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Monday, August 18, 2008
Calif. pro cashes in at FLW tourney
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
California angler Michael Bennett became bass fishing’s second instant millionaire Sunday by winning the FLW Tour’s Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray, S.C.
The $1 million top prize increased Bennett’s career FLW earnings by 250 percent. He has earned $1.4 million on the circuit. The tournament offered $1 million to its winners for the second consecutive year.
“This hasn’t sunk in at all,” Bennett told reporters Sunday. “I mean, I’m excited and have an unbelievable feeling inside, but overall it hasn’t sunk in. It’s incredible.”
Bennett, whose pre-tournament game plan was thrown out by heavy rains in the days before the event began, said he targeted clear, shallow water featuring structure or grass. His bait of choice was a dual-hook frog lure made by Snag Proof.
The Lincoln, Calif., pro caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 24 pounds, 15 ounces in the final two rounds, in which the field of 77 anglers was pared down to 10. That total was five pounds heavier than the nearest competitor.
Bennett said he had run out of new water to fish in the final day and was going to have to repeat some water he had already covered. He caught four fish weighing 8-14 on Sunday.
“I really thought I was going to need at least 10 pounds today to win,” Bennett said. “It was a struggle today and it started to get to me a little bit.”
Second-place Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa., had a two-day total of 19-12 and won $100,000.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were Terry Bolton of Jonesboro, Ark., (10 bass, 19-09, $75,000): Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., (nine bass, 16-09, $60,000); Kevin Vida of Clare, Mich., (nine bass, 15-14, $50,000); Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., (eight bass, 13-08, $45,000); Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., (seven bass, 13-03, $40,000); Brian Travis of Conover, N.C., (five bass, 11-01, $35,000); Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., (six bass, 10-00, $30,000) and Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., (five bass, 6-10, $25,000).
