Press Releases         Logos         Photos
WWC: Ligon leads day 1
8/8/2005

(Editors: The inaugural Skeeter BassFan Army Weekend Warrior Championship takes the best "weekend warrior" bass anglers from the best regional trails and allows them to compete against one another for the title of "Best Weekend Warrior Angler" in North America. More info on the tournament is available at http://www.bassfanarmy.com/ww_intro.asp . Media information, including releases, logos and competitor photos, is available here: http://www.bassfan.com/topgun/media_center.asp . The WWC is a warm-up, of sorts, for this weekend's big event, the Cabela's Top Gun Championship. Information on that event is available on http://www.bassfan.com/topgun/ .)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2005

For more information, contact:
> Scot Laney, BassFan COO, (503) 546-8137, slaney@bassfan.com

Alabama's Ligon Leads Day 1
Of 2-day Inaugural Skeeter
Weekend Warrior Championship

FT. WORTH, Texas – North America's best weekend warrior bass anglers competed head to head on Eagle Mountain Lake here today, and Moulton, Ala.'s Norman Ligon is on top.

His 10.73 pounds leads the 37-man field, but not by much. Olathe, Kan.'s Tadjen "Pete" Peterson isn't far behind with 9.74 pounds. Tomorrow is the final day of competition, and the high-tech weigh-in show will be held at the new Cabela's retail store in Fort Worth. Noted fishing personality Fish Fishburne will be the emcee.

After the first day of competition, Bradley Hallman (Norman, Okla.) is 3rd with four fish for 9.49 pounds, and 2005 BFL All-American champ Wade Ramsey (Midwest City, Okla.) is 4th with a 9.35-pound limit. Springfield, Mo.'s Corey Eutsler rounds out the Top 5 with his 8.78-pound limit.

Conditions today were overcast in the morning, with some clearing in the afternoon. Wind was a factor and reported gusts up to 15 mph blew some anglers off their main-lake spots.

Overall the field is tight. Several 4-plus-pound fish were caught in practice, and some anglers lost fish at least that big today. The title of greatest weekend angler on the continent will be decided tomorrow, and the event is wide open. Ligon's lead is 1 pound, but only 1 1/2 pounds separates 1st from 4th, and just 4 pounds separates 1st from 10th. Anyone could easily make up that margin tomorrow.

Ligon said he had a "pretty good day" except for the fact that someone was swimming in his best slough. "I'm on some fish," he said. "But in my best slough, a lady kept swimming across it."

He'd only caught one fish from his best water, but decided to leave. "I made a couple of moves, caught a couple more, then went back (to the slough) and caught a 4-pound largemouth at about 1:00."

Peterson, in 2nd, said: "The day went better than I though it would. I had a tough practice, and went and pounded the stuff I found in practice. I kept going back and forth and scraped out a limit."

He said he'll pound those same areas again tomorrow. "There's one other pattern I couldn't do today, because it was cloudy and windy. But it's not a big deal. I might be able to catch one or two tomorrow doing it, if it works. But you know how that goes."
At 1 pound behind the leader, he's confident he can win tomorrow. "Oh yeah, I have lots of confidence. I'm also a little nervous. I'm looking for my first big win. I've been close before, but never did put it away. So I'm going out there tomorrow to give it my all."

Tomorrow's final-day weigh-in will be held at the Cabela's retail store in fort Worth: 12901 Cabela Drive, Ft. Worth, TX 76177, Phone: 817-337-2400.

About the event:
The Skeeter BassFan Army Weekend Warrior Championship will crown the best weekend bass angler in North America. This inaugural "unification" amateur championship qualifies anglers from the best regional trails on the continent, and pits them in a 2-day winner-take-all format. The event is title-sponsored by Skeeter Boats (www.skeeterboats.com) and is presented by outdoor outfitter Cabela's (www.cabelas.com) and the Skeeter BassFan Army (www.bassfanarmy.com). Associate sponsors include State Farm Insurance (www.statefarm.com) Mann's HardNose Baits (www.mannsbait.com), Bagley Bait Co. (www.bagleybait.com), Lowrance Electronics (www.lowrance.com) and Oakley sunglasses (www.oakley.com).

Day 1 Standings

1. Norman Ligon -- Moulton, AL -- ABA -- 3, 10.73

2. Tadjen Peterson -- Olathe, KS -- Central Pro-Am -- 5, 9.74

3. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, OK -- Skeeter/Yamaha -- 4, 9.49

4. Wade Ramsey -- Midwest City, OK -- BFL -- 5, 9.35

5. Corey Eutsler -- Springfield, MO -- Heartland -- 5, 8.78

6. Timothy Cline -- Sherman, TX -- Wildcard -- 3, 7.78

7. Ray Hanselman -- Del Rio, TX -- Bass Champs -- 5, 7.70

8. David White -- Pierce City, MO -- Central Pro-Am -- 4, 7.08

9. Jami Fralick -- Martin, SD -- Federation -- 4, 6.65

10. Gary Pope -- Georgetown, SC -- Federation -- 3, 6.25

11. Mike Eutsler -- Springfield, MO -- Heartland -- 3, 6.15

12. Robert Bagby -- Westville, OK -- Skeeter/Yamaha -- 3, 6.01

13. David Curtis -- Trinity, TX -- Wildcard -- 3, 5.81

14. Frank Cuccurullo -- Carrollton, TX -- Bass Champs -- 3, 5.68

15. Charles Simmons -- Waco, TX -- TTT -- 3, 5.56

16. Larry Sisk -- Evansville, IN -- Hoosier Open-- 3, 5.49

17. Derrick Patch -- Alta Loma, CA -- Won -- 3, 4.96

18. Marty Sisk -- Evansville, IN -- Hoosier -- 3, 4.88

19. Mark Mitchell -- Sulphur Springs, TX -- Wildcard -- 2, 4.53

20. Jerry Jeranka -- Dover, DE -- ABA -- 2, 4.19

21. Raymond Leyerly -- Laguna Niguel, CA -- Won -- 2, 3.49

22. Paul Combs -- Yankton, SD -- Team Supreme -- 2, 3.44

23. Jeff Combs -- Friend, NE -- Team Supreme -- 2, 3.33

24. Mike Petrovic -- Arlington, TX -- Media Bass -- 2, 3.29

25. Kenneth Warren -- Olin, IA -- ABA -- 1, 3.07

26. Larry Hayes, Sr. -- Martin , MI -- NBAA -- 1, 2.79

27. Richard LaPoint -- Springfield, MO -- Central Pro -- 1, 2.52

28. Phil Strader -- Glide, OR -- Wildcard -- 1, 2.33

29. Scott Dye -- Ionia, MI -- NBAA -- 1, 2.09

30. Steve Hammond -- Farmington, NM -- U.S. Angler's Choice -- 1, 2.02

31. Randall Stewart -- Marion, IL -- US Anglers Choice -- 1, 1.46

32. John Gorman -- Bolivar, MO -- Wildcard -- 1, 1.33

33. Donald Watts -- Gowen, MI -- NBAA -- 0, 0.00

34. Joel Kinnaird -- Garland, TX -- Media Bass -- 0, 0.00

35. Dennis Cook -- Farmington, NM -- U.S. Angler's Choice -- 0, 0.00

36. Blaine Shelton -- Moulton, AL -- ABA -- 0, 0.00

37. Brian Jackson -- Dyer, IN -- U.S. Angler's Choice -- 0, 0.00

/00



 


About BassFan | Sponsorship/Advertising | Media Center | Contact BassFan | Terms of Use

©2001-2005 BassFan. All rights reserved.

Site design by e-Scapes.com