11.Jan.2007

REDDING, Calif. – Pro Jim Davis of San Jose, Calif.,

Pro Jim Davis of San Jose, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces Thursday to capture the lead in the $275,225 Stren Series Western Division tournament on Shasta Lake. Photo by Jeff Schroeder

caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces Thursday to capture the lead in the $275,225 Stren Series Western Division tournament on Lake Shasta. With a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 25-11, he now holds a 1-pound, 5-ounce lead over second place pro Gene Gray of Atascadero, Calif., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 24-7 during the first two days of competition.

“The fishing seemed to slow down today,” said Davis, who already has one top-10 finish here at Lake Shasta. “I think the pressure is starting to get to the fish. With local tournaments and an approaching cold front the fish are really pressured right now and hard to catch. As the day drew on my fishing seemed to get better. With this new format, I stayed there and kept on those fish trying for a bigger bite. My plan for tomorrow is to just go fishing and hope the same things happen again.”

Davis was understandably hesitant to reveal his working technique but he said: “I’m targeting the deep sides of rocky points throwing worms and other soft-plastics.”

Rounding out the top five pros are Bill McLaughlin of Redding, Calif. (10 bass, 23-8); Michael Tuck of Antelope, Calif. (10 bass, 22-15); and Alex Dombrowski of Duvall, Wash. (10 bass, 22-4).

McLaughlin earned $250 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division on Thursday thanks to a 4-pound, 2-ounce bass.

Overall in the Pro Division Thursday, there were 763 fish caught weighing 1,365 pounds, 15 ounces coming from 150 five-bass limits.

$65,000 Prize

Pros are competing for as much as $65,000, including a 519VX Ranger powered by Evinrude or Yamaha if contingency guidelines are met, and valuable points toward qualifying for the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Mobile, Ala., Nov. 8-11 for a shot at $140,000. After four qualifying events are complete in each of the circuit’s five divisions, the top 40 pros from each division will advance to the championship. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the championship will also earn a spot in the $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup, where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series and TBF (The Bass Federation) for bass fishing’s biggest prize – $1 million.

Charles Keller of Redding, Calif., retains his leads in the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 13-2 while fishing with pro Matt Newman of Agoura Hills, Calif., Wednesday and five bass weighing 9-3 while fishing with pro Mike Knight of Montrose, Colo., Thursday for a total of 10 bass weighing 22-5.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jason Milligan of Anderson, Calif. (10 bass, 20-12); Steve Bornowski of Mesa, Ariz. (10 bass, 20-1); Roy Desmangles Jr. of Lincoln, Calif. (10 bass, 19-12); and Gary Haraguchi of Brentwood, Calif. (10 bass, 19-8).

Tom Kendall of Fort Bragg, Calif., earned $131 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 3-pound, 12-ounce bass.

The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.

Anglers will take off at 7:30 each morning from Bridge Bay Resort located at 10300 Bridge Bay Rd. in Redding, Calif. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1515 Dana Drive in Redding, Calif., beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. At the conclusion of Friday’s weigh-in, the field is cut to the top 10 pros and co-anglers based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weights. These anglers continue competition Saturday, with the winners determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.