Florence, AL October 11, 2002 -- When all the bass had been weighed, and the computer had been properly fed, touring pro, Lisa Sternard, of Clarksville, TN was declared winner of the Alabama Invitational Pro/Am "Harvest Moon" event. Tears of joy filled her eyes as she came back to the stage to claim her first-place prize; a fully rigged Triton TR186 bass boat with a 150hp Mercury EFI engine, three Humminbird electronic units, a Minn Kota Maxxum 74 trolling motor, and three DEKA Marine Master Batteries. The total package is worth over $25,000.
Sternard said: "I have worked so hard and so long for this day. I have nothing prepared to say. I fished the same location both days and was able to limit both days. I caught my fish on a Spro topwater bait and a Carolina rig." This was Lisa's first national title win on the WBFA Tour.
It was a good thing she limited early on this final day of competition because she developed engine trouble and was over 45 miles from the weigh in site at the time. She made it back to the weigh in site just minutes before her scheduled check in time. Lisa, who started the final day in fifth place, came from behind to finish with a total of 19 pounds. Sheri Glasgow, hailing from Muskogee, OK, who won a national title on Pickwick in 1996, finished in second place, trailing by a little over one half pound. Local angler, Lynn Gobbell, finished third with over 17 pounds, followed by Sherrie Brubaker of Warner, OK and another local, Susan Hand, who rounded out the top five.
Barbara Gaskins, who also came from fourth place to win the Non-boater division, let everyone in Florence know it with her screams of excitement. She was the happy winner of a $1000 check for her persistence and skill. Barbara hails from Suffolk, VA and this is her first win on the WBFA Tour. In fact, it was her first limit of fish caught during competition. Her two-day total was 15.4 pounds, almost six pounds heavier than second-place finisher, Mary Lipka, from Wentzville, MO. Julie Campbell. of Pineville, LA placed third, with Winona Goff, from Rossville, GA finishing fourth. Patricia Harland, from Pinson, AL rounded out the top five in the Non-boater division.
Thirteen states were represented in this, the second bass fishing tournament event of the 2003 WBFA Tour season. Anglers accumulate points, according to their finish, to qualify for the right to compete in the Classic World Championship of women's bass fishing. The 2002 Classic World Championship will be held on Lake Eufaula, in Eufaula, AL in November.
The Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Board hosted the Harvest Moon event, which was the second visit to Florence by the WBFA Tour. Willie Cook, Tournament Director of the WBFA Tour, remarked: "This fishery is a fantastic one and the city of Florence is not only friendly and beautiful, it also has many things to attract families who wish to do more than fish. The women of the WBFA Tour love coming here and I hope we will be invited to hold another event here soon."
The WBFA Tour is the only national bass tour where women can competitively bass fish among their peers. The WBFA is based in Shelby, AL and competes on lakes in states ranging from South Carolina to Texas and from Kentucky to Florida. This is their sixth year in existence and they continue to grow as more and more women learn of, and enter, the field of competitive angling. The WBFA Tour is sponsored nationally by Mercury Marine, Triton Boats by Earl Bentz, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, GaryYamamoto Custom Baits, DEKA Marine Master Batteries, Humminbird Electronics, Minn Kota, Kick'N Bass Scents, Eidolon Bait Co. and North American SportsWoman Magazine.