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Texan Alton Jones Captures Lowe's World Championship Fishing Titles
Jones wins overall and angling while Skeet Reese dominates Boating
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Oct. 29, 2000 -- In an encore performance, Alton Jones
of Waco, Texas - competing for Team Yamaha - again took home the lion's
share of the $230,000 offered at the Lowe's World Championship Fishing
event (Oct. 27-29) in Kentucky by capturing both the angling and overall
titles for a total payout of $75,000.
Jones' 68 combined point total edged Team Ford Trucks' Gary Klein of
Weatherford, Texas who finished second with 62 points. In third was EAS
team member Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville Florida with 60 points.
On the boating course, California's Skeet Reese proved that his blistering
practice runs could be duplicated in the crucible of competition, turning
in yet another quick run during the final round to take home the $25,000
winner's share.
In the fishing competition, Jones found the winning formula again at Lowe's
W.C.F. with a three-day total of 13 pounds, six ounces worth $25,000.
Having won both Lowe's W.C.F. fishing and overall titles just a month ago
in Richmond, Virginia, Jones knew that even after an apparent first-day
disaster - where he only weighed one, 15-ounce fish - Lowe's W.C.F. is a
format that can deliver comebacks.
"You don't have to bust them in Lowe's W.C.F. In a BASSMASTER Top 150, when
a guy is on fish, he gets to go back to them every day. Here, tomorrow is a
different lake, so you don't have to worry about falling a little farther
behind each day. All you have to do is be consistent and hope you have one
of those big days," noted Jones, who turned in his "big day"
during round
two with an 8-9 creel, an important step in gaining 48 points for the
angling title.
Today, Jones relied on a 3 1/2-inch Riverside Vibra King Tube
(watermelon)-- rigged on a 1/8-ounce Lake Fork MegaWeight (pegged), 3/0
hook and 30-pound test SpiderWire (with a three-foot, 20-pound Berkley
Vanish fluorocarbon leader)-- in coaxing two bass from the back of one
Taylorsville Lake creek to fend off another hard-charging Texan, Zell
Rowland.
Although Rowland had only bagged two bass himself - both on a Excalibur No.
5 Fat Free Shad (Tennessee shad) - one weighed six pounds, three ounces.
The big fish pushed his three-day total to 13-1, just five ounces behind
Jones.
When the competition turned to boating, there was only one question that
needed to be answered: Could Skeet Reese-- the only Champion driver in the
event - make a clean, fast run? Yesterday, he would have easily led the
boating competition going into today's final round if not for two,
five-second course penalties.
Even though Reese knew that he couldn't bump any more buoys today, he once
again turned in the best time with a 1.2.60-minute run, good enough for
first place and fast enough to fend off the likes of Grigsby and Team GNB
Batteries' driver, Ron Shuffield of Bismarck, Arkansas. All this despite
"blowing out" slightly (losing prop bite in the water) around the
first
hard turn in the cyclone part of the course.
"It freaked me out. My heart jumped real quick because that has never
happened before with my Flowmaster/ BC Powders Champion. It just blew out
for a second, but when it got back up, I still knew I had plenty of time,"
said Reese whose first-day score of 1.1.96 minutes gave him a small, but
meaningful cushion.
"Knowing what we know now about the boat, if we had the Champion set up
like we do now at the start of the season, I feel like we could have won
every race,"
For Alton Jones, a seventh-place finish in the boating gave him the 20
points necessary to pass Klein for the overall title.
"As far as the boating goes, I don't know any way to take it easy and try
to make a good, conservative run. I'm a very aggressive boat driver and
yesterday, it cost me. Fortunately, we're able to drop a time," noted a
weary, but very pleased Texan after a final run of 1.3.60.
"I was on an emotional rollercoaster because I really didn't know if I had
a shot to win the overall. Some of the guys have been running their boats
so well. I just came out of the course today and did what it took."
For aditional information contact:
Lowe's W.C.F. Communications at (334) 272-9530 or
On site at (888) 822-8470
Chris Murray
Communications Coordinator
B.A.S.S., Inc. Communications
5845 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36117
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