JASPER, Texas (May 17, 2006) - Pro Wade Middleton of San Antonio, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 2 ounces to lead day one of the Stren Series Central Division bass fishing tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented.
Rounding out the top five pros are Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce); Alan Bond of Vidor, Texas (five bass bass, 17 pounds, 7 ounces); Jim Nolan of Bull Shoals, Ark. (five bass, 16 pounds, 11 ounces); and Lendell Martin Jr., of Nacogdoches, Texas (five bass, 16 pounds, 0 ounces).
Derek Remitz of Himphill, Texas, earned $625 for the Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 7-pound bass.
Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces while fishing with pro Sid Havard of Simsboro, La., who is currently in 48th place.
"We caught all of our fish deep on Carolina rigs," said Rogers who has 15 top-10 finishes in his FLW Outdoors career. "Sid had a brush pile and we caught all of our fish by 8:30 this morning. It was one of those deals that I just happen to catch the kicker fish and he didn't."
Rogers used a watermelon seed Baby Brush Hog on the Carolina rig to catch his day one leading limit.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Tim Webb of Olpe, Kan. (four bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces); Mike Wisenbaker of Jourdanton , Texas (five bass, 13 pounds, 11 ounces); Ray Burnett of Cleveland, Texas (five bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounces); and Emmet Barnett of Waldron, Ark. (four bass, 11 pounds, 13 ounces).
Webb earned $225 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 each morning from Umphrey Family Pavilion located at 5438 RR 255 West in Jasper, Texas. Thursday's weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 800 West Gibson in Jasper 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 three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.