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Kissimmee, FL
-- Friday was the second day of the Wal Mart FLW Tour stop on Lake Toho. 200 pros survived the cold front conditions of day one and returned to the water with hopes of cashing in on part of the $1 million total purse.
Thursday’s top finishers focused mainly on the waters of Lake Kissimmee. Traveling through Toho, Cypress and Hatchineha, these anglers made the run south with the idea of bagging the winning fish. Hite, Sherry, Schenk and Shuffield were part of the top ten crew that locked through to the southern lakes. Much to the dismay of the fantasy fishing fanatics and most everyone following this tournament, only one angler from Florida (Randy Hadden) made the top ten on Thursday.
Cold conditions of day one gave way to a warming trend on Friday. However, the favorable weather was overshadowed by the post-front conditions as the overall weights did not improve on day two. The weekend outlook calls for continued warming which means the bite should heat up.
Day two saw, the always optimistic, Carl Svebek, III follow up his 17-pound, 10-ounce day one bag with 17-08 on Friday. Carl will head into the weekend in the number one spot with a total weight of 35 pounds, 2 ounces.
An emotional Ron Shuffield crossed the stage with five fish totaling 14 pounds, 1-ounce securing him a spot in the top ten with a two day weight of 31-08. Ron’s son Spencer is fishing in his second year as a co-angler on the FLW Tour. Spencer will compete Saturday as one of the remaining 10 co-anglers.
The sole Florida representative, Randy Hadden won the Big Bass award on Thursday with his 11 pound, 9 ounce kicker fish. On Friday, Randy boated an 8-pound, 8-ounce bass that won him his second Snicker’s Big Bass award of this tournament.
Day one surprise and one of just three anglers to bring more than 20 pounds to the scales on Thursday, Robert Sherry failed to weigh in a fish on Friday and finished the Toho event in 16th place with 21-12.
Tommy Martin anchored the $10,000.00 field in 50th place. Tommy’s two day weight of 20 pounds, 4 ounces was matched by four other competitors and the deciding factor was his day one weight of 9 pounds, 4 ounces breaking the tie.
The Top Ten
1. Carl Svebk, III 35-02
2. Ron Shuffield 31-08
3. Randy Hadden 30-05
4. Shinichi Fukae 30-03
5. Brett Hite 28-14
6. Pat Fisher 27-04
7. Brian Thrift 26-11
8. Shad Schenk 26-06
9. Andy Morgan 23-10
10. Dan Morehead 23-04
Svebek in the Top Seat
Carl Svebek, III, from Siloam Springs, Ark., made his 6th FLW top ten on Friday and in doing so; Carl will surpass the $500,000.00 in career earnings. Bookending the first two days with 17 pound limits, Carl enters the weekend with the heaviest qualifying weight (35-02).
“I had 10 or 11 pounds and continued to fish,” Carl replied when asked about his 17-08 weight on day two. “With the caliber of guys out here you just don’t want to take a chance.” Carl’s last catch of the day resulted in a bass weighing over six pounds and ensured the veteran a spot in the finals.
Carl is throwing his trademark Gambler Sweebo worm on a Falcon rod paired with a Revo reel. With the vegetation, Carl stuck with 15 pound Berkley Big Game line. One of the few top anglers staying in Toho, Svebek averaged 15 keepers a day. “The majority of these fish are pre-spawn fish,” he said. “It’s pretty grueling. I’m throwing it weightless and going real slow.”
Shuffield Thankful
Ron Shuffield is a seasoned angler, but is in just his second year on the FLW Tour. Crossing the stage on Friday, Ron shared a few thoughts about his fishing. “I am blessed to be here, especially to be fishing with my son Spencer,” Ron said with tears welling up in his eyes. Spencer suffered an accident in November and is fortunate to be alive. “I walk by his picture and think that is all I could have (referring to the picture) if things had gone differently.”
Ron has a storied past on this body of water including a 3rd place finish at the ’06 Bassmaster Classic. “I spent the majority of the day today in Cypress,” Ron said. “Yesterday my best fish came on a worm today they came on a rattle bait (Yozuri Drum).” |
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On the first two days Ron split time between Cypress and Kissimmee in an effort to conserve his bite. “My focus will be mainly on Cypress. I’ll run to Kissimmee if I need to.”
Ron’s son Spencer finished in the top ten on the co-angler side and Ron believes it is due to Spencer’s ability with finesse fish. “I bet he is throwing a wacky worm,” Ron said. “I’m a power fisherman, but he (Spencer) has taught me a lot about fishing with light line. I got on this pattern because of him.”
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Hadden Lone Florida Angler
Randy Hadden made the jump from the BFLs to the Wal Mart FLW Tour this year and is fishing in his first top ten. Unbelievably, Randy took Big Bass honors on each of the first two days of his first major tournament. “Today, I caught them in the reeds flipping a brush hog, yesterday it was in the lily pads,” he said. “It was flip flop today; early bite today, late bite on Thursday.”
Randy believes the fish he is catching are all pre-spawn. “There were some huge fish in these areas before the cold front. If it warms up, it could get really good.”
Randy, a former major league baseball player, feels comfortable in his first major tournament. He will continue to seine the waters of Lake Hatchineha and Kissimmee during the final two days of this tournament. “If it keeps warming up and they keep pulling in, there is no telling what you might catch.” |
Fukae in Familiar Territory
Shinichi Fukae is known for his extensive practice on tournament waters. It was suggested that the new four day practice period might be detrimental to Shin’s performance. Through an interpreter, Shin replied, “If I had not been to this lake before, maybe, but I am familiar with this lake. It fishes a lot like my home waters in Japan.”
Fukae brought 10 fish to the scales on the first two days for a total of 30 pounds, 3 ounces.
Hite Still in the Hunt
Day one leader, Brett Hite slid down the leader board, but remained in the top ten which will allow him to fish on the weekend. “I missed four fish today,” he said. “They were short-striking the bait.” He believes the water needs to warm up a couple degrees before the fish start biting better. |
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“With less boat traffic I will move around more than I have. I’m throwing a Chatterbait and burnt the skin off my thumb casting so much today.”
Fisher on the Move
Pat Fisher jumped from 15th to 6th to qualify for his 10th top ten finish as a professional. Two of the previous nine final appearances resulted in victories. “I been very fortunate to get a big bite each day,” he said. “I found the thickest cover I could find and went flipping.”
Pat is also managing time between Toho and Kissimmee. “I think the better fish are down in Kissimmee, but the water is still a little cold. I will start out flipping, but if the water warms up I might throw a frog.
“If the fish move up on the isolated roots, I think I can really sack them up.”
Day
Two Top 50
| Pl. |
Pro
Angler |
Hometown,
State |
Winnings |
| 1 |
CARL
SVEBEK III |
SILOAM
SPRINGS, AR |
5 |
17-10 |
5 |
17-08 |
10 |
35-02 |
|
| 2 |
RON
SHUFFIELD |
BISMARCK,
AR |
5 |
17-07 |
5 |
14-01 |
10 |
31-08 |
|
| 3 |
RANDY
HADDEN |
JACKSONVILLE,
FL |
4 |
15-09 |
5 |
14-12 |
9 |
30-05 |
|
| 4 |
SHINICHI
FUKAE |
MINEOLA,
TX |
5 |
16-05 |
5 |
13-14 |
10 |
30-03 |
|
| 5 |
BRETT
HITE |
PHOENIX,
AZ |
5 |
22-06 |
5 |
6-08 |
10 |
28-14 |
|
| 6 |
PAT
FISHER |
BUCKHEAD,
GA |
5 |
14-01 |
5 |
13-03 |
10 |
27-04 |
|
| 7 |
BRYAN
THRIFT |
SHELBY,
NC |
5 |
11-01 |
5 |
15-10 |
10 |
26-11 |
|
| 8 |
SHAD
SCHENCK |
WAYNETOWN,
IN |
5 |
21-13 |
3 |
4-09 |
8 |
26-06 |
|
| 9 |
ANDY
MORGAN |
DAYTON,
TN |
5 |
18-04 |
4 |
5-06 |
9 |
23-10 |
|
| 10 |
DAN
MOREHEAD |
PADUCAH,
KY |
4 |
9-07 |
5 |
13-13 |
9 |
23-04 |
|
| 11 |
KOBY
KREIGER |
OKEECHOBEE,
FL |
5 |
13-05 |
3 |
9-03 |
8 |
22-08 |
$12,500 |
| 12 |
CLARK
WENDLANDT |
LEANDER,
TX |
5 |
13-12 |
5 |
8-09 |
10 |
22-05 |
$12,500 |
| 13 |
NATE
WELLMAN |
JENISON,
MI |
3 |
6-10 |
5 |
15-09 |
8 |
22-03 |
$12,500 |
| 14 |
MONTE
KNIGHT |
QUITMAN,
MS |
3 |
17-00 |
5 |
5-01 |
8 |
22-01 |
$12,500 |
| 15 |
CHRIS
ELLIOTT |
BEAUFORT,
NC |
2 |
2-15 |
5 |
19-01 |
7 |
22-00 |
$12,500 |
| 16 |
ROBERT
SHERRY |
SAINT
CHARLES, IL |
5 |
21-12 |
0 |
0-00 |
5 |
21-12 |
$12,000 |
| 17 |
LLOYD
PICKETT JR |
BARTLETT,
TN |
3 |
6-11 |
3 |
15-00 |
6 |
21-11 |
$12,000 |
| 18 |
ANDRE
MOORE |
ALABASTER,
AL |
5 |
12-00 |
4 |
9-07 |
9 |
21-07 |
$12,000 |
| 19 |
TERRY
BOLTON |
JONESBORO,
AR |
5 |
14-02 |
5 |
6-12 |
10 |
20-14 |
$12,000 |
| 20 |
SANDY
MELVIN |
BOCA
GRANDE, FL |
5 |
8-06 |
5 |
11-15 |
10 |
20-05 |
$12,000 |
| 21 |
TERRY
BAKSAY |
EASTON,
CT |
5 |
11-04 |
5 |
8-12 |
10 |
20-00 |
$11,500 |
| 22 |
MICHAEL
BENNETT |
ROSEVILLE,
CA |
2 |
3-02 |
5 |
16-05 |
7 |
19-07 |
$11,500 |
| 23 |
TIM
KLINGER |
BOULDER
CITY, NV |
5 |
14-06 |
2 |
4-11 |
7 |
19-01 |
$11,500 |
| 24 |
TONY
DEFILIPPO |
CEDAR,
MI |
5 |
8-04 |
4 |
10-06 |
9 |
18-10 |
$11,500 |
| 25 |
CRAIG
DOWLING |
GRANT,
AL |
5 |
6-05 |
4 |
12-03 |
9 |
18-08 |
$11,500 |
| 26 |
KEVIN
LONG |
BERKLEY,
MI |
4 |
14-08 |
2 |
3-15 |
6 |
18-07 |
$11,000 |
| 27 |
LUKE
CLAUSEN |
SPOKANE,
WA |
5 |
14-07 |
2 |
3-11 |
7 |
18-02 |
$11,000 |
| 28 |
KYLE
MABREY |
MCCALLA,
AL |
5 |
7-05 |
5 |
10-06 |
10 |
17-11 |
$11,000 |
| 29 |
CHAD
GRIGSBY |
MAPLE
GROVE, MN |
4 |
6-15 |
5 |
10-11 |
9 |
17-10 |
$11,000 |
| 30 |
GLENN
BROWNE |
OCALA,
FL |
4 |
6-01 |
5 |
11-08 |
9 |
17-09 |
$11,000 |
| 31 |
ERIC
AMBORT |
MABELVALE,
AR |
4 |
10-13 |
5 |
6-03 |
9 |
17-00 |
$10,500 |
| 32 |
ROBERT
PEARSON |
HERNDON,
VA |
5 |
14-14 |
1 |
2-00 |
6 |
16-14 |
$10,500 |
| 33 |
TIM
MCDONALD |
LEXINGTON,
KY |
5 |
10-06 |
3 |
6-08 |
8 |
16-14 |
$10,500 |
| 34 |
ANDY
MONTGOMERY |
BLACKSBURG,
SC |
5 |
8-05 |
5 |
8-09 |
10 |
16-14 |
$10,500 |
| 35 |
AL
LITTLE |
GREENSBORO,
NC |
5 |
10-15 |
4 |
5-13 |
9 |
16-12 |
$10,500 |
| 36 |
BRENT
LONG |
CORNELIUS,
NC |
5 |
10-11 |
5 |
6-01 |
10 |
16-12 |
$10,500 |
| 37 |
DANNY
CORREIA |
MARLBOROUGH,
MA |
5 |
6-14 |
5 |
9-14 |
10 |
16-12 |
$10,500 |
| 38 |
DWAYNE
HORTON |
KNOXVILLE,
TN |
3 |
8-12 |
3 |
8-00 |
6 |
16-12 |
$10,500 |
| 39 |
DAVID
LAWSON |
RICHMOND,
KY |
5 |
9-08 |
5 |
7-02 |
10 |
16-10 |
$10,500 |
| 40 |
STEVE
REDDING |
PLANO,
TX |
3 |
9-07 |
5 |
7-03 |
8 |
16-10 |
$10,500 |
| 41 |
GEORGE
COCHRAN |
HOT
SPRINGS, AR |
5 |
6-03 |
5 |
10-05 |
10 |
16-08 |
$10,000 |
| 42 |
JASON
MCKINNIE |
UMATILLA,
FL |
1 |
1-02 |
5 |
15-04 |
6 |
16-06 |
$10,000 |
| 43 |
VIC
VATALARO |
KENT,
OH |
5 |
12-07 |
4 |
3-15 |
9 |
16-06 |
$10,000 |
| 44 |
STEPHEN
JOHNSTON |
HEMPHILL,
TX |
5 |
8-10 |
5 |
7-08 |
10 |
16-02 |
$10,000 |
| 45 |
JOHN
DEVERE |
BEREA,
KY |
3 |
9-03 |
5 |
6-11 |
8 |
15-14 |
$10,000 |
| 46 |
ALVIN
SHAW |
STATE
ROAD, NC |
3 |
9-03 |
5 |
6-04 |
8 |
15-07 |
$10,000 |
| 47 |
ANTHONY
GAGLIARDI |
PROSPERITY,
SC |
5 |
8-10 |
5 |
6-11 |
10 |
15-05 |
$10,000 |
| 48 |
MARK
ROSE |
MARION,
AR |
1 |
1-05 |
5 |
13-15 |
6 |
15-04 |
$10,000 |
| 49 |
JASON
ABRAM |
GRAY,
TN |
4 |
10-00 |
5 |
5-04 |
9 |
15-04 |
$10,000 |
| 50 |
JOHN
SAPPINGTON |
WILLARD,
MO |
2 |
3-11 |
5 |
11-03 |
7 |
14-14 |
$10,000 |
| 51 |
TOMMY
MARTIN |
HEMPHILL,
TX |
2 |
9-04 |
4 |
5-10 |
6 |
14-14 |
$2,500 |
| 52 |
J
T KENNEY |
PORT
CHARLOTTE, FL |
4 |
6-09 |
5 |
8-05 |
9 |
14-14 |
$2,500 |
| 53 |
JAY
YELAS |
CORVALLIS,
OR |
5 |
7-07 |
5 |
7-07 |
10 |
14-14 |
$2,500 |
| 54 |
HANK
CHERRY |
MAIDEN,
NC |
3 |
4-11 |
5 |
10-02 |
8 |
14-13 |
$2,500 |
| 55 |
JOE
THOMAS |
MILFORD,
OH |
2 |
4-03 |
4 |
10-09 |
6 |
14-12 |
$2,500 |
| 56 |
BILL
DAY |
FRANKFORT,
KY |
5 |
7-15 |
4 |
6-11 |
9 |
14-10 |
$2,500 |
| 57 |
KEITH
WILLIAMS |
CONWAY,
AR |
5 |
12-03 |
2 |
2-06 |
7 |
14-09 |
$2,500 |
| 58 |
ROB
DIGH |
DENVER,
NC |
5 |
8-09 |
3 |
5-15 |
8 |
14-08 |
$2,500 |
| 59 |
DAVID
VANCE |
WINNSBORO,
TX |
5 |
10-07 |
3 |
4-00 |
8 |
14-07 |
$2,500 |
| 60 |
KEITH
COMBS |
DEL
RIO, TX |
5 |
8-10 |
4 |
5-13 |
9 |
14-07 |
$2,500 |
| 61 |
PETE
GLUSZEK |
FRANKLINVILLE,
NJ |
5 |
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