-19 on Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall.
The Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail is administered by FLW Outdoors, the world's leading marketer of competitive fishing. FLW Outdoors also operates the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the EverStart Series, the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League.
For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.
FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.