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Marcia Fann Wins WBFA
Tournament On Post-Spawn Sam
Rayburn
Reservoir Ann Milligan Wins Amateur Division With A Different Strategy And Bait Each Day JASPER, Texas, May 19, 2000 -- Those who think tournament bass fishing is just grabbing a cooler, hopping in the boat, and waiting for the fish to bite could have written an interesting postcard home from the Women's Bass Fishing Association tournament, which ended today on Sam Rayburn Reservoir out of Jasper, Texas. The first two days, the wind whistled out of the southeast at 20-25 miles per hour, with burlier gusts, and kicked up 4-foot waves. Today a tornado hopscotched over the lake and the anglers. The competition never stopped. "" Marcia [Fann] saw a funnel cloud behind us," partner Ann Milligan of Tallahassee, Fla., said. It missed them. "It hit on the other side of the lake." So much for ho-hum bass fishing. "We had continuous wind all week," Fann, a Clewiston, Fla., resident said. Today it turned from the southeast to the northwest in about 30 minutes. And it stopped for about five minutes." The tornado and accompanying front got the attention of the anglers -- and the fish, which promptly quit biting. "I had a limit and was culling by 8:30 the first two days," Fann said. "Today, I didn't get my limit until 12:30 and only culled one. I culled, probably, 10 times the first two days. All the culls were keepers under the 14-inch tournament limit. In professional bass fishing, consistency is the name of the game. Fann was consistent every day. Wednesday, she weighed five bass for 10.29 pounds. Thursday she weighed five more bass for 14.29 pounds. She claimed the tournament pro division title today after weighing five bass for 9.61 for a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 34.19 pounds. Her largest bass of the week weighed 4.05 pounds. "I fished a Carolina Rig with all Gambler components," Fann said. "I used a watermelon seed lizard with a 3/4ths-ounce Gambler Rattling Carolina-rig weight and a 30-inch leader." She fished with an abrasion-resistant line: Suffix 15-pound tritanium. "I used Daiichi 3.0 hooks. "I was on the old shore line," Fann said. "The lake has popped up about 8 feet and I was fishing the old hydrilla weed line -- what was left of it. It was only about 6-feet wide. I was casting parallel to it and just popping the bait through, slowly, with lots of pauses and shakes. I'm using a new depth-finder that enabled me to stay on the grass. It's the Zercom LPG 2000, and it wasn't effected by trolling motor pulses or anything, as some are. "The lake is in a post-spawn mode. I just fished a standard summertime pattern. I fished main lake points all week. With waves of 4-feet, the problem was staying in position, but Fann had solved much of that problem beforehand. "Triton rigged my boat with a 107-pound thrust trolling motor." Fann has been bass fishing since she was five years old and fishing professionally for the past 20 years. AMATEUR WINNER Ann Milligan's seven grand children can claim an excellent fishing instructor. Their grandmother won the amateur division in the WBFA tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir out of Jasper, Texas, with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 24.67 pounds. She weighed five bass for 11.96 pounds Wednesday, and three bass for 6.74 pounds Thursday. Today she weighed five bass for 5.97 pounds. Her largest bass of the week weighed 3.57 and it helped give her fourth tournament trophy. She also holds trophies from Lake Seminole in 1999, and Lakes Talquin and Jackson in 1998. Her advice to all anglers: "Fish every chance you get, and try different baits -- have patience." Milligan, who was paired with a different pro each day, had to fish a different pattern and bait each day. The first day we fished points of islands," she said. "Yesterday was grass beds, and today, we fished main lake points." "The first day I fished a Zoom Fluke," she said. "It was 4 inches long. "It was pumpkin and I dyed the tail chartreuse. The second day, she used a floater worm. "I rigged it with a 6-inch leader and I was jerking it across the grass." She used 12-pound-test Berkley Mean Green line. "Today, I was fishing with a Zoom watermelon lizard and I dyed it's tail chartreuse, too." Pro anglers competed here for a fully rigged Triton bass boat valued at over $25,000, cash, prizes, and slots in the Classic World Championship of women's bass fishing. Amateurs competed for cash awards. The next tournament on the WBFA Tournament circuit is July 26-28, on Kentucky Lake out of Camden, Tenn. The event serves as the first tournament of the 2001 season as well as the final event on the 2000 season. More information about the WBFA is available at www.WBFATOUR.com or by calling 205-663-5243 The Jasper Chamber of Commerce and Twin Dikes Marina hosted this week's event. Housing headquarters were at the Jasper Ramada Inn (409) 384-9021. The WBFA Tour's National Sponsorship Partners include: Mercury Marine Motors, Triton Boats by Earl Bentz, actionBASS.com, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, DEKA Marine Master Batteries, Humminbird Electronics, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Spiderwire, Minn Kota, Mitchell Rods and Reels, Off The Road Bridgestone/Firestone Tires, Kick'n Bass Scents and Eidolon Bait Company. -more- Women's Bass Fishing Association Lake Sam Rayburn, Jasper, Texas Pro Division Standings -- FINAL, May 19, 2000 Pl ST NAME // 05/17/00 05/18/00 05/19/00 \\ 3-Day Totals // // -----------Fish/Alive--Big Fish--Weight ----- \\ Fish/Alive Wt // 1 FL MARCIA FANN 5/4 2.3 10.29 5/4 4.05 14.29 5/5 2.31 9.61 15/13 34.19 2 NJ BARBARA WETZEL 5/4 6.03 18.52 5/5 3.86 12.35 2/2 1.61 3.19 12/11 34.06 3 OK SHERRIE BRUBAKER 5/4 2.74 10.58 5/5 4.76 12.5 5/4 1.78 8.85 15/13 31.93 4 LA JONELL WHITSTINE 4/4 3.5 8.66 5/4 4.32 13.38 4/4 3.16 8.29 13/12 30.33 5 GA BERNICE WILKES 5/5 2.6 10.62 5/5 2.94 11.59 5/3 1.82 7.77 15/13 29.98 6 GA PAM MARTIN 5/5 2.37 10.52 4/4 3.58 9.57 5/4 2.1 9.58 14/13 29.67 7 OK SONYA MAHAFFEY 5/5 2.1 10.33 5/5 2.68 9.02 5/5 2.89 9.66 15/15 29.01 8 MO LINDA REDFORD 4/4 2.11 7.15 5/4 4.3 15.57 3/3 2.41 5.69 12/11 28.41 9 LA JANICE CHEEK 3/3 2.8 6.07 5/5 3.19 12.12 5/5 2.18 9.48 13/13 27.67 10 OK SHERI GLASGOW 3/3 2.46 5.32 5/0 2.72 10.59 5/5 3.32 10.83 13/8 26.74 11 TN CINDY HILL 2/2 1.73 3.4 5/4 2.17 9.82 4/3 4.88 13.16 11/9 26.38 12 OH DIANA MASON 3/3 3.66 7.89 4/3 3.3 11.24 3/2 2.56 6.91 10/8 26.04 13 AR JANICE ARNOLD 4/4 2.29 7.02 4/4 2.51 7.79 5/5 4.45 11.22 13/13 26.03 14 AR DONNA NEWBERRY 4/4 2.16 7.36 5/3 1.95 8.73 4/4 2.45 8.6 13/11 24.69 15 AL PATSY McDANIEL 2/2 2.02 3.73 5/4 2.75 11.34 3/2 3.2 9.43 10/8 24.5 16 AL DARCIE COOK 4/4 3.69 9.03 5/5 2.03 8.97 3/3 2.11 5.86 12/12 23.86 17 TN JOY WORTHINGTON 1/1 1.86 1.96 4/4 2.5 8.41 5/3 4.29 12.96 10/8 23.33 18 LA MARY DIVICENTI 5/5 2.73 10.84 4/4 1.7 6.12 3/3 2.15 5.3 12/12 22.26 19 VA BRENDA CARTER 4/4 1.72 6.22 5/5 0 7.69 5/4 1.66 8.31 14/13 22.22 20 TN EMILY SHAFFER 3/3 1.6 4.02 5/5 2.24 8.37 5/5 2.67 9.78 13/13 22.17 21 MS KATHI HURST 3/3 1.46 4.27 5/5 2.17 10.29 3/3 2.94 6.62 11/11 21.18 22 TX MARY McCLANE 4/3 3.57 9.22 2/2 1.52 3.08 3/3 2.69 8.01 9/8 20.31 23 TN CINDY CAPERTON 3/3 2.2 5.8 3/3 2.05 6.03 5/4 1.75 8.31 11/10 20.14 24 TN LISA STERNARD 4/4 2.47 7.34 4/4 1.89 6.63 3/3 2.3 5.71 11/11 19.68 25 LA MARTY BARNES 2/2 3.16 5.17 5/5 3.74 12.58 1/1 1.49 1.59 8/8 19.34 26 AR JAN JONES 1/1 2.37 2.47 4/4 3.18 10.25 3/3 2.67 5.92 8/8 18.64 26 LA JENN. LESPERANCE 3/3 5.96 8.96 2/2 2.93 4.83 3/3 1.9 4.85 8/8 18.64 26 TX KARLA BULLARD 1/1 1.44 1.54 4/4 3.87 9.99 2/2 5.06 7.11 7/7 18.64 29 TX JUDY WONG 4/4 1.79 5.98 3/3 2.68 7.11 3/3 1.74 5.5 10/10 18.59 30 IN SYLVIA GRAHAM 3/3 2.37 6.44 1/1 1.36 1.46 5/5 2.07 9.76 9/9 17.66 31 AR PENNY BERRYMAN 5/5 1.88 8.62 1/1 2.36 2.46 3/3 2.84 6.37 9/9 17.45 32 TX JOYCE COLEMAN 2/2 2.99 4.98 3/2 1.47 4.5 4/4 2.54 7.92 9/8 17.4 33 TN SUSAN BROWN 2/2 1.7 3.39 4/1 3.9 8.7 2/1 3.14 5.01 8/4 17.1 34 IL DONNA JORDAN 2/2 1.48 3.08 4/4 3.02 8.29 3/3 2.09 5.61 9/9 16.98 35 TX KATHY MAGERS 3/3 1.97 5.79 4/4 3.19 7.77 2/2 1.29 3.11 9/9 16.67 36 IN JEAN RUSSELL 1/1 1.36 1.46 2/2 3.38 5.28 5/5 2.81 9.53 8/8 16.27 37 TN DENISE TURNER 1/1 1.9 2 4/4 2.06 7.38 3/3 1.91 5.34 8/8 14.72 38 TX REBECCA HERLINE 4/4 1.82 6.56 3/1 1.81 4.03 2/2 1.67 3.37 9/7 13.96 39 AL CAROLE COOK 3/3 4 7.73 2/2 0 3.04 1/1 1.91 2.01 6/6 12.78 40 TX LIZ LEWIS 1/1 1.81 1.91 2/2 3.07 5.63 3/3 1.67 5.12 6/6 12.66 41 KY DONNELL HUNTER 3/3 2.41 6.3 0/0 0 0 3/2 3.05 5.85 6/5 12.15 42 GA SHARA JOYNER 3/3 2.24 5.69 2/2 1.59 2.81 2/2 1.7 3.61 7/7 12.11 43 MO LYLA DURRER 3/2 2.5 6.28 2/2 2.1 3.89 1/1 1.73 1.83 6/5 12 44 TX COLLEEN MITCHELL 2/2 2.94 4.63 0/0 0 0 3/3 1.57 4.84 5/5 9.47 45 AL LINDA SANDS 0/0 0 0 5/5 2.13 9.34 0/0 0 0 5/5 9.34 46 GA BETTY STAHL 1/1 1.87 1.97 1/1 3.19 3.29 1/1 2.38 2.48 3/3 7.74 47 AR RHONDA USERY 3/3 1.98 4.9 1/1 1.01 1.11 1/1 1.58 1.68 5/5 7.69 48 TX SHERRY RUSLINK 1/1 1.74 1.84 2/2 1.68 3.29 0/0 0 0 3/3 5.13 49 AL DARLENE DAVIS 3/3 1.92 4.51 0/0 0 0 0/0 0 0 3/3 4.51 50 FL DENISE SESCO 0/0 0 0 1/1 1.46 1.56 1/1 1.02 1.12 2/2 2.68 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event Totals 147/142 298.36 170 151 362.52 154 141 311.54 471 434 929.020 % Bass Released | Avg Wt 97% 2.03 89% 2.13 92% 2.02 92% 1.97 Big Bass Day 1 BARBARA WETZEL 6.03 Day 2 SHERRIE BRUBAKER 4.76 Day 3 KARLA BULLARD 5.06 Report courtesy of Ann Lewis |