Ramsdell Leads Stren Series Bass Fishing Event on Falcon Lake
ZAPATA, Texas (Jan. 9, 2008) - Pro Bob Ramsdell of Sour Lake, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 34 pounds, 13 ounces Wednesday to lead opening day of the Stren Series Texas Division tournament on Falcon Lake.
"It was one heck of a day for fishing." Ramsdell said. "It's the first time that I have been on this lake, and I found two key areas during practice that I went to today. I stayed in one area all day. With the fish changing, the bite was better than it was last week during practice. I left my key spot an hour early just to save the fish for tomorrow. In that area I have a lot of water to cover, and I think I can catch a good limit tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if I could do it three days in a row. It is holding a lot of fish."
Ramsdell's catch of 34-13 eclipsed the previous mark for the heaviest opening day catch in a Stren Series event set by Dan Schooveld of Mansura, La. Schooveld's weight of 34-12 was recorded in a Stren Series Texas Division event at Lake Amistad in 2007.
"The weather was perfect today. During practice we had some windy days, but today the wind was only 5 to 10 mph," Ramsdell said. "The brush on this lake is so thick that it's hard to fish when it's windy. It was a blessing to have the wind calm down today."
Rounding out the top five pros are Kelly Owens of Crowley, La. (five bass, 31-03); Toby Hartsell of Livingston, Texas (five bass, 31-02); David Curtis of Trinity, Texas (five bass, 30-05); and James Stricklin Jr. of Jasper, Texas (five bass, 29-02).
Michael Herron of Paris, Texas, earned $243 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 12-pound, 1-ounce bass that ranks ninth on the Stren Series all-time big bass list.
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Victor Jones of Lake Charles, La., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 198VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 30-05 while fishing with pro Yarri Scheibrogel of Sam Rayburn, Texas, who is currently in 91st place.
"It was the best day of fishing that I have ever had," said Jones, whose opening-day catch ranks as second heaviest one-day catch for a co-angler in Stren Series history. "I had a great partner and the fish were really biting. The fish weren't looking to bite any certain bait. I caught each fish on something different. We just had a great time and caught a lot of fish."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mike Taylor of Sam Rayburn, Texas (five bass, 27-04); Mannie Lackey of Kerrville, Texas (five bass, 26-08); Robert Arnold of Little Rock, Ark. (five bass, 26-01); and Zac Cassill of Fairfax, Iowa (five bass, 25-04).
Eduardo Alanis of Roma, Texas, earned $128 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 9-pound, 7-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 each morning from Beacon Lodge located just off Farm Road 3074 in Zapata. Thursday and Friday's weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Zapata County Community Center located on Highway 83 in Zapata 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.
