CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Lake Norman's bass seemed so lock-jawed Saturday that Lisa Sternard of Clarksville, Tenn., was genuinely surprised when she realized her Day 3 bag of fish weighed enough to win in the third bass fishing tournament of the Women's Bassmaster Tour.
Sternard, the Day 2 leader, brought four bass to the scales weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces, for a three-day total of 21-7.
"I didn't think I had it," she said of her first BASS win. "My fish shut down, and I didn't get the quality bite today."
Her three-day total easily beat Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, who weighed in 18-14. Sternard's strong finishes on the first two days carried her through to the win and the first-place prize of a Triton boat with Mercury outboard valued at $50,000.
An occupational therapist, Sternard, 45, said she fished a Carolina rig, working a green-pumpkin Zoom Finesse Worm on 17-pound-test Berkley Vanish leader in 10 to 50 feet of water.
Saturday she hit northern Lake Norman and the Marshall Steam Plant hot hole, a water-discharge spot that attracted many bass - and many women in the field of 94 pro anglers and their co-anglers all week.
Campbell slid into second with 18-14, including the day's big bass of 3-13, which earned her a $1,000 bonus. She was just 7 ounces ahead of third-place finisher Tammie Muse of North Little Rock, Ark., who finished with 18-7.
Fourth was Women's Bassmaster Tour points leader Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla., with 17-9. Fifth was South African Christie Thomas with 15-2, and sixth was Day 1 leader Tammy Richardson of Amity, Ark.
The recent winner of the Best Angler ESPY, Richardson echoed other contenders' opinions of the competition's intensity and the reluctance of Lake Norman's bass to bite. "As the week went on, it got slower and tougher," she said.
This event's results shook up the Women's Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year points standings, moving Sternard from seventh to fourth place. Glasgow held on to the lead, and Richardson kept her second-place spot.
Points count toward qualifying for the inaugural Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship, Feb. 22-25, 2007, on Lake Mitchell in Alabama. Only the top 12 pros and 12 co-anglers in the points standings are invited to compete.
Also at stake is the first Toyota Angler of the Year title. At the end of the season, the points leader is awarded the title and a 2007 Toyota Tundra.
On the co-angler side, Monica Altman of Angier, N.C., took home the first-place prize of a Triton boat and Mercury package valued at $24,000, plus $1,000 cash.
Altman pulled off a wire-to-wire win, adding just 14 ounces Saturday for a three-day total of 15 pounds, 3 ounces.
Second was Susan Bowes of Batavia, N.Y., with 13-2, including the co-angler big bass of 3 pounds for a $500 bonus. Third was Linda Berry of Madison, N.C., with 8-4; fourth was Ronda Kirby of Indianapolis, Ind., with 7-5; fifth was Denese Freeman of Lawton, Okla., with 6-11; and sixth was Cheryl Bowden of Plano, Texas, with 5-7.
The 12 WBT finalists weighed in at Cricket Arena before an audience of fishing fans who also turned out to see the third-day weigh-in of the Bassmaster American. After the American wraps up Sunday, ESPN2 will provide same-day coverage at 7 p.m. ET.
2006 Women's Bassmaster Tour Stop 4 BO 07/27-07/29 Lake Norman, Lake Norman N.C. (BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Lisa Sternard Clarksville, Tenn. 14 21-07 310 $50,000.00 Day 1: 5 6-11 Day 2: 5 10-01 Day 3: 4 4-11 2. Patti Campbell Waxahachie, Texas 11 18-14 295 $6,200.00 Day 1: 5 7-14 Day 2: 4 5-09 Day 3: 2 5-07 3. Tammie Muse North Little Rock, Ark 9 18-07 290 $3,680.00 Day 1: 4 8-05 Day 2: 3 7-10 Day 3: 2 2-08 4. Sheri Glasgow Muskogee, Okla. 11 17-09 285 $2,180.00 Day 1: 3 4-10 Day 2: 5 8-02 Day 3: 3 4-13 5. Christie Thomas Reform, Ala. 8 15-02 280 $1,930.00 Day 1: 5 8-05 Day 2: 2 4-15 Day 3: 1 1-14 6. Tammy Richardson Amity, Ark. 9 13-14 281 $1,700.00 Day 1: 5 9-00 Day 2: 2 2-10 Day 3: 2 2-04 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Purolator Big Bass Day 1 Kathi Hurst Ripley, Miss. 0-00 $1,000.00 2 Conny Jenkins Knob Noster, Mo. 4-02 $1,000.00 3 Patti Campbell Waxahachie, Texas 3-13 $1,000.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 5 124 208-00 2 3 101 174-12 3 0 14 21-09 ---------------------------------- 8 239 404-05 2006 Women's Bassmaster Tour Stop 4 07/27-07/29 Lake Norman, Lake Norman N.C. (NON-BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Monica Altman Angier, N.C. 6 15-03 315 $25,500.00 Day 1: 2 5-10 Day 2: 3 8-11 Day 3: 1 0-14 2. Susan Bowes Batavia, N.Y. 7 13-02 295 $3,700.00 Day 1: 2 3-15 Day 2: 2 2-04 Day 3: 3 6-15 3. Linda Berry Madison, N.C. 4 8-04 290 $2,180.00 Day 1: 2 3-09 Day 2: 1 3-11 Day 3: 1 1-00 4. Ronda Kirby Indianapolis, Ind. 5 7-05 285 $1,680.00 Day 1: 3 3-14 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 1 1-14 5. Denese Freeman Lawton, Okla. 3 6-11 280 $1,430.00 Day 1: 2 3-15 Day 2: 1 2-12 Day 3: 0 0-00 6. Cheryl Bowden Plano, Texas 3 5-07 276 $900.00 Day 1: 3 5-07 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Purolator Big Bass Day 1 Gerry Threadgill Onalaska, Texas 0-00 $250.00 1 Denese Freeman Lawton, Okla. 3-00 $250.00 2 Monica Altman Angier, N.C. 3-14 $500.00 3 Susan Bowes Batavia, N.Y. 3-00 $500.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 4 50 86-01 2 1 47 80-15 3 1 6 10-11 ---------------------------------- 6 103 177-11 2006 Women's Bassmaster - Womens Bassmaster Tour Stop 4 Boater Points After Lake Norman, Lake Norman, N.C. Ending 07-29-2006, Day 3 ------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Sheri Glasgow Okla. 875 2 Tammy Richardson Ark. 843 3 Pam Martin-Wells Ga. 808 4 Lisa Sternard Tenn. 806 5 Dianna Clark Tenn. 798 6 Tammie Muse Ark. 748 7 Lucy Mize Ark. 730 8 Kathi Hurst Miss. 715 9 Cindy Hill Tenn. 698 10 Juanita Robinson Texas 682 11 Christie Thomas Ala. 678 12 Cindy Caperton Tenn. 669 12 Rhonda Pope Ga. 669 14 Emily Shaffer Tenn. 664 15 Linda Sands Ala. 649 16 Penny Berryman Ark. 641 17 Kelley Shepherd Colo. 640 18 Robin Babb Texas 637 19 Kimberlee Striker Ala. 635 20 Tanya Kreuzer Ariz. 628 21 Jan Heavener Ark. 624 22 Mary Divincenti La. 622 23 Kathy Womack Ala. 617 24 Shelley Perry W.Va. 613 25 Jan Hudson Ark. 612 26 Cindy van horn Texas 591 27 Patti Campbell Texas 583 28 Mary Hencken N.C. 580 29 Sammie Denyes Fla. 574 30 Sue Crochet La. 566 31 Joan Davis Ind. 563 31 Marcia Rubin Ohio 563 33 Tami Kashiwabara Japan 557 34 Ann Wells Ill. 555 34 Betty Stahl Ala. 555 36 Christiana Bradley Va. 545 37 Kris Mcclendon Texas 534 38 Lisa Johnson Ga. 523 39 Danalee Lofton Ark. 507 39 Laura Moore Texas 507 41 Rose Ellis Ala. 506 42 Jonell Whitstine La. 505 43 Deanie Tate Ark. 497 44 Cheryl Lalumandier Mo. 494 45 Lisa Craig Texas 483 46 Secret York Ky. 481 47 Debra Petrowski Texas 457 47 Sandra Sherred Pa. 457 49 Louise Howard Ala. 454 50 Helen Gordon Texas 450 51 Judy Wong La. 448 52 Susan Gregory Miss. 441 53 Sarah Augustine La. 438 54 Lori Masters Tenn. 420 55 Susan Hand Ala. 419 56 Conny Jenkins Mo. 418 57 Sue Parrish Ind. 414 58 Janet Parker Texas 411 59 T Domingue Texas 396 60 Carla Whitstine La. 382 61 Linda Owens Miss. 378 62 Judy Antle Ky. 373 63 Michelle Armstrong N.C. 372 64 Sherrie Brubaker Okla. 371 64 Carolyn Poole Fla. 371 66 Toni Stoner Ga. 368 66 Wanda Malmsbury Mo. 368 68 Becky Mckinney Fla. 365 69 Laura Gober Ga. 361 70 Kellie Skelton N.M. 357 71 Katrina Dehaven Ariz. 355 72 Robinette Fox Ark. 349 73 Kathy Cater Texas 343 73 Cheryl Spencer Okla. 343 75 Linda Walker Ark. 342 75 Crystal Langston Ala. 342 75 Joan Craig Ark. 342 78 Angie Douthit Fla. 330 79 Brenda Davis Okla. 297 80 Darla Bardelli Ariz. 294 81 Melanie Rockey Ga. 289 82 Rae Lee Texas 279 83 Debra Hengst Texas 276 84 Amy Golden Texas 260 85 Julie Jacobson Wisc. 254 86 Danielle Kremer Fla. 248 87 Paula Alexander Ga. 238 88 Kandie Candelaria Texas 234 88 Violette Sesco Fla. 234 90 Doris Parsons N.C. 233 91 Teri Neal Ga. 209 92 Lynda Gessner Mo. 206 93 Barbara Wetzel Ala. 203 94 Kitsy Cunningham Okla. 200 95 Audrey Mcqueen Colo. 191 95 Pat White Texas 191 97 Barbara Potts Texas 183 98 Donna Newberry Ark. 173 99 Jen Carroll Texas 170 100 Kathy Kirby N.C. 163 101 bonnie johnson Texas 157 102 Brenda Bates Texas 147 102 Angela Dechau Mo. 147 104 Patsy Mcdaniel Ala. 143 105 Marguerite Palmer Miss. 135 106 Caroline Carpenter Fla. 129 107 Madeline Smith Ark. 127 108 Linda Redford Mo. 125 109 Sherri Dodson Ala. 108 110 Rhonda Usery Ark. 97 111 Marilyn Biszmaier Ky. 93 112 Karen Welty Ind. 91 113 Deb Doyal La. 83 114 Marsha Gipson Ark. 81 115 Kathy Tibbetts Va. 0 115 Amanda Hubbard Ill. 0 115 Elizabeth Meisell Texas 0 115 Jennifer Stelly La. 0 115 Lucie Maus Texas 0 115 Tina Lefler Va. 0 115 Tammy Waller Texas 0 2006 Women's Bassmaster - Womens Bassmaster Tour Stop 4 Non-Boater Points After Lake Norman, Lake Norman, N.C. Ending 07-29-2006, Day 3 ------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Gerry Threadgill Texas 739 2 Mary Croft Va. 737 3 Sharon Rushton Mo. 710 4 Susan Bowes N.Y. 690 5 Summer Stephens Ga. 687 6 Linda Berry N.C. 679 7 Lesa Brown Ark. 669 8 Mary James Ark. 667 9 Sandi Karnes Texas 666 10 Kim Stapp Ga. 660 11 Bonnie Ward Wash. 657 12 Billie Jaynes Texas 652 13 Tracy Doty Texas 640 14 Sharon Withers La. 638 15 Keri Schieber Ga. 633 16 Bertha Cavakis Ark. 587 17 Carol Boykin Ind. 576 18 Susan Dameron Tenn. 575 19 Heather Sullivan Alaska 567 20 Sarah Busby La. 560 21 Deb Krueger Mich. 551 22 Renee Brisendine N.C. 549 23 Brenda Reeves Texas 535 23 Lila Bass Texas 535 25 Carilyn Hill Okla. 531 26 Ronda Kirby Ind. 517 27 Debbie Pegoli Ohio 507 28 Tammie Ply Ark. 506 28 Kay Pennington La. 506 30 Robertina Filburn Ky. 498 31 Karen Williams Mo. 495 32 Jacqueline Helton Ark. 489 33 Angie Everitt Texas 477 34 Diane Delagarza Texas 468 35 Cheryl Allen Texas 466 36 Cheryl Crafton Ind. 462 37 Donna Prado Texas 456 38 Denese Freeman Okla. 430 39 Jo Dee Bucki Ala. 429 40 Susan Wild D.C. 425 41 Barbara Gaskins Va. 419 42 Carrie Bronson Fla. 417 43 Jaye Smith Mich. 410 44 Sharon Lawson Tenn. 408 45 Toni Mode Ore. 407 46 Patricia Atkinson Mass. 405 47 Robin Mcfarlane Texas 400 48 Karen Roberts Ala. 398 49 Debra Cunningham Ariz. 396 50 Elizabeth Sanders Miss. 382 51 Christena Baugh Ark. 370 52 Colleen Mckay Mass. 360 53 Maggie Robledo Texas 357 54 Diane Smith Ga. 331 54 Darla Mcintosh Fla. 331 56 Laura Heflin Kan. 329 57 Cheryl Holloway La. 328 58 Kala Wright Okla. 320 59 Monica Altman N.C. 315 60 Charlene Parks Fla. 310 61 Pat White Texas 295 62 Lydia Smith Texas 290 63 Cheryl Bowden Texas 276 64 Jennifer Helgren Ill. 272 65 Sylvia Hudson Fla. 264 66 Sheila Merrow Maine 254 67 April Painter La. 250 68 Violette Sesco Fla. 248 69 Vicki Henderson Ark. 241 70 Kathy Riley Miss. 238 70 Judith Hart Texas 238 70 Elaine Morris Ark. 238 73 Tina Newman Tenn. 235 73 Cheryl Scott Texas 235 73 Terri Mackinnon Canada 235 76 Debra Wilson Texas 232 77 Susan Owens Va. 228 77 Bobbie Barfield Ga. 228 79 Robin Kolton Texas 227 80 Tabitha Rudd Ala. 223 81 Allison Steckelberg Ga. 222 82 Arah Phillips Texas 218 83 Judy Vancanneyt Miss. 217 84 Angela Mitchell Canada 215 85 Kim Petrowski Texas 211 86 Dianne Kegley Ark. 210 87 Kristin Eaton Ala. 207 87 Bridget Allen Pa. 207 89 Carolyn Voyles Texas 204 90 Junie Parmer Texas 199 91 Laura Elkins Texas 192 92 Linda Worley La. 188 93 Tracy Pace Texas 185 94 Joyce Austin Ky. 184 95 Dana Davis Ala. 175 96 Dawn Ryerson Ill. 173 96 Bj Carson Okla. 173 98 Marsha Betz Texas 168 99 Sabrina Sivley Ala. 163 100 Cindy Hardy Ala. 158 101 Rhonda Ford Ga. 155 101 Sharon Mcewen Pa. 155 103 Cindy Burnham Canada 153 104 Sandy Jeane Texas 147 105 Beverly Dickson Ark. 144 105 Lillian Gutierrez Texas 144 107 Dianna Fanning Ark. 138 108 Denise Lusk S.C. 130 108 Sugar Walker Ala. 130 110 Teresa Morris Tenn. 125 111 Shelia Campbell Fla. 123 112 Kelly Spear Ohio 119 112 Barbie Haralson Texas 119 114 Patti Harland Ala. 115 115 Dee Barger Ala. 110 115 Jen Carroll Texas 110 115 Vicki Hester Ala. 110 118 Pam Anthony Tenn. 105 119 Stacy Woodall Ga. 102 120 Sue Freeman Md. 0 120 Charlotte Frazier Texas 0 120 Bonnie Erspamer Tenn. 0 120 Diana Dietzen Ind. 0 120 Anne Salonish Pa. 0 120 Mary Waters Va. 0 120 Vivian Estep Va. 0 120 Angie Wright Ala. 0 120 Norma Ussery Texas 0 120 Lisa Garcia N.H. 0 120 Robbie Hartline Mo. 0 120 Julie Garriety Texas 0 120 Keary Shults Fla. 0 120 Laura Taylor Fla. 0 120 Angie Michaels Neb. 0 120 Tonya Pollack Fla. 0 120 Liz Lewis Texas 0 120 Paula Tharp Okla. 0 120 Robin Washburn Ga. 0 120 Cynthia Ward Md. 0 120 Janet Neal Texas 0 120 Melissa Bond N.M. 0 120 Pamela Putman Texas 0 120 Kimberly King Va. 0 120 Jennifer Horn Texas 0 120 Kali Weatherford Texas 0 120 Greta Gaines N.Y. 0 120 Kathy Rudy Pa. 0 120 Shawn Conner Ind. 0 120 Karen James La. 0 120 Vanessa Seay Va. 0